Have you ever been in the middle of creating something and just kept revising it and editing it until it came out perfect?

Whether it was a research paper for school or a gift you were making for someone else, you just had the mentality that it needed to flawless?

I know it happens to me a lot. And I know it happens to a lot of entrepreneurs and startup founders who are creating something with the intent to put it out in front of thousands if not millions of people. Of course they want it to be perfect.

But it takes another kind of founder to realize that finished mediocrity is better than a perfect, yet unfinished product.

Reid Hoffman at least thought so.

Hoffman, the co-founder of LinkedIn, was a firm believer in the idea of getting something out into the world even if it wasn’t finished. He’s even known for saying the quote, “If you’re not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you’ve launched too late.”

In 2002, Hoffman and a small team of dreamers started working on LinkedIn with the goal to create a platform where professionals could have their own domain to connect. It wasn’t until a year later in 2003 when they decided to launch.

But here’s the kicker. People couldn’t add profile pictures. There was no news feed, no messaging, and no groups to connect to. The design was unpolished and would only show text-based resumes.

In other words, it wasn’t done.

Obviously, their first month was incredibly slow with only a few users logging in every day. But what Hoffman and his team did was use this opportunity to build their site based on user feedback.

Some of these feedback upgrades included a contact-importing tool so users could connect quickly with other people. Endorsements and recommendations, and designed an interface that was easy to navigate and use.

By the end of 2004, LinkedIn had grown to one million users. And in 2016, LinkedIn was acquired by Microsoft for $26.2 billion. Making it one of the most successful business networking platforms ever created.

This story is a great example of the quote I have written on a sticky note hanging on my monitor:

No matter what you’re trying to build, just do it. You can always refine and change it later, but you only get to launch it once. So don’t be afraid to put it out into the world and build it as you go.

Besides, everyone loves to see a come up story. So why can’t the next one be yours?

Until next time,
Isaiah Taylor

Dive Deeper

What I’m Currently Reading - I’m now reading The Wager by David Grann. A true tale about the HMS Wager, a British warship that shipwrecked in 1741 and the mutiny that followed.

Quote Of The Week - “Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.” — John D. Rockefeller