On the mind.

For anyone in the planning or initial execution phase of something new, here’s some advice from someone who has has done it before. No need to keep reading to the end either, as I’m giving it to you at the start of my newsletter.

Stop spending so much time planning and start executing. Stop budgeting a super detailed roadmap that does not exist, stop writing long lengthly business plans, stop anticipating what ifs… and start executing. Start what needs to get done next, take feedback, experiment and make adjustments.

In a nutshell: Don’t spend too much time on planning and blueprinting what has yet to come. Start executing and get feedback.

I’ve started more than a handful of companies since I began coding back in 2008. Many of the companies I previously started were small and mostly “failures”. White Rabbit Group has been the biggest success… so far. I’ve written very long business plans only to find out as you get into execution, things change. Inevitably they always do and you should make adjustments. Be fast and nimble. Don’t get stuck following a plan that was written before you had real insight.

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t plan at all. Just make your 20-page business plan one to two pages. Keep it high level with a focus on numbers, the model and brand. Leave room for flexibility. Here are the top things I spent my time on when executing on a new business idea and taking it to market:

• Market feasibility and the business model. The world runs on money and your idea needs a stable, profitable path forward.

• Clear vision. Continue to hammer the why and what you all are doing. It’s hard to walk a foggy path, so make it clear for everyone.

• A strong brand and marketing strategy. No need to say more other than I’ve seen many “successful” companies with crappy products and it’s all brand/marketing/sales that’s carrying them. Image what you can do with a great product and a strong brand/strategy?

• Test, get feedback and pivot. Move forward as quickly as you can but also not too quickly. It’s a careful dance.

• The team and culture. The people you are building with is critical. Critical!

• Another thing that came to my mind but isn’t a core attribute of time, is making sure everything is legal, clean and buttoned up.

So the next time you see me and ask what the detailed roadmap is on what I’m doing. The answer will be, “My roadmap is go!”

The bullet points above are for a business but the idea of staying nimble and testing the waters first can be adopted with any new initiative. Just start executing and get feedback.

Bonus question for my readers… Most of my newsletters have a small clean up with ChatGPT. However, this entire newsletter was written without it. What do you think? Could you tell?

Weekly moments.

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Thanks for following along!

The Weekly is a newsletter that goes out each week written by Greg Bellinger, currently building and CEO of White Rabbit Group and The Labs.

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