When my son was little he used to sit on my lap in the driveway and "drive" the car.

His hands would swing the steering wheel back and forth with total confidence even though his feet were nowhere near the pedals.

After a few rounds of this he looked up at me and asked why the car didn’t turn when he moved the wheel.

The answer applies to product development just as much as driving.

You can’t steer a parked car.

Most entrepreneurs get stuck in planning because planning feels safe.

Nothing is at risk when everything is still in your head. The risk only shows up when you start moving.

But until you move, every decision is based on assumptions.

Customer reactions, prototype feedback, and manufacturing constraints don’t appear while you’re parked.

You don’t need a polished plan. You just need enough of one to get rolling, because the useful information only shows up once you’re underway.

I was hiking a steep trail recently when my back foot clipped a rock. I fell forward and caught myself on my hands just before landing on my face.

Not my most graceful moment.

But when I stood up I realized I had fallen a couple of steps uphill. Bloody palms and all, I had still moved forward.

Progress isn’t always smooth and it isn’t always pretty. You move, you get feedback, you correct, you keep going.

And even the occasional face-plant usually leaves you farther up the path than you were before.

So if you feel stuck, stop trying to perfect the plan. Take the smallest next step, see what it teaches you, and adjust from there.

You can only steer once you’re rolling.

Cheers,

John Teel
Founder / Lead Engineer
Predictable Designs