Interesting post, but the first flow-chart seems to perpetuate the (Silicon Valley oriented ?) mindset that a startup should be pursuing:<p><pre><code> * Rapid growth
* Frenzied hiring
* Profitability relatively late in the game
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What about different approaches to building and running great companies ? Why not:<p><pre><code> * Focus on the product and passionate users (ala Paul Buchheit and Gmail)
* Focus on exactly how you make money from that product
* Hire incrementally at (or just before) the point you are profitable
* Accept slower (less fashionable and exciting ?) growth
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Maybe that would help align our thoughts around what it takes to build a <i>sustainable business</i> rather than just coding great features ?<p>It also has the added advantage of freeing you from the hand of the VCs and looking over you shoulder fretting about your burn rate.
Customer development is an often overlooked process that boils down to understanding what is actually useful for the end user or customer, rather than what the entrepreneur thinks is useful.