Britt Gage

Another emotion I picked up in myself and in others is what feels like we’re floating in space a bit. Since the change is so fundamental and a lot of things aren’t figured out, it’s quite hard to navigate yourself within Buffer currently, since nothing feels “fixed” and ever changing these last few months.

I do get the sense that this is somewhat... See more

The problem you solve for customers is increasingly one they can’t even articulate for themselves . The ones that are easy to understand have already been built and funded over the last 20 years. Building something of true excellence will require a hungrier engagement with the world

Take, for example, the ambition to “make your venture-backed startup profitable”: to develop, market, and distribute a product or service that’s never existed before, in a form that’s valuable and accessible enough for large numbers of people to want to pay you for it, in sufficient quantity that your revenue consistently exceeds your costs.

If... See more

If I were to add up all the “lost” years of my life when I studied, worked on, or invested in things that didn’t end up directly contributing to the handful of life-changing turning points, it wouldn’t just be a few lost years. It would be “lost” decades. But here’s the kicker: No one cares!

We all invest our time, efforts, and money into the... See more

People are most receptive to feedback from people they like and trust. Therefore, a foundational part of subtle influence is keeping the relationship strong and making sure it doesn’t lead to a situation where most of your interactions are about trying to get the person to change.

The main way to do this is to make sure that you continue to have... See more

Customer math for a new business

How much does it cost to get a new customer?

How much do you make from every interaction with that customer?

How long does the customer stick around?

How many new customers will existing customers bring you over time?

Finding a more useful umwelt

Add up all the senses you use and the things you notice: that’s your umwelt.

It’s pretty obvious that your dog has a different one than you do. They see fewer colors and smell far more intelligently. Sea slugs see a much wider range of colors, and bats can sense vibrations.

Among humans, we each have our own umwelt.... See more

The researchers, Todd Rose and Ogi Ogas, were interested in people who took a less conventional approach to life. They interviewed hundreds of high-achieving, wildly successful “dark horses”: people who swerved in and out of jobs—and often industries—to find a good fit. From symphony conductors to chess masters, Apple execs to dogsled mushers,... See more