My First Million
The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.
Compromise is fundamentally about creating lose-lose outcomes and correlates strongly with mediocrity
The Reasoning
Compromise by definition requires both parties to give up something they value, creating resentment and suboptimal solutions, whereas collaboration can create solutions better than either party originally envisioned
What Needs to Be True
- Both parties must have valuable but different contributions
- Time and trust must be invested to find optimal blends
- Parties must be willing to move beyond 50/50 thinking
- There must be potential for synergistic solutions
Counterargument
Sometimes compromise is necessary for speed, relationships require give-and-take, and perfect solutions aren't always possible with real constraints
What Would Change This View
Evidence that forced compromise leads to better long-term outcomes than collaborative solution-finding, or scenarios where time constraints make compromise the only viable option
Implications for Builders
Don't accept 50/50 solutions as the goal
Invest time upfront to understand all parties' real contributions
Look for asymmetric combinations that create superior outcomes
Measure success by solution quality, not perceived fairness
Example Application
“Instead of compromising on a startup equity split (50/50), co-founders discuss actual contributions: one brings 90% of the technical innovation, the other brings 10% critical market insight. The 90/10 split creates better incentive alignment than 50/50 compromise.”
Related Knowledge
Leverage-based negotiation gets you to B-level results but prevents A+ outcomes because it makes you
When you use leverage (ability to inflict harm), the other party withholds information and cooperation needed for optima
Tactical Empathy Framework
Demonstrating understanding of another person's emotions and perspective without agreeing, designed to build trust and e
Listening Hijack Prevention Framework
A system to resist the two main impulses that destroy active listening: the urge to correct and the urge to relate
Steel Negotiation Model
A framework that replaces 50/50 compromise with finding the optimal blend of ideas, like steel being 2% carbon and 98% i
Build trust and gather proprietary information before making any deal proposals
The other party voluntarily shares information they normally wouldn't reveal, both parties understand the real constrain
Apply hostage negotiation principles to business deals for better outcomes
The other party feels safe enough to share their real concerns, both parties work together to solve the underlying probl