Lessons from our start-up venture

After running our start-up for about a year, the two other founders and I sat down and listed everything we learned. As we drilled down the list we uncovered some real gems that have continued to serve me well. I think about them often and I believe that the action of sitting down and writing them out has kept them in the forefront of my memory.

Some of my favorites from the original list include:

• “Fail Faster and More Often” – Tristan Louis.
• Have fun. Play Foosball. Build Camaraderie.
• Net-weave, don’t network. When you meet someone new, always think: “how can I help this person.”
• Don’t be arrogant – do the due diligence on the industry and the space.
• Trust your team to make decisions. Delegate.
• Set regular meetings for various levels of conversation. Vision, Strategy, Operations, etc.
• Keep operational meetings short and with a strict agenda. Use a timer.
• Keep vision meetings relaxed and open ended.
• Eat breakfast as a team: and keep a schedule.
• Sell water in the desert.