My First Million
The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.
Experience Over Belief Trading
People's stated preferences (what they say they want) often differ from revealed preferences (what they actually do), so direct experience is more valuable than stated intentions
Decision Rule
Always prefer working with someone on a small project before major commitments rather than relying on conversations or planning documents
How It Works
Under pressure or when real stakes are involved, people's true priorities, work styles, and character emerge differently than in hypothetical discussions
Failure Modes
Overweighting interview performance vs actual work output
Trusting planning documents over trial collaborations
Making major commitments based on stated preferences alone
Example Decision
“Instead of extensive partner planning documents, work together for 3 weeks on small project to see actual collaboration style and priorities”
Related Knowledge
Living life on your own terms is the most attractive trait for building influence
Authenticity and personal freedom resonate more than credentials or traditional success markers when building audience
Pivot vs Persevere Decision Framework
A structured approach to deciding whether to continue with current strategy or change direction using time-boxed milesto
All Content is Marketing Framework
Strategy where content creation and marketing become indistinguishable - every piece of content serves both audience val
Discover and validate business ideas through direct customer research
Identified pain point with paying customers willing to pay premium for better solution
Capture early value from new platform launches
First-mover advantage on new platform with significant user adoption before competition increases
Owner Psychology as Business Root Cause
All business problems ultimately trace back to the psychology, fears, and mental blocks of the business owner