One of the biggest issues facing an internet startup is developing a solid platform that is built right from the beginning. If you've ever tried to build a platform from scratch while building a revenue generating business you know what I mean. Here are just a few of the issues you might run into:
1. When you start, you probably think you have a solid grasp on what your business will need to offer to succeed. However, the truth is you are likely only about 10% right. If your company makes it long-term it will likely be thanks to a lot of pivoting into different areas than where you started.
2. So, without having a complete understanding of the end product from the beginning, your product is likely to have a lot of pieces and features duct-taped onto the sides and not integrated as nicely as they would have been if you'd have planned for them originally.
3. Now, if you're lucky enough to have loyal customers from the beginning, they are going to grow up with you and get into the mindset that it is their personal platform, requesting customizations that your later clients would never expect. This is only going to add to the complexity and the number of features that aren't fully integrated with the system and make it hard for your platform to grow.
4. Being small and cash-strapped, every time you need an update to your platform, you are unlikely to have the time and money needed to do it right. You are going to have customers and investors screaming at you to just get it done quickly, not caring the negative effect cutting corners will have on the long-term sustainability of your product.
These and many other problems facing a new technology business will end up creating a lot of demons in the machine. Or as I like to refer to them in my platform, Horcruxes. If you've seen the Harry Potter movies, you'll understand this analogy; but if not, seriously!? Where have you been the last decade? If you're not a Harry Potter fan, let me apologize right now, because you'll probably hate this post.
In my experience at 4 different internet startups, most technology products/platforms deal with these issues. To help me from crying myself to sleep at night, I find that it helps me to think of myself as Harry Potter fighting Lord Voldemort with horcruxes hidden all over within our platform. My fellow Operations and Development teammates are fellow members of The Order of the Phoenix and we are waging a constant battle with the Death Eaters in our platform that are bent on protecting Voldemort and those darned Horcruxes.
As time passes we are constantly finding parts of the system that were designed to do what we needed it to do 3 years ago and are nearly impossible to update to do what we need in the future. These are the horcruxes and as long as they exist, the evil Lord Voldemort that keeps us from moving forward can't ever truly be destroyed. Sure, with weeks to months of work we can usually destroy a Horcrux, but I often echo Ron Weasley's sentiments in the final movie that we are never going to find them all and are doomed to failure.
Am I the only out there that relates my platform to the world of Harry Potter? Wait until you hear how my job is like the movie, "Inception". Tune in next week for the exciting conclusion and tips on how to win this epic battle for a clean, reliable platform.
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