Author, Investor, Speaker, Mentor
I’ve just completed reading Peter Sims’ new book, Little Bets. I’ll admit that I’m horrendously biased because 1) Peter is an old friend, and 2) he quotes me on page 75 of the hardcover edition, but I think that Little Bets is a great book. (Apparently the world agrees; Amazon has 17 customer reviews for … Continue reading Little Bets = Greatest Hits Of The 2000s
One of my pet peeves when it comes to management is when someone tells me, “I’m sorry, but I don’t have time to explain.” When that happens, I think that person has been watching too many action movies. If you’re on the run from a secret government conspiracy, you probably don’t have time to explain … Continue reading If you don’t have time to explain, you’re not decisive, you’re unfocused
One of the best times for seeds to grow is after a forest fire. There’s plenty of nutrient-rich ash and daylight. The same principle applies to startups. Many times, you can find great opportunities in the wake of spectacular flameouts. Palm revolutionized handheld computing after the spectacular failure of Go. Zappos built a billion-dollar business … Continue reading After the Fire
Because Twitter is perfect for crack-like bursts, it becomes all too easy to procrastinate the things that require more time. How many times have you told yourself you’d just check your feed for five minutes…and found yourself shaking your head an hour later? On the other hand, if you do have the willpower to put … Continue reading Twitter’s Dark Side
One of the unexpected effects of the rise of social media may be its impact on the perception of inequality. We know that the perception of inequality can have a negative effect on happiness. Comparing oneself to others is a potent and dangerous temptation. Indeed, studies show that most people would prefer a situation in … Continue reading Does Social Media make people miserable?
I’ve been saying quite a bit privately, but I think it’s time to say it publicly: If you are an entrepreneur, raise money now. It’s never easy to raise money. People who say, “It’s easy to raise money,” usually neglect to mention the second half of the sentence, which is “if you are in a … Continue reading Raise Money Now!
When in doubt, steal–see what others have done to be successful and learn from them. In “Stumbling On Happiness,” Dan Gilbert wrote about how humans overestimate their uniqueness. The best way to predict if something will make you happy is to ask a perfect stranger who did the same thing. The same principle holds true … Continue reading When in doubt, steal
Angry bear courtesy of icanhazcheeseburger A lot of Silicon Valley types are perfectionists. They always worry that their solutions are imperfect. That’s when I advise them to follow the “Angry Bear Principle”: You don’t have to outrun the angry bear–you just have to run faster than the other people the bear is chasing. Whenever people … Continue reading Outrunning the Angry Bear
In the beginning, you read TechCrunch because it covered stuff other people didn’t. Now, you read TechCrunch because it covers stuff everyone else is covering. Both make sense, yet are diametrical opposites. Discuss!
One of the entrepreneurs I’ve advised called me Yoda, because he said I was always using Jedi mind tricks to persuade him. He must not have minded, since he presented me with a Yoda bobblehead, which I keep on my mantel. One of my favorite tricks is to combine the power of the extreme example … Continue reading The Power Of The Extreme Example