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Business & incomeExperience excerpt · English

My startup, my cofounder was obsessed with profitability - I was far more focussed on growth

… My startup, my cofounder was obsessed with profitability - I was far more focussed on growth. In theory, not a bad balance - but in practice, his drive towards profitability meant that we ended up underinvesting in the business - millions of pounds sat in our coffers that could have gone to hiring, could have gone to maintaining and building upon our core mission rather than focussing on a profitable sideshow - and in the end, while the business still exists, it is now Just Another Agency, rather than the tech startup it once was. Anyway. These days I run my own affairs, and place emphasis on long term growth and keep short term profits to the absolute minimum needed to live well enough. It’s good to make a profit - but business should be viewed as any investment should be - let it compound.

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WI

totally agree with this, operating cash flow positive + internal reinvestment seems like the best mix for an early software company

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JO

Very good point. Some profitability while maintaining alignment with core principles is an excellent outcome too.

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