I recently attended a conference in Anaheim, CA and one of the presenters, Earl McClellan, made a statement to the effect of “Nothing great is built on minimums!”
It took a minute or two for that to sink in . . .
My mind raced through business cases, famous start-ups, and concepts like Minimal Viable Products (MVPs from Eric Ries). There are so many examples of great movements and uber-successful businesses starting from precarious, humble, and minimalistic origins. So how could this statement be true?
However, after a few minutes of thought, I concluded that I agree with the statement and this is why!
Minimum Product Does Not Mean Minimum Mindset
The path towards mediocrity starts by taking a minimum approach to your product, service, or movement with no regard to the future impact that you want to make.
The path towards greatness starts with a powerful vision and an equally powerful set of goals. One step towards achieving this vision may be to release a scaled down version of your product or service to test it in the marketplace.
However, you should never start with this minimum product without having what Peter Diamandis calls a “massive transformative purpose” to back it up. Your organization must have a powerful vision that fuels its strategy and actions!
Whenever you start with a minimum as the end game, that is all you can expect to achieve. When you start with a great purpose in mind and release a scaled down version of that, you are simply scaling towards greatness by leveraging the power of a minimum product.
Greatness is all about having a “maximum” mindset while scaling minimum products or services to build your way towards success!
Nothing great is built on a minimum mindset!
Take Action
Set aside a few hours this week and take a detailed look at your business. Review your organization’s vision and purpose. Are you clearly communicating this to your staff? Have you conceded to minimums in any area of your business? Where do you need to refocus your time and attention to ensure that your business is setting the bar high? Do you need to re-establish a massive transformative purpose for your business?
Go ahead and challenge your staff with stretch goals that will cause them and your business to grow. Transform the marketplace rather than just being another undifferentiated minimum!
Finally, review these related posts for more information:
- How to Build a Business Without a Perfect Product
- 11 Commandments of Business Success
- The Science of Success
- 5 Steps to Turn a Business from Failure to Success
- Differentiate or Die
- Why Business Dynasties Fail and How to Avoid It
“Will you live an insignificant life or will you stretch yourself to achieve unimagined goals, to realize seemingly impossible dreams and to positively impact as many people around you as possible.” David Taylor
What experience do you have with a minimum approach that did not turn out well? Leave your comments below!
We help leaders navigate marketplace complexities and build successful and lasting business legacies.
Call or email us today for more information or to book your free business assessment:
587-227-5179
info@thinkingbusinessblog.com
Be sure to download a free copy of my new Ebook: 12 Steps to Business Transformation and to sign up at www.thinkingbusinessblog.com for weekly blog updates delivered to your inbox.
Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive or off-topic.