Month: May 2026
A partnership without a written agreement is a slow disaster waiting for a date.
A partnership without a written agreement is a slow disaster waiting for a date. Originally posted on X
I bought a finance company older than I was, in a market everyone called boring, and…
I bought a finance company older than I was, in a market everyone called boring, and 10x'd it. Boring is…
I grew up watching my father farm ..
I grew up watching my father farm .. one field his whole life. I have planted in five countries. Same…
The company that survives the downturn is the one built on receipts, not on a story.
The company that survives the downturn is the one built on receipts, not on a story. Originally posted on X
A 100-person call center becomes a 10-person team of problem solvers.
A 100-person call center becomes a 10-person team of problem solvers. AI did not end the jobs. It ended the…
AI will not take your job. It will expose whether your job was ever real work.
AI will not take your job. It will expose whether your job was ever real work. Originally posted on X
I never built a company in a field I knew. Calling cards. IT. Finance. Retail. Every ti…
I never built a company in a field I knew. Calling cards. IT. Finance. Retail. Every time I jumped first…
At 18 my first job paid 20 dollars a month. I have never earned a worse salary or a bet…
At 18 my first job paid 20 dollars a month. I have never earned a worse salary or a better…
At age 22, my pager beeped in the middle of meetings. Every beep was an order on my own…
At age 22, my pager beeped in the middle of meetings. Every beep was an order on my own site….
Old businesses are not dead. They are waiting for someone to run them properly.
Old businesses are not dead. They are waiting for someone to run them properly. Originally posted on X
At 20 I landed in Sydney with two cheap suits and no idea how to hold a fork. Today I b…
At 20 I landed in Sydney with two cheap suits and no idea how to hold a fork. Today I…
You do not have to look like you belong. You just have to keep showing up until the wor…
You do not have to look like you belong. You just have to keep showing up until the work makes…
You are not inspired to build. You are inspired by the headlines. Chase the problem, no…
You are not inspired to build. You are inspired by the headlines. Chase the problem, not the raise. Originally posted…
If your business never send notifications to you, you do not have a business yet. You h…
If your business never send notifications to you, you do not have a business yet. You have an idea. Originally…
A deck is a story about a company. A receipt is the company itself.
A deck is a story about a company. A receipt is the company itself. Originally posted on X
The customer who complains is not your problem. The one who went quiet already is.
The customer who complains is not your problem. The one who went quiet already is. Originally posted on X
Most business plans die in the planning.
Most business plans die in the planning. Not because the idea was wrong. Because the planning never ends. One more…
Most founders fire the wrong person first. The easy one goes. The real problem was alwa…
Most founders fire the wrong person first. The easy one goes. The real problem was always closer to home. Originally…
Raising is spending money to buy time. Bootstrapping is spending time to buy money. Sam…
Raising is spending money to buy time. Bootstrapping is spending time to buy money. Same currency. Different direction. Originally posted…
Bootstrapping is not the absence of capital. It is a different relationship with time.
Bootstrapping is not the absence of capital. It is a different relationship with time. Originally posted on X
A real co-founder would still be there if the company was worth one dollar tomorrow. Ev…
A real co-founder would still be there if the company was worth one dollar tomorrow. Everyone else is staff in…
AI did not replace the human. It replaced the crowd and kept the sharp few.
AI did not replace the human. It replaced the crowd and kept the sharp few. Originally posted on X
Venture capital returns will be negative for 2024-2026 vintages. The party ended. Math …
Venture capital returns will be negative for 2024-2026 vintages. The party ended. Math doesn't lie.
Paper money is valuation. Real money is cash in the bank.
Paper money is valuation. Real money is cash in the bank. Originally posted on X
Less for 22 year old
A 22-year-old was ready to turn down two job offers to start a company. I told him he was making…
Middle management extinct by 2027. AI spans too wide. You’re either C-suite or individu…
Middle management extinct by 2027. AI spans too wide. You're either C-suite or individual contributor. Originally posted on X
YC acceptance rate hits 0.5% by 2026. 200,000 applications, 1,000 admits. Harvard looks…
YC acceptance rate hits 0.5% by 2026. 200,000 applications, 1,000 admits. Harvard looks easy. Originally posted on X
The next $100B company will launch in 2027 with zero human employees. Pure AI from day …
The next $100B company will launch in 2027 with zero human employees. Pure AI from day one. Originally posted on…
By 2026, coding bootcamps will pivot to AI prompt engineering or shut down. GitHub Copi…
By 2026, coding bootcamps will pivot to AI prompt engineering or shut down. GitHub Copilot won. Originally posted on X
Every unicorn founded after 2024 will have fewer than 50 employees at $1B valuation. AI…
Every unicorn founded after 2024 will have fewer than 50 employees at $1B valuation. AI ate the org chart. Originally…
OpenAI will be worth more than Apple by 2027. The iPhone was cute. AGI is the real busi…
OpenAI will be worth more than Apple by 2027. The iPhone was cute. AGI is the real business. Originally posted…
Remote work is dead by 2026. Hybrid killed it. Companies demanding 4+ days in office wi…
Remote work is dead by 2026. Hybrid killed it. Companies demanding 4+ days in office will win the talent war….
