Earlier this week I was working out in the gym, noting that the guy next to me was lifting far more than me.  We were both doing deadlifts.  I was attempting to use proper form by lifting with my legs and not my back.  However, I noticed my counterpart rounding his back, which allowed him to lift a heavier weight.  I had done this in the past too, but quickly learned that the short term benefit of using your back can strain muscles, causing painful injuries (spinal disc, hernias) which severely hinder progress.  Thus I made a conscious effort to use proper form even if it results in a lighter immediate load and lower short-term performance.   However, good form combined with perseverance and focus will win in the long run.

This got me thinking: how does lifting with your back relate to business and startups?

Well, companies that “lift with their backs” in the short run are also setting themselves up for injury.  This parallel exists anywhere from the mortgage industry to early stage technology.

• Making loans based on unverified application information
• Selling half-baked software
• Overloading a website with advertising

But in the long run, borrowers won’t be able to pay their loans, software companies won’t be able to retain customers and websites will lose their eyeballs.  Each experiences a temporary lift followed by a tough slog.

Customers are everything in proving an early stage business.  Validation of your product by early adopters who can confirm the businesses assertions is a huge accretion point.  Trying to lift with your back by milking your first customers through deception will burn bridges that might not be repairable, impeding long term success.

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