PLAY THE LONG GAME
The pain, suffering and shock that Australians are feeling is palpable. Donation to charity is one option but here's another.
HOW TO EXPLAIN ENTREPRENEURSHIP TO FAMILY
It’s often difficult to explain what it means to be an entrepreneur. Particularly to families whose livelihoods are based on traditional vocations. Here are some thoughts on this as families start to converge over the holiday season.
HELPING YOUR TEAM START AN ANNUAL REFLECTION HABIT
This reflection process is an essential ritual that I wish I had started a decade ago. It inspires important conversation and exposes blind spots, win:win!
EACH TIME THE DOOR CLOSES
Like most working parents, we try to explain why we work and why we travel for work. These explanations can help, but I'm trying different tactics.
CREATING THE BEST FIRST DAY
The best first days are those where new team members only feel new on day one. After that, they are part of a community that fosters learning and progress.
WHY THE SIMPLEST EXPLANATION IS CRITICAL
The simplest explanation is often the correct one. This is the basis of Occam’s Razor and here's why I've dialled up its application.
WHY FAMILIES CAN BE AT THE HEART OF NETWORK EFFECTS
Companies leave a lot of value on the table by not thinking about the role of the nuclear family in generating network effects.
THE MENTAL PENALTIES OF CONTEXT SWITCHING
A context switching penalty is the additional cognitive load that a person’s brain needs to process when switching from one topic or context to another.
STARTUP EMPLOYEE VALUE PROPOSITIONS FOR PARENTS
Here is how I think about value propositions for parents in a startup. It's not complicated but it requires deliberate focus from founders and their teams.
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.