My First Million
The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.
“Don't accept a qualitative answer to a quantitative question”
What It Means
When something is measurable, demand actual numbers and data rather than accepting vague qualitative claims or narratives
Why It Matters
Most people make claims about measurable things without actually measuring, leading to wrong conclusions and missed opportunities
When It's True
For any business decision involving costs, time, performance, or customer behavior that can be quantified
When It's Risky
When perfect data is unavailable and qualitative judgment from experienced people is the best available input
How to Apply
Challenge vague claims with requests for specific data
Do the math yourself when others haven't
Build databases and spreadsheets to quantify assumptions
Example Scenario
“Instead of accepting that 'supersonic flight costs too much', Blake calculated specific fare requirements and market size to determine actual feasibility”
Related Knowledge
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.
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.
Build deep technical credibility from scratch in a complex field
Ability to have detailed technical conversations with experts, catch BS from supposed experts, and make informed technic
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