Six exits. The moment I remember most isn't the wire. It's my dad sliding his farmland deed across the table. No words. "Take it. Get the loan. Start." Hunger doesn't come from ambition. It comes from having no other option.

Most founders treat vulnerability like a liability. Every room I have walked into where I admitted I was lost, someone stayed after to help. The armor costs you more than the exposure.

The best business decision I ever made had nothing to do with strategy. My father called me a fool for quitting a stable job. I picked up the phone and let him finish. Then I built anyway.