The Art of Experimentality

It just needs to work once. That's the mantra all startup veterans live by. Sure, you might fail 99 times, but that single success makes it all worthwhile.

This applies to everything. Business ventures, dating, career choices – you name it. Experimentation is the key to maximizing your chances of success.

But hold on! Don't experiment with things that could land you in prison (or worse!). We're talking skydiving without a parachute, engaging in corruption, drinking and driving, or anything else which can destroy your health, don’t go experimenting with how many cigarette you can smoke before you get cancer.

Focus on experiments with a high payoff. Even a couple of wins can drastically improve your life. The potential downsides? Often negligible. On the other hand, avoiding experimentation altogether can leave you stagnant, no matter how many past successes you have.

The Cost of Indecision

Now that we understand experimentation, let's explore why most people avoid it.

Smart people struggle more. They can easily list a dozen reasons why something won't work. The fear of failure, especially for those with a strong reputation, can be paralyzing. But remember, even a failed experiment offers valuable lessons.

Break the Cycle

Here's how to overcome indecision:

1. Embrace the MVP (Minimum Viable Product). Have a brilliant idea? Don't get bogged down by market research. Give yourself an hour or two to brainstorm, then build an MVP. Get it out there and see how it performs.

2. Set an Experiment Budget. Building a product, buying inventory, and marketing all cost money. Allocate a specific amount for each experiment. Think of it as your learning budget. Even if the experiment flops, the knowledge gained will be invaluable.

   You can keep the budget anything you want. The idea is that you don't ponder on it twice once you have decided to go ahead on an idea.

3. Just Do It!(Sorry, Nike, we're borrowing your line!) Don't overthink it. Sometimes, the best research is simply taking action. Once you've committed to an experiment, stick to your budget and move forward.

For example, I started this very newsletter your are reading with a $1,000 budget, mostly kept for advertising. My idea was that even if it failed, I knew I’d at least learn a thing or two about running ads. The return on that investment has been incredible, but more importantly, my confidence to experiment further is sky-high.

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Remember, failure isn't the enemy. It's a teacher. You can learn just as much, if not more, from a failed experiment than from a successful one. So, get out there, experiment, and watch your goals become reality!