Lessons that can change your trajectory

You're busy, I get it. Truly.

The best founders are learning machines. But, they are impatient.

This fact has informed my writing for years.

For the most part, my online posts and this newsletter focus on giving you one or a few actionable insights and then letting you get on with the rest of your day.

However, despite Marc Andreessen's insistence that we should not leave time for reflection or rumination, I recognize that some topics deserve more real estate, more room for the reader to reflect and consider.

So I recently launched a Substack. The goal here is to delve deeper into the principles I have been living by with my CEOs for years.

Principles that enabled two of my CEOs to experience life-changing exits last quarter alone. Principles that are the foundation of the Limitless community.

Here are the first two pieces for you.

The Limitless Manifesto

Design your role, company and life around energy.

“Startups die when founders run out of energy” (Naval Ravikant).

Most founders are building their companies the hard way. They grind, sacrifice, and push themselves past empty, believing that suffering is the cost of success.

This default hustle narrative is applauded in the West. We celebrate busyness as a badge of honour. We have lost all boundaries. The average person picks up their phone 160 times per day.

AI is accelerating burnout and eroding any remaining boundaries.

Despite all this, there are some spectacular successes. Those rare, outlier home runs that return a venture capital fund and change an industry. It is because of these outliers that we push. But, overall, the default hustle, “sleep when I die,” founder path simply doesn’t work.

90% of startups fail. 7 out of 10 founders report mental health challenges.

Keep reading on Substack

What is your startup's most valuable asset?

Most CEOs would say it is their team. There is no question that this is a massive factor. Unless you have a factory producing widgets, your company equals your team.

The right hire can change the game. The wrong hire can set you back.

But I would argue that your team is not your most valuable asset.

Perhaps your most valuable asset is your product.

Look at the impact that disruptive products have. ChatGPT and Claude have completely changed the game. I use these products every day. I find myself thinking both that this is science fiction and that “How did I ever live without it?”

The most powerful marketing is a disruptive product. Anthropic, the company behind Claude, is experiencing unprecedented growth. It’s not because they’re great at sales and marketing. In fact, apparently, they have one marketing person. It’s because their product is so incredibly powerful.

Still, I would argue that your product is not your most valuable asset.

Keep reading on Substack

If you find these valuable, I hope you will subscribe and follow along.

I will continue with this newsletter in its current format, but I will also share one longer piece on Substack every week.

Thank you for allowing me to write and share what I learn. Every day, I learn from every client. It is a privilege.

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