Startup Advice

Designing products for a single person

In business, there are countless examples of products invented for a single person that then became mass-marketable. Here are a few of my favorites:

• Baking soda —invented in the 1800s by British chemist Alfred Bird so that he could make bread for his wife, who was allergic to yeast.


• The typewriter —one of the

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Instead of doing broad but thin market research (e.g., customer surveys), focus on one person (or a small group) and go as deep as you can, learning everything about how your product fits into their broader lives. Or become your customer—spend a day, a month, or even a few years in the role you're trying to sell to before attempting to build a... See more

The Levels of Delegation

An easy way to become a better delegator is to identify what will unlock more leverage for yourself. Jonathan broke it down into 5 levels, with one more that he’s building at Athena.

#1 — Novice: Delegation by Task

Jonathan has seen thousands of delegators start their journey and, without help from Athena’s delegation... See more

I’m sure you’ve seen your fair share of ads trying to sell you the greatest new tactics to get more customers, make more sales, and earn a bazillion dollars while you sleep. 

The problem with most of these ads is that they’re selling you recycled tactics with new catchy names pulling you away from your goals. 

I say this because tactics without a... See more

Someone else’s success isn’t your failure.

Executive performance coach Julie Gurner on the power of better questions:

“The questions you ask yourself will largely determine the answers you get.

• “Why am I not successful?” You’ll get answers that berate you.


• “How can I succeed here?” You’ll get answers that push you.