As a founder you must resist all the things that make you feel successful without actually making the company successful.
-raising big rounds you don’t need
-Saying yes to every podcast, panel, and networking dinner
-hiring a big teams without PMF
-getting a big office
Etc.
“The reality is that almost everyone is actually great. They will love you when they get to know you, and you will love them. They are interesting and real, and worth talking to and being honest with. Sure, they have wounds too, but most people’s wounds quickly melt when they sense that you like them.”
I have a lot of empathy for this worldview because I used to be this way. And not just about SF.
I used to think most people basically sucked, they’re shallow and even sometimes soulless, they didn’t like me or understand me, it’s all a status game, etc.
This was basically wounds from childhood and hyper-vigilance to protect myself. (And of course only accomplished the opposite.)
The reality is that almost everyone is actually great. They will love you when they get to know you, and you will love them. They are interesting and real, and worth talking to and being honest with. Sure, they have wounds too, but most people’s wounds quickly melt when they sense that you like them. And sure, this doesn’t mean it will make sense for you to become besties or for them to join your company or hire you or anything. But sometimes maybe it will!
Golden retriever energy is real, it will change your life, and it can be yours, I promise.