Hiring fast and firing slow will kill your startup faster than bad product.
Hiring fast and firing slow will kill your startup faster than bad product. Originally posted on X
Your biggest competitor isn’t another company. It’s your own indecision.
Your biggest competitor isn't another company. It's your own indecision. Originally posted on X
Being busy is not a badge of honor. It’s a sign you can’t prioritize.
Being busy is not a badge of honor. It's a sign you can't prioritize. Originally posted on X
Your team respects you for saying no, not for saying yes to everything.
Your team respects you for saying no, not for saying yes to everything. Originally posted on X
Vision statements are where good leaders go to die.
Vision statements are where good leaders go to die. Originally posted on X
2022: 50 cold emails daily, 2% response rate
2022: 50 cold emails daily, 2% response rate 2024: 3 warm intros weekly, 90% close rate Networks beat numbers Originally…
Myth: Product-market fit is binary. Truth: It’s a spectrum. Most founders quit at 70%.
Myth: Product-market fit is binary. Truth: It's a spectrum. Most founders quit at 70%. Originally posted on X
The AI hiring wave is over.
The AI hiring wave is over. Companies hired AI teams in 2024-2025 like they were collecting Pokemon cards. Head of…
AI will kill 40% of SaaS startups by 2027. The other 60% will become AI-first and domin…
AI will kill 40% of SaaS startups by 2027. The other 60% will become AI-first and dominate. Originally posted on…
Sam Altman got fired from his own company. Steve Jobs too. Being right early feels like…
Sam Altman got fired from his own company. Steve Jobs too. Being right early feels like being wrong. Originally posted…
Well designed deck does not run the business or attract Investors
The founder’s pitch deck had 47 slides. I hung up after 7 minutes. That was March 2026. Another Tuesday, another…
Just fired our top performer. Culture matters more than talent.
Just fired our top performer. Culture matters more than talent. Originally posted on X
VCs say they want bold. Then they fund the safe bet. Every time.
VCs say they want bold. Then they fund the safe bet. Every time. Originally posted on X
5 signs your startup will fail: 1. No clear owner 2. Too many meetings 3. Perfect pitch…
5 signs your startup will fail: 1. No clear owner 2. Too many meetings 3. Perfect pitch deck Originally posted…
Product-market fit isn’t a moment. It’s a muscle you keep building.
Product-market fit isn't a moment. It's a muscle you keep building. Originally posted on X
$50M raised. 200 employees. 0 revenue. This is 2024 startup math.
$50M raised. 200 employees. 0 revenue. This is 2024 startup math. Originally posted on X
Built my first company at 22. Sold it at 25. Lost it all by 27. Best education ever.
Built my first company at 22. Sold it at 25. Lost it all by 27. Best education ever. Originally posted…
Your biggest competitor isn’t who you think. It’s doing nothing.
Your biggest competitor isn't who you think. It's doing nothing. Originally posted on X
Every startup thinks they need more features. Truth: 90% need fewer.
Every startup thinks they need more features. Truth: 90% need fewer. Originally posted on X
Raised $50M Series B. Burned $48M in 18 months. Best lesson: growth without unit econom…
Raised $50M Series B. Burned $48M in 18 months. Best lesson: growth without unit economics kills. Originally posted on X
Hot take: Product-market fit is overrated. Distribution-market fit matters more.
Hot take: Product-market fit is overrated. Distribution-market fit matters more. Originally posted on X
90% of unicorns start as terrible ideas that sound crazy. Facebook was for college kids…
90% of unicorns start as terrible ideas that sound crazy. Facebook was for college kids only. Originally posted on X
YC rejects 98.5% of applicants. Being rejected means nothing about your startup’s poten…
YC rejects 98.5% of applicants. Being rejected means nothing about your startup's potential. Originally posted on X
Before: 80 hour weeks, no revenue. After: 40 hour weeks, $2M ARR. Focus beats hustle.
Before: 80 hour weeks, no revenue. After: 40 hour weeks, $2M ARR. Focus beats hustle. Originally posted on X
Hiring fast is killing more startups than hiring slow. Speed without judgment is just e…
Hiring fast is killing more startups than hiring slow. Speed without judgment is just expensive chaos. Originally posted on X
Prediction: AI will make technical co-founders less valuable than sales co-founders by …
Prediction: AI will make technical co-founders less valuable than sales co-founders by 2027. Originally posted on X
Everyone says ‘hire slow, fire fast.’ Reality: hire fast, coach hard, fire never.
