Early Ideas Can Fail

The discussion centers around the concept of timing in business, particularly through the story of David Spinks' company CMX Summit and the evolution of community management as a corporate function.

• Early Vision of Community Management:

  • David Spinks recognized community would become a crucial part of companies
  • Predicted there would be C-suite level positions for community (CXO)
  • Envisioned a full organizational structure with senior and junior community managers

• Timing Challenge:

  • Started approximately 7-10 years ago
  • Was "totally right and totally early"
  • Being too early equated to being wrong in terms of business success
  • If started 2 years ago instead of 7, it could have been a "$100,000,000 company"

• Evolution of Community Management:

  • Started with companies like VaynerMedia focusing on social media management
  • Community managers initially just handled comment responses
  • VaynerMedia grew into a "$200+ million revenue" company using this approach
  • The concept has evolved from social media to broader community management

• Market Validation:

  • The original vision was correct
  • Community management has become a legitimate business function
  • The market wasn't ready when CMX Summit launched
  • The timing gap between vision and market readiness proved costly

• Key Learning:

  • Being right about a business concept isn't enough
  • Market timing is as crucial as the business idea itself
  • Early movers don't always capture the value they create