One Click Away

We all know Instagram today as a social media channel we can't live without. We use it to share photos, provide updates, and stay in touch with people. Some of us, including me, use it to promote our businesses, and at this point, I couldn't live without it.

In 2012, Facebook paid $1B in cash and stock to acquire Instagram, but the app we know today almost failed. Few people know that the original idea for the app was called Burbn.

Burbn was a location-based check-in app, similar to Foursquare, that allowed users to check into places, make future plans, earn points for hanging out with friends, and post pictures of their activities. Despite the comprehensive features, Burbn struggled to gain traction. Users found the app confusing and cluttered with too many options.

However, they noticed one feature that was working: photo sharing.

They immediately began to strip down the features of Burbn, rebrand it to Instagram, and re-launched. Less than two years later they sold the company and became multi-millionaires.

They were just one click away from success.

The product they started with wasn't a product market fit, and it wasn't a hit with consumers. The product they pivoted to forever changed the landscape of how we view, share, comment and like photos.

If they had quit after Burbn sputtered or continued down the wrong path, they would never have achieved the success we know today. And it would have been easy to throw in the towel or be too hard-headed to pivot.

There is a chance you are one click away from achieving the desired results. The difference might be your open-mindedness to pivot, to try new things, or to completely go in a different direction.

Success is not about sticking rigidly to the original plan but about recognizing when to change course. It's about being attuned to what is needed to win and being brave enough to make necessary adjustments.

Whether you're running a business, developing a product, or managing a project, or working towards a promotion, stay flexible and keep an eye out for the feature or idea that resonates. You never know when you might be just one click away from your breakthrough.

Take a moment to evaluate your current path. Are you clinging to an idea that isn't working? Are you open to feedback and willing to pivot if necessary? Remember, even the most successful ventures often start with failures and missteps. The key is to learn from them, adapt, and keep moving forward. Your next big success could be just around the corner, waiting for you to make that one crucial change.

If you enjoyed this article, I write daily on Patreon.com/scottbond, I host a podcast, I run a Discord community, and I genuinely want to help inspire and influence your career. Sure, it's $5 a month, but you spent more than that on bagels this morning.

Also, if you're wanting to write on LinkedIn but you're afraid to get started or struggling to find the content, check out my LinkedIn ghostwriting program here; it's free to look!

By Scott Bond