Have Flexibility – Iterations, Flounders and Whoopsies

Would you consider the founders of Paypal geniuses? How about the founders of Hotmail? Although this depends on your definition, we typically define trend-setters and innovators as geniuses. They had the smarts to develop something that changed humanity forever…or did they?

In the book “Founders at Work” by Jessica Livingston, she interviews the founders of the big name services we use today. Each interview is based around how they got the idea and got started. We quickly learn that many genius ideas came from…

1) Frustrations with things lacking in their own lives. Grubhub = frustrated with finding carryout/deliver restaurants close by.

2) A basic idea that grew into a big idea. Hotmail = a way to get around workplace firewalls for personal email.

3) Giving up entirely on the original idea in exchange for a better direction. Paypal = originally an app for the Palm OS turned into the payment system of choice for eBay users.

More important than smarts is remaining flexible and committed. These genius ideas were generated by sticking with an idea and seeing where it took them. Surprisingly, there are few regrets. Nobody said there weren’t a few whoopsies and disasters but according to the founders, these businesses would not be nearly as successful without these mistakes. What an amazing way to view the bumps in the road along the path to success!

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