In a recent article on Entrepreneur.com, Peter Gasca discusses the
8 lessons learned by Baro, a new marketplace in the collaborative economy. This article has many pearls of wisdom for collaborative economy start-ups.
And the most important lesson in this article is "Get Launched."
What is "Get Launched" you ask? Good question, Grasshopper.
"No company is ever perfect. Graham advises that companies, especially tech companies, remember that they will always be iterating and pivoting based on user needs and demands. It is far more important to get a
minimal viable product in the marketplace for testing than to perfect it. Also, seek a control group of beta users who can and will offer critical and helpful feedback."
Starting a business can be a long journey filled with danger and heartache. Testing your product, seeking opinions and qualified feedback is important. But sometimes the pursuit of perfection can derail you from launching your business.
Why is launching more important than perfection? Perfection is an illusion because things are always changing. Perfection doesn't exist.
You need a MVP or minimum viable product to show investors, marketplace vendors, and customers. Your marketplace will no doubt need refining, and that's the natural flow of business. As you hear from more users, collect data and begin to grow, you'll find ways to enhance your existing marketplace.
Just don't be THAT guy (or gal) who had a great idea, but did nothing. You'll regret it! There will always be someone right behind you with the same or similar idea. The race is on. Get a minimal viable product up NOW!
