What if you had unlimited capital to build a business?
The Lean Startup methodology taught us to build something small, measure, learn, re-plan, and repeat the whole process until you find product-market fit. That’s a great process, and it serves to find something that works. But what are we losing by thinking this way? What if instead of telling you that you have to build something small in 3-months with $50K, I tell you to make something small in 12-months with $2M and another $2M to iterate a few times more? What if I up the game and say: here is $5M to build and launch whatever you want in 12-months, and here is another $10M to guarantee at least two more years of iterations after launch. Oh, and if you need, I’ll give you more money!
What kind of startup would you try to build? Would you go after a different problem space? Would the impact that you want to leave in the world change from photo-sharing to educating unemployed adults? Would knowing you have a longer runway affect your level of commitment?
This hypothetical exercise still is about building a big business. You are not pocketing $15M; you are still making enough money to live, but not enough to retire. You still need to return 10–100x to your investors in a 7–10 years timeframe. What would you do differently?
Or, instead of the exercise above, what if you had a guaranteed salary for 10-years that would be enough to pay your bills and feed your family (and take a vacation every year). You have all the freedom in the world (minus the investment) to build whatever the heck you wanted. What would you do then?
This is part of a universal income exercise and the fact that capital is becoming cheaper and more accessible. What if the makers and company builders are the ones that get the income. What great things would they create?
Side note: Listen to this podcast from Hidden Brain on Tunnel Vision and how if your brain is preoccupied, it reduces your cognitive abilities and long-term decision-making abilities.
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