Michia Rohrssen

Founder @ Prodigy (9 fig exit)
Investing in founders @ L7V
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[Michia Rohrssen @AskMichia]

@zackpaid Media

[Michia Rohrssen @AskMichia]

@lorenzo_pravata Done. Hit me

[Michia Rohrssen @AskMichia]

@MichLieben ads

[Michia Rohrssen @AskMichia]

First time I’ve been mentioned in the same breath as @pewdiepie lol. I’m traveling 124 days this year but I’ve gotten much better at delegating and I have the capital to do so which really helps. Still working 12-16 hour days when home though! I think I’m more ambitious than I ever was pre-exit. Just not the most interesting to show work days on vlogs (although I would like to show more of them personally)

[Francis Davidson @FDavidsonT]

Meet Odessia.

She plans and books entire trips in one conversation.

Apparently, she's the goddess of travel.

[Michia Rohrssen @AskMichia]

@lamp1billion Basic maintenance yes. I scale it up and down depending on how much stress I'm going through. More stress = more maintenance.

[Michia Rohrssen @AskMichia]

The key to killing self-doubt is building a mental maintenance routine.

Choose from the catalog of proven options:
Meditation
Yoga
Working Out
Nature
Coffee/Tea
Music
Dance
Motivational Audiobooks/Videos
Non-Fiction Reading
...etc

Once you've found what works for you, don't rely on motivation to make it happen.

Systematize it into a maintenance routine.

When I was running my startup, my morning maintenance was:

15 Minutes Non-Fiction Reading
15 Minutes Walking Outdoors + Motivational Listening + Visualization

When things got really bad, I'd add meditation.

It doesn't matter what you do. Just find what works for you and treat it like critical maintenance.

[Michia Rohrssen @AskMichia]

By definition, 1 in every 10 days will be a bottom 10% day for you.

Rather than trudging through your to-do list, commit to accomplishing one important thing on your worst days.

After you accomplish it, check in with yourself.

Do you still feel like working?

Go for it.

But if you don't, that's okay too.

It's just one of those days.

Shift your workload around and fill the time with other productive tasks like reading.

Prioritize sleep and get back on the grind tomorrow.

Don't let a bad day turn into two.

[Michia Rohrssen @AskMichia]

I have never met a founder who wasn't wrecked with crippling doubts, sweaty sleepless nights, and bouts of depression.

Yes, even the founders who tell you they're "crushing it" all the time.

Eventually, you learn most are just posturing on the off chance you have investor intros for them.

By definition, you are doing something hard. Something uncertain.

And your body's natural response to uncertainty is anxiety and doubt.

Instead of panicking when those feelings hit, understand it's part of the journey.

When the feeling comes, acknowledge it's a normal reaction and keep moving forward.

[Michia Rohrssen @AskMichia]

"Specific knowledge is found by pursuing your genuine curiosity and passion rather than whatever is hot right now." - @naval

Probably a good reminder in the age of copycat AI startups.

[Michia Rohrssen @AskMichia]

Underrated AI prompt: "What's something I don't even know about myself?"

The insights I got back opened my eyes to behavioral patterns I didn't even know were holding me back.

[Michia Rohrssen @AskMichia]

The only thing standing between who you want to be and reality is your self-image.

The moment you stop believing "that's just the way I am" and start believing "I can be whoever I want to be" everything changes.

[Michia Rohrssen @AskMichia]

@dealzman_ Board control. Easy to fall into with a strong VC with a big brand and demands certain things.

[Michia Rohrssen @AskMichia]

A friend got a $100M acquisition offer.

He wanted to accept.

His board said no.

They said it was worth more.

In reality, the returns just weren't big enough for them to care.

He begged them to change their minds.

They didn't.

Nine months later, the company went bankrupt.

He walked away with nothing.

Choose your investors wisely.

[Michia Rohrssen @AskMichia]

Harsh truth I learned from hiring 200+ people. Interviews are a poor indicator of success in a role.

At most, 50% of the hiring decision should be based on the interview process.

The other 50% should come from reference checks.

At least 2 of those should be backdoor references.

Anything less and you're just gambling.

[Michia Rohrssen @AskMichia]

Startups are expected to grow 200-300% YoY. Minimum.

If you're a CEO and you're not getting 200-300% better every year, the board has a fiduciary duty to replace you.

Sadly, the same thing goes for your team members.

[Michia Rohrssen @AskMichia]

The fastest way to get ahead of 99% of people is to get into rooms they don't have access to.

The best ways to gain access to rare rooms (ranked easiest to hardest):

Ask for it
Pay for it
Work for it

If the first doesn't work, keep offering.

You won't succeed every time, but just a few conversations can change your entire life trajectory.

[Michia Rohrssen @AskMichia]

You can learn a lot more by feigning ignorance than by demonstrating knowledge.

[Michia Rohrssen @AskMichia]

Trees grown without strong winds don't grow old.

They literally die as their branches break under their own weight.

They lack what scientists call "reaction wood" or "stress wood," which is only created in the presence of wind.

As the winds hit, the wood is forced to strengthen, changing the underlying cell structure of the wood.

There's profound wisdom in this simple law of nature.

Hope it helps you see stress differently this week.