simplejam blog http://blog.simplejam.com thoughts for high performing individuals Mon, 22 Aug 2011 18:27:21 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Simon Sinek: If You Don’t Understand People, You Don’t Understand Business http://blog.simplejam.com/2011/08/simon-sinek-if-you-dont-understand-people-you-dont-understand-business/ http://blog.simplejam.com/2011/08/simon-sinek-if-you-dont-understand-people-you-dont-understand-business/#comments Mon, 22 Aug 2011 18:27:21 +0000 admin http://blog.simplejam.com/?p=310

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However, my hunch is that many startups fall into the former category (jack of all trades) almost accidentally because they don’t have the will/vision/stubbornness/whatever to buckle down and do the latter. That is, they are not making an explicit choice, which may ultimately not be in their best interest.

The reason is that delivering features people ask for is the path of least resistance. Not delivering them requires you to essentially ignore (or at least gracefully put off) huge obvious feature requests and focus diligently on stuff that seems much smaller, and to the untrained eye, perhaps trivial.

And that’s the key. Are these small things really trivial or are they part of a larger product vision where you end up with a truly polished product? It’s often hard to tell, and sometimes really a probabilistic bet. You really never know if you can nail a product experience until you do.

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First, they had to execute on building a great product. Next, they had to execute on building a great business. Finally, they had to execute on scaling, sustaining, and evolving a great business.

– Brad Feld in Note to entrepreneurs: Your idea is not special

]]> http://blog.simplejam.com/2011/06/ideas-vs-execution/feed/ 0 What are some ways to keep your endurance up? http://blog.simplejam.com/2011/05/what-are-some-ways-to-keep-your-endurance-up/ http://blog.simplejam.com/2011/05/what-are-some-ways-to-keep-your-endurance-up/#comments Mon, 30 May 2011 23:34:07 +0000 admin http://blog.simplejam.com/?p=299

Opposite of what you think.

No caffeine, no fat, no fried stuff, drink a lot of water but pay attention to this:

When you were a kid and your dad woke you up at 3 in the morning and said “Son we’re going fishing” you wake up and you feel great all day.

– Dave Pensado in Pensado’s place All Q&A episode

That’s the state of mind to be in!

]]> http://blog.simplejam.com/2011/05/what-are-some-ways-to-keep-your-endurance-up/feed/ 0 How To Do What’s Inconvenient http://blog.simplejam.com/2011/05/how-to-do-whats-inconvenient/ http://blog.simplejam.com/2011/05/how-to-do-whats-inconvenient/#comments Sun, 22 May 2011 10:17:37 +0000 admin http://blog.simplejam.com/?p=292 Dan Ariely talks about what he calls the present bias focus.

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Shipping isn’t focused on producing a masterpiece, but all masterpieces get shipped.

– Seth Godin

]]> http://blog.simplejam.com/2011/04/masterpieces/feed/ 0 The Real World http://blog.simplejam.com/2011/04/the-real-world/ http://blog.simplejam.com/2011/04/the-real-world/#comments Wed, 20 Apr 2011 20:56:43 +0000 admin http://blog.simplejam.com/?p=281

I don’t think that “the world” exists. I think there are lots of small worlds and you are changing your own.

– Jason Fried

]]> http://blog.simplejam.com/2011/04/the-real-world/feed/ 0 Plug into your hard-wired happiness http://blog.simplejam.com/2011/04/plug-into-your-hard-wired-happiness/ http://blog.simplejam.com/2011/04/plug-into-your-hard-wired-happiness/#comments Sat, 16 Apr 2011 00:07:00 +0000 admin http://blog.simplejam.com/?p=277 In this excellent talk at Columbia University, Srikumar Rao offers precisely the kind of cognitive toolkit to combat our ingrained preoccupation with success/fail outcomes standing between us and our own happiness.

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To be productive is directly proportional to our ability to relax.

– David Allen

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