Avoid Outside Funding

• You want your customers to say, "This makes my life better." You want to feel that if you stopped doing what you do, people would notice.
• If you're going to do something, do something that matters.
• The easiest, most straightforward way to create a great product or service is ...

• You don't have to live with a decision forever. If you make a mistake, you can correct it later.
• A curator is involved, making conscious decisions about what should stay and what should go. There's an editing process.
• It's the stuff you leave out that matters.
• Be a cu...

• When you make tiny decisions, you can't make big mistakes.
• Say no by default.
• If I'd listened to customers, I'd have given them a faster horse.--HENRY FORD
• Don't confuse enthusiasm with priority.
• Clear writing is a sign of clear thinking. Great writers know ho...

• There are four-letter words you should never use in business. They're not f*ck or sh*t.
• They're need, must, can't, easy, just, only, and fast.
• Stop saying ASAP.
• If you want to do something, you've got to do it now. You can't put it on a shelf and wait two months to ge...

• A business without a path to profit isn't a business, it's a hobby.
• You need a commitment strategy, not an exit strategy.
• Lots of things get better as they get shorter.
• Nail the basics first and worry about the specifics later.
• You often can't recognize the de...

• Once your product does what it needs to do, get it out there.
• The quicker it's in the hands of customers, the better off you'll be.
• If you already spent too much time on something that wasn't worth it, walk away.
• Your estimates suck.
• Break the big thing into s...

Hire them for a miniproject, even if it's for just twenty or forty hours. You'll see how they make decisions. You'll see if you get along. You'll see what kind of questions they ask. You'll get to judge them by their actions instead of just their words.

• Workaholics aren't heroes. They don't save the day, they just use it up.
• The real hero is already home because she figured out a faster way to get things done.

• If you're solving someone else's problem, you're constantly stabbing in the dark. When you solve your own problem, the light comes on. You know exactly what the right answer is.
• Best of all, this "solve your own problem" approach lets you fall in love with what you're making.

• Everyone should be encouraged to start his own business, not just some rare breed that self-identifies as entrepreneurs.
• Instead of entrepreneurs, let's just call them starters.
• You don't need an MBA, a certificate, a fancy suit, a briefcase, or an above-average tolerance for...

• When something bad happens, tell your customers (even if they never noticed in the first place).
• People will respect you more if you are open, honest, public, and responsive during a crisis.
• A good apology accepts responsibility.
• Take a deep breath.
• People are...

• They expect fresh concepts to fail. They assume society isn't ready for or capable of change. Even worse, they want to drag others down into their tomb.
• If you're hopeful and ambitious, they'll try to convince you your ideas are impossible. They'll say you're wasting your time. Don't...

• There are just too many factors that are out of your hands: market conditions, competitors, customers, the economy, etc. Writing a plan makes you feel in control of things you can't actually control.
• If you write a big plan, you'll most likely never look at it anyway.
• Decide ...

• Don't be afraid of sharing.
• Go behind the scenes.
• Nobody likes plastic flowers.
• Don't be afraid to show your flaws.
• Press releases are spam.
• You want an easily digestible introduction to what you sell.
• Marketing is not a department.
• How...

• Don't let yourself off the hook with excuses. It's entirely your responsibility to make your dreams come true.
• Besides, the perfect time never arrives.
• As you get going, keep in mind why you're doing what you're doing.
• Great businesses have a point of view, not just a...