Teaching Kids Responsibility Through Daily Trash Clean‑ups
Have started making the 8 year old responsible for removing any trash we find in our Waymos so he starts getting used to what will be a lifetime of cleaning up after others. https://t.co/wKZTVmHr5M
Scale Prices with Usage, Keep Early Pricing Simple
Founders: Value alignment in pricing is key. If customers get more value as they use more (storage, contacts, etc.), price should scale with usage. But keep it simple early. One clear metric that grows with customer success.
Annual Contracts Secure Commitment, Cut Churn, Boost Cash Flow
Founders: Start with annual contracts whenever possible. Monthly is tempting for faster closes, but annual: - Forces real commitment - Reduces churn risk - Improves cash flow
Excusing Antisocial Behavior Destroys Your Company, Fire Protectors
The people in your organization who excuse antisocial behaviors are just more mild versions of this woman. They are sowing the seeds of the destruction of your company. Fire them AND the antisocial people they protect.
Quantify Pain in Dollars, Not Annoyance, to Drive Sales
Founders: Strong sales narratives quantify pain in dollars and cents. 'This is annoying' won't drive action. 'This costs you $50k per month' will get attention.
Start Charging Now, Adjust Price Based on Feedback
Founders: Don't obsess over pricing too early. Start by charging something - even if modest. If prospects don't blink at your price, raise it next time. Keep pushing up until you see it impacting close rates. Better to capture less value early...
Limit Free Trials to Highlight Core Value
Founders: Free trials are fine, but they need clear value triggers. Like Yesware limiting free email tracking volume - when pros hit the cap, they're seeing enough value to pay. Don't give away your core value indefinitely. Gate it behind reasonable limits.
Right Message, Right Time Sparks Immediate Bookings
Two of my students have hit pipegen seams this week and are booking a meeting a day now. It's blowing their minds that people who have the problem that they solve are eager to get on the calendar with them....
Price by ROI: Use Clear Metrics or Benchmark Competitors
Founders: ROI pricing is powerful but requires clear metrics. If you can prove '1 missed recruiting fee per 500 candidates' or '25% higher win rates,' price against that value. If not, index off competitor pricing and iterate up based on market response.
Price Your Product to Match Its Value Narrative
Founders: Your pricing strategy should match your narrative. If you're selling efficiency gains, price against labor costs. If you're selling revenue lift, price against deal value. If you're selling risk reduction, price against loss prevention.
Target High‑value, Paying Customers, Not Every Segment
Founders: Don't try to boil the ocean with pricing segments. You're not optimizing pricing for every possible customer - you're looking for the ones who: 1) Have the problem badly 2) Can pay to fix it 3) Will get clear value from your solution
Target Natural Pricing Thresholds to Secure Early Sales
Founders: In early sales, look for natural pricing thresholds: - Under $100/mo for individual card swipes - Under $5k for team manager discretionary budget - Under $15k for department head approval Make it easy to say yes within existing constraints.
Turn Claims Into Proof: Show 3x Leads Results
Founders: Know your proof points cold. 'We're better' is a claim. 'We deliver 3x more qualified leads' is an argument. 'Here are 5 customers seeing 3x more leads' is proof.
90‑Second Video Reveals Grocery Store Operations Clearly
Brandon’s the man, but aside from that, the clarity of communication in this video is phenomenal. You’ll likely learn more about how a grocery store runs in these 90 seconds than your life to date. https://t.co/gGs7OnevRA
Can Waymo Detect and Avoid Dodge Chargers?
“Daddy do you think Waymos can recognize the shape of Dodge Chargers and purposefully stay away from them?”
Founder-Led Sales Drive $800K in Six Months
New wildly successful Founder Led Sales Factory graduate. $0 -> $800k in six months and now hiring AEs. Founders *can* sell.
Infrastructure Built to Boost Union Overtime, Not Efficiency
Once you realize every maintenance-prone piece of city infrastructure is designed to maximize union overtime, you see it everywhere.
One Untrustworthy Hire Triggers Company-Wide Expense Audits
This happens in startups too. You let that one low trust person into the org and they filed a bunch of fake expenses? Great - now everyone has to log receipts with a paragraph explanation and every 10th needs to be...
Surprised by Zoox’s Unusual Pickup Spot at 6th & Mission
I was surprised this didn’t happen when I took my first Zoox and it picked me up at 6th and Mission. Curious choice to be sure.
