Pushing buttons
There is no button to press to make someone press a button. Read that again. It makes sense the second time around. No matter what kind of software you buy, new process you implement, or vision you give to make your team efficient, unless they have the will to DO you’re stuck in the water. […]
F*ck you, pay me
Here’s a post I’ve wanted to do for a while From the movie Good Fellas: Henry Hill: [narrating] Now the guy’s got Paulie as a partner. Any problems, he goes to Paulie. Trouble with the bill? He can go to Paulie. Trouble with the cops, deliveries, Tommy, he can call Paulie. But now the guy’s […]
I’m fine with mediocrity
A talent somewhat above mediocrity, shrewd and not too sensitive, is more likely to rise in the world than genius. Charles Horton Cooley I pride myself in being exceptionally un-exceptional in just about everything I do. I’m a passable dancer, I’m not particularly clever, I wouldn’t be your first-pick on any sport you know, I […]
Blink once if you’re alive, Twice if you’re Dead
It’s funny how ideas long thought dead come back, blinking awake again. One of the challenges I find in StartUpLand is trying to kick habits that produce tangible results short-term at the expense of long-term growth. Tendencies like making an employee multi-task on various roles – i.e my developer answering the phones, helping pitch projects, […]
Stay Small: a better way to work.
Here’s my hookah-liquor induced epiphany: A startup is a chance for people to clear the air and work together in a new way. Think about it! Matrix-model businesses, scrum methodology, agile-management: these are (relatively) new ways of getting things done. These ways of working didn’t exist 50 years ago. We don’t have to work the same […]
Alka-seltzer Soft Drinks!
Brilliant idea of the week: Alka-seltzer soft drinks. Alka-seltzer has caffeine, pain-relievers, and carbonation. But it tastes horrible. Why not make a soft drink with caffeine + pain-relievers that tastes good? It’ll be the Four-Loko of pain-killers! Have a hangover? Pound a six-pack and you’re good to go. Feeling a stomach-ache coming on? Head over […]
Sorry I ranted…
Sorry I ranted about employees being screwed. One thing I hate to do is rail against the injustice of something and then not follow-up with a proposed solution or course of action. I prefer to act as if I have agency in the situation, mainly because I think people feel better when they “think” they […]
Find your work
“Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it.” ― Siddhārtha Gautama I went on a Herman Hesse kick when I was 19 years old. I read Narcissus and Goldmund, Siddhartha, and etc. All great stuff for some young guy desperately trying to figure out what’s […]
The Whole Story
I’m a firm believer in telling people in the organization “The Whole Story”. Truth begets trust. The more honest you are with the people you work with on how the company’s doing, how they’re doing, what the future looks like, the better everyone feels. And feeling good, roughly translated, means higher morale and a better […]
Trust Your Gut, bro!
Hey guys, trust your gut. Silicon Valley’s big on intuition If it doesn’t feel right, or taste right, it’s probably not going to work out, ya know? Also, do your homework. Don’t want to look like a fool working in an industry and you don’t know what you should, right? Finally, listen to wise friends/colleagues/the […]