FORECASTING UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES
A founder's journey is unpredictable. But there is a way to forecast unintended consequences. To be forearmed and on the front foot. Here's how.
MANAGING THE NEED TO PROVIDE
The switch that flicked in my mind years ago was to control the narrative in my mind instead of the need to provide controlling how I made decisions.
KNOWING YOUR TEAM’S TELLS
Identifying your team's tells is critical to gauging internal momentum. It's also the first step in understanding how to circuit-break stress.
BELIEVABILITY AND THE MECHANICAL TURK TIPPING POINT
Believability is the precursor to many things in entrepreneurship. For me, believability has three tiers, particularly when building products and new experiences. There are ‘mad ducks’, swans and eagles.
RECOVERING A DEAL ON THE VERGE OF COLLAPSE
Here are the three tactics I use to recover a deal on the verge of collapse. They apply to raising capital, hiring and partnerships.
INCENTIVES ARE A SUPERPOWER
‘Incentives are a superpower’ is a phrase made famous by
LAUNCHING A SIDE HUSTLE
I’m launching a side hustle today and beyond the marketing, I would like to share how it was built.
SHOW ME MAKERS ANGST
The number one thing I look for when hiring is ‘makers angst’. It's the lived experience of trying to build a product or company.
SHOULD I HAVE AN EXIT SLIDE IN MY PITCH DECK?
Exit slides in pitch decks are fraught with danger. Twice this week, I was asked about whether I include one in my pitch deck. The answer is ‘No’.
PLACE FINANCIAL VALUE ON LESSONS
Take the total cost of an activity and divide it by the number of lessons learned. The result of this math is the cost per lesson. It's impact is enormous.
FIGHTING THROUGH THE NOISE
Noise is a term given to messages that can distract from a value proposition. Startups often fall prey to two types of noise.
HELPING NEW TEAM MEMBERS DEMONSTRATE THEIR WORTH
All new hires should be given the information they need to demonstrate their worth and confidently establish their place in a team.
HARNESSING THE OODA LOOP
The OODA loop is the observe–orient–decide–act cycle. Here's how I use it most days as I build companies and help my team learn faster.
RESPECTING EARLY INVESTORS
Early investors bear enormous risks, and as ventures grow, their contribution is often forgotten. Here are four ways to avoid this issue.
FUN AND CUSTOMER LIFETIME VALUE
Calculating Life Time Value and how it relates to fun help to work out which customers to development. More importantly, it's a good circuit breaker.
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY IS ABOUT A CHOICE
There is a choice to make this International Women’s Day. The choice is less about celebrating women and girls and more about learning. Are you good for it?
ASK ANOTHER FOUNDER TO JOIN THE INTERVIEW
When you start hiring in a startup, there are two factors you can count on. It will be done in a bubble, and there will be a time constraint.
HOW EACH TEAM MEMBER CAN ACT LIKE AN OWNER
While acting like an owner is applicable to any team member in a new venture, it is also has a force multiplier effect to founders and shareholders
ONE COMMENT IS DISTRACTING YOUR TEAM
Every so often a comment is made in meetings that has the highest potential to distract teams. It begins with 'it would be interesting to understand if...'
DOING PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT IN AN UBER
When I get into an Uber, I’m walking into a captive audience and the opportunity to learn. Product development environments don’t get much better.