Your regular reminder that Spotify don’t use the Spotify model, they never really did.

Don’t attempt to blindly copy practices from other organisations. Especially not big tech like Google, Netflix, Spotify, Facebook etc.

You’ll most likely just end up cargo culting if you do – going through the motions without real benefits.

Especially don’t simply try and graft “Tribes”, “Squads”, “Guilds” and “Chapters” onto your existing organisational structure. The original content on the model was about a lot more than team structures. But this is normally the only thing that orgs adopt.

Frameworks and models are appealing as they feel like a shortcut, but they usually miss the nuances of your specific challenges.

Be inspired, but don’t copy.

I regularly encounter start-ups and organisations who’ve built things they didn’t need to, when there are many readily available platforms they could have used instead.

A key principle of doing less, better and being able to stay small, is to only build what’s unique to your proposition.

Creating software can be like buying a pet – it’s a big commitment. It’s not just about building it; you also have to care for it constantly. This includes making sure it stays safe, up-to-date, and working smoothly – much like tending to a garden to prevent it from becoming overgrown (and why, with 3 young kids, there’s not much more than grass in mine 😅).

Here’s some examples of common system components, where numerous platforms exist which you can use instead of building them yourself 👇

📄 Content Management
🆔 Identity & Login
🛒 eCommerce
💳 Payments
🗨️ Social features
⚙️ Admin panels
🔍 Search

While these platforms aren’t free, they’re often far more cost-effective than building and maintaining your own. They also have modular components and integrate via APIs and SDKs, allowing you to maintain control over the unique aspects of your service.

And unless you’re in the business of providing one of these platforms, they’ll also do it better than you.

Trade offs? There will be limits to what the platforms can do, you’ll be beholden to their roadmap and costs can rise significantly at scale. However, it’s typically quicker and cheaper to start with using common platforms and only consider building something yourself when you can really justify it.

Before adding any new feature to your product, first check if there’s an existing solution that eliminates the need to build it yourself 👀

The answer is probably not.

Many jump in too quickly before nailing down the problem they’re solving.

You have an idea, have you defined your proposition? Who are your users? What problems are you going to solve for them? What’s your value proposition? Is anyone going to pay for it? How have you validated any of this so far?

Somewhat ironically as a technologist, I spend a lot of my time advising people not to build things… yet.

It’s crucial to validate as much as possible around your assumptions and your users, first.

What’s the best way to do this? Speak 🗣️ to your potential customers! Do user research, surveys, and market studies 📊. Use tools like Marvel or Figma for quick and easy prototyping.

Remember, this is all quick and relatively cheap (unlike building software!)

Even then, you may /still/ not need to build something yet. Laura Pomfret (Financielle) 💸 and Holly Holland (Financielle), the co-founders of Financielle are a great example. They started with a WhatsApp group, selling PDF guides and spreadsheet templates to help women take back control of money. The Airbnb founders started by renting out air mattresses in their living room!

Before considering building something for real, ask yourself: Have I really validated enough? It could save you more than just time and money.