Blog post 14 Invent
- May 29
- 2 min read
INSIGHT 10 | EVOLUTION MATTERS
SME, now that's Some Mountain Expedition.
A journey you've set out on with passion and purpose.
Ideas rarely translate as perfect and complete products, they evolve.
The question isn’t whether your idea will change; it’s which version you will launch first.
in¹⁰ | Evolution Matters
SME… Some Mountain Expedition
Now, I’m no fan of abbreviations, they are often exclusive, a language for those already in the know. But I am a huge fan of clarity, keeping things clear and concise. Brevity is great, but for clarity’s sake please spell it out!
Thrust into my own business venture through a series of unfortunate events (completely unrelated to Lemony Snickets quirky book and subsequent film) I’ve come to understand what SME really stands for. To me, Some Mountain Expedition fits perfectly, because, let’s face it, starting out in any business is one hell of a climb.
Even before this acronym drifted into my head, the mountain analogy had already set the theme for this book. And to be frank, as we bridge into the invent phase, this is where the incline truly steepens and maintaining momentum becomes crucial.
My advice? The easiest way up is to traverse; deliberately changing course to explore all angles, with the intent of homing in on what is truly valued by the user.
It’s easy to fixate on that first spark of inspiration, the moment an idea feels new and unstoppable, without pausing to ask a far simpler question: When I launch, how might my competitors respond, and could their actions make my product irrelevant before it even begins?
Ask yourself exactly that. Not to immediately pivot your design or product direction, but to challenge your own thinking. Can you be confident that your first iteration offers enough advantages to gain traction, stir emotion in the consumer, and influence behaviour?
Constantly challenging yourself will help not only launch what is good but also to plan the new and improved products that will follow. Even at this early stage, you should already be thinking about your product’s evolution.
