Backable: The Surprising Truth Behind What Makes People Take a Chance on You

“Give me something that isn’t google-able. I want an idea that is based on a surprise insight. Not something I could find through a Google search.”

great ideas typically stem from an “earned secret”—discovered by going out into the world and “learning something that not a lot of other people know.”

we need good people to stop playing the Game of Someday and start playing the Game of Now. That begins with you.

Psychologists have long argued that our brain is made up of two systems—a rational system and an emotional system. In his book The Happiness Hypothesis, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt describes these systems as a rider on top of an elephant. Your rider represents your rational side that likes to analyze problems, weigh options, and argue soluti

“Do the work before you share with the outside world. You need to be the most passionate advocate. You need to be inspired before you inspire anyone else.” In other words, be willing to do the work necessary to convince yourself first.

hit the objections sooner rather than later. “You have the most attention from investors in the first few minutes,” he says. “Most investors arrive with questions, and if you proactively show you understand their principal concerns, you earn their attention for the rest of the pitch.”

storyboards helped the company identify key moments in the experience that needed extra focus.

DocSend and Tom Eisenmann, “What We Learned From 200 Startups Who Raised $360M,” July 2015, accessed August 21, 2020, https://docsend.com/view/p8jxsqr. 9 Russ Heddleston, “Data tells us that investors love a good story,” TechCrunch, April 12, 2019, accessed September 2, 2020, https://techcrunch.com/2019/04/12/data-tells-us-that-investors-love-a-goo

Backable people seem to always be acting as anthropologists, looking for trends and changes.