Hey, Friends –
Welcome to The Saturday Slack, a list on what what I’m pondering and exploring with a short summary for those too busy to dive in.
Writing in public is exposing your brain’s API and making your knowledge extendable. Thank you to the 3k+ subscribers who make a “call” on my API every Saturday! If you want to join us, click below:
Subscribe Here
Quotes of the Week
Lack of courage sabotages more people than lack of ability. Don’t beat yourself before you start. Shane Parrish
It’s either ‘insanely great’, or it’s ‘total shit.’ – standard set by Steve Jobs
I did not intend to get rich. I just wanted to get independent. Charlie Munger
[B]eing a little delayed in your career isn’t that detrimental to your long term wealth assuming you have the same expected career trajectory. – Nick Maggiulli
Podcasts
Michael Seibel – Lessons from Thousands of Startups: Michael Seibel is a Partner at Y Combinator and the CEO of YC’s startup accelerator. They cover why starting a business is WAY more valuable than getting an MBA if you want to be a founder, frameworks to identify problems worth solving as an entrepreneur, and what it feels like to find product-market fit.
Stewart Butterfield (CEO, Slack) – We Don’t Sell Saddles Here: They cover the concept of effective leaders (see: take ownership), how to uniquely position your product (see article here), and why the most important thing a leader can do is tell their team that “it is okay to fail.”
Articles
Amp It Up by Frank Slootman, CEO of Snowflake – “Everybody wants results, but not everyone wants to do what it takes.”
After taking three companies public, Slootman has a playbook for success that he calls the performance execution framework. The three vectors that together make up a performance execution framework are: higher velocity, higher standards and a narrower focus.
Mediocrity is the silent killer. Organizations are not getting killed by their C players. Everybody knows who they are, and performance eventually is addressed. The people who kill organizations are your B players.
“Our companies were built and run for performance, full stop. We were singleminded in our pursuit of goals, and drove our people to become the best version of themselves. For the best people, it was an incredibly liberating experience.”
Not everybody will come along. The right people will rise to the occasion.
The Highest Form of Wealth by Morgan Housel
Wealth is easy to measure but hard to value. There’s a difference between working hard because you love what you do and working hard because someone else told you you had. To me, the highest form of wealth is controlling your time, but often more money in the bank leads to the exact opposite of freedom, spending your days doing things you don’t particularly enjoy with people you don’t think too highly of in a location that you don’t love. Said Housel, how much money people need to be happy is driven more by expectations than income. Keep your expectations in check and money can bring you happiness.
Economic Possibilities for our Grandchildren by John Maynard Keynes
Written in the late 1920’s, this piece reads like a modern day essay on wealth, excess, and happiness amidst an ever changing world. It’s so important to read “time in place” pieces to realize how similar the human experience has been over time.
How Much Lifestyle Creep Is Okay by Of Dollars and Data
An interesting analysis on how much of your increased salary/bonus you should spend vs. save if your goal is financial independence. If you are like me, the phrase “lifestyle creep” sends shivers down your spine. It’s what we’ve been told will lead to unhappiness and dilute wealth. This is a good take on the other side.
Always Looking for Something Better by John Kabat Zinn
One of the bugs in my system (that I’m hoping to make a feature) is the constant desire for the new. As those who know me well can attest, I’ve historically been one to easily change paths, move cities, and look for new opportunities. It has led to great outcomes thus far, but I write that up to luck. Happiness is in the here and now. Not in the over there or tomorrow. Great reminder.
Cheers,
Ben
PS: Check out and follow my streaming API (Twitter feed) to get real-time calls with no request limits (for you software nerds out there).