{"id":8648,"date":"2021-06-16T17:30:16","date_gmt":"2021-06-16T16:30:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/intercom.com\/blog\/?p=8648"},"modified":"2021-06-16T17:41:00","modified_gmt":"2021-06-16T16:41:00","slug":"trajectory-matters-more-than-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intercom.com\/blog\/trajectory-matters-more-than-state\/","title":{"rendered":"Trajectory matters more than state"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you analyze your company, it\u2019s easy to look at everything in its current state.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s our biggest problem today<\/em>? What\u2019s our best asset today<\/em>? That perspective is not so useful, however, when planning for where you want to be tomorrow<\/em>. It\u2019s not about where you are, it\u2019s about where you\u2019re headed, and how fast you\u2019re getting there.<\/p>\n

Long-term thinking is hard for a very simple reason: every company is in a race against the clock. Whether you\u2019re bootstrapped or bankrolled, that clock is always ticking. Creating a product company requires an upfront investment of time and money and gives you a limited window to either break even or show enough evidence of growth to secure funding. It\u2019s hard to worry about future problems when you have a hardwired focus on hitting a short-term target.<\/p>\n

But think of it this way: which deserves more attention, a big wound that\u2019s healing, or a tiny tumor that\u2019s growing? It\u2019s not about where it is, it\u2019s about where it\u2019s going.<\/p>\n

\"Following<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a few ways this affects a business.<\/p>\n

Hiring for the long-term<\/h2>\n

When you\u2019re looking at candidates, it\u2019s imperative to evaluate not just where they are, but where they\u2019re going and how fast they\u2019re getting there. Who would you rather hire?<\/p>\n