Product/Market Fit has become a truism and mantra in startup circles, with much associated bullshit. Time to simplify.

I joined Twitter in 2007. I am now leaving, and closing my account. You should too.

The Kernel is the basic underlying structure at the core of a good strategy that unites thought and action. It has three elements: a diagnosis, a policy, and a set of coherent actions. No grandiose language, visions or timelines.

When a company has a well-thought-out and specific strategy, it has an advantage over its competitors simply because it is better prepared for the challenges that face all rivals in an industry. But the strategy must actually be a Strategy, and there are many things which look like they are a strategy, but are not.

William Goldman, in his book Adventures in the Screen Trade wrote when it comes to deciding which movies will appeal to the public “Nobody knows anything. Not one person in the entire motion picture field knows for a certainty what’s going to work,” he said. “Every time out it’s a guess - and, if you’re lucky, an educated one.”

So there it is: Nobody knows anything. It doesn’t matter who said it (was it Sam Goldwyn?) it is a truth which ought to be universally acknowledged.