Startup Systems

...in order to understand how to get a yes, we first need to grasp why people typically say no.

The main reason says Kao, is that people don't see how the idea you're proposing is beneficial to them. She's right.

At least on some level, we're all selfish.

The solution is to present your request in a way that shows the benefit the other party will

... See more

Joining an early-stage startup means that resources are scarce, process is non-existent, and goals shift by the day. And tried-and-true playbooks will only go so far, as what works in a big company doesn’t always easily port over to a small startup setting.

I like to say the devils and the details and the devils and how you execute. And so coming back to how do we execute just a little bit differently and some of the learnings there where I think the first time we started growth, we could have been more user-centric and been a lot more hypothesis driven. We were following a lot of best practices that... See more

Unnecessary versus necessary chaos

In my 13 years working at startups, I’ve witnessed many examples of unnecessary chaos—here are a few.

A major release has been planned for months, but launch communications—new positioning, website copy, customer email, blog post—are reviewed at the last minute.

A manager reschedules 1:1s every week because of... See more

The mistake is thinking your startup idea is venture-scale and getting on the VC treadmill. Once you’re on the treadmill, here’s what changes:

1. High growth expectations: VCs are looking for companies that grow big enough fast enough. If your business isn’t suited to this kind of rapid growth, it can lead to undue pressure and unrealistic

... See more

Angles that spread usually check the following boxes:

1. Surprising — presents unexpected new information or theories


2. True — we actually believe it


3. Important — has an impact on our behavior


4. Relevant — related to domains we care about


5. Cool — we think we’ll look impressive for sharing it

The reason is the owner doesn’t have the actual skills or knowledge of the tasks that are being delegated. 

They often think…

“I’ll hire someone to handle that for me.”

Which is all well and good if you know what metrics or KPIs to watch for. 

But, if you don’t know how something is done… 

Or you don’t understand the skills involved… 

How can you know if... See more

Sometimes, it’s possible to reduce the bad parts. But that takes considerable focus, effort and commitment. It’s not free. You can’t expect them to go away on their own.

It might not seem like a feature to you, but the bad parts are often the flip side that allows the other part to exist.

And sometimes, the bad parts are built into the system

... See more