Startup Principle: Create Imbalance

Creating Imbalance is a game changer for Startups. I'll Explain.

Most startups that succeeded in rapidly scaling their business had one ingredient: That one thing they were phenomenally good at, head and shoulders better than everyone else. And they continued racing ahead in that specific area, faster than competitors, despite already being ahead.

The tenet here is: Companies that scaled rapidly have tended for focus, and double down on their relative strengths while making a "just enough" effort to cover for weaknesses. 

Ultimately, doubling down on strengths can get you places 10x (or even 100x) faster than bridging your weaknesses can.

Jason Cohen, a smart bear, and a man much smarter than me, articulates this amazingly well in his blog post. 

Companies (like products or people) are most well known for their strengths, not weaknesses. That's what drives their businesses, that's what drives their growth, and that's usually where they continue learning faster and getting better. I do think balancing capabilities to look just like everyone else in the market is OK. 

But Creating Imbalance by focusing and doubling down on their strengths, on the other hand, is what gives startups that 10X bump.