Skip to main content

Why this, why you, why now?

In seeking investment I think the pivotal questions are Why This? Why You? Why Now?
When I wanted to get back into riding. I had to pitch my wife. 

Why This? Our van is a gas guzzler especially when it's just me driving to work and back. It's cheaper for us, and it's better for the environment (check).
Why You?  I've always enjoyed riding, and did I mention it's good for the environment...
Why Now?  I'm not getting any younger, and that minivan isn't getting anymore fun. 

The jury is still out, but I think I've covered that pitch decently. 

Why You in product development it's very similar.  The most common scenario is someone is 'scratching their own itch' they're solving a problem they have for themselves and can see it as a solution for many. Validating the problem understanding the underlying job is the main hurdle, then it's about confirming your solution gets the job done. If you've got some manner of user research or past services delivered to address this issue.

Why You? Ideas are a dime a dozen, even Good ideas. It's in the execution. Why are uniquely qualified to capitalize on this idea? Do you have an existing user base? What about you provides insight to hit the mark or sell your value proposition.

Why Now? Timing is everything, netflix needed network and bandwidth to improve for worldwide streaming. The ubiquity of connectivity and the general acceptance of "living online" led to Facebook, LinkedIn and too many dating sites. The attention economy paved the way for the destruction of objective truth - I mean journalism. Launching a digital magazine startup in 2010- fantastic! 2019 ... not so much

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Bad Behaviour and Tough Talks

It's back to school kids! read : Good News about Bad Behaviour by Katherine Reynolds Lewis I randomly came across this book at the library and picked it up ironically. Soon afterwards I was hooked. The book speaks to the underlying cause of kids acting out. Sometimes it's bad modelling or connection with parents. Often it can be just low expectations yielding minimal output. The book advocates we relinquish control in ordrer to let our kids reach their potential and unlock their own sense of agency. One of my favourite lines is "By doing things for children that they're able to do, we are robbing them of feeling capable." I know for me doing things the kids are capable of is an expediency thing, but if they never learn. quick : We are ruining childhood - Kim Brooks likens childhood to one long internship  just to get into the middle class. Overscheduling, no free time let alone free play. The idea of safety-ism means parents are trying to eliminate any and a...

Inconvenient Truths on the Alt-Left and Reconciliation

Read : The "left" has lot sight of progressive ideals being too deep in identity politics. Umair argues that the suffering from war, basic sanitation and poverty is not the equivalent as microaggressions but the outrage mobs feel equally upset. I thought this was a bit inflammatory calling them the zombie alt-left; but when we lose sight of the larger injustices; he makes a good case. Listen : "Canada is a state built on the removal of Indigenous peoples to make way for resource extraction companies." The removal of indigenous people for the sake of the economic benefit of the rest of us is not new. It's definitely an inconvenient truth. Some argue that members of the indigenous community will get jobs out of it, so they should just be grateful and shut up. The cost to the environment is significant as well as their ability to self-govern the little land that hasn't been stolen. Were someone to take over my backyard, potentially poison the groundwa...

DoubleThink, Getting Woke after the fact & Laundry

Doublethink Is Stronger Than Orwell Imagined. 1984 was the profound story of authoritarian control over everything even our thoughts. Today Orwell's dystopian vision is coming true but in self-imposed forms.   https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/07/1984-george-orwell/590638/ Not woke-washing it's Over-washing. Detergent companies need people to use more detergent. The environmental costs to this are enormous. Frankly going to back to university washing a shirt everytime you washed it felt over the top.  https://www.fastcompany.com/90359188/the-next-big-thing-in-fashion-not-washing-your-clothes   Woke-washing - when companies that have profitted to the detriment to humanity then try and a take a pittance as a gift to cultural institutions. These entities are lavished with praise as being good stewards of society. The forbidden fruit is to question the source of the philanthropy and whether it's acceptable to take 'dirty money'. The MET and oth...