Building a Company

I realized this past week that I have been guilty of not trying to build a company, but rather building something that might sell someday.  It’s not that selling your company is a bad thing.  I wouldn’t mind if it happened.

However, the focus is not the same.  I was finishing up Steve Jobs biography last week and there is a great section in the very last chapter.  It is essentially his goodbye.  He says “My passion has been to build an enduring company where people were motivated to make great products.  Everything else was secondary.”

The decisions that are made every day are heavily influenced by the targets set.  What has dawned on me is that by not being committed to making something great I have reduced any chance of doing something worthwhile to nearly zero.

There are the occasional companies that zoom to the top, get sold, and then evaporate.  However, the great companies, the ones that truly make a difference, seem to have a greater purpose than just the pursuit of wealth.

Question:  What are your motivations for the work that you are doing?