Every journey begins with buying a domain and then figuring out a reason to renew it. (The story of why this domain comes later.)
Twenty years of lessons from the valley on leadership, life, and the art of building what endures.
Lessons from two decades in the valley and a lifetime of learning—on building companies, raising humans, and thinking clearly about what matters.
The best founders I've worked with share something rare: they can hold a vision that looks unreasonable to everyone else. Not stubborn—convicted. There's a difference. True conviction comes from seeing something others don't, and having the patience to prove it slowly. The market rewards those who can hold that tension without breaking.
There's a valley most startups never cross. You've proven the product works, found repeatable revenue, built a team. Then everything breaks. What got you here—founder-led sales, fast iteration, everyone wearing five hats—becomes what kills you. The transition requires killing your darlings before they kill you. Most founders wait too long.
Goals are for losers. Systems are for winners. This applies beyond startups—to parenting, health, relationships. Don't set a goal to 'be a better parent.' Build a system: dinner together every night, no phones. Don't aim to 'get fit.' Build a system: workout clothes out the night before, same time every day. Your outcomes are lagging measures of your systems.
Wealth, relationships, knowledge—they all compound, but only if you can stay in the game long enough. Most people quit too early because they optimize for the wrong timeframe. The CEO who burns out in year three. The parent who gives up on connection after a tough adolescence. The investor who panics in a downturn. Staying power beats raw talent every time.
My kids see me solving problems all day—for companies, for founders. So I try to model the same at home: 'What if we built that instead of bought it?' 'What would you change about how this works?' Creation is a muscle. The earlier you start exercising it, the more natural it becomes. In a world of infinite consumption, the builders will have the edge.
# How to Add New Perspectives Each perspective is a markdown file in this directory with the following format: ```markdown --- title: "Your Perspective Title" theme: "Leadership|Scale|Philosophy|Life|Parenting|Strategy|Product" order: 1 --- Your content goes here. You can write multiple paragraphs. Use blank lines to separate paragraphs for better readability. Keep it conversational and genuine. ``` ## Guidelines - **Title**: Make it compelling and specific - **Theme**: Choose from existing themes or add a new one - **Order**: Lower numbers appear first (1, 2, 3...) - **Content**: Write naturally, like you're sharing wisdom over coffee ## Example See `quiet-power-of-conviction.md` for a complete example.
If you see how I can be part of your journey—paid or unpaid for interesting projects that make the world more beautiful—let's talk.