My last post brought up memories of my time working at Facebook...
Originally, the only photos on Facebook used to be profile pictures.
Then Facebook noticed that people were changing their profile picture a lot, so they added the ability to share photos.
That’s the right way to approach product-building: give your users a lot of leeway, then build functionality around their patterns.
The Facebook methodology is grounded in responding to human behavior and human nature - not blindly adhering to their own ideas of what the product should be.
Recognize where your users are cutting through the grass, then build the trail they desire.
A lot of startup founders want to work from the Steve Jobs principle of telling customers what they want.
But it’s not a move a lot of people can successfully pull off. For most entrepreneurs, particularly in the B2B space, you can’t be Steve Jobs. You have to listen to what your customer needs and then figure out how to adapt your business accordingly.
Apple can dictate consumer behavior, the rest of us have to figure out what customers need and then build solutions.
The sooner you get used to that, the more success you’re likely to find as an entrepreneur.
What’s the best way to avoid security breaches?
Don’t build anything at all! 🤦♂️
The more realistic question is: is your cybersecurity an enabler for your organization, or is it a blocker?
You can tell by the way the people in the organization perceive it. If they hate it, that should send you a message that your systems need to change. Your team may have tried to deploy something new and failed because they were hindered by the security apparatus.
If you get to that point, you risk progress eventually slowing to a halt.
It’s important to choose cybersecurity options that encourage innovation from the start, keeping in mind that all progress requires risk.
You can bet if you’re not taking those risks, your competitors are.
It’s critical to protect your organization without eliminating innovation. It’s a fine line, but successful organizations figure out how to walk it.