Mark Zuckerberg’s advice for success in business
Mark Zuckerberg was interviewed recently by Charlie Rose. Mashable published twelve quotes from that interview.
I clicked through the quotes in the slide show and didn't reckon much of them. Perhaps they lost something outside the context of the actual interview.
But then I came back to one of the quotes, one that at first blush, seemed not to say much at all. The refer to I came back to was Zuckerberg speaking about business:
"I reckon a simple rule of business is, if you do the things that are simpler first, then you can really make a lot of progress."
It seems simplistic, doesn't it? "Start with the simple things." But it is truly profound.
Many people who start a business project, myself included, tend to focus on the toughest parts first. My thinking has been, "I can always do the simple things, I need to conquer the toughest challenges first because if I can't lick those, this project will never get off the ground."
How about you? Do you start with the simple things or, like me, do you first jump into the deep end of the pool?
Perhaps we equate "simple" with "having less value," but in the practical sense, that isn't right. The things we can do without a lot of thought or effort are often of greater value because they allow us to get started and getting started is the most vital part.
Most business projects never see completion because they never get started. They wait thoughts, Someday/Maybes, wishes and dreams.
How many projects have you conceived in the shower or while out for a drive that never got past the thought stage? In the light of day, when you thought about those thoughts, you saw how hard they would be. "I can't do that. I don't have time to do that. I don't have the money to do that. Maybe some day."
Perhaps you did get started, but you started on the hard things first and saw first hand the immensity of the challenge. Now you know you can't do this. Maybe some day.
What if you did the simple things first? What would happen?
You would learn things you need to know. Meet people who can help you. Gain confidence. And momentum.
If Mark Zuckerberg had thought about Facebook as whatever business more than what it was when he started, a small dorm room project, he may never have started. It was simple for him in the commencement, and fun. The hard parts came later after he was committed.
The most vital part of any project is getting started.
Start with simple.