Most people have not heard of Evan Williams, but you sure would know the companies he has helped create, been CEO for etc. Twitter and Blogger anyone? On his blog, which is hosted by Blogger and has a link to his Twitter account (great self promotion), he wrote a short piece about getting things started. It is a beautifully written short post. It all starts with good kindling…
Starting a company is like starting a fire—harder than it sounds, and you have to do things in the right order.
To start a good fire, you need kindling. Something that will catch easily.You can fail if you have great logs to burn but no kindling to get them started. On the flip side, if you only have newspaper and dry twigs, you’ll be off to a quick start, but your fire won’t last long.There aren’t many fuels that start easily and burn hot and long. So starting with kindling and then transferring the heat to something bigger is key.Also, lighter fluid helps—but only for a short while and only if applied at the right time. Be careful.