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1/ If you’re a founder you’ve probably heard someone say “oh, I’ve seen this idea before - it didn’t work” or “isn’t this just like that other thing that person/company X tried?”
D’Arcy Coolican
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Harebrained schemes. Building.
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this thesis aligns with everything i see right now.
- simple is getting cloned immediately
- interesting is extremely competitive and (over) funded
and fwiw complex doesn't actually mean highly complex in that you need to be a gigabrain to understand, it just means it requires time to get it
- simple is getting cloned immediately
- interesting is extremely competitive and (over) funded
and fwiw complex doesn't actually mean highly complex in that you need to be a gigabrain to understand, it just means it requires time to get it
Charlie Songhurst on why "boring and complex" companies may offer the best returnsView quoted post on X
every great founder either intuitively knows this or learns it at some point
Nobody is coming to save youView quoted post on X
You don’t need saving
how I've seen this work well in early stage companies (will use head of people version as example)
- it's actually two roles not one. The "founder peer" is ~10 hours a week. Also hire a junior HR ops person
- trying recruit someone who a true peer to be your FT Head of People is extremely difficult (as tweet below notes). if they are that elite, the opportunity costs are too high for them to take that role unless it's actually an n of 1 type company. But flexibility and/or ability to spread across 4-5 companies can make it compelling
- Their hours should be spent with founder and direct team going through the most difficult issues, not managing the HRIS or sending out offer letters (that what the junior ops person is for). They're also on call for emergencies.
- Junior ops person handles the day to day issues and logistics and reports to legal/GC but has a mentor in the "founder peer". Founder peer reports direct to CEO.
- "People issues" are routed through managers and skip levels rather than being routed to HR. If issue warrants it, it goes to legal and dealth with by the GC (with guidance). No standing "People" org to soak up problems without authority to handle them
- Founder peer needs to be both in it for the long term and in it deep enough to know the org, the personalities and the issues. Can't be an "advisor" or HR consultant that dips in and out.
- it's actually two roles not one. The "founder peer" is ~10 hours a week. Also hire a junior HR ops person
- trying recruit someone who a true peer to be your FT Head of People is extremely difficult (as tweet below notes). if they are that elite, the opportunity costs are too high for them to take that role unless it's actually an n of 1 type company. But flexibility and/or ability to spread across 4-5 companies can make it compelling
- Their hours should be spent with founder and direct team going through the most difficult issues, not managing the HRIS or sending out offer letters (that what the junior ops person is for). They're also on call for emergencies.
- Junior ops person handles the day to day issues and logistics and reports to legal/GC but has a mentor in the "founder peer". Founder peer reports direct to CEO.
- "People issues" are routed through managers and skip levels rather than being routed to HR. If issue warrants it, it goes to legal and dealth with by the GC (with guidance). No standing "People" org to soak up problems without authority to handle them
- Founder peer needs to be both in it for the long term and in it deep enough to know the org, the personalities and the issues. Can't be an "advisor" or HR consultant that dips in and out.
Many founders wish they had true peers & thought partners in comms & people leadership roles.View quoted post on X
If you’re gifted with words & people, these roles are opportunities to have meaningful impact at top companies and they’re less competitive than being a top founder/investor/creator.
investors and founder are often playing very different games.
play your own game. run your own race. win.
play your own game. run your own race. win.
Where are all the “distribution is a moat and hence raise a lot of money” investors today..View quoted post on X
when the *checks notes* incumbents are flexing their distribution muscle.
It’s SO important to stay first principles on what matters. Find your unfair advantages. Build a great product with high retention and ideally network effects. Use capital as a weapon to compound and not as destiny. And, finally figure out how to be a self sustaining business because this money spigot will dry.
And, that is so freaking hard. It’s never been easy - especially not now.
(PS: This is not a subtweet on any company, but more so on the investors who’ll dole out terrible advice and move to the next company in their portfolio when that one crashes and burns)
