"Stay on target....staaay on target"

I love that line...know where it's from? Star Wars, Episode IV (the first one, ifyaknowwhatImean). Every couple days I open up my RSS reader to find hundreds of technology/startup oriented posts. I'm usually hit with momentary nausea before I dive-in and wade through all the noise out there. It's particularly disconcerting as I'm starting a "Web 2.0" company myself...I look at all those companies and think "wow...in a way, I'm competing with all of them for something that's becoming ever more scarce: attention."

But then I recollect stories from Founders at Work, I think about friends who are at or have their own startups, and I remember: stay on target. All of a sudden all those Tie Fighters and Death Star gun turrets fade away...I feel a sense of calm and focus on my product.

I firmly believe that at the end of the day, a great product that fills a real need, and if necessary, a clever distribution mechanism (notice I didn't say "marketing strategy"...ideally, the product markets itself), gives a company a fighting chance at success. There are many other things that can go wrong, but reduce anxiety and stress by not worrying (too much) about what else is out there.

Now, take a deep breath...ahhh....doesn't that feel better? Alright, back to work. :)