Name Calendar Invites to Signal Mutual Evaluation, Not Pitch
Founders: Calendar invite naming sets expectations: ❌ 'Demo of [Your Product]' ❌ '[Your Company] Presentation' ✅ '[Their Co] [Your Co] - Discovery' ✅ '[Their Co] / [Your Co] - Initial Conversation' Signal: This is mutual evaluation, not a pitch.
Didactic Comic Books Are Underused; Beast Academy Excels
Didactic comic book is a criminally underused format. Relatedly, Beast Academy is the bomb. https://t.co/OwNqnic9NH
Disqualify Unqualified Prospects: Walking Away Boosts Wins
Founders: When there's no fit - walk away: 'Based on what you've shared, sounds like you have this well handled. Fair read?' Don't force POCs on unqualified prospects. Wastes time. Hurts win rates. Damages future relationship. Disqualifying is a win.
Use Micro‑commitments in Demos to Seal the Sale
Founders: Trial closes during content verify ongoing fit: While demoing: - 'Does this line up with what you described?' - 'How would you use something like this?' - 'Is this the kind of thing that'd be helpful?' Building micro-commitments. Final close becomes obvious.
LA Bans Copper Theft Protectors to Keep Union Overtime
LA banned this device that protects lampposts from having their copper stolen because it would prevent the union overtime hours generated by repairing said copper thefts.
Research Before Calls Builds Credibility and Opens Dialogue
Founders: Start discovery by validating your research: 'I snooped on LinkedIn before this. Looks like you have 2 new sellers who joined recently - is that right, or do I need to get better at Sales Navigator?' Shows preparation. Demonstrates credibility. Opens door for...
Skip Small Talk: Build Rapport Through Shared Connections
Founders: Rapport building hierarchy: Top tier: - Shared connections - Background overlaps - Industry insider humor - Video call visual cues Bottom tier: - Weather talk - Generic pleasantries Prepare 2-3 specific hooks from LinkedIn. If you're discussing weather, you've failed.
Pressure‑Free Pitch: Set Expectations, Embrace ‘No’, Guide Next Steps
Founders: The agenda script that removes pressure: 'I'll ask questions about how you handle [X]. If there's fit, I'll show you a quick overview. Then we can discuss next steps - or part as friends. Sound good?' Sets expectations. Makes 'no' acceptable. Frames toward...
Muni Prioritizes Political Employees Over Riders
To be clear, @SFMTA_Muni exists to serve the interest of politically desirable employee groups - not riders.
Name Calendar Invites to Signal Mutual Evaluation, Not Pitch
Founders: Calendar invite naming sets expectations: ❌ 'Demo of [Your Product]' ❌ '[Your Company] Presentation' ✅ '[Their Co] [Your Co] - Discovery' ✅ '[Their Co] / [Your Co] - Initial Conversation' Signal: This is mutual evaluation, not a pitch.
Validate 5 Key Elements Before Showing Any Demo
Founders: Discovery validates 5 critical elements: 1. Need Existence: Do they have the problem? 2. Current State: How solving it now (or not)? 3. Pain Severity: Economic/operational cost? 4. Prioritization: Ranked vs other initiatives? 5. Fit Assessment: Worth more time? No demo until you validate all...
Minor Meeting Tweaks Can Double Win Rates
Lol. One of my students had their win rate jump from 20% to 50% through a pretty small tweak to their disco/demo meeting structure. It's amazing how subtle things can have such outsized impacts.
Startups Embrace Remote Work Long After Pandemic
Startups that went remote during COVID / started remote just after and still committed to the bit after everyone has moved on. https://t.co/VUSstCsfIl
Use a Decision Tree to Confirm Fit, Then Act
Founders: The discovery close decision tree: Confirm fit: 'Seems like something here - am I right or off base?' If YES → Concrete next step: - POC with timeline - Stakeholder meeting scheduled - Technical deep-dive booked If NO → Part as friends: 'Sounds handled. Call me if...
Leaving MUNI: Best Decision After Dangerous Operator
I gave up on MUNI after an operator fell asleep while driving a many hundred ton train, blew through a station and almost drilled a bunch of cars. One of my highest quality of life decisions ever. MUNI is a jobs...
Map Discovery Questions to Product Features to Prove ROI
Founders: Map every discovery question to product capabilities: Pain Discovery: 'What's biggest time suck?' → 'Deprovisioning takes 5-10 min each' Pain Sizing: 'How often?' → '10x daily = 2 hours/day lost' Demo Anchor: Show automation feature that saves exactly those 2 hours. Questions build your demo script.
