Very dangerous over short distances

One day you decide to go running.

You’ve never run for any length of time at any period of your life.

You put on your special running clothes and your running shoes, and you run.

You run to the end of the block and you’re winded.

You walk slowly back home.

“Well that didn’t work out.” You declare out loud and you give up.

You and I both know, that’s not how running works.

Running works by doing the same thing again tomorrow.

Tomorrow you run to the end of the block and you walk slowly back home.

And the next day you do the same thing.

A few weeks later, you can run two blocks.

Or maybe you run to the end of the block, and then you run back home instead of walking slowly.

That’s now two blocks you can run.

And a few weeks later, you can run around the block, no back and forth.

And a few weeks later you run your first mile.

Then you run two miles.

Then five. Then maybe ten.

You get better at running, you get fitter, you run farther, and you run faster, by repeatedly, deliberately practicing your running.

The same thing applies in building a product or service and making your startup a success.

Every day, your startup needs to put on its running shoes, and run, to the end of the block.

And walk slowly back home.

Every day.