Start Small. Grow Bigger.
Graham: Empirically, the way to do really big things seems to be to start with small things and grow them bigger. Want to dominate microcomputer software for decades? Start by writing a BASIC interpreter for a machine with a couple thousand users. Want to make the universal website? Start by building a website where Harvard undergrads can stalk one another.
Neither Bill Gates nor Mark Zuckerberg knew how big their companies were going to get. All they knew was that they were on to something.
Neither Gates nor Zuckerberg knew how big it would get. All they knew was they were onto something.
Big Ambitions Backfire
Graham: Maybe it's a bad idea to have really big ambitions initially. The bigger your ambitions, the longer they're going to take to realize. And the longer you're projecting into the future, the more likely you're going to be wrong.
The bigger your ambitions, the longer they take — and the more likely you're wrong.
The Columbus Model
Graham: I think the best way to do these big ideas is not to identify a precise point in the future and say 'how do I get from here to there' — like the popular image of a visionary. A better model is Columbus — who thought 'there's something to the west, I'll sail westward.'
Start with something that works, that you know works, that's small. Then when the opportunity comes to move westward — move.
Don't map the destination. Columbus just knew there was something to the west and sailed.
A Blurry Vision
Graham: The popular image of the visionary is someone with a very precise view of the future. But empirically, it's probably better to have a blurry one.
The popular image is a precise view of the future. Empirically, a blurry one is better.