The Real Complexity of Startup Business

Creating business value is a multifacted process that requires a number of areas of problem solving–of dealing with complexity in various forms. I assert that all companies are dealing with two main areas of  such problem solving: Delivery of product, and discovery of what I call ‘Market Truth’. This is particularly true for startups, a special type of company in search of  workable new business models that have never been proven before. Among the two tasks of Delivery and Discovery, we can easily lose perspective on what the real challenges are.

Delivery of Product

I have spent my career working with technical companies that create technical products in an increasingly computer-based economy. In this industry, companies look at and often focus on their particular technical challenges and engineering complexity. This makes sense because the technical side of the business is in front of them all the time. Because of the tangible proximity of product-based problems (how to build a new software system, how to make a product faster, etc.), these tasks loom large in such company’s awareness. The technical problems are what the teams can see every day, and they are what such companies often focus on. Unfortunately, companies can get lost in their focus on this activity and miss the bigger picture.

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