For startup founders, the true source of energy and peace is advancing the company’s business. I’ve tried other things in the past. I’ve bought some pricey things or stayed at fancy, Instagram-worthy places, hoping those would give me some confidence booster shots. Part of me wanted to show that, even as an early-stage founder, I … Continue reading True Source of Energy
One thing I like about the LA startup ecosystem is the diversity of founders you get to meet, including many “street smart” entrepreneurs. These founders may not have gone to Stanford or Berkeley. They might not have read many YC articles on product/market fit, or talk in terms of CAC/LTV or ARR/NRR. But they have … Continue reading Street Smart vs Book Smart
Three startup Lessons from Tesla Autopilot: Continue reading Three startup Lessons from Tesla Autopilot
In one of the communities I’m part of, we recently talked about a trip to Israel — something that’s been on my bucket list forever (as Aviram Jenik knows). Unfortunately it would be hard to go this time too, due to kids and work schedule. But something that was shared during the information meeting really … Continue reading The Power Of Showing Up
Here’s an interesting story I heard recently: There’s an academic research program (I won’t name it) that’s incredibly popular. They receive far more applications than they can accept, and every single applicant is highly qualified. Here’s what they secretly do: they send a rejection letter to every single qualified applicant by default, without exceptions. Most … Continue reading Don’t Take No For An Answer
When I find myself slipping into a comparison mindset (which happens more often than I’d like!), I try to remind myself of the video game mindset: Certainly easier said than done, but definitely worth trying! Continue reading The Video Game Mindset
One email tip I’d like to share: sometimes start your email from outbox (the “sent” list), rather than inbox. Every email service I know takes you to inbox as the default starting point. But this inadvertently puts you in a reactive mode by default. By starting from the sent list, you can go back and … Continue reading One Email Tip
Why write? Because if a 6-time NBA MVP can do it, you and I don’t really have any excuses 🙂 I stumbled upon Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s Substack today (link in the comments). Had no idea he was such an incredible writer. He’s authored many books on social justice, written for the Veronica Mars TV series, published … Continue reading Why Write?
A story I learned at a recent dinner: Faker, the legendary eSports champion, was raised by his grandmother. This caught my attention because, just a few days before, someone told me that some of the chefs who made it to the final round of a Netflix cooking competition show were also raised by their grandparents. … Continue reading Chip On The Shoulder
What’s one thing that I would do differently in my previous company if I could go back? I’d be more transparent about our financial struggles. On a few occasions I had to fund the company out of my own pocket because we were running out of money and no one was investing in us. But … Continue reading Be More Transparent About Struggles