READ
Short reads on building, independence, and the work.
find your main quest, remove bottlenecks
If you struggle and get distracted a lot it often boils down to the fact that you haven't identified what your main quest is. What are you trying to achieve? A
10 traps bootstrapped founders should avoid when building startups
1. Chase investor-friendly metrics. Your TAM or hockey stick projections don’t matter. Instead, get real revenue that pays your bills. Bootstrapped founders t
conviction
conviction I've watched countless founders go through the same pattern: start energized, hit the inevitable obstacles, then either push through or fade away.
be the system
There’s a tendency to build. You want something real before your eyes. And while that is valuable, getting there takes time. Even in a no-code, AI-assisted worl
meet your market
Meeting your market is the only way to validate. Does that scare you? Imagine how much scarier it’ll be 6 months down the line, building on pure assumptions.
begin again
When you want to achieve something—anything—you’ve got to put in the work. Build a habit. Cultivate discipline. Work towards progress, not perfection. But the
do less
Trying to do more is a trap. In many ways, doing less is the path to achieving more. By focusing on the core principles of building a business, you cut out th
stand for something
A strong point of view cuts through the noise and signals who you are. But most fear standing out. We seek safety in sameness, comfort in crowds. Yet what mo
automation
Everyone's rushing to automate everything. But automate too soon, and you risk automating the wrong thing. Because you never took the time to understand what
one thing
What's the one thing you could talk about forever? Not because you're an expert or know it all. But because you care. Because there's a natural pull, a passion
friction
A little friction goes a long way. Yet we’re busy trying to eliminate it all so we can be more efficient and get everything done in a hurry. But convenience i
making moves
Not every move needs a plan. Sometimes the best moves aren't planned at all. A move doesn’t have to be perfect. Sometimes it's pure instinct. Spontaneous. Raw
someone's world
You don’t have to be the best in the world, that’s an impossible standard. Except if you’re chasing Olympic gold. But to build a business and thrive? You jus
your race, your pace
What's the hurry, friend? You got somewhere to be? Your work will be there in the morning. The sun will rise again. And once you realise this, you can begin to
get in the game
Your first move is not your big vision. It’s the first step towards it. Starting big is risky. Spending months planning, fundraising, building castles in the s
how you spend your time
Busyness is procrastination in disguise. It keeps you moving, but not always forward. We pack our days with meetings, checklists, rushing from one thing to ano
forget about fundraising
If you want to bootstrap your business, fundraising is not an option. Not now. Not ever. There’s no in-between. Either you raise or you don’t. Building a real
self-directed work
From an early age, we’re told where to go, what to do, and how to do it. Even in spaces without direct orders, fixed rules and constraints shape both work and p
zero to ramen
As a bootstrapped founder, your first and most important milestone is ramen: zero to ramen. Ramen profitability means you generate enough revenue to keep the l
don't wait for permission
You don’t need permission. There’s no approval process. No one has to give you the green light—no one but you. You decide what to create, when to create, how
done, not perfect
When you work to make an impact, done is better than perfect. Perfection is a never ending chase. If you wait for things to be perfect, you’ll never get where
stability is an illusion
Your job is not secure. Your career isn’t safe. It might feel that way today, but things change. Things will change. Eventually, anyway. Companies rise and fal
bias for action
When you want to move the needle, when you want to make real progress, you need action. No one will do it for you. It’s on you to get the job done. The world w
day one
Today is day one. You’re not bound by who you were, what you did, or what happened yesterday. Not by any plans you might have for the future. You’re not trapp
on figuring things out
You’ll be figuring things out for a while, and that’s okay. Figuring things out is part of the process. And follow the process we must, to achieve real progres
be a guide, not an expert
There are people on a similar journey to yours, a few steps behind where you are today. Just as there are others a few steps ahead. The person ahead has faced
get out of your head
Stop daydreaming about what you could do, should do. Who you could be, would be. If you want to make change happen, you have to get out of your head. Otherwise
success is subjective
It’s easy to fall prey to mainstream thinking and conventional wisdom. To think you need all the things to be “successful.” The car, the house, the diploma, the
mindset of the maker
The maker sees a different world, a better world. They see what's missing and will find a way to fill the gap to get there. The gap between what is and what co