How To Go Beast Mode As A Founder
08 Jul 2024 (2 months ago)
Peter Thiel’s One Priority Philosophy
- To solve problems, increase your intensity and focus rather than seeking external solutions.
- Create a culture of intensity by setting clear priorities and avoiding multitasking.
- Mediocrity results from multiple focuses, while excellence and value come from a singular focus.
- The mind is a powerful tool that can achieve great things when properly focused, but it can only handle one question at a time.
- Peter Thiel's "one priority" philosophy involves focusing on a single problem until it is solved, which can enhance productivity and effectiveness.
3 lies you’re telling yourself
- Intensity is not working 24/7.
- Intensity is a formula: Focus x Common Sense x Insanity.
- Most people think they are at a level 10 when in reality they are at a level 6.
- Focus is saying no to 100 great ideas so you can say yes to the one exceptional one.
- If you do this right, you're not doing more, you're actually doing less, but better.
- HubSpot created an actionable guide based on the playbook developed by the speaker's company, The Hustle.
- The guide breaks down methods for spotting upcoming trends and companies with high growth potential.
- Business examples of intensity:
- Elon Musk:
- Works 120 hours a week.
- Has multiple companies in different industries.
- Constantly pushing the boundaries of what is possible.
- Jeff Bezos:
- Started Amazon in his garage.
- Now one of the largest companies in the world.
- Constantly innovating and expanding into new markets.
- Steve Jobs:
- Co-founded Apple.
- Revolutionized the tech industry with products like the iPhone and iPad.
- Had an incredible attention to detail and a relentless pursuit of perfection.
Zuck closes a $1B dollar deal in 48 hours
- Mark Zuckerberg's "beast mode" intensity led to the acquisition of Instagram for $1 billion, despite Twitter's initial offer and Sequoia Capital's independent funding proposal.
- Zuckerberg's determination to prevent potential competitors from surpassing Facebook drove his urgent pursuit of Instagram and WhatsApp.
- WhatsApp's success stemmed from its intense focus on messaging fundamentals, surpassing competitors by avoiding unnecessary features.
- Chick-fil-A, In-N-Out, and WhatsApp achieved success by narrowing their product range and executing with greater intensity than competitors.
- The WhatsApp founder stressed the significance of customer problem-solving and focus over industry trends.
- Zuckerberg's persistent efforts, including personal meetings and invitations, secured the WhatsApp acquisition after two years of pursuit.
The Collison Installation
- Stripe's founders, the Collison brothers, had an unconventional approach to customer onboarding.
- They would "install" Stripe directly onto potential customers' laptops during initial meetings.
- This hands-on approach helped Stripe acquire its first 100-200 customers.
- Paul Graham observed that Stripe's approach was not particularly difficult or outrageous, yet few other companies did the same.
- He attributed this to two reasons: shyness or fear of rejection, and a misconception that big things come from big things rather than an accumulation of smaller things.
- Graham emphasized that startups happen and take off because the founder makes them happen, not because of inherent qualities.
- He compared it to manually cranking an engine to get it started, after which the momentum takes over.
Lead bullets v Silver bullets
- The answer to problems is rarely external, such as a mentor or a book.
- Ben Horowitz's philosophy of "lead bullets, not silver bullets" emphasizes building a better product through hard work rather than seeking magical solutions.
- Discovering silver bullets requires experimenting with many lead bullets (ideas and tactics) and being willing to take action.
- The pie chart of effort should be 10-20% ideas and strategy, and 80% execution (blood, sweat, and tears).
- Execution requires intensity and recognizing when to sprint.
- Sprinting cannot be sustained indefinitely, but it's important to be able to recognize when it's needed.
When to sprint
- Identify when a great opportunity arises or when it's time to buckle down.
- This is the moment to sprint and dial up your level of intensity.
- Sylvester Stallone's story:
- Despite facing challenges as an actor, he decided to take matters into his own hands and write a movie.
- He hated writing but committed to a sprint to write the first draft of Rocky in three days.
- To maintain focus, he painted his windows black and unplugged his phone to eliminate distractions.
- Identify when to sprint:
- When a great opportunity comes your way.
- When it's time to buckle down.
- Dial up your level of intensity during these moments.
- Example of a sprint:
- Sylvester Stallone's focused writing session to create the first draft of Rocky in three days.
- He eliminated distractions by painting his windows black and unplugging his phone.
The 3 Big Questions
- Narrow your focus.
- Write down a common sense solution that sounds easy and simple to execute.
- Ask yourself what level 12 intensity would look like for the task you're doing.
- Example of Jesse Isler hiring a Navy SEAL to live in his house and train him intensely for 30 days to get in the best running shape of his life.
- Level 12 intensity is often beyond what we think is possible until we see examples of it.