Over-celebrating the wrong company events sends the wrong message to those watching you (employees, investors, community advisers, etc.)
As a founder or early employee (de facto founder) in a startup, you look for signs that your company is on the right path. (Let’s face it; the initial excitement only lasts so long.) I wrote previously that building a data-driven startup could provide you with data truths that serve as great indicators of progress.
But, there is a higher order dimension that needs to be discussed. Lets outline a few events that are not relevant milestones:
- Naming the company. Feels good, but has no bearing at this stage. Brands are built over time. A lot of time. Call yourself We Eat Our Dog Food, LLC–nobody cares, as nobody knows who you are yet.
- Putting up your first webpage. Same as above. You found a URL (www.weeatourdogfood.com), and now your mom can see what you are planning on doing. And still, nobody cares.
There are 3 more doozies and you can read the rest here at INC.com.