The worst of both worlds

I had breakfast with an entrepreneur who is at that point where his young business ought to be gaining traction. But he’s bogged down in building the next generation of software that supports the business.

The problem is that he and the software developer – to whom he has given equity in exchange for the development work – disagree on their vision for the 2.0 version. They’ve been deadlocked for six months as competitors begin to pop up around them.

I suggested he set a two-week deadline to either achieve a shared vision or amicably end the partnership.

Good people become entrepreneurs because they want to get things done without the slow and layered process of corporate decision-making.

Good people work for corporations because they want to get things done without the cash-flow constraints of a small business.

Either is fine. But if you find yourself in a position where you can’t move forward and you don’t have cash, then you need to change position.