“You're never as good as they say when you're up, or as bad when you're down. Just keep building & doing good work over long periods of time.” — Mark Zuckerberg /
Begin at the beginning and keep going till you come to the end. Then stop. /
— The King of Hearts to the White Rabbit
Daily reflection is a powerful tool for growth & future success. /
“When faced with a challenge, get smarter.” — Ed Catmull /
minimal by design. /
“Paying attention to things — it's how we show love.” /
This quote from episode three of The Last Of Us is a beautiful mantra.
Progress. /
"It is only afterward that a new idea seems reasonable. To begin with, it usually seems unreasonable." — Isaac Asimov /
“It’s worth remembering that it is often the small steps, not the giant leaps, that bring about the most lasting change.” — Queen Elizabeth II /
Motion first, not direction. /
“Imagine you’re on an island. On the beach. And you wanna sail to a better island… they have better tasting coconuts, ya know. But you don’t know exactly what the island looks like, where it is, or how to get there.
So, what do most people do? They stand on the beach. Squinting their eyes. Looking for the island. But they can’t see it. So they sigh, and stay stuck. They don’t do anything because they don’t have clear direction on where to go.
What do winners do? They say, “Okay I can’t see it from here. But I know it’s out there. Why don’t I just take this rickety ass raft, and start paddling. Maybe if I get going... I’ll find something interesting!”
And sure enough, paddling creates momentum, which leads to new vantage points. They don’t paddle blindly forever. But they don’t get stuck doing nothing either. They use the mindset: motion first, then direction.
Once you’re in motion, the direction will often become clear. You start paddling, then you start to see an island over the horizon.”
The Bamboo Approach 🎍 /
The Bamboo Approach is a favorite product theory of mine.
When possible, build products the way bamboo grows: first establish a strong, supporting, interconnected infrastructure, then rapidly shoot new product features up to establish and expand market presence.
For the first year of its lifecycle, bamboo doesn't grow upwards. Instead, it builds an underground system of rhizomes that cover an area like a net, just a few inches below the ground.
After establishing this rhizome infrastructure, underground buds shoot up and grow into new bamboo shoots within weeks. This rapid growth is made possible and supported by the year of previously hidden effort.
Overtime, a bamboo grove continues its slow, horizontal expansion, and subsequent rapid upward growth into new areas... just as product platforms expand and evolve, and eventually grow into new market verticals.
The long term results of bamboo's approach to growth is an extensive grove of connected bamboo shoots that are stronger together, and incredibly resilient.
In many ways, the end result is similar to the iceberg analogy, but grown from the bottom up.
Creativity. /
“Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That’s because they were able to connect experiences they’ve had and synthesize new things.”
Climber 🚴 /
Growing up, my family was a member of COWS (Couples on Wheels) a Midwest based tandem bicycle club. At the annual rally I was often recruited to various teams as a “Climber,” somebody who leans in to aggressively charge up big hills. As each ride was typically 50 or 100 miles, I would spend the majority of the ride coasting along, saving energy for hills and the occasional sprint.
The parallels between this and being an entrepreneur are not lost on me. As a leader, it’s my job to put together and guide a team for the long run, leaning in during key moments to help push us over the mountain top. Building a startup is exactly this. It’s a marathon, with the occasional sprint and hill that must be overcome.
“Asymmetry Hunter” is my new band name. /
Whether investing time, money, or attention, prioritizing opportunities with the potential for asymmetric returns is a great way to focus.
Reduction is among the most creative product design disciplines. /
Dumb Questions 🧐 /
I love dumb questions.
Most of the time they’re dismissed and life moves on without any real pain.
But every once in a while the “dumb question” sparks a brilliant idea that would otherwise have gone unnoticed.
Pattern recognition and patience. Two of the most important skills I’ve ever learned. /
Simple, but powerful concepts. Especially together.
My Design Philosophies /
“User experience is everything”
“Start with a clear, user-oriented goal”
“Empathize, prioritize, organize... then ‘design’”
“Simplify: good design makes complex simple”
“Technology is best when invisible”
“Test. Iterate. Refine. Repeat.”
“Be an editor”
“Whatever you do, be consistent”
The intersection of technology and hard science fascinates me. /
I believe we're rapidly approaching homogeny across all disciplines. The future that enables is beyond exciting.