In the business world, the rearview mirror is always clearer than the windshield. - Warren Buffet
Tinkering with a Raspberry Pi, December 2024, Taiwan.
Last updated: February 24, 2026
I keep this as a live note to myself as I learn.
Be opinionated
Have a clear vision of how things should be.
Hold the key relationships
Your business rises or falls on relationships so never delegate critical partnerships.
Build for decades
Build trust, reputation, and relationships that compound across generations because the strongest advantages belong to those who stay long enough to earn them.
Don't outsource hiring
A bad cultural fit costs more than an empty seat so own hiring because every hire defines your culture.
Learn delegation
Your calendar reveals your priorities so keep only your highest leverage work and delegate the rest.
Management is also time
Talent needs direction so invest leadership time early and give top performers context instead of control.
Be careful what you say
Casual comments turn into company doctrine so speak with intention because everything gets remembered and repeated.
Invite genius minds as advisors
Give the right advisors equity because their judgment and network can unlock what cash cannot.
Build systems, not dependencies
If the business collapses when you step away, you built a job, not a company, so design processes that outlive individuals.
Start with ESOP as soon as possible
Make your team shareholders early so they think and decide like owners.
Read the market and don't mess with giants
Do not provoke incumbents and focus on becoming indispensable instead of threatening.
Recognize hidden costs
Partnerships, hires, and projects all carry maintenance costs that compound over time.
Don't find a BD person until a certain level
Teach every team to understand how value is created and captured before hiring dedicated BD.
Cultivate strategic ignorance
Deliberately ignore distractions that do not serve your core mission.
Always check backgrounds
Check the track record of VCs, media, and team members and walk away from anyone who cannot clearly explain their real results.
Keep the standard high
Don't work with salesy, fluffy guys under any conditions.
Don't trust anyone 100%
Trust people but verify everything because good intentions do not prevent costly mistakes.
Play the level of Silicon Valley
Benchmark against the best in the world and compete at that level instead of local standards.
Always own your distribution
Own your media and PR channels before you need them.
Marketing can kill startups
Hype and premature scaling can kill startups so market only when you can deliver.
Architecture is for teams, not users
Users care about outcomes so ship fast, iterate hard, and improve continuously instead of chasing perfect architecture.
Reputation is an asset
Reputation compounds like capital and can be destroyed even faster so protect it in every decision.
Being the good guy wins in the long run
Business looks easy from a distance but hard decisions create durable success so do not trade long term trust for short term applause.
Smell the political climate
Politics shapes regulation and market access so understand power structures clearly without becoming dependent on them.