added by Harold T. Harper and · updated 4y ago
The Hard Thing About Hard Things
No matter who you are, you need two kinds of friends in your life. The first kind is one you can call when something good happens, and you need someone who will be excited for you. Not a fake excitement veiling envy, but a real excitement. You need someone who will actually be more excited for you than he would be if it had happened to him. The sec
... See morefrom The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz
The Struggle is the land of broken promises and crushed dreams. The Struggle is a cold sweat. The Struggle is where your guts boil so much that you feel like you are going to spit blood. The Struggle is not failure, but it causes failure. Especially if you are weak. Always if you are weak. Most people are not strong enough. Every great entrepreneur
... See morefrom The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz
Get the maximum number of brains on the problems even if the problems represent existential threats.
from The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz
Don’t put it all on your shoulders.
from The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz
Good product managers know the market, the product, the product line, and the competition extremely well and operate from a strong basis of knowledge and confidence. A good product manager is the CEO of the product. Good product managers take full responsibility and measure themselves in terms of the success of the product. They are responsible for
... See morefrom The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz
In good organizations, people can focus on their work and have confidence that if they get their work done, good things will happen for both the company and them personally. It is a true pleasure to work in an organization such as this. Every person can wake up knowing that the work they do will be efficient, effective, and make a difference for th
... See morefrom The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz
During this time I learned the most important rule of raising money privately: Look for a market of one. You only need one investor to say yes, so it’s best to ignore the other thirty who say “
from The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz
“What would you do if capital were free?” is a dangerous question to ask an entrepreneur. It’s kind of like asking a fat person, “What would you do if ice cream had the exact same nutritional value as broccoli?
from The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz
Most business relationships either become too tense to tolerate or not tense enough to be productive after a while.
from The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz
But do you know what’s expensive?” he asked. Again, I replied, “No, what?” He said, “
from The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz