Why Smart People Build Dumb Systems

The most complex system we built nearly killed our business. The simple ones that replaced it? Scaled us to $5M ARR.

Smart people have a dangerous tendency: we overcomplicate everything we touch. I learned this the hard way, watching our "perfect" systems collect dust while the business nearly collapsed.

We were too smart for our own good.

Think about your current systems:

• Complex workflows nobody follows

• Detailed docs nobody reads

• Advanced tools barely used

• "Perfect" processes gathering dust

Sound familiar?

The smarter your team, the more likely they are to build systems that fail. Not because they lack expertise, but because of it.

I discovered this pattern after building systems for dozens of teams. The more experienced the builders, the less likely anyone would actually use their creation.

Think about it this way: Experts see nuance everywhere. Every edge case matters. Every scenario needs covering. Every possibility needs addressing.

The result? Systems that try to solve everything but end up solving nothing.

The Simplicity Paradox: Why Less Wins More

Google, with all its engineering brilliance, used a basic system called OKRs (Objectives and Key Results). Just two questions: What do we want to achieve? How will we measure it? This simple framework helped scale one of the most valuable companies in the world.

When I implemented this at my company, I stripped it down even further. One clear objective: increase revenue by 40%. Five simple initiatives. No complex dashboards, no 20-page strategy documents.

The results shocked everyone: • 11% growth in the first month • Hit our 40% target in under 3 months • All from five focused initiatives:

• Loyalty program

• Referral system

• User-generated content

• Subscription model

• Corporate deals

The magic wasn't in building complex systems. It was in:

• Setting one clear objective

• Choosing focused initiatives

• Establishing clear ownership

• Following up consistently

Most importantly? Everyone could understand and act on it - from interns to executives.

The pattern most miss: Simple systems get used. Complex systems get admired. Perfect systems get abandoned.

Consider this:

• McDonald's runs on checklists

• Amazon started with basic spreadsheets

• Apple's original processes fit on one page

Yet we keep building systems like we're programming space shuttles.

The costly assumption: We think good systems should match our expertise level. They shouldn't. They should match our lowest-energy days, our newest team members, our most hectic moments.

Remember: The best system isn't the one that accounts for everything. It's the one people actually use.

Want to know how we help teams build systems that actually get adopted? Reply to this email or DM me "SIMPLE" on X @ItsBialy and let's talk about your biggest systems challenge.