How many hammers are there available at Home Depot? 10, 20? There’s quite a few. When you need to build something you choose the one that seems to be the best and you start using it. After a few hours you feel that the handle is uncomfortable and would prefer a different type of handle. What happens next?

Do you start researching other hammers to see how they feel? After comparing hammers and concluding that there isn’t a hammer that suits you do you begin to design your own hammer? Or do you just keep on using the hammer you had and finish building what you started? You’re more than likely to have picked the latter. 

Many times I have found myself in a position where the option to use a tool to make something today transforms into building something that will let us build something a long time from today. But why build something months from today when you could start today? I have let myself enter this trap many times. Some of the excuses have been: 

1. We get to control our own future then! 

- If what is being built is your product, then yes you are controlling your future. 

- If what is being built is a tool to create your product then you might never have a product because you’ll be too busy building a tool to create your product. 

2. We’ll Make Our Tools Better

- Middleware, service, and tools companies are solely dedicated to creating middleware, service, and tools. If your product or business model isn’t to create these services or tools then at what cost do creating these tools come at? 

- Even if your tools were better how much time did it take to create those tools? What was the opportunity cost? What lessons did you skip or not learn because you weren’t creating your core product? 

Next time you’re going to start a project remember that good enough is all you need to start buildling something today.