This week was pretty busy, and so I only got 25% of the way done with Founders at Work. But oh man. It’s pretty much rocking my world, and changing the way I think about NextDrop. Highly highly recommend this book. And this is all straight from the mouth of people that made it. So who am I to argue with it?
Takeaways so far:
1. “Don’t worry about people stealing your ideas. If your ideas are any good, you’ll have to ram them down people’s throats.” So comforting actually.
2. “Always seek excellence: make your product better than the average person would.” I need to keep remembering this.
3. “It’s neer been that, ever, for me. It’s always been, “I know this can be huge, I believe it in my heart. How on Earth do we make this happen? Why don’t other people think it’s huge yet? It’s just this complete, everyday banging your head against the wall trying to figure out how to convince other people that this thing is the biggest thing in the world.” This is what I think, pretty much every day. I’m glad other successful people think so too.
4. “Recruiting is a classic example. I don’t even hear the first “no” that somebody says. When they say, ‘No I’m not interested,’ I think, ‘Now its a real challenge. Now’s when the tough part begins.” Also very comforting to know!
5. “‘We’re number 1 or number 2 by the end of the year or we don’t matter.’…How is it realistic to say that you’ll go from 17 to 1 or 2 in a year? It’s crazy, but the company rallied around it. I’m surprised really pleasantly by the ability of people when challenged to rise to the occasion.” I feel like this every day at work. I set a goal, and they meet it. And now we’re just trying to see how far we can push.
6. In a startup, you’re on this mission together. Everyone has to feel that, and you have to hire people who are willing to believe in something they are trying to accomplish.”
This week: Continue to be inspired by other people in Founders at Work
So I Quit My Job and Moved to India 