Hey Reader, The entire journey of trying to get your StartUp off the ground is so you can delegate something to someone else. Right? That's scalability. Wrong. Dead wrong.(π) That thinking often comes from smart, experienced people who think they understand what it takes to manifest something from nothing, but they don't get that founders are a different breed. TL;DR Brian Chesky of AirBnB argues that most scaling advice he received was wrong. Instead of stepping back, he fired middle...
8 days agoΒ β’Β 3 min read
Hey Reader, Remember when you thought building the product was the hard part? Cute. (π) The second your product hits the market, a whole new attack sequence starts. Suddenly, everyone's fighting to steer you off course - including yourself. You're juggling shiny objects, must-have features, demanding customers, and new idea grenades. Straddling sales, product & operations is both your superpower and your kryptonite. TL;DR In-market? Decisions are based on facts AND intuition, not just gut...
15 days agoΒ β’Β 3 min read
Hey Reader, Despite the predatory fundraising p*rn on your insta feed claiming you're funding ready & they can help. You likely aren't, can't & won't. So, let's pivot to what actually matters. What now? (π) Money has changed in 2024. You need fame, traction, or a bit of both. The occasional startup raises millions with neither. But that's lightning striking twice or a rich uncle that loves you. TL;DR The only early-stage metric that matters is PROOF. Can you show that you can create something...
22 days agoΒ β’Β 2 min read
Hey Reader, Most StartUp Founders pick their solution pricing via the "dinner plan model" - "I dunno, what sounds good?" Shockingly, this approach is about as helpful to your startup & your customers as it is to your significant other. (π) How much should you charge for your product? Simple. The right amount. The right amount is the one thatβs clear, straightforward, & predictable. No surprises, no games. More right than wrong. (π) Just get your first wave of customers in the door paying an...
29 days agoΒ β’Β 3 min read
Hey Reader, You heard Product Led Growth (PLG) on a podcast and now it's your go-to-market strategy? Right? PLG is deceptive; it's delayed churn, unless you focus on Product-Led Retention (PLR). (π) XXX-Led Growth. Whether Product-Led, Sales-Led, Community-Led, or whatevs, just means your primary growth engine is driven by that function. But a growth motion without retention is like building sandcastles on the beach - epic, awesome, but gone by morning. (π) TL;DR XXX-Led Growth isnβt a...
about 1 month agoΒ β’Β 3 min read
Hey Reader, Founders looking for PMF are never going to find it. At best, you'll catch a fleeting moment where everything aligns - right product, right problem, right time. Until it's not. (π) Build a product so f'n good, be so in tune with your customers, be so fast to iterate on the feedback, that PMF is forced to find you. TL;DR PMF is not a destination; it's a relentless, evolving, endless chase. Deceptive POSITIVE data is the kryptonite. (Workbook) Every Founder/StartUp Needs A...
about 1 month agoΒ β’Β 3 min read
Hey Reader, Your best prospects aren't saying no. They're not saying anything at all. Deals lost in the silence before you even get a chance to pitch. These are pre-objections, invisible deal-killers lurking in your prospect's mind. (π) The unspoken doubts, bias, assumptions, the "yeah, buts" that you never even get to counter. The solution? Pre-emptive trust building, value screaming, & pain eradicating. TL;DR You can do all the work, an incredible demo, dazzle with features, but that...
about 2 months agoΒ β’Β 3 min read
Hey Reader, Founder-led direct sales is a bloodsport. You're about to drag your first customers across the finish line & there are a billion reasons they should run screaming from your untested, under-resourced, barely alive company. (π) If you followed any customer-centric methodology, this is a functional exercise; if you didn't, you are probably standing on an island trying to organize sand. TL;DR For founder-led direct sales to work, you need (a) your stage zero deck (b) a niche so...
about 2 months agoΒ β’Β 2 min read
Hey Reader, You can't win a deal you're not in - so everything means nothing if people don't know you exist. The primary pillar of founder-led sales isn't the sale itself; it's the awareness playbook that precedes it. (π) And by 'precedes' - I mean 'same time', obviously. This paradox is a feature, not a bug. If it made sense, you'd be doing it wrong. TL;DR Awareness is a sales motion on steroids. Everything, everywhere, always. Until it works. Then do it more. (Workbook) AI that is...
2 months agoΒ β’Β 2 min read