The many stages of “Early Stage”

Folks talk about "early stage" as though it’s a clearly defined and encapsulated process, like birth, puberty or death.  But there are in fact many stages of "early stage" and I thought it might be worthwhile to lay them out for the world to see…

[Update: this turned out to be a longer post than expected, so I’ll split it up.  More coming soon.]

The very very very beginning / aka the germ of the seed of the nugget of an idea:

Oooh.  Idea.  Hmm.  Days pass.  You forget about it.  Then it bubbles up again.  You have a profound insight, which is then promptly forgotten unless a pen/phone/spouse/thing-you-can-engage-with is right there.  As the crass fart-gone-wrong joke from my childhood goes "Oooh.  There was something in that".

The almost very beginning / aka the irritate your spouse/partner/friends stage:

It’s cool.  It’s world changing.  It’s keeping you up at night.  It’s something you are utterly incapable of explaining clearly.  And repeating it or talking about it ad nauseum isn’t making it any clearer.  You are probably driving your spouse/partner/friends nuts at this point.

The early beginning / aka A New Hope…:

You said something to someone, and a light went on.  They actually more or less completely misunderstood you, but there was a glimmer of an "ohhhh, so that’s what you’re talking about".  You start to write things down and send long emails at obscure times of the night and day.  If you share your bedroom with anyone, they are probably very annoyed right now as you keep either (a) leaping out bed to write something down, or (b) sneaking the laptop into bed so you can keep working at 3am.

The pre-beginning / aka spousal fatigue:

There’s a shape starting to form, and you’ve got a bunch of stuff written down.  Your circle of spouse/partner/friends have developed the ability to (a) tune you out while nodding appreciatively and (b) spot potential triggers that might send you off on another rant about your world changing idea.

The not-quite-beginning, but definitely not pre-beginning:

You make your first Powerpoint deck for The Idea.  You’re very proud.  Close friends nod and say encouraging things like "it sounds interesting" and "I think you’re on to something there".  But no-one can explain what the heck you’re up to.

Sweet Relief / aka finding a co-founder:

Kindred spirit!  Oh nirvana!  Now the two of you can babble senselessly for hours/days/weeks at a time.  This step is fantastic for the ego.  You feel like the smartest people on the planet with ideas that will change the world.  This stage often contains your first real bill for legal fees and ends abruptly when you discover that now even fewer people can understand what you’re working on, and the supportive close friends have stopped being as supportive now that you’ve found another genetic anomaly to chat with…

WTFII / aka when you’re a hammer…:

Wutfee.  Say it outloud, it’s fun.  Wuuut-feeeee.  Or if you prefer, "WTF is it?".  Your idea actually needs to be a product that’s part of a business.  While it’s a huge killjoy, figuring out what the hell you’re making becomes quite important at this point.

As the old adage goes, when you’re a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.  Your product takes on the world’s biggest problems, solves them effortlessly and even makes toast.  Everywhere you look, there’s an application seed waiting for your magnanimous sunlight and benevolent watering…  Oh application, only you can save us…

Crushing Indifference / aka your first real pitch:

You’re ready.  You’re off.  It’s your first real pitch.  Your deck is shiny.  You’re optimistic.  You’re chock full of analogies and ready to go.

The investors hate it.  They look at you like they’re the last-minute substitute teacher stuck with the special-ed kid who’s guardian hasn’t picked them up yet.  It’s a unique combination of sympathy, nervousness, mild irritation and a desperate urge to see you leave the premises.

And you’re still not even an early stage startup.  How much more can you take!!!