Build Products as you would Run a Race
When I was training for running a half-marathon years ago the most important advice I received was to overtake people on the hills. I never understood what that meant until the day I was running against 2,000+ participants in the race. A Half-Marathon is a 21km race (Canadian), in practice trials I had run two before the big race with the number and chip. When the race started, everyone took off very quickly, I had no idea why but thought I would stay with the group, then when we turned around the corner, out of site of all spectators everyone slowed to their respective paces. And herein came the first lesson that I observed.
Lesson #1: Run your own race, don't put on a show for people - you only waste your own energy on activities that could be in direct conflict with achieving your own.
So the race continued, I set my pace, moved forward doing my own thing. I had never been in any kind of race like this before so it was completely new to me, I kept on going - blocked out all the people passing me - set a goal to stop every second drink station and walk while I drank (mainly because I didn't want to drop gatorade all over myself) and pushed on.
Lesson #2: You will not know everything, so start with something, set measureable goals and move towards them.
Then came Kilometre #13, it was at this point in the race that I had 8km left and I decided to start picking up the pace. I didn't come to not give it my all and not hurt the next day. But how and where? And then I remembered the key lesson that made no sense to me in training - "take them on the hills". And I did, when the ground was flat, I kept my pace, but when the inclines started to come (and many did), I pushed past people, many people. How did I do this?
Lesson #3: We all have a natural tendency to slow down as obstacles are put in our way. The thing is, so does everyone else, so the best time to put that extra pedal to the medal is when everyone is faced with the same hurdle. Changes in the product platforms, adding new features, etc.
Building products is very different then building a startup, you might be sprinting in the early days of a startup but you can't sustain it forever. Building a great product is extremely different and requires you to find your own rhythm, set your goals and power through the obstacles.