My rules for being a founder (after selling 3 companies): - Pay your invoices fast. People appreciate it - Recurring meetings are mostly useless - Your best internet ideas come when you are off the internet - Create products no one asks for but everyone wants - Really interesting people apply for Chief of Staff roles - You need 1000 bad ideas to get to 1 good idea - Social posts are MVP V1, group chats are MVP V2, products is mvp v3 - Avoid VC unless it's a competitive advantage or you're building deeptech, cleantech, AI chips etc - Be a rifle not a shotgun. Rifles are targeted, shotguns aren't. The internet rewards targeted products - Products are like airbnbs. The ones that get booked up the most are the unique experienced ones - Be a community billionaire. Meaning, create value with many micro-communities -Buy the ticket, take the chance. My best opportunities came from hopping on a plane to meet someone - Build communities to avoid reliance on ads - We’re all in the trust business. Do things that make people trust you - 100% passive income from startups doesn’t exist. - Multiple products, multiple revenue streams in case something dries up - Be the creator or partner with the creator but always have a creator involved - Freedom from venture, freedom from ads makes me happy. No bosses or micro-bosses - Do things to put you in the zone to come up with the ideas - Celebrate all wins, little and big - Everyone with an internet connection can build an empire - Be proud or what you're doing or don't do it - The best ideas are capital light, defendable, have network effects & increased demand - Dividends > exits - You can take over your world not the world. Gotta start somewhere niche - If you can turn your jealousy of others into inspiration of others, you instantly become more productive - Don’t lose money monthly, make cash flow - Never call GMV ARR when it's GMV - Brands: people like brands. Community-based brands: people love brands - Google Trends/Reddit is a goldmine for startup ideas - Work with people who will be fun to work with - Be on time, send cal invites, do the little things - Whoever is latest to the meeting pays for the coffee, food, drinks. - Create the things you wish existed - The most important decision you can make on any given day to be productive: ignore the noise - "You can get what you want - if you help enough other people get what they want.” - Every sale has some urgency. No urgency, no sale - Never care what others think unless it's a loved one - Sometimes you need to overdose on caffeine, put some headphones on and ship your heart out - Every startup you start ask yourself what's your unfair advantage. You'll need one - Checking your email isn't working. People go in these "infinite loops" from app to app checking only to realize the day is over. - The best products don't necessarily win, the best brand does - I find all my business partners from either people I grew up with or people I find fascinating on the internet, and nothing in between. - Find true fans. “10 people who yell make more noise than 10,000 people who are silent” - My retirement plan. Pick niche. Build community. Create product. Dominate niche. Hire operators. Don't raise venture capital. - You’d be surprised how many startups spend millions of dollars a year of other people’s money trying to scale a business without an offer that resonates. - TikTok reviewers are the new search engines. - Reality is the ultimate "virtual reality” - Every company is made out of thin air. Anything is possible. - Find cheerleaders. People above you, people below you, people on your level - Underspend on material pocessions, overspend on people, experiences, that move you faster - Some unfair advantages: internet audiences, being "nerdy", spy software, being early - Create products that reinforce the identity. Those outperform. - On creating content: the post brings the people, the replies bring the gold I hope this got you thinking. Reply if it did. You can follow me @gregisenberg for more.