Everyone says find co-founders with complementary skills. Here’s why that’s wrong. My b…
Everyone says find co-founders with complementary skills. Here's why that's wrong. My best companies were built with people exactly like…
Everyone says test everything before launch. Here’s why that’s wrong. Shipped our MVP i…
Everyone says test everything before launch. Here's why that's wrong. Shipped our MVP in 2 weeks with zero testing. Got…
Everyone says work-life balance is key. Here’s why that’s wrong. Built two exits workin…
Everyone says work-life balance is key. Here's why that's wrong. Built two exits working 80-hour weeks for 3 years each….
Everyone says customer feedback is gold. Here’s why that’s wrong. Customers told Henry …
Everyone says customer feedback is gold. Here's why that's wrong. Customers told Henry Ford they wanted faster horses. Sometimes you…
Everyone says raise as much as you can. Here’s why that’s wrong. Raised $50M, burned th…
Everyone says raise as much as you can. Here's why that's wrong. Raised $50M, burned through it in 18 months….
Everyone says pivot when things get hard. Here’s why that’s wrong. We almost quit our b…
Everyone says pivot when things get hard. Here's why that's wrong. We almost quit our biggest winner 6 times. The…
Everyone says follow your passion. Here’s why that’s wrong. I built three companies in …
Everyone says follow your passion. Here's why that's wrong. I built three companies in industries I knew nothing about. Passion…
Everyone says hire slow, fire fast. They’re right. I see founders rush 100+ hires all t…
Everyone says hire slow, fire fast. They're right. I see founders rush 100+ hires all the time. 70% gone within…
Everyone says you need product-market fit to raise money. Here’s why that’s actually tr…
Everyone says you need product-market fit to raise money. Here's why that's actually true. I've seen countless founders with "clear…
Your first 100 customers will hate your product. If they don’t, you’re not iterating fa…
Your first 100 customers will hate your product. If they don't, you're not iterating fast enough. Originally posted on X
3 lies founders tell themselves: 1. We just need more features 2. Marketing will fix ad…
3 lies founders tell themselves: 1. We just need more features 2. Marketing will fix adoption 3. Next quarter will…
92% of startups fail. 73% of those had the right idea but wrong execution timing. Timin…
92% of startups fail. 73% of those had the right idea but wrong execution timing. Timing beats talent. Originally posted…
Failed startup CEOs become the best operators. They’ve felt every mistake in their bones.
Failed startup CEOs become the best operators. They've felt every mistake in their bones. Originally posted on X
Before: 80-hour weeks, burned out team. After: 40-hour weeks, 3x revenue. Systems beat …
Before: 80-hour weeks, burned out team. After: 40-hour weeks, 3x revenue. Systems beat hustle. Originally posted on X
Myth: Product-market fit is binary. Reality: It’s a spectrum. You iterate toward it, ne…
Myth: Product-market fit is binary. Reality: It's a spectrum. You iterate toward it, never just find it. Originally posted on…
I’ve seen founders raise $50M by talking to customers for 6 months before writing a sin…
I've seen founders raise $50M by talking to customers for 6 months before writing a single line of code. Most…
Revenue solves everything except the problems revenue creates. Growth without systems i…
Revenue solves everything except the problems revenue creates. Growth without systems is chaos. Originally posted on X
Wrong. The best hires come from places you least expect. That junior dev who cold-DM’d…
Wrong. The best hires come from places you least expect. That junior dev who cold-DM'd you? Hired. The contractor who…
By end of 2029, 80% of Series A pitches will include an AI co-founder slide. The ones w…
By end of 2029, 80% of Series A pitches will include an AI co-founder slide. The ones without it won't…
Everyone says network before you need it. Here’s why that’s wrong. Cold outreach got me…
Everyone says network before you need it. Here's why that's wrong. Cold outreach got me my biggest deals, best hires,…
Your customers don’t care how many features you built. They care how fast you solve th…
Your customers don't care how many features you built. They care how fast you solve their pain. Stop building feature…
The other day my son and I were talking about the difference between VC and PE.
The other day my son and I were talking about the difference between VC and PE. He is majoring in…
“Hire slow, fire fast” almost killed my startup.
“Hire slow, fire fast” almost killed my startup. I had 3 weeks of runway left to launch. Traditional wisdom said…
80% of job applications get auto-rejected before a human even sees them.
80% of job applications get auto-rejected before a human even sees them. The ATS filters killed your resume in 12…
Everyone chases the unicorn.
Everyone chases the unicorn. Less than 1% of startups ever raise venture capital. Of those, fewer than 1 in 40…
The AI hiring wave is creating an unexpected problem.
The AI hiring wave is creating an unexpected problem. Companies are drowning in applications. One startup I know got 15,000…
Everyone thinks raising money validates your startup.
Everyone thinks raising money validates your startup. It doesn’t. It validates your pitch deck. In 20+ years as entrepreneur and…
Your investor updates are novels. Investors want 3 numbers and 2 asks.
Your investor updates are novels. Investors want 3 numbers and 2 asks. Originally posted on X
You think equity motivates contractors. Cash motivates contractors.
