For companies that are developing a high tech product the challenge of bringing that product to market are considerable. One key challenge is how to move from the early adopters or innovators to the early majority of customers.

All high tech entrepreneurs need the early adopters to trial and embrace their latest best new thing. But early adopters can be a distraction. I once heard a young company explain that their investors had said exactly that - "customers are a distraction so concentrate on your product". It's simply not as easy as that though. The risk taking early adopters are the ones who'll test out the product and ensure it does what it says on the tin but they'll also encourage specific product features. This is where the distraction arises - if you end up creating multiple customised versions of your product for several early adopters suddenly your focussed product development is all over the place.

Are customers a distraction for entrepreneurs - could be! So keep checking you are not falling into a chasm.