I shouldn’t generalize, but when I see a management consultant leaving their position and immediately starting a new startup, I get concerned. My recommendation is, try to get a job at a high-growth startup and learn from good founders and management team by working side by side with them. Or, if there’s an industry you’re … Continue reading Consultant to Founder
Sometimes, founders postpone layoffs because they care about their team and want to protect them as much as possible. This is understandable because layoffs are the most difficult, gut-wrenching decision. Just be aware, this deliberate (hence slow) approach often backfire. When a company considers layoffs, people at the company usually get a sense of what’s … Continue reading Postponing Layoffs = Doubly Sucks
For founders who had to shut down their company recently — Again, just keep yourself super busy physically – that’s my #1 tip. Continue reading For Founders Who Had to Shut Down Their Co’s
Four months in, a quick recap on my sabbatical: Continue reading My Sabbatical – Quick Recap So Far
My quick, unorganized thoughts on the venture studio model: Continue reading Venture Studio Model
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