2026 is right around the corner.
If you want to lose 30lbs of fat by the end of 2025 without:
โข Hours of cardio
โข Starving yourself
โข Being completely miserable
Start implementing these 15 health rules today:
1. Don't run.
To my younger self,
14 things I wish I understood before starting a company (chronological advice):
1. Find your obsession.
If it doesn't feel like your life's work, don't do it. Tinker until you find a problem, concept or product that you are obsessed with.
Don't raise capital until then.
"You've got to be very careful if you don't know where you're going, because you might not get there."
2. Jevons paradox applies to all nascent markets.
When technology increases efficiency, demand surges - usage becomes cheaper.
Look for the underserved part of a market. Gamma was aimed at those with great ideas who see things visually, but didn't have the tools to get their fingerprint in presentations.
Even if the market seems small, TAM becomes large and expansion is inevitable if you give magic to users.
3. Your conviction is everything.
"The world will ask who you are, and if you do not know, the world will tell you." - Jung
You (and your idea) will get fire-tested a million times. If you don't truly believe in it, your company will die.
4. Word of mouth is the only thing that matters at first.
Are people bragging about having found your product? Do their face light up after opening your app?
Nothing you do will matter unless you get this right.
Word of mouth is the only form of distribution that amplifies all others.
5. Your luck surface area has 2 dimensions: Time and people.
If you are the best but no one knows about you, you'll get no work.
Luck will find you, but you have to search for it.
Meet a lot of people and surround yourself with those who share your values, level of ambition and cheer for you. They'll motivate you to become the best version of yourself.
6. Compounding is the 8th wonder of the world.
1% better each day means 37x better after a year.
Great things require time. If you focus too much on winning today, youโre capping your chances of winning big later.
Donโt be discouraged when you see others far ahead of you. That's the nature of things. Play your own game and stick to it.
7. Parkinsonโs law applies to time and money.
If you give people a budget of $1M, they'll spend $1M.
If you give a task one week, it'll take one week.
Constraints beget creativity, but they must be applied thoughtfully. Effective time and capital allocation are the most essential skills of a leader.
8. Power laws dictates most outcomes.
2-3 features will drive most usage. 2-3 distribution channels will get most users. 2-3 investments will yield most profit.
Start broad and stay open-minded until you identify what works. Then double down.
9. Know where youโre at and when to evolve.
v1 of your product is for the true enthusiasts (many will be tourists).
v2 is for the early believers. Listen and they will pull the product out of you.
v3 is for the masses. Seize the market and become the standard.
10. Strong brands have clear values.
Nike is speed & motion. Apple is aesthetics & ease of use. Berkshire is high integrity.
Keep it simple and repeatable. Use common words; no one should feel stupid.
"Don't be the best, be the only."- Kevin Kelly
11. Being ignorant is fine. Staying ignorant is not.
Most people hate sales; they think it's manipulation. That's wrong.
Good sales is about listening to people actively and solving problems.
'If you had a cure for a deadly disease, wouldn't it be a service to humanity to actively promote it?'
12. Your story is your ticket to everything.
โPeople remember 2-3 things about you. Donโt let them be random.โ
โReality bends to whoever tells the better story.โ - Lulu Cheng Meservey.
13. Become extremely literate.
"Your success in life will be largely determined by your ability to speak, your ability to write, and the quality of your ideas. In that order." - MIT Professor Patrick Winston
14. All moats are temporary. Level up at every chance you get.
Xerox is dead. Polaroid is long gone. Kodak is history.
Leverage anything you can to make your company antifragile.
Build economies of scale, create network effects, counter-position against competition, increase switching costs, create a remarkable brand, monopolize scarce resources, develop trade secrets.