I was thinking about the different roles people play at various stages of a startup and how they approach it, and I was reminded of this old story:
A man stopped by a building site and asked the first man what he was making.
“I’m laying stones,” said the man, and went back to his work.
He moved to the second man and asked him what he was making.
“About $5 per hour,” remarked the man, and got back to work.
The man came to the third man and asked him what he was making.
The man smiled, threw his arms in a wide arc and beamed, “I’m building a Cathedral!”
It’s not always easy, given the rollercoaster ride that startup life is, but as often as you can, and with as much gusto as you can muster, look up every now and again and think about what you’re making.
Mick Liubinskas is one of Australia’s leading web strategists, having served in head marketing roles at Kazaa, Zapr and Tangler. He now runs Pollenizer, the business incubator he co-founded with former-Kazaa colleague Phil Morle.
Photo: PDR
