Be where your potential customers are.
Even in the realm of digital products, location matters. How successful would it have been if it was just AngryBirds.com, rather than an app that parents could download for their kids while waiting on the milkshake?
Insert yourself into the process of life. Go where they are going. Add value.
Become a part of your own audience.
Win.
Knowing where you’re going is a big part of getting others to join you for the ride.
Despite the current trends advocated by roombatreneurs, “pivoting” is a last-resort.
It’s the kind of thing I’d advocate if I was merely buying a call option on your team. ”Hell ya, try a bunch of different things and hopefully you’ll be one of the 5% of my call options that hits the lotto.”
It’s a bullshit way to “invest” and it’s an even worse way to build a company.
I want to ride with people that will find a way over the concrete wall, not “pivot” like some kind of roomba bouncing aimlessly off of every little obstacle.
Know where you’re going. Get the girl.
Win.
Little twists on an old idea can make a big difference.
Engaging your audience in some way can make a big difference.
People like character.
Adding personality to the mundane is ALWAYS an enormous opportunity.
Win.
A great partner….
makes it easier.
makes it more fun.
makes you more valuable.
makes you better.
doesn’t need you.
“We make a fine bourbon, at a profit if we can, at a loss if we must, but always a fine bourbon.” — Julian Van Winkle
Win.
Landon can teach anyone how to wakeboard.
One of the key things that you learn is that where you look determines where you’ll end up.
This is especially clear when people try to “cross the wake” for the first time. It’s intimidating, because it’s like going over a big wave with a 3 foot drop.
Without fail, people who try to cross it for the first time look down at it as they go over. And they fall. Exactly where they were looking.
And then Landon or I will tell them… “If you want to cross the wake, don’t look down at it. Lock in on a spot on the shore that you want to go towards.” They do, and they make it.
It’s amazing what a difference it makes to focus your vision on a distant destination rather than a current obstacle.
Time is an essential ingredient in the creation of genuine pride.
It’s what turns failures and blemishes into markings of character.
It’s what turns a small edge into a dominant advantage.
Be patient… but don’t wait. Sustained, focused effort.
Take the long-view.
Win.
This past weekend I had the privilege of sitting, standing, talking and drinking with some really smart, passionate people.
Their ideas were all over the map, as were their headquarters. But they had a few things in common:
1. They know their core.
2. They have wanted to be their own customer for a while.
3. They like people and they have fun.
4. They’re almost arrogant in their dismissiveness of competition, which I love.
5. They trust their instincts.
I don’t know if they’ll all turn out to be winners. I also don’t see why not.
It was also a kick to the nuts for anyone that preaches bootstrapping to maintain equity.
No clue on their valuations or rounds…but believe me, there was NO dilution in that room. Value-add at every turn.
We came, we drank, we laughed, we learned. More to come.
Win.
Replace “or” with “and” as often as possible.
