Welcome to the Era of the Gritty Startup
I was lucky to begin my startup career in 2009 on the heels of two cataclysmic events: AWS launched in 2006 (cloud computing) and Apple’s App Store followed in 2008 (mobile era). Both of these moments dramatically lowered barriers to entry, and created a level playing field for young, less experienced founders. I wasn’t a builder (I created my firs... See more
Ashley Mayer • Tweet
We are in an age of noise.
The frameworks that got us here, of jobs-to-be-done or product-market fit, will be insufficient going forward. For founders to have extraordinary outcomes, they will have to find alpha in markets that aren’t easily understood.
Which is to say, technology alone won’t be enough. The other essential ingredient will be taste.
Hindsight is 2020
I don’t mean “hindsight is 20/20.” I’m talking about the year 2020.
See, early in 2023, I wrote an article about starting and growing a business in 2023, and in that article I referenced this very same seismic shift in startup dynamics — a shift that, no surprise, began all the way back with the pandemic in 2020.
That’s the tricky t... See more
I don’t mean “hindsight is 20/20.” I’m talking about the year 2020.
See, early in 2023, I wrote an article about starting and growing a business in 2023, and in that article I referenced this very same seismic shift in startup dynamics — a shift that, no surprise, began all the way back with the pandemic in 2020.
That’s the tricky t... See more