Reducing the Cost to Enter is the largest driver of success for B2B Tech Founders. Solving in parallel creates the lowest resistance.
Founder start with high focus and a solve-in-sequence approach. "I'll cross the bridge when I come to it." "How hard can it be?" and "We'll employ some good people that can solve that problem when we are ready" are the solutions to unencountered problems.
As the problems, ambiguity and complexity explode the slower things go, and the more expensive it becomes. Code debt accrues, energy wanes and things slow down as Founders realise there just aren't enough hours in the day. Every morning they are at the foot of a seemingly insurmountable mountain and the work done so far locks you more onto a path that may not be the right one. Sunk cost and invested effort become more prominent decision drivers.
Founders have to learn to solve in parallel, this means solving problems before they are encountered. "How hard can it be" becomes "This is a complex and difficult phase, let's see how the customer and market respond" at least 12 months sooner. The sooner the Founders understand the complexity of the next phase the sooner they can adjust the phase they are in. This increases complexity and ambiguity but no one said it was going to be easy. Working in parallel means the business can be more responsive, customer needs and market opportunities become stronger drivers than sunk cost and existing functionality.
Cost and time to enter are 3x higher than expected, if you solve in series this can slide out to 5x and 7x. Solving in parallel can collapse this.
Distribution first businesses scale faster than other businesses.
How you sell is more important than what you sell.
Bookkeeping Services for Small Businesses
1 个月Cost-to-enter is a critical factor in determining both the accessibility and the long-term sustainability of any market—those who adapt quickly will reap the rewards.??
Corporate Strategy & Finance Specialist | Strategic Pursuits | Corporate Development | Fund Raise | Management Consulting | Financial Modeling | Governance | Ex-Adani Group
1 个月Astute! Very nicely put! Thanks.
Doing your GTM strategy, competitive positioning, pricing and bundles as you code is key. Code features to create buying triggers for specific customers. You biggest competitor is often the status quo so coding to beat 'do nothing' speeds things up
Founder at Gururo
1 个月Keith Jones, what’s the secret sauce for parallel problem-solving? It seems essential when timing and resources are tight. Embracing distribution-first might just be the game changer we need. #B2BInsights