You are not the last Medium post you read
I’ve read it all; all the startup and parenting advice articles, newsletters, and podcasts.
You shouldn’t raise outside capital before you build a product. ‘Zero’ questions your execution. Numbers, even if they’re small, prove that you can execute. You should raise capital before you launch. ‘Zero’ invites imagination, small numbers invite doubt and questions. You should raise as much money as you can. You should only raise the amount you need to meet specific milestones. You should focus on monetizing your customer and getting to “ramen profitability”. Forget revenue –focus on understanding your customer and building something they want, then figure out how to monetize it. You should always be fundraising. Forget networking events, just focus on building something customers love and the investors will follow. If you build it they will come. If you build it they won’t come; distribution is your greatest challenge.
It’s the same with startup investing.
It’s impossible to pick winners at the early stage; a large diversified portfolio is the only way to generate returns. The best way to generate returns is to invest with conviction in fewer better companies. You have to be price sensitive when evaluating deals. Valuation doesn’t matter- startups either go big or die. Having a thematic focus is a competitive advantage. The best funds don’t have a thematic focus — they let visionary teams drive their worldview. You should invest in first-time founders — they have the hunger and naivety that leads to breakout success. You should only invest in second-time founders who understand what it takes to build a business. The best founders have deep domain expertise and industry knowledge. Invest in outsiders — people who have spent years working in an industry have the hardest time identifying opportunities for disruptive change.
And it’s the same with parenting.
You shouldn’t let your baby cry it out; it hinders their relational capacities in the long term. Sleep train as soon as possible and let them cry — it builds independence and teaches them not to expect immediate gratification. Rocking to sleep is a bad habit that should be stopped immediately. Adults don’t need to be rocked to sleep so don’t worry about bad habits. If you respond too fast when your baby cries, your baby is manipulating you. Babies can’t manipulate. You should stay home with your children during the first few years; it enhances their emotional development. Children of working mothers are more independent, resilient, and happy.
WTF?
It’s amazing to benefit from other people’s experiences and ideas. But when it’s easier to press play on the next episode of the The Twenty Minute VC or Respectful Parenting than it is to pause and reflect on what we’ve just heard, we end up confused, addicted to shallowness, and unable to think for ourselves.
Endless content consumption has become an alternative to asking ourselves the difficult questions: What are my strengths? What am I comfortable shipping to the world? Do I genuinely believe in this business opportunity? What do I truly care about?
Our companies, our portfolios, and our children will not behave like the last inspiring Medium post we read. So by all means, keep reading the Medium posts and listening to the podcasts — while that alone won’t make you a good parent, investor, or entrepreneur; it does make you want to be good, and that’s important.
But don’t forget to listen to the sound of your own voice. It will serve you much more than somebody else’s opinion ever will.
