Startup founders – beware, your product will change. I’m not talking about product updates and pivots; “your” product will change from the actual product (e.g. your app or SaaS product) to the company. Your company will soon become your main product. When does it happen? It varies, but for me personally, it was around the … Continue reading Your Product Will Change
The “Miracle Year papers” (Annus mirabilis papers) Einstein wrote four seminal papers in one year (1905). “Seminal” is not a euphemism; by “seminal”, we’re talking about earth-shattering, generational physics papers (such as the theory of special relativity and the famous equation E = mc^2). In 1905, Einstein was 26, had a newborn baby (his first … Continue reading The Miracle Year Papers
DMV sucks. It’s easy to blame this on the people who work there (“They’re so slow and lazy!”) – But did DMV intentionally hire lazy people? No. Question is, what incentives do the DMV employees have to process lines more quickly? Probably very little. If your team isn’t fast and efficient, before rushing to judge … Continue reading The Right Incentive Structure
Do you have any products that you encountered or used lately and you absolutely loved? Something you couldn’t stop talking about, and forced all your friends to try, while not having any sort of vested interest? If you’re looking for your next job, consider applying to the companies behind these products (someone I know is … Continue reading Products You Liked Lately?
These days, it seems as though YC is the new Harvard business school. YC made startup journey feel like going to b-school (“application deadline”; “acceptance rate”; “alumni and cohort network”; etc). And that helps tremendously when new people enter the unfamiliar territory of startups. But don’t go too far and think doing a startup is … Continue reading Startup Is Not School
Recently a company I’m advising asked me about cofounder equity sharing, possibly the most sensitive and potentially awkward discussion to be had among the founders. Thought I’d share my answer to them here as well. Continue reading Cofounder Equity Sharing
Startup cheat sheet:1/ Pick an industry vertical2/ Find a cofounder from that vertical. A forward-thinking veteran you can spend the next 10 years with (meanwhile you should also research the vertical like a mandman too)3/ Disrupt the vertical with GenAI or cleantech or (insert a fundamental macro change) Sounds obvious, right? But there’s more to … Continue reading Startup Cheat Sheet
From today’s conversation with someone: I: “If you can go back to the 20 year old version of yourself, what tip would you give him?” Person X: (after a pause) “I’ll teach him about the importance of sticking to one thing for a long time. There’s enormous power in doing one thing until you reap … Continue reading Stick with It
A successful VC I know recently remarked: “Growing up, our family was so poor that all I wanted was having a central A/C system one day. Central AC has been my bottom line; everything I got on top of that has been a bonus to me.” Of course, he’s got a lot more than a … Continue reading Lower Expectations
Have you recently met someone who’s impacting your life positively? Someone you met recently that you really like? Now, did you take time to remember who made the intro, go back the “intro chain” and thank him or her? Most of us do a pretty decent job at thanking the original person who made the … Continue reading Remember the Intro