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For the sake of good discussion about moats from different angles: The moats in the article seem to be for a public personal brand tied to a niche skill that c
by dzink 6y ago
For the sake of good discussion about moats from different angles:
The moats in the article seem to be for a public personal brand tied to a niche skill that could make you a go-to expert for a while (a tool for others to use). That may work if you want to be the next Jason, Tim Ferris, Naval, etc to attract people, jobs, deal-flow, or funding, but what if you don’t want to give up your privacy or be subject to constant barrage of demands from strangers (making you likely unable to trust or open up to almost anyone)?
Here are some other valuable angles worth considering:
In the corporate world rise in the ranks is credited to:
PIE (Perspiration + Intelligence + Exposure) where exposure gives you 80% of the gains.
(Source: executives mentoring at a large corporation)
Also in the corporate world another saying claims: “Don’t ever become irreplaceable, because when you can’t be replaced, you can’t be prompted.” So owning a niche can easily backfire on you.
From the founder side, you almost want the opposite - you want to know all the trusted, best people to talk to and for them to trust and know you in a non-threatening way. That means ears for the ground and attention to the needs of your network, not flags in the air. I would much much rather consult, trust, and listen to 30 minutes of feedback by Jessica Livingston than 3 hrs of Gary V.
As a software architect I can maybe see ahead 2-4 years on what is possible. As a founder, thanks to my network, I can also see maybe 5 years ahead based on unmet needs on the radar of early adopters in whichever target market I dig into. That trust network grows over time and eventually rises all boats. Instead of a moat, you build a volcanic process that raises your mountain and the others around you. That signal can turn largely into noise if you become a public figure.
- fooblat 6y ago> In the corporate world rise in the ranks is credited to: PIE (Perspiration + Intelligence + Exposure) where exposure gives you 80% of the gains. (Source: executives mentoring at a large corporation) This is very good advice. Some of the best career advice I ever got, and the first thing I share with anyone asking for career advice, is to develop strong public speaking skills. Study it and join groups like Toastmasters to get some practice. Give internal talks. Speak at user groups and, as your skills grow, speak at conferences. This is one of the keys that unlocks that valuable exposure.
- AmericanChopper 6y ago> “Don’t ever become irreplaceable, because when you can’t be replaced, you can’t be prompted.” This is a little bit context dependent. I’ve spent a large portion of my career as a contractor. I’ve never tried to make myself irreplaceable, but it usually happens. Being seen as irreplaceable when your contract has to be renewed every 3 months can be pretty profitable.
- jen729w 6y agoYou might be like me – also a contractor, happily and for many years now, because I have no particular desire to “climb the ladder” at a corporation. Zero desire whatsoever to be the CEO of anything that’s not mine. That’s not to say that I haven’t grown in my career. My skills, knowledge, interpersonal relationships, have all grown. My salary has grown with, as a result. But I’m happy in my spot, happy with the independence that being a contractor gives me, and happy not to have to play the corporate game.
- AmericanChopper 6y agoThe thing I’m most happy about is that my employer knows that all of the time outside what’s written down in my contract belongs to me, and that I can spend it doing anything I like. Including working for other companies or on my own projects. I don’t think it’s harmed my career trajectory either. I’ve never considered getting promotions to be a valid career path. I’ve always moved up by leaving one job for a new position somewhere else. The permanent positions recruiters DM me about on LinkedIn are mostly reasonably high level management these days.
- underdeserver 6y agoThe immediate corollary is that sometimes you need to actively work to make yourself replaceable. I imagine a good CEO would appreciate a clean handoff when your contract is complete.
- neogodless 6y agoJust for my sanity, I assume "prompted" is a typo for "promoted"?
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]