if you’re a venture backed founder, you should be 100x more ambitious & risk seeking than you think you should be.
i’ve unfortunately made this mistake constantly. your brain naturally wants to take the next logical step & you obviously fight that instinct because you have to. so naturally you end up at like 10x.
but 10x is still more than likely extrapolation of existing trends. if you want to end up somewhere genuinely far ahead you have to think 100x while still making sure what you’re up to is familiar & relatable. very difficult multi dimensional problem all around.
Very few downsides to getting to know the CEOs of your competitors
- They could buy you someday, or vice-versa
- Deesclates later tensions
- Helps you focus on the bigger prize
- Share a little, learn a little
Before coding, ask yourself these questions:
- who are your customers?
- what are they trying to achieve?
- what are their their problems?
- what is the #1 problem your product solves?
- how will you get your first 10 users?
- and the next 100?
Then start coding
Thank me later
“I never think about exits. We need to focus on the product. Do we have a product that everyone wants to use? If you solve that, everything else follows.”
— Kevin Ryan
Listen to my interview with Kevin Ryan: https://t.co/Rkx0ujduqE
YC PMF timeline data
Founders talking to users 10+ times per week:
→ Find PMF on average in 6 months
Founders talking to users 2 to 4 times per week:
→ Find PMF in 12 to 18 months
Founders talking to users fewer than twice per week: → Often pivot multiple times or never find it
User conversation frequency is the most predictive variable for PMF timeline, not market size or team credentials.
Founders: Revenue outcomes are downstream of calendar allocation.
Not founder IQ. Not the deck. Not the pitch.
If pipe gen and deal advancement aren't on the calendar this week, they aren't happening this week.
If you want to make the most progress you've ever made in your life, you need to be alone. You need an extended period of isolation, not influenced by friends or media, spent building your future. You need space to learn, think, experiment, and fail.
Give yourself 6 months. Focus solely on the development of your mind, body, spirit, and finances. This is how you get ahead of most people.
Founders: Here's how to structure pilots that actually close:
- Max 30 days
- 3 mandatory training sessions
- Weekly usage metrics reviews
- 2 required use cases completed
- Success criteria defined up front
Charge 25% of annual fee for the pilot.
No more endless trials.
Founders: The most powerful sales narratives follow a simple pattern:
Problem → Pain → Current Solutions → Why They Fail → What Changed → New Solution → Proof
Each part builds naturally on the last.
I talked ~20 YC founders after Demo Day and learned a brutal lesson about fundraising:
Startups that raised the most ($5-10m) often have ZERO traction but fresh, insightful, and huge-if-true ideas.
Startups that fail to raise ($1-3m), often have TONS of traction, but their ideas are boring and incremental.
Traction is seen as a bad thing, because it signals you're in a competitive market with a clear incumbent/winner.
When talking to VCs, it's much easier to sell a dream than to justify numbers.