Dear Founder, Dear Leader,
Sometimes you listen to people, and they say a lot of smart things in just the right way. Not smart as in popular at the time, but insightful, real, and based on experience. So, I will offer you a time-saving device. Read the bullet points below about the thinking of Naval Ravikant, co-founder, chairman, and former CEO of AngelList. You will get the gist. If you want to go deeper, find him anywhere on the Web or in his books. But the short notes below are the quickest way to some of his key points.
- If you want to be happy, surround yourself with people who are less successful than you.
- Your core personality is probably baked when you are 12–13 years old.
- We all get shaped by adversity. Everything I have done started with something negative. Inside suffering is a seed of change.
- Richard Feynman: “You must never ever fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool.”
- Every investment should be considered anew. Forget your past failures. “You have to forget everything you know when you meet a new company. Shut up and listen.”
- The most important traits I am looking for in founders: Intelligence, Energy, and Integrity.
- Ethical: Having a core sense of values that rises above financial…
