Daily Tasks
Meditations
1:40 PM
The MJ mentality towards anything in life. Relentless focus and sharpening the knife.
I’m tired from yesterday, mentally. But I still want it, badly. I am still drawn to something within startups. Every moment, every interaction in the present.
Calm, clarity in each conversation. Effortless efficiency and brevity.
Conserve my energy for ONLY what is necessary and most important. Don’t waste time or energy.
I am not going to sit around on my ass, sending in job applications, waiting to get a position at one of these companies. I’m going to put axe to stone directly, understand problems, start building.
I already have pre-knowledge about the startup world, velocity of execution, directness, effectiveness of in-person interaction from my experience with Rikhardt. I know the best fit roles and problems businesses face aren’t going to be waiting for the interviewing process - go up and knock on the door. Create these opportunities yourself.
Yes, recent college grads might have the most unprecedented unemployment in recent history, but Jerry - you are a fucking founder. You never go hungry, nor let anything stop you completely. You adapt, go through all channels and don’t unnecessarily waste time.
Rikhardt didn’t have a clear answer of how I’d come to SF. No job positions handed out. And that’s fine. Its a challenge, for me to carve my own path and literally figure this shit out myself. How badly do I want this?
Maybe the way isn’t completing these AWS certifications, or taking more classes. Maybe I don’t need more “fundamental knowledge” from a masters program. I’ve already applied to all the interesting companies I know of, and got no’s. I wont settle for less by working an underpaying job, no matter startup or tech company, that is not optimally aligned for - operational + forward deployed work + autonomy/life/health balance that I require to succeed. I wont wait 3-5 years to get adequate job experience to get one of these “mid-level” or senior product manager roles. I will create this myself.
4:30 PM
i feel like the narrative emphasized by professors, universities and academia are misleading - where they emphasize studying a subject you are truly interested in, getting a liberal arts education, and learning theory and the fundamentals of a discipline, rather than application. Especially in this economic environment where housing prices, cost of living and afforing college are soaring - securing a high-paying job is an economic necessity. Even households making $200k+ aren’t considered upper class and majority report not feeling financially stable, given increased cost of living + having kids.
I partially agree in the liberal arts breadth, but ultimately not neglecting the practical implications of economic stability is crucial. Universities have becoming increasingly detached from the workforce’s demands, protocols and are not synergizing to align with student’s interests - these are all understandable concerns and I have become alot more cautious about philosophy of academia, especially in a rapidly evolving AI world.
Business fundamentals applied in an ethical manner and financial literacy are arguably even more important for survival in this economy and world than ever.
The ROI on higher education seems to be eroding. The real value in these institutions lies in their alumni network and connections.
It makes no sense paying $$$ for even a below T-25 private school, where the alumni network doesn’t have a tangible ROI. Also, studying English, history or any type of pure humanities - are reserved for those wealthy enough not to worry about economic stability.
The hard, technical and sales skills necessary to survive in the current environment must be gained elsewhere or supplemented.
10:30 AM
Fear is rooted in attachment. Attachment to the comfort zone, the familiar - even to life itself. Fear of offending others, of ruining your reputation “forever”, from making a fool out of yourself.
However, that fear blocks you from fully pursuing and actualizing your values. Efficient business involves not absolute detachment, nihilism, but a compassionate objectivity to execute on the most important, high-ROI tasks. Execution as a means of testing the limits and embodying your guiding values.
Being fully present, immersed in the moment, and not giving attention or energy to any anxieties/regrets enables clarity of perception, focus and action. Brevity, measured communication carries more weight.
10:00 AM
B2B playbook Revenue comes from larger contracts. I can compartmentalize - 9-5 pm, intently focused, high ROI work. Off time is focused on recharging and rest.
B2B has its own challenges I must uncover, but just from the Agorum experience, my personality is more aligned like Adrian’s approach - methodical, focused, present connection - understanding.
Workspace
What are some potential variables or sources of uncertainty in this thesis? What assumptions should be questions or tested? This very much may be biased by my personal life experiences and perspective from research, operating a startup, but having limited industry experience.
I have a thesis where in the next 2-5 years, embodied AI will become the dominant wave of AI development. SaaS and software systems will fade as agents become the default interface and “realm” of action. There will be an intermediate layer of IoT, which technology has become increasingly mature from its market rise, along with more powerful AI capabilities, so that digital and physical worlds now become one functional realm.
Embodied AI and mature IoT technology integration will have tremendous potential, since both will be more mature technology paradigms hybridized to address large swaths of the real economy, which has been traditionally been physically constrained.
The question becomes where do generalists go between now and the inflection of this new AI era. Since building has become more democratized, the bar for execution and operation will be so much higher. And engineers will be specialists essentially.
The case for going back to school/academic research becomes weaker, as research paradigms with true economic value will primarily evolve from industry labs. But commercialization will still require individuals with industry operational knowledge to bridge the gap between user/customer needs and technological capabilities.
Direct customer sourcing from conferences:
Sept 29 - Houston - Supply Chain Boston - IEEE robotics Tons of opportunities
Characteristics of Quiet Wealth
Quiet Wealth beats Public Visibility