We'll Figure It Out

When we first started pitching Argyle to prospective investors, we didn't have all of the answers to all of the questions.  While we could spell out all of the details around product goals - which features came next, why we need them, why we're building them in a certain order, etc. - we generally replied with "we'll figure it out" on most questions around operations, sales, marketing, support, etc. 

(Which was honest and is exactly what we're doing.) 

We had a general idea of what needed to get done, we just hadn't spent much time "planning" exactly how we would do it.  During the first few months, Adam spent his time on product development and I spent my time on customer development...and freelancing to make sure that Adam and I could pay our respective mortgages.  Anything else would have been a waste of time. 

Plus - we knew that once we started executing on our sales, marketing, operations, etc. generalities, we would immediately find out that our assumptions were completely wrong and that we would have to zig/zag as necessary.  (FYI - this has more or less been the case with everything, not just sales and marketing.)

The assumption we didn't know that we were making every time we said "we'll figure it out" was that I would actually have the bandwidth to figure it all out.  Adam and his team are 100% product development all of the time.  And I'm responsible for driving (more or less) everything else - which is a lot, even for a small company. 

During a pitch, one of our investors asked me point blank:  "If you're doing all of this stuff, who is going to be the CEO?"

Turns out he was right.  And the overwhelming workload has been a tough lesson in prioritizing.  Luckily we've been able to "figure out" big chunks of the generalities and have spun up some incredibly talented freelancers and interns to help keep all of the balls in the air and to make sure that the Argyle train keeps hurtling down the track at top speed.