Everyone says 'hire slow, fire fast.' Reality: hire fast, coach hard, fire never. Originally posted on X
Customer discovery lies: 1) Would you buy this 2) How much would you pay 3) When would …
Customer discovery lies: 1) Would you buy this 2) How much would you pay 3) When would you use it…
First employee quit after 3 months. Said the vision was ‘unrealistic.’ She was right then.
First employee quit after 3 months. Said the vision was 'unrealistic.' She was right then. Originally posted on X
Your MVP is too polished. Customers need to see the rough edges to tell you what’s actu…
Your MVP is too polished. Customers need to see the rough edges to tell you what's actually broken. Originally posted…
Most YC companies fail not from lack of funding but from hiring their first employee to…
Most YC companies fail not from lack of funding but from hiring their first employee too early. Stay solo until…
By 2027, 80% of Series A rounds will require AI revenue. Not AI features. Not AI market…
By 2027, 80% of Series A rounds will require AI revenue. Not AI features. Not AI marketing. Actual revenue generated…
The best startups I’ve invested in had these 3 red flags: Tiny addressable market, Foun…
The best startups I've invested in had these 3 red flags: Tiny addressable market, Founder with zero experience, Product that…
Invested my own money in 2019. Burned through it by 2021. Down to 3 weeks runway. That’…
Invested my own money in 2019. Burned through it by 2021. Down to 3 weeks runway. That's when we found…
Everyone talks about product-market fit. Nobody talks about founder-market fit. I’ve se…
Everyone talks about product-market fit. Nobody talks about founder-market fit. I've seen brilliant founders fail in markets they didn't understand…
Your first 10 hires will determine if you scale to $100M or die at $10M. Most founders …
Your first 10 hires will determine if you scale to $100M or die at $10M. Most founders hire for skills….
Most founders think the best hires come from their network.
Most founders think the best hires come from their network. I used to believe this too. Until I hired 2…
If your employees love you, you’re probably not pushing them hard enough to grow.
If your employees love you, you're probably not pushing them hard enough to grow. Originally posted on X
Servant leadership is corporate therapy. Real leaders make hard calls that hurt people’…
Servant leadership is corporate therapy. Real leaders make hard calls that hurt people's feelings. Originally posted on X
Your leadership team should disagree with you more than they agree. If not, you hired w…
Your leadership team should disagree with you more than they agree. If not, you hired wrong. Originally posted on X
The best CEOs I know make decisions with 30% of the data. The worst wait for 90%.
The best CEOs I know make decisions with 30% of the data. The worst wait for 90%. Originally posted on…
4 months ago Y Combinator graduates raised $40M in Series A rounds.
4 months ago Y Combinator graduates raised $40M in Series A rounds. Today they’re shutting down. I’ve watched 17 companies…
Most “visionary” leaders are just good at hiding their cluelessness behind inspiring wo…
Most "visionary" leaders are just good at hiding their cluelessness behind inspiring words. Originally posted on X
Everyone says work life balance matters for retention. Wrong. Top performers quit borin…
Everyone says work life balance matters for retention. Wrong. Top performers quit boring jobs, not hard jobs. Give them impossible…
Everyone says hire for culture fit. Wrong. Culture fit creates groupthink. Hire for cul…
Everyone says hire for culture fit. Wrong. Culture fit creates groupthink. Hire for culture ADD. The best hires challenge your…
Most startups die from indigestion, not starvation. They chase too many opportunities i…
Most startups die from indigestion, not starvation. They chase too many opportunities instead of obsessing over one problem until it's…
Everyone says founders need thick skin. Wrong. The best founders I know are deeply sens…
Everyone says founders need thick skin. Wrong. The best founders I know are deeply sensitive. They feel everything. That's their…
The hardest part of being a founder isn’t the 80-hour weeks or the rejections. It’s sit…
The hardest part of being a founder isn't the 80-hour weeks or the rejections. It's sitting in your car after…
The best founders I know hire slow and fire fast. The worst ones do the opposite. Your …
The best founders I know hire slow and fire fast. The worst ones do the opposite. Your company's fate gets…
Remote work killed the startup magic. Innovation happens in hallway conversations and l…
Remote work killed the startup magic. Innovation happens in hallway conversations and late night brainstorms, not Zoom calls and Slack…
Your personal brand as a founder is overrated. Customers buy products, not personalitie…
Your personal brand as a founder is overrated. Customers buy products, not personalities. Focus on what you're building, not who…
The best hires are people who disagree with you in the interview. If they only nod and …
The best hires are people who disagree with you in the interview. If they only nod and smile, they'll never…
Founder mode is just micromanagement with better marketing. Great leaders build systems…
Founder mode is just micromanagement with better marketing. Great leaders build systems, not dependencies on themselves. Originally posted on X
Most founders hire for skills they already have instead of skills they lack. Your weakn…
Most founders hire for skills they already have instead of skills they lack. Your weakness becomes the company's weakness. Stop…
My friend’s 8-year-old son asked me last week why I stare at screens all day.
