The Clash is Live

Man, three weeks after the launch of Black Sabbath we are rolling out The Clash. That is hyper speed and supremely impressive. I’m starting to feel the right kind of urgency and focus as we had back in the early days of the Internet.

I once in a while run into other folks that work at new startups (post bust) and most of them are doing 9-5 and justify that by now it’s different. No way – if you want to survive and grow in a cut-throat marketplace you have to run faster, better and smarter than any of your competitors. I don’t buy the 9-5 story – any company that foster that kind of mentality will die.

It’s all about speed, execution and teamwork!

Black Sabbath

It took eight weeks, most weekends, night and days to get here but it was all worth it. A new milestone is reached in time for this long weekend. It’s count down, clean up and release party on the agenda for today.

And it’s live!

Switching Themes

I know, I’m guilty of switching themes on a daily basis these days. That’s just cause I don’t feel like any of the WordPress.com templates works for me. And I don’t have time to write my own CSS. I’m frustrated to say the least. So I keep trying on new designs like a spoiled brat is going through her closet, announcing loudly that she has no clothes the fits.

I like to have much more flexibility to integrate services like Wishlistr, Meebo, Flickr et cetera into my context and not the other way arround. I’d like to have my Blurb Bookstore where I sell my books, I’d like my eBay listings where I sell my old tech stuff and my Craigslist listings where I sell all kinds of old crap that I trip over in the closet. All within my own context, with my own look and feel.

What is Great Product Development?

The easy answer is: the process that leads to insanely great products. So let’s start with one of the 21st century’s most iconic products: the iPod. It started out as disruptive, filling an emerging customer need by leapfrogging all competitors. The iPod defined the digital music space and changed the business model, i.e. a key requirement for getting the privilege to be called disruptive.

Once the product was defined Apple did two things: build out the ecosystem (iTunes) and continuously improve the product. The iPod got more storage for every new generation, got lighter and faster. The new features, if you think about it, were actually pretty conservative. From 2001 to present time the iPod has only added video, TV-out, color and a few other features (showing album covers et cetera). But they matter and the key to the success is that the iPod works better and better for every new product release. And it stays true to the initial core innovation: to make digital media portable.

Ergo, I think it’s key – once that you have developed the original product – to stay agile, light-weight and focus on enhancing the core experience. Build around and stay true to the core idea and add features that increase the barrier of entry and enhance the overall customer experience. Leverage your core experience. Don’t try to reinvent the product over and over again. Rather realize your core competence and take small steps to reach a greater audience.