Brandy Cerne

"Preparing to Die" by Andrew Holecek has really good instructions on how to go about life: “ The best approach is that of the middle way. Learn as much as you can. Study, practice, and prepare. Then drop everything and let this natural process occur naturally. Throw away the map and fearlessly enter the territory. It’s like preparing for a big... See more

Starting with language/market fit brings three other big advantages:

1. Speed - Product build-measure-learn cycles, even just prototyping, can take weeks. But you can iterate language 5X in a single day.

2. Traction - A pre-launch lead-capture site (that markets the product to validate demand) with 25% conversion is a strong signal to potential... See more

After seeing some 800~ events take place at The Commons i've learned 3 things:

• 1) plausible deniability: if you say we're here to make friends, friendship doesn't happen. if you say we're here to research or talk about niche topic x and y, friendships always form. same applies to dating.


• 2) communities are built from strong 1-1 relationships. as an

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This is what a healthy culture feels like. Expectations were high but I knew that I had the support and environment to deliver on those expectations. I wanted to be around other people because I needed them to do great work. This is similar to what Brie Wolfson had to say about why she put up with intense demands at Stripe: “it felt good to care... See more

A brand is always answering two questions. The first one internally facing: What do we believe? The second, externally: How do we behave? You must remain authentic to yourself, your core values, and what you stand for. If you’re not, people will sniff you out. But your brand must maintain cultural congruence — remaining relevant to the times,... See more

Tom’s swing for the fences may have turned out to be a great business move, but his focus was always on her, and that’s a good thing for all of us to remember when we’re giving a gift — whether to win someone over, win them back, or simply to show them how much we care. Don’t give them the gift you want them to want; give them the gift they... See more