[mgadams3]

Thanks, I agree that the default path of "be like Steve Jobs" is a trap that I've fallen into enough times to realize that there are more ways to build where you don't have to have the insights up front.

The key in my opinion is to be able to identify market opportunities and problems to solve, then be REALLY flexible about how you go about solving them b/c your first product solution ideas are very unlikely to work.

[gfodor]

I agree this is definitely a great way to solve problems, it's one of hill climbing basically, where the tactics and strategy really need to be carefully managed since it's very easy to get the gradient or step size wrong.

Another way to see it is it's a form of de-risking an already risky endeavor. Anytime you reduce risk by adopting a methodology or formula that has known benefits, you're basically trading options (in the financial markets sense.) In this case, you're (probably) reducing downside risk, while increasing the odds of success, but at a cost of reducing the overall maximum upside, since your odds of creating a once-in-a-generation disruption goes down if you're using a hill climbing methodology to create wealth.