The Power of Ignorance
If desperation is the mother of innovation, then ignorance might be its father. In the early stages of a company, being protected from external influences can be a powerful stimulant for creativity and innovation. Why? For the same reason that we often see some of the most creative and entrepreneurial insights coming from younger people. Wisdom and experience help to grow and sustain a company, but generating novel ideas requires a certain amount of naïveté. In the context of entrepreneurship and idea generation, ignorance equals open-mindedness. An empty mind is an open one — it is empty of bias, empty of past experience, and empty of external critique.
Analyzing Financial Statements
This topic could be and is a full semester course at some business schools. It is a deep and rich topic that I can’t cover in one single blog post. But it is also a relatively narrow skill set at its most developed levels. If you are going to be a public equity analyst, you need to understand this stuff cold and this post will not get you there.
If I Launched a Startup
Here’s what I’d do in the beginning:
Incorporation
(1) Entity Choice: Corporation or Corporation
(2) State of Incorporation: Delaware
(3) Authorized Shares in Charter: 10,000,000 Shares
(4) Type of Shares: Common Stock
(5) Par Value of Common: $0.0001
(6) Initial Founders Issuance: 8,000,000 Shares
(7) Founders Equity Split: Depends on the Team, But Quickly and After the Awkward & Difficult Conversations
(8) Vest Founders Shares?: Hell Yes
(9) Vesting Schedule for Founders Shares: 4 years with a One Year Cliff
(10) Consideration for Founders Shares: Cash & IP
(11) Handling of “Lost Founders”: Lock Down the IP (then Wish Them Well)
The Golden Triangle
I heard something this past week that stuck with me all the way to the weekend. To the life of me, I can’t remember who said it but at least I remember what was said:
So You Want My Job: Entrepreneur
From Possibility to Actuality
There are some topics I know a great deal about, and some topics I don’t. Style and fashion would fall into that latter category. But I know enough to understand that how we look is absolutely critical to how other perceive us and how we feel about ourselves. So when I started the Art of Manliness, I went looking for a man who could provide readers with sound on advice on classic men’s style. When I came across Antonio Centeno’s articles at A Tailored Suit, I knew he was just the guy for the job. In return for providing the Art of Manliness with absolutely top notch fashion advice, I’m happy to give Tony’s business some exposure. And so Tony has become an important partner with the Art of Manliness. And today, we asked him to take part in our “So You Want My Job” series so that he could share more about himself, what the Tailored Suit is all about, and his advice to other men about being an entrepreneur. Thanks for all you do Tony!
War on Work
First, one of the best TED talks I have seen:
via Grant Blakeman
2nd: after two weeks of being on the road, I’m backed up on email so much that I just don’t want to see what is new. I feel bad, can’t quite keep up. With that has gone my writing. And my workouts (although I have been keeping it pretty consistent in the NYC marathon training). And so have the little things in life, like laundry, cooking, and calling family. This makes me feel like shit.
What We Can Learn From Mess
Gary Wolf wrote a Wired cover story about craigslist called “Why Craigslist Is Such A Mess“. It’s a somewhat strange article because it is highly critical of craigslist’s design, management, and lack of innovation. But you cannot read that article and not come away impressed with Craig Newmark, Jim Buckmaster, and the ethos of craigslist.