Another IT IPO has gone through the roof. Although the stock price has backed off of its first day price spike, LinkedIn has to be lauging all the way to the bank. Call it a bubble, call it genius; either way someone made a boatload of cash.
In an interesting Harvard Business Review blog article, three observations were made concerning why LinkedIn was so liked by Wall Street. It is the third that interests me today.
Smart Move #3. It stuck with its target market. Fast-growing companies often succumb to the temptation to expand into too many markets, rather than miss an opportunity. There were probably many helpful critics who told LinkedIn executives that they should add in a consumer play — after all, Facebook was growing like a weed. LinkedIn didn't do it. Sticking to the business plan of targeting the business market was the smart move.
When will church leaders drill down on this principle? Find your target audience and do it well. Every church will have a personality, an identity that is evident. Attempting to go with some form of hybrid form of church demographic does not enhance the product delivered, it weakens the product. Ultimately, no one ends up being inspired. Make the smart move.