My friend’s 8-year-old son asked me last week why I stare at screens all day. “Uncle, don’t you get bored…
Customer feedback is overrated. Henry Ford didn’t ask customers what they wanted. Steve…
Customer feedback is overrated. Henry Ford didn't ask customers what they wanted. Steve Jobs ignored focus groups. Your job is…
Firing fast is more important than hiring slow. One toxic employee can destroy team mor…
Firing fast is more important than hiring slow. One toxic employee can destroy team morale for months. The cost of…
Your biggest competitor isn’t another startup. It’s your customer doing nothing. Most p…
Your biggest competitor isn't another startup. It's your customer doing nothing. Most products solve problems people didn't know they had,…
The founder who codes is always more dangerous than the founder who talks. Technical fo…
The founder who codes is always more dangerous than the founder who talks. Technical founders understand the impossible. Business-only founders…
Stop hiring executives from big companies. They know how to manage existing scale, not …
Stop hiring executives from big companies. They know how to manage existing scale, not how to build from zero. Promote…
Remote work killed mentorship. Junior employees learn by watching senior people work, n…
Remote work killed mentorship. Junior employees learn by watching senior people work, not by scheduling Zoom calls. The best companies…
Vulnerability in leadership is overrated. Your team needs confidence and direction, not…
Vulnerability in leadership is overrated. Your team needs confidence and direction, not your therapy session. Save the feelings for your…
Your employees don’t want pizza parties and ping pong tables. They want equity, clear c…
Your employees don't want pizza parties and ping pong tables. They want equity, clear career paths, and managers who don't…
Hiring for ‘culture fit’ is code for hiring people who look and think like you. The mos…
Hiring for 'culture fit' is code for hiring people who look and think like you. The most successful teams I…
If ChatGPT can replace what you built in 3 weeks .
If ChatGPT can replace what you built in 3 weeks . you didn’t build a business. You built a feature….
The best CEOs are terrible at work-life balance. They obsess over their business like p…
The best CEOs are terrible at work-life balance. They obsess over their business like parents obsess over sick children. Stop…
Philosophers had tenure. Entrepreneurs have term sheets. Stop romanticizing ancient thi…
Philosophers had tenure. Entrepreneurs have term sheets. Stop romanticizing ancient thinkers who never faced the choice between keeping the lights…
Marcus Aurelius never had to explain quarterly projections to VCs. Ancient wisdom hits …
Marcus Aurelius never had to explain quarterly projections to VCs. Ancient wisdom hits different when you're responsible for 47 paychecks…
90% of startup founders quote Stoic philosophers on LinkedIn but panic when their burn …
90% of startup founders quote Stoic philosophers on LinkedIn but panic when their burn rate hits 6 months runway. Philosophy…
Remote work killed the startup advantage. When your 10-person team has the same collabo…
Remote work killed the startup advantage. When your 10-person team has the same collaboration friction as Google, you lost the…
Raising a Series A before hitting $1M ARR is founder malpractice. You just gave away 20…
Raising a Series A before hitting $1M ARR is founder malpractice. You just gave away 20-30% of your company for…
Most “AI companies” are just wrapper startups that will be dead when OpenAI releases th…
Most "AI companies" are just wrapper startups that will be dead when OpenAI releases their next API update. Building a…
“Never give up” can be a recipe for burning capital and valuable time on a dead idea.
"Never give up" can be a recipe for burning capital and valuable time on a dead idea. Originally posted on…
Strategic quitting is a superpower. But Needs lot of strenght to quit ..
Strategic quitting is a superpower. But Needs lot of strenght to quit .. Originally posted on X
The best founders quit wrong markets, wrong co-founders, wrong models — fast.
The best founders quit wrong markets, wrong co-founders, wrong models — fast. Originally posted on X
Most unicorns are built by quitters, not the ones who never give up.
