Here’s my fun fact: I have a deep love for metaphors and analogies.

These colorful twists of language help us see tricky topics through a different lens. Some may require our imagination. But hopefully they’re rooted in experience we can visualize. We’re all artists.

In the startup world, we’re fond of using the metaphor:

We’re building the plane as we’re flying it.

As a lover of metaphors, I must take a stand. This one is terrible. (How controversial of me to throw shade at the startup world’s favorite phrase!)

For anyone who has built anything, you know that building onto something that is already running is a pretty difficult way to do something. (Have you ever tried to pump gas while driving)? This goes doubly so for something that you hope stays airborne. Incremental improvements, sure. But highly-precise machinery, no.

For software companies, think about how your company releases updates. No doubt, there are many intentional steps (inclusive of a rigorous QA process) that also maintains reversibility.

I can guarantee that not a single person has ever successfully built a plane, or even significantly improved it, while also airborne. (Just ask Orville and Wilbur).

When someone says that phrase, it reads as corporate jargon for:

‘There’s a lot of chaos and we’re still figuring things out while things are moving faster than our current systems and teams can handle. But don’t worry, we’re making all of that better so we can stay in motion.’ (Your personal definition may vary. Feel free to incorporate a life vest under your seat if it makes you comfortable).

Given its nonsensical nature, I propose we do away with it. We should encourage better ways of operating.

Yes, building a startup is hard. Things constantly break as you apply additional pressure (more customers, new products, new people, complexity in revenue streams and compliance).

So, what should we replace it with?

I propose: “We’re building a city.”

Building a city. That means more roads, more infrastructure, more services, streetlights roads and sewers to support the efficient movement of everything.

(Remember, we’re not building a literal city. Metaphors!)

Cities have been built for millennia. Some of our greatest cities have grown and evolved with advances in technology and society. And others were only conceived because of those inventions. Every successive city builds on the success of what’s come before.

No matter where they started, they developed healthy ecosystems, radiating from some center point.

Now, take a moment to look at your company. It has the beating heart of a city.

Building a company is building a city. You provide the inputs for its growth through counsel, careful planning and wooing people to create someplace people want to be.

Everyone comes together to build, sustain and improve the infrastructure that keeps the beating going, going and going.