The 3-1-4: From "Should" to "Want"
3 links, 1 thought, and 4 tweets. I hope they give you the most value for the least time every week.
3 Links To Make You Think
I’m Sorry, But Those Are Vanity Metrics
Some metrics matter and some don’t. Those that matter measure the quality of customer experience. Lloyd gives some great examples here.
Some mistakes I made as a new manager
Love this honest look at what it’s like to be a new manager. It takes more tact and emotional intelligence than being an IC.
Building For The End User With HubSpot’s Christopher “Millsy” Miller
Great article to pair with the vanity metrics one above. Both agree that relentlessly focusing on the customer’s experience is the only thing that matters. But how do you measure “experience”? Qualitative measures are important too.
1 Thought
From "Should" to "Want"
Most entrepreneurs start with a deep desire to build something. Maybe they see an opportunity. Maybe it’s a space or problem they are super passionate about. Or maybe its just the thought of having your own thing/being your own boss. Entrepreneurship starts with WANT. No one must/should be an entrepreneur.
Then once you have a bit of traction... reality sets in. You have to balance the books, hire people, pay people, find customers, service them, build a product, change a product and a million big and small things in between. Most people (especially their first time) try to find the RIGHT answer. They look for advice. They ask what they SHOULD do for continued growth and success. At its extreme, "shoulds" become a ton of pressure. Every day, every minute you are wondering if you're doing it right and asking what "should" you do next. The business becomes a puzzle you aim to solve and whether that’s hitting certain numbers, raising VC or anything in between... it stops being fun. Or worse, it burns you out.
The answer I've found to this is very nuanced. But its moving from Should to Want. Stop trying to get the answer right and instead follow your instincts towards what you want. It's easier said than done. Raise VC money? NOT what you "should" do - what do you want? Learn about life with VC vs without. There is no right answer. Super ambitious plan or moderate plan you try to beat? What do you want? Fire that person? Again most of building a business has no right answer.
I found that when I acknowledged there is no right answer, learned about various tradeoffs then chose what I wanted... Not only did I have more success but it became fun again.
Try it and tell me what you think!
4 Tweets
Not sure if this speaks to general advice or simply the power of ChatGPT.
Time is your most valuable asset. I try to be present for family dinner each night and usually don’t have my phone on me.
I found this to be fascinating. It’s common for big companies to try to expand into adjacent businesses. But in this case focus is winning out.
This is a core operating philosophy of my holding company Gateway X. Speed is great when you are on the right path. But more importantly, speed allows you to know when you are on the wrong path sooner.