My First Million
The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.
“your job is to be a DOT collector”
What It Means
Actively seek diverse experiences and connections without knowing their future utility
Why It Matters
Success often comes from unexpected combinations of past experiences and relationships
When It's True
When you have time horizon to let experiences compound and connect
When It's Risky
When you need immediate focus and can't afford exploration
How to Apply
Say yes to interesting invitations
Meet people outside your normal circles
Take on unusual experiences
Document connections between experiences
Example Scenario
“Accepting invitation to speak at conference in Latvia leads to meeting future business partner”
Related Knowledge
Dot Collector Framework
A life approach where you say yes to diverse experiences and opportunities, trusting they will connect meaningfully late
Zero-to-One vs One-to-Hundred Operator Framework
Classification of entrepreneurs as either idea generators who start things (0-1) or operators who scale things (1-100)
Cheaply access large college audiences when Facebook was campus-only
Access to 30-40k student audiences for $10/day advertising spend
Get large institutions to bend standard rules through strategic communication
Institution agrees to exception that normally wouldn't be granted
Good Agent vs Bad Agent Decision Rule
Quickly assess whether a customer service representative can actually help you, and hang up immediately if they can't
Adventurous path choices compound in unexpected ways
Should say yes to unusual opportunities even without clear ROI