Monetization Playbook #56–Start At The End, Not The Beginning!
Start at the end, and create a new beginning.
Mental models are all the rage nowadays.
First-principles this, homeostasis that–everybody's talking about mental models!
But what have these got to do with business?
Let's explore one of the most prominent mental models of the two preceding decades–inversion.
Allison Maslan lays out a framework for the evolution of a small business–in these five phases:
Seeker
Pioneer
Ringleader
Co-Creator
Visionary
Having embarked on this journey myself, I can wholly ascribe to her worldview.
Yet that may have been my mistake [one of many, I might add].
From seeking a new idea to pioneering a new product and then managing the whole operation like a three-ring circus–wow–it makes me tired just thinking about it.
The trail of tears is the accepted journey of many a new business. But there is another way—the way of the startup—by way of inversion thinking.
"Startups find success by starting with at the end, not the beginning."
Given that a large majority of startups fail, their approach often hides in plain sight. Some see it and cannot unsee it. Most don't see it all!
The nexus of culture and success is dogma in many enterprises. Startups take up this gauntlet and enact it from zero–to, sometimes hero.
Culture-first co-creation ensures personal and company growth alignment from the get-go.
While success is far from inevitable, failure rarely dents this paradigm–with many failed founders re-grouping for the next assault at the anthill!
Starting at the end–not the beginning–is the way forward.
Once established, you'll rarely take a step back.