Ask Deeper Discovery Questions to Unlock Sales Expertise
Founders: Discovery question depth framework: Level 1: 'Just hired 2 AEs?' Level 2: 'How long onboard?' Level 3: 'Closed anything yet?' Level 4: 'What's hardest about ramping?' Pull the thread. Don't jump topics. Your expertise shines 3 levels deep.
Turn Your Booking Form Into a Qualification Filter
Founders: Your booking form is your first qualification filter: Ask on Calendly/Chili Piper: - Team size: 'How many support agents?' - Current state: 'Using AI automation?' - Prioritization: 'Actively looking / Exploring / Have solution' - Budget signal: 'Funding stage?' Don't fear friction. B2B buyers expect...
Pre‑call Intel Uncovers New Reps’ Onboarding Gaps
Founders: Pre-call research creates the discovery roadmap: LinkedIn Intel: '2 AEs joined 2 months ago, 1 SDR for 7 months' Hypothesis: 'Revenue abstraction stage - ramping new sellers' Question Focus: - Onboarding challenges - Rep performance - Knowledge transfer gaps
Structure 30‑Minute Pre‑ and Post‑Call Routines
Founders: Block time around every discovery call: 30 min BEFORE: - Research company + individual - Identify org stage/persona - Hypothesize pain points - Prepare rapport hooks - Queue relevant content 30 min AFTER: - CRM notes + next action - Follow-up email - Materials promised
5‑Phase Call Blueprint: Time‑Boxed Discovery Secures Deals
Founders: Your discovery call structure in 5 phases: Minutes 0-3: Rapport (not weather talk) Minutes 3-5: Agenda setting Minutes 5-15: Discovery questions Minutes 15-25: Relevant demo only Minutes 25-30: Concrete next step Reserve final 5 min for close. Clock management wins deals.
Middle‑aged Tech Veterans Fear Codegen; Entrepreneurs Welcome Speed
Observing a pattern amongst the most vocal critics of the emerging agentic codegen stack (whether that’s vibe coding, components of it (eg Gstack, etc), code gen velocity etc.) It’s generally middling (and often middle aged) technologists having a hostile reaction to...
Bad Hires Breed More Rules and Oversight
This applies to startups too. The more low quality human capital you let into your organization, the more rules, processes, and “police” you need.
Knockoff Podcast Also Violates MOTS Trademark
Soooo the pure knockoff of the TBPN podcast is also trademark infringing on the MOTS podcast? Very nice.
Moon‑view Video Streams Instantly to Your Pocket Device
Riding in a self driving car. Watching a video recorded by a handheld supercomputer with a telephoto video camera included. Recorded from a spacecraft orbiting the moon. Transmitted instantly over a global information network. Displayed on your own pocket super computer....
Marine‑style Customer Success Drives Explosive NRR Growth
Can you imagine what industry NRR would be if customer success organizations were run like the Marines instead of Miss Rachel kumbaya kindergartens?
Disqualify Unqualified Prospects: Walking Away Boosts Wins
Founders: When there's no fit - walk away: 'Based on what you've shared, sounds like you have this well handled. Fair read?' Don't force POCs on unqualified prospects. Wastes time. Hurts win rates. Damages future relationship. Disqualifying is a win.
Use Micro‑commitments in Demos to Seal the Sale
Founders: Trial closes during content verify ongoing fit: While demoing: - 'Does this line up with what you described?' - 'How would you use something like this?' - 'Is this the kind of thing that'd be helpful?' Building micro-commitments. Final close becomes obvious.
Zoox Trials Autonomous Pickups in Chaotic SF Streets
Zoox doing pickups at 6th and Mission is certainly a choice. Self driving on hard mode in a zombie-rich environment. https://t.co/nRAl6tKaCK
Validate Research First: Boost Credibility and Open Dialogue
Founders: Start discovery by validating your research: 'I snooped on LinkedIn before this. Looks like you have 2 new sellers who joined recently - is that right, or do I need to get better at Sales Navigator?' Shows preparation. Demonstrates credibility. Opens door for...
Pressure-Free Pitch: Set Expectations, Embrace ‘No’, Guide Next Steps
Founders: The agenda script that removes pressure: 'I'll ask questions about how you handle [X]. If there's fit, I'll show you a quick overview. Then we can discuss next steps - or part as friends. Sound good?' Sets expectations. Makes 'no' acceptable. Frames toward...