Reflections on 20 years of building

Growing up in Palo Alto, CA, with supportive, entrepreneurial parents, I knew I wanted to build. I remember completing my Computer Science degree, thinking I finally had a skill that would at least keep me employed, and I was privileged enough to know that if I ever truly became destitute, my parents would bridge me. (In reality, they went above and beyond to give me everything I ever needed and wanted, which is a privilege I don’t take lightly.)

I wanted to create organizations that made meaningful impacts, and so far that has happened. More importantly, the people I have worked with have greatly enriched my life, and for that I am thankful.

I wanted to reflect on these experiences for personal growth, and hopefully, some of the learnings are interesting. Thanks in advance for reading, and love any feedback and discussion.

TL;DR

A few learnings from creating companies over the last 20 years:

• The biggest hurdles for most entrepreneurs are mental
• Get over your fears, and just help somehow
• Recognize when you are bringing a knife to a gunfight. It doesn’t need to stop you, but just know the score
• 10 years later, you remember the people, not the product
• The No Sleep test
• The world needs worthwhile missions and virtuous organizations — they are more scarce than capital
• A leader should accept the…