My First Million
The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.
“trade them mean keep them Keen”
What It Means
The less desperate or emotionally attached you appear, the more attractive and powerful your position becomes
Why It Matters
Desperation weakens negotiating position and decision-making quality across business and personal relationships
When It's True
In negotiations, dating, fundraising, or any situation where perceived scarcity creates value
When It's Risky
When genuine relationship building requires vulnerability, or when the other party sees through the technique
How to Apply
Build multiple options so you're not dependent on one outcome
Don't appear overly eager or desperate
Maintain emotional distance from specific deals
Have genuine alternatives ready
Focus on long-term value over short-term wins
Example Scenario
“Entrepreneur with previous exit can negotiate better terms with investors because they don't desperately need the money, while broke founder accepts worse terms due to desperation.”
Related Knowledge
the person who could be most uncomfortable in a negotiation will oftentimes win
Willingness to sit in discomfort gives you leverage because others want to resolve tension quickly
Fix-It Theory
A customer service framework where fixing mistakes creates higher customer loyalty than perfect service from the start.
Paul Graham's Animal Test
An entrepreneur evaluation framework that asks: 'Can you describe this person as an animal?
Hold Me Back Guy Strategy
A face-saving mechanism where someone makes aggressive threats while ensuring they have an excuse not to follow through, maintaining reputation without actual risk.
Write investor updates that build trust and get help
Investors understand your business health, offer help proactively, and maintain confidence in your team even during tough times.
Build exceptional SaaS product through customer obsession
Customers become advocates, feature requests get implemented quickly, and users can't imagine using anything else.