Make Your Mark

Does this make my life better? and 2) Is it easy to use?

“growth mind-set”—

The data shows that people who are rich aren’t any happier, so you might as well derive your happiness from what you are doing today.

may have a lot of other things to offer, the “default experience”—the one that happens without any additional learning or customization from the user—will determine the success or failure of your product.

effective hook appeals to short-term interests (aka our selfishness and impatience) but is connected to a long-term promise.

you build your product or service, take a two-track approach. Optimize the product experience for the first fifteen seconds as a compartmentalized project. Then, for the customers that actually come through the door, build a meaningful experience and a relationship that lasts a lifetime. In other words, make decisions with the short-term as well as

you have to keep that “Why are we here?” question front and center at all times

Questioning is perhaps most important when you’re at that critical stage of forming a company and developing a clear sense of mission and purpose.

product. You get there by starting with people. What do people need, what do they care about, what are their passions and dreams, their desires and fears? Then, and only then, can you begin to understand how your product fits into the equation. By focusing on the problem