Most unicorns are built by quitters, not the ones who never give up. Originally posted on X
Raising money is the easiest part of being a founder.
Raising money is the easiest part of being a founder. Originally posted on X
Your MVP took 6 months to build? You built a product, not an MVP.
Your MVP took 6 months to build? You built a product, not an MVP. Originally posted on X
3/ Stop chasing perfect PMF. Start chasing PMF velocity. The companies that win aren’t …
3/ Stop chasing perfect PMF. Start chasing PMF velocity. The companies that win aren't the ones with the best initial…
2/ Real PMF isn’t measured by NPS scores or retention curves. It’s measured by customer…
2/ Real PMF isn't measured by NPS scores or retention curves. It's measured by customer acquisition cost vs lifetime value…
1/ Most founders think product-market fit is binary. You either have it or you don’t. W…
1/ Most founders think product-market fit is binary. You either have it or you don't. Wrong. PMF is a spectrum….
SaaS companies charging monthly fees for AI features they built once are about to get o…
SaaS companies charging monthly fees for AI features they built once are about to get obliterated by open-source models that…
Successful pivots keep the same customer, just solve a different problem for them. Fail…
Successful pivots keep the same customer, just solve a different problem for them. Failed pivots chase new customers with new…
Most “unicorns” are just well-funded mediocrity with great timing. The founders you wor…
Most "unicorns" are just well-funded mediocrity with great timing. The founders you worship built decent products during a money-drunk era….
Most productivity advice assumes you have one job. Entrepreneurs juggle CEO, salesperso…
Most productivity advice assumes you have one job. Entrepreneurs juggle CEO, salesperson, product manager, and therapist to their team —…
Two founders. Same AI pitch.
Two founders. Same AI pitch. One is wrapping AI on top of a broken process. One built the process for…
$1.8B Rev company with 2 employees
Same market. Same product. Same customers.One company: 2,442 employees. $2.4B revenue. 5.5% margin.Other company: 2 employee. $1.8B projected. 16.2% margin….
I’ve watched people get the promotion, the house, the relationship they wanted.
I’ve watched people get the promotion, the house, the relationship they wanted. Then within months they’re restless again. The happiest…
Reading people. Really reading them.
Reading people. Really reading them. I’ve done hundreds of funding meetings. The best deals came from watching micro-expressions, hearing what…
If your entire business depends on one platform, one client, or one revenue stream – you…
If your entire business depends on one platform, one client, or one revenue stream – you don’t have a business….
Been there both ways across 6 exits.
Been there both ways across 6 exits. Solo gives you speed and control, but co-founder brings complementary skills you lack….
Been there couple of times. Launch is just day zero.
Been there couple of times. Launch is just day zero. The real work starts when the notifications stop and you…
The market doesn’t care about your feelings, your effort, or your intentions.
The market doesn’t care about your feelings, your effort, or your intentions. It rewards results. That’s not harsh. Those are…
It’s been a while since I wrote an article.
It’s been a while since I wrote an article.
I spent years in financial services. Acquired and scaled a 40-year-old NBFC – 10x in 8 years.
So when AI started showing up inside real business workflows,
Hot take: Most thought leaders on X just learned to format opinions better than everyone…
Hot take: Most thought leaders on X just learned to format opinions better than everyone else. The real thinkers are…
The 5% Rule – Why Entrepreneurs Will Win the AI Era
The 5% Rule – Why Entrepreneurs Will Win the AI Era
Last weeked I was listening to Dario Amodei (CEO of Anthropic) said something on Nikhil Kamath’s podcast that hit hard.
“Even if AI does 95% of the
The two biggest clients we ever landed almost took the whole company down.
The two biggest clients we ever landed almost took the whole company down.
This was 2008. Infovision was growing fast.
Our team had started IT consulting assignments with Lehman Brothers and Circuit C
AI washing is the new way to get funded.
AI washing is the new way to get funded.
A similar thing happened during the dot.com bubble in 2000.
Companies added ‘.com’ to their name and the valuation doubled.
Today you connect a GPT API, put ‘A
Oracle sent 30,000 termination emails on March 31.
This was my iPay Dukanline team. Every one of them. When we started in 2013.Oracle sent 30,000 termination emails on…
A few years ago, if someone said, “I am building a company alone,” most people would think it was…
A few years ago, if someone said, “I am building a company alone,” most people would think it was just a freelance side hustle.
Not anymore.
Look at Midjourney.
Nearly $500 million in annual revenue.