Wind Energy ca. 1983

The other day I had a cup of coffee with a venture capitalist who echoed something we’ve all heard repeatedly through the years: the most important ingredient in the success of a start-up is market timing.  Yes, good ideas, seasoned teams, and adequate funding are significant as well, but the most critical part is hitting the market at a point that is neither too early (when no one really cares about the subject) or too late (after dozens of competitors have entered the fray).

I was reminded of this just now, as my colleague Brian McGowan sent me the photo above, with the note:  I got this quite a while ago. Copyright 1983.  Thanks, Brian.  I’m betting this wasn’t exactly flying off the shelves 32 years ago.