Follow the money

Of all entrepreneurial proverbs, few are said as often as “follow the money”.

It’s a truism we all hear. And it’s the one we most often get wrong.

Generally, when you hear someone say that they’re following the money they mean that they are selling their product in a massive market or are pursuing a large customer.

More often than not, they’ve forgotten the timing aspect of the word “follow”.

To follow also means to go subsequently.

If you really want to follow the money, you need to enter a large market and only start building your product after you’ve got the sale.

In short: get paid before building something.