You think equity motivates contractors. Cash motivates contractors. Originally posted on X
I genuinely don’t enjoy LinkedIn anymore. And that makes me sad.
I genuinely don’t enjoy LinkedIn anymore. And that makes me sad. Because I remember when this place felt real. Real…
Your 1:1s are status updates, not coaching. That’s why good people leave.
Your 1:1s are status updates, not coaching. That's why good people leave. Originally posted on X
You’re optimizing for being right, not being fast. Speed beats perfect.
You're optimizing for being right, not being fast. Speed beats perfect. Originally posted on X
You call it product-market fit. Your customers call it barely acceptable.
You call it product-market fit. Your customers call it barely acceptable. Originally posted on X
Your team respects you less every time you change the roadmap. Pick a direction.
Your team respects you less every time you change the roadmap. Pick a direction. Originally posted on X
Your burn rate says Series A. Your revenue says friends and family.
Your burn rate says Series A. Your revenue says friends and family. Originally posted on X
You’re building features your enterprise client wants, not what the market needs.
You're building features your enterprise client wants, not what the market needs. Originally posted on X
Called my biggest competitor on day one. Got a coffee meeting and a lifetime friendship…
Called my biggest competitor on day one. Got a coffee meeting and a lifetime friendship. Sometimes enemies become friends to…
Your biggest competitor just raised $50M. You still think your product will win on meri…
Your biggest competitor just raised $50M. You still think your product will win on merit alone. Originally posted on X
Every founder thinks they need more runway. Most need more revenue. Stop optimizing for…
Every founder thinks they need more runway. Most need more revenue. Stop optimizing for fundraising. Start optimizing for profit. Originally…
Three things that actually matter in startup success: 1) Market timing 2) Team chemistr…
Three things that actually matter in startup success: 1) Market timing 2) Team chemistry 3) Founder resilience Everything else is…
Myth: Great ideas win. Reality: Mediocre ideas with relentless execution beat brilliant…
Myth: Great ideas win. Reality: Mediocre ideas with relentless execution beat brilliant ideas with average execution every single time. Originally…
Your advisors give advice they never took themselves
Your advisors give advice they never took themselves Originally posted on X
Burn rate optimization kills more startups than high burn rate
Burn rate optimization kills more startups than high burn rate Originally posted on X
Your best engineer will quit on a Tuesday morning with zero warning. Always have their …
Your best engineer will quit on a Tuesday morning with zero warning. Always have their replacement relationship mapped out months…
Most unicorns are just well funded mistakes
Most unicorns are just well funded mistakes Originally posted on X
VCs say they want disruptive founders. Then they reject anyone who questions their play…
VCs say they want disruptive founders. Then they reject anyone who questions their playbook. The contradiction is the point. Originally…
Customer feedback is often just noise dressed as wisdom
Customer feedback is often just noise dressed as wisdom Originally posted on X
Most founders think culture is ping pong tables. Real culture is what you do when a top…
Most founders think culture is ping pong tables. Real culture is what you do when a top performer breaks your…
Hiring fast is more dangerous than hiring slow
Hiring fast is more dangerous than hiring slow Originally posted on X
Hiring slowly killes your startup. When you find someone great, make the offer that day…
Hiring slowly killes your startup. When you find someone great, make the offer that day. Speed beats process when talent…
Your MVP took too long to build , Then do you still call it MVP?
Your MVP took too long to build , Then do you still call it MVP? Originally posted on X
Pivoting is usually quitting with extra steps
Pivoting is usually quitting with extra steps Originally posted on X
Product market fit is overrated. Distribution market fit matters more
Product market fit is overrated. Distribution market fit matters more Originally posted on X
Your biggest competitor is your own indecision
Your biggest competitor is your own indecision Originally posted on X
Most funding rounds are just expensive therapy sessions for founders
Most funding rounds are just expensive therapy sessions for founders Originally posted on X
Your biggest competitor isn’t another startup. It’s doing nothing at all.
Your biggest competitor isn't another startup. It's doing nothing at all. Originally posted on X
I fired my best engineer. He was toxic to the team. Revenue went up 40% in 3 months. Te…
I fired my best engineer. He was toxic to the team. Revenue went up 40% in 3 months. Team productivity…
What kills startups faster than bad product: 1) Co-founder fights 2) Running out of cas…
What kills startups faster than bad product: 1) Co-founder fights 2) Running out of cash 3) Bad hiring Originally posted…
73% of unicorn founders were already friends before starting. Network = net worth.
73% of unicorn founders were already friends before starting. Network = net worth. Originally posted on X
Prediction: By 2027, most Series A rounds will require AI revenue, not just AI features.
Prediction: By 2027, most Series A rounds will require AI revenue, not just AI features. Originally posted on X
Hot take: Your MVP should embarrass you. If it doesn’t, you shipped too late.
Hot take: Your MVP should embarrass you. If it doesn't, you shipped too late. Originally posted on X
95% of startups fail because they solve problems nobody has. 5% succeed because they so…
95% of startups fail because they solve problems nobody has. 5% succeed because they solve problems they have. Originally posted…