Three Ways to Compromise on Vision (or Not)

Jan 5, 2024
3 min read

This is a message to Compromise ... stuff you.

In 2023 I learned that there are three disguises that Compromise wears when knocking at your door (and it will knock). Whether your ‘baby’ is in its infancy, adolescence, or well and truly on the market, I share this little exposé on Compromise as an encouragement to say “no thank you.”

In the past six months, I joined the ever-expanding tribe of starter-uppers, who have developed a product they deeply believe the world needs. We spend a lot of time (and money), discerning whether it is actually wanted, and if not, how we will create desire for it, and define and understand our market. We know more people fail at this than succeed, but we dare to do it anyway.

I believe that what defines the future of a Founder, win or lose, is the extent to which they are prepared to be true to their vision, by resisting three temptations …

#1 - Don't Sell Just Because You Can

Just because you want to make money doesn’t mean everything’s for sale.

I repeat, just because you want (and maybe need) to make money, doesn’t mean everything’s for sale.

What you share for free, and what you never put on the market, will ultimately define the value of what you do sell, and at what price.

The temptation to make everything as appealing and franchisable as possible is real, but at the end of the day you have to work out if you are McDonalds, or a niche, local restaurant. McDonalds sell fries. Fine. But if your product isn’t that cheap or replicable, don’t make it cheap or replicable. If it is, ok, more for the fries, but please move to #2 …

#2 - Don't Partner for Power and Influence

One of the most obvious shortcuts to getting an idea ‘out there’ is to get people involved who are already well-known and highly regarded.

That’s like marrying someone because they’re rich. Don’t do it. If they happen to be the perfect life partner for you, and just coincidentally a genius and a billionaire, bonus for you. But if there isn’t shared vision, if you wouldn’t love them in bankruptcy, no sell, no deal.

Be slow to marry someone in business. Date them for a long time first, and if they don’t want to do that, they don’t love you or your idea enough to be worthy of it. It is better to wait a long time for the right partner or be single and do it without one. I’ve decided to start my business as a single and relatively unknown personality in the industry I’m moving into. I have a brilliant team behind me who I can’t do it without, but no partner.

Don’t hire someone just because they are very well-networked, and everyone says they’re great. Hire for character and old-fashioned things like loyalty and gusto.

#3 - Don't Wait for an Angel to Rescue You

And this is what I have been the guiltiest of. I always thought I would work for the man, and work for the ‘man’ I have.

Not all visions are start-ups. There is so much honour in working for well-established institutions if your personal vision can grow in these spaces.

But if, like me, you have spent years of your life training in a particular profession, it can become so tied to your identity that your true identity is captive to it. Don’t decide to sacrifice yourself to an institution or a profession and wait for an angel to come along and value you. The most likely outcome in this scenario is that a dark angel will give you just enough crumbs to keep you working for them.

This is Compromise disguised as service and it looks angelic, but it is not.