Arthur Andreev

A startup can’t be expected to have moats in the early days, but it should have a strategy in place that gives it the best chance of having them in place by the time the uncertainty window runs out.

Almost anyone can be exceptional. It is really this simple https://t.co/YssaAYBxdH

It’s my favorite strategy book because it was so easy to put into practice, and because I recognized so many of the characteristics of bad strategy. Here are a few:

• Mistaking Goals for Strategy : A classic. “Our strategy is to grow revenue by 50% while improving gross margins by 200 bps.” Cool cool... how though?


• Fluff : Using buzzwords and jargon

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It's particularly worth avoiding lonely orphans: single questions that are largely disconnected from everything else. Suppose, for instance, I'm reading an article on a new subject, and I learn an idea that seems particularly useful. I make it a rule to never put in one question. Rather, I try to put at least two questions in, preferably three or... See more

Robotics Levels of Autonomy Single-Purpose Robots Automating Hundreds of Jobs Pick And Place with low Autonomy is Expensive General Purpose Autonomy Navigating And Inspecting Large Sites Targeting Low-Skill Labor In Early Pilots with Promise Autonomy Capable Of Any... See more

If you feel you could easily find something more rewarding to read, switch over. It's worth deliberately practicing such switches, to avoid building a counter-productive habit of completionism in your reading. It's nearly always possible to read deeper into a paper, but that doesn't mean you can't easily be getting more value elsewhere. It's a... See more

He was always full of new ideas, schemes, plans. But nothing came of it all. The new fire blazed in Jonathan; you almost heard it roaring softly as he explained, described and dilated on the new thing; but a moment later it had fallen in and there was nothing but ashes, and Jonathan went about with a look like hunger in his black eyes.

If moats are the what, strategy is the how.

Every startup has a window of time during which they must simultaneously build something worth defending and build defenses around it.

For new startups, strategy is deciding how to use the window wisely. It’s about directing your limited resources towards digging moats before you’ve removed enough... See more