My First Million
The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.
Build deep technical credibility from scratch in a complex field
Non-technical founders entering highly technical industries
1-2 years of intensive studyWhat Success Looks Like
Ability to have detailed technical conversations with experts, catch BS from supposed experts, and make informed technical decisions
Steps to Execute
Identify foundational knowledge gaps (math, physics, core concepts)
Take remedial courses in prerequisites you lack
Work through multiple textbooks with problem sets
When stuck, try different textbooks rather than giving up
Test understanding by teaching others or explaining concepts
Build practical projects to apply theoretical knowledge
Checklist
Inputs Needed
- 1+ years of focused study time
- Multiple textbooks and learning resources
- Access to practice problems and exercises
- Willingness to feel stupid repeatedly
Outputs
- Technical fluency in target domain
- Ability to interview and evaluate technical talent
- Credibility with technical customers and investors
- Foundation for making informed product decisions
Example
“Blake spent a year teaching himself calculus, physics, and aerodynamics to gain credibility needed to build supersonic jets, despite having only a computer science background.”
Related Knowledge
Bystander Effect in Business Opportunities
A cognitive bias where obviously valuable problems get ignored because everyone assumes someone else must already be working on them, leaving trillion-dollar opportunities hiding in plain sight.
Pasta Extrusion Self-Development Framework
A methodical approach to reshaping yourself into the person capable of achieving an ambitious goal by identifying the specific 'hole' you need to fit through and systematically acquiring the required skills and attributes.
First Principles vs Pattern Matching Decision Framework
A systematic approach to understanding problems by going to root causes and fundamental physics rather than relying on rules of thumb, analogies, or conventional wisdom.
barcode_scanning_game_depression
Make strategic decisions by working backwards from likely future scenarios
Clear conviction about which path to pursue based on which future you'd be proudest to have contributed to
Emotional Piggy Bank for Difficult Projects
Every struggle and setback you push through deposits a quarter in an emotional piggy bank, which you get to break open w