Pivoting: Start With These 3 Steps

Entrepreneurs are always thinking of, talking about, or executing a "pivot", that moment where we have to make necessary changes in our startups or business models so that our projects can continue to grow in response to new realities. Yet, it is difficult for us to understand how exactly to do those shifts, and what are the specific steps to take advantage of those inflection points that, if embraced in the right way, can bring better-than-expected results.

In my professional life, I have had several inflection points, which — being completely honest — forced me to make drastic changes. Each one has redirected me to connect even more with my passion, and that is the amazing thing about pivots and the reason why it is important that they occur in life (as many times as necessary). They allow you to see things from a different perspective, align yourself even more with your purpose, and to not lose focus.

So, how do these pivots or shifts work? How do you manage to change direction (in your business, project, or career)?

In my case, my first big inflection point came after I finished my master’s studies on public procurement and the future of governments in Washington, D.C. I had won a Fulbright scholarship to specialize in what I'm most passionate about in the world, but I didn't feel like I had found my “aha! moment”, which led me to take step 1:

1. Take a step back and analyze

When I realized that at the end of my master's degree I didn’t have the answers on how to dramatically improve our government systems, I had to take a step back and ask questions that helped me better understand what I really wanted to achieve, and if the medium that I had chosen (politics and law) were the ones that would help me achieve it.

What do you need to start this analysis?

• Ask yourself: What does the world need from me? What need has not yet been resolved? Can I attack that problem with the skills that I have? In what other ways could I attack the problem, even if I don't have those skills?

• Once you have identified that problem, look at it closely. If you wanted to take the first step to solve it today, which one would it be? This question will give you the insight to create your first MVP, or minimum viable product.

• Imagine you have your minimum viable product: How does that first step look like, if taken exponential? or, how do you turn that small attempt into something much bigger? This question will let you see where your moonshot is going, and identify exponential technologies you could leverage to scale faster.

• Finally, ask yourself: With this new perspective, will I be able to achieve my goal faster? Is this a better way to solve the problem? Can I scale that solution for everyone who needs it, or will I leave some people behind? Who am I forgetting?

I knew that I was passionate about governments and wanted to change the things that did not work in them. Making this reflection, I realized that perhaps the path I had initially taken was not the right one.

The place where I had to be to generate accelerated change in governments was where those changes were being created without having to wait for decrees or laws. I made the decision that I would become an expert on "that thing" that was changing the world, and regardless of title or career, I was going to learn to do “that thing”.

In that search, I learned that one medium that could help me change government systems (in a counter-intuitive, but scalable way) was technology. Finally, I was clear and I had answers!

2. Get ready and find your ecosystem

Once you establish what the medium is, the next thing is to find the place and the people who understand and manage that medium better than anyone else. In my case, I decided to move to Silicon Valley to learn about exponential technologies and connect with the people who were designing, creating, and investing in the systems of the future.

If you ask me if I knew what I was going for, I'd say no. I had never heard the word "entrepreneur" before, didn’t know what a "startup" was, and had never written a line of code for any software. But one of the benefits of long-term clarity is that it allows you to go after uncertain things that bring you closer to your end goal, even if you don’t quite understand them in the beginning.

That step led me to co-found my first tech startup, Matternet, seeking to connect millions of people in hard-to-reach areas through the pioneering use of drones for transportation.

The important thing about being in the right place, learning and surrounding yourself with people who are trying to solve difficult problems, is that you realize that, like those people, you are capable of creating — anything.

Being in Silicon Valley made me understand that I had the power to create the reality that I wanted to see in the world, with the help of technology. It is at that moment that I realized that, whether it was improving our transportation systems with Matternet, or dramatically changing how any other system worked, creating that change was up to me, and this became my second inflection point.

Inflection points are those pivots that allow you to transcend.

3. Embrace your moonshot

You already identified what to change, how you can do it differently, and how you can accelerate that change with the use of technology. You have an idea of the first step and you are hyper-connected with your ecosystem. But you still can’t see all the subsequent steps and many people doubt that you can execute on something so ambitious.

This is a good sign: It’s proof that you are working on a moonshot.

Once you determine your moonshot, that difficult and long-term idea tackling a big challenge, your commitment is with that great vision. Not with the strategies, nor with the means that may allow you to achieve it, nor with the people who offer to support you.

Staying focused in the moonshot is what will allow you to move forward, pivoting and making whatever changes are necessary. At Matternet we have been constantly pivoting for over 10 years, and in my new moonshot, Glass, we have been doing it for 3 years.

Glass (previously Social Glass, and I’ll tell you later why we shortened the name) is a software ecosystem that enables governments to embrace digital transformation exponentially, an amazing project that is allowing me to connect my government and technology skills in a non-linear way. This requires constant pivots and observation to know what needs to change, and when.

Focusing on the moonshot of transforming governments into high-performance entities, we believe that every experiment that we implement in order to achieve that end goal, even though imprecise, will pay off. We confirmed this when last year, in the middle of a pandemic and being a new startup, we pivoted each month until we achieved a 3,000% increase in sales, 30 times more than we originally planned.

In a nutshell, to successfully pivot this year, I invite you to take a step back and gain a new perspective with regards to your purpose. To discover and acquire the necessary skills to achieve your big goal, connecting with your ecosystem. And finally, to embrace your moonshot and change as many times as necessary.

Your ability to "pivot" contains the secret to achieve results that exceed (by far!) your best projections. So, what are you waiting for?

Stay hungry,
Paola