Technological innovation has enabled
us so much convenience compared to ever before. Let’s face it; last millennium,
entrepreneurs used letters to communicate their business deals. Now that we
live in the digital era, and that almost everyone owns a mobile communication
device, that’s not the case anymore: business communications are far more
likely to be reached via Email, or otherwise, instant messaging apps such as
WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and the like.
Over the last couple of decades,
the advancement that we are experiencing has evolved beyond our belief and has
made our lives different by transforming the way we live and do work.
Interestingly enough, as we live in a time now that the advent of technology
has led us to advancing in some aspects of our lives, simultaneously, it is
also taking major steps backward in others – that is – to oversimplify things during the journey to success.
Do you think every successful
individuals that we know today, like Richard Branson, Bill Gates, and Steve
Jobs, became an overnight success for their entrepreneurial journey? Hardly! To
crush the myth of overnight success in business, there is no shortcut to
business success. At most times, oversimplification could make things worse.
Therefore, following are some words of warning by Chris Myers, the co-founder
and CEO of BodeTree.com, to those who choose to do so.
________________________________________
Beware the path of least resistance.
Entrepreneurship is about
connecting with people and understanding their motivations and desires. As a
result, the products and services produced by the entrepreneurial class are a
reflection of the times.
We live in an age where
attention spans are short, and instant gratification is an expectation. That’s
why, as entrepreneurs, we’re taught to embrace simplicity. The simpler the
product, the easier it is to get people to adopt and utilize it. This, in and
of itself, is not a bad thing. As da Vinci said, “Simplicity is the ultimate
sophistication.” But is it possible to take this sentiment too far? At what
point does the quest for simplification of products, stories, and experiences
become damaging?
At some point, the embrace of
simplicity veers into dangerous territory. Complexity is viewed as the enemy,
and people become addicted to convenient, oversimplified thought processes.
When this shift occurs, everyone suffers.
Simplification can lead to
intellectual laziness for entrepreneurs.
Startups live and die by
growth. Nine times out of ten, if you’re not growing, your days are numbered.
The incredible pressure to grow constantly influences the decisions that
entrepreneurs make, for better or worse.
One easy path to quicker
adoption and growth is to simplify processes. Modern users want products that
are like magic. Added work is looked down upon. As a result, entrepreneurs like
myself face the temptation to constantly dumb-down messaging, product features,
and design.
The problem, of course, is that
not everything in life lends itself to such dumbing down. Take my company, BodeTree, for example. We
work to make financial management simple and easy for the average small
business owner. However, finance is inherently complex, and there is only so
far we can go to make it accessible for the average consumer. In the past,
we’ve held off on producing new features or going into more depth for fear of
alienating our customers. However, in doing so, we’ve done them a disservice by
sacrificing long-term value for short-term gains.
Simplification can limit growth
for consumers.
What forms as a result is a
vicious cycle for both entrepreneurs and their customers. However, it is the
consumer who pays the price for these simplifications and shortcuts. We have
faced this challenge at BodeTree many times.
We know finance is
complex so we’ve simplified many of the processes required to maintain
up-to-date and organized finances. However, when it comes to financial
education, simplification can be difficult, if not damaging.
We produce a large
amount of educational content for our customers within the app itself and my
team and I have long understood the need for including technical content as
well. But our internal usage statistics tell us that people don’t spend much
time reading anything that is perceived as overly complex.
The challenge of sharing
digestible content while also delivering value to our customers is an ongoing
struggle. We know that by giving into temptation to oversimplify our
educational content, we do our customers a disservice. The path of least
resistance stymies growth for the very people we want to help most.
It stunts us as a society.
As a people, we have become so
accustomed to the push-button conveniences of modern life that we now crave it
in all things. As a result, we’re rapidly transforming into a society that is crass,
shallow, and often oblivious. Whether we’re talking about the conflict inherent
in trying to oversimplify product design, or something more important like
foreign policy, we are increasingly ruled by laziness and emotion. This path is
easier, but it is ultimately hollow.
Never mistake
simplicity for elegance. All of us, regardless of our calling, must learn to
once again embrace deep thinking, complexity, and nuance and reject the
temptation to oversimplify. It’s time that we embrace a higher calling and push
ourselves to thrive in a complex world.
Image
Source:
(1) weknowmemes.com
(2) under30ceo.com
Chia Yi Jing | Bubbling with enthusiasm, bright ideas, and confidence, Yi Jing set foot in the PR world with Orchan Consulting, where she was offered permanent employment after a successful internship. She is determined to make her mark in the industry, and her bosses know that she will.
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