I know I know what does measure twice, cut once have to do with business, technology or products; but hear me out. The construction industry (and for that matter any other industry that does a lot of cutting) uses that saying all the time to illustrate the importance of getting it done correctly the first time, so you do not have to go back and make the cut a second time, therefore wasting time and materials, both of which are costly to your business.

The same saying / rule can be applied to business and products, although metaphorically and not literally of course. When developing a product, it is of the utmost importance to get it right the first time, especially when it is the first time that the world will be seeing your product. First impressions are lasting impressions and if you launch your product and the overall impression is a yawn, then getting that time back to make the first impression again will never happen, and you will be fighting an uphill battle to change the opinion of those that were not impressed. That is not to say that it cannot be done, but it makes your success that much more difficult, and you better fix the problem as soon as you can or you might as well write the whole thing off.

So then how do you make sure that you are measuring twice and cutting once? Start off by assembling a team that is part of the community that you are trying to serve. By having a team that is passionate about the space you are playing in, you are well on your way to creating a product that will meet the needs of the community. Engage your external community (ie the peeps that are going to use your product) throughout the development process (of course be smart with this, obviously there are certain things that you cannot engage them in), this way you have a good sense of how the community will use the product before it is ever even launched. Once it is launched, stay plugged into to the community, be completely transparent with them and listen to what they are saying. Just because you launched a killer product that they love does not mean that you can’t screw it up, because you can. Listen to what they are saying, suggestions that they are making and where appropriate, incorporate those suggestions into the product. You get two things out of this, better features that the community actually wants and you have happy customers because you listened to them.

So before you are ready to launch your product, remember to measure twice and cut once ;-).

So I just finished my first day at the new job, and I can say it felt great. It was exciting, refreshing, intriguing, different, the list goes on an on. I must say that being back in a startup feels like I have come home, I have missed the small company feel for A LONG TIME and now it feels right.

My friend Micah has a post titled “Its the People Stupid” and it got me thinking that it is the people that really create the environment of a startup that I like so much. Micah’s post was coming from the angle that it is the the community of users that use your product that not only define your product, but they help shape your company. He could not be any more correct with that statement, the users can and should define what your company is and what your product should or should not do. After all, the community is what pays the bills, and if you are not completely engaged with them and transparent with them, they will move along to someone else.

But it is not just the community of users that make your product and company, that is only half of the equation. The other half are the people that walk the halls, put their heart into your company, its the employees. Just as the community of users makes or breaks your product and ultimately your company once you launch the product, it is your employees that make or break it before you launch and after.

My first day on the job reminded me of this because within 15 minutes of being there on my first day it was blatantly obvious that everyone here loves what they are doing. It makes for an exciting environment, it makes you want to work, work, work. Not only is the product creating a community of passionate users, the company has created passionate employees. This is why I am loving it on day one and I cannot wait to see what tomorrow brings.