My First Million
The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.
“Fuck you. This is a family heirloom.”
What It Means
Dyson's response to acquisition offers, treating his company as something to pass to future generations rather than sell for profit.
Why It Matters
Illustrates how the most successful entrepreneurs view their companies as legacy assets rather than financial instruments.
When It's True
When you've built something you're deeply proud of and want to continue improving for decades.
When It's Risky
When market conditions change and you need liquidity or when stubbornness prevents necessary pivots.
How to Apply
Apply to decisions about company ownership and control
Use to resist short-term financial pressures
Remember when considering acquisition offers
Example Scenario
“Tech founder receiving $100M acquisition offer but declining because they want to build the company for 20+ years and see it become an industry leader.”
Related Knowledge
Step by step, ferociously.
Combine long-term patience with daily urgency - move aggressively on daily tasks while maintaining long-term vision.
Anti-Business Billionaire Framework
A framework identifying five core traits of entrepreneurs who build massive companies by being contrarian to typical business advice: high disagreeableness, extreme self-confidence, product obsession, total control retention, and refusal to sell at any price.
Edisonian Principle of Design
A product development approach focused on rapid experimentation, immediate feedback, and constant iteration rather than master planning.
Maintain freedom to work on what you love while building a successful business
Ability to work exclusively on projects you're passionate about, declining lucrative distractions, and having money follow from doing what you love rather than chasing money directly.
Family Heirloom Business Model
Viewing your business as a family heirloom to be passed down through generations rather than an asset to be optimized for sale.
Go Slow Now to Go Fast Later
Deliberately limiting initial growth to deeply learn fundamentals, enabling exponentially faster growth later when you apply accumulated knowledge.