If you’re like most entrepreneurs, you are constantly coming up with new ideas. You get inspired, brainstorm, bounce ideas off of your friends and family, and are always on the lookout for disruptive opportunities. Think about these early ideas as projects, not startups. There is something noncommittal and exploratory about the term “project.” The instant you call it a startup, your commitment escalates. People around you assume it’s serious and start rooting for you. This increases the table stakes, and causes you to stop exploring and start selling. It sounds trivial, but human psychology works in strange ways. Call it a project until you’re ready to really give it a go. Once you do, focus on it exclusively and stop exploring other projects.
Calling it a project allows you to keep an open mind and objective outlook, which greatly reduces the likelihood of you forging forward out of ego. How’s your project going?