My Developer Ghosted Me
Your developer has disappeared. No calls, no email, and your app is half built. What to secure first, what to do if they hold the logins, and what's next.
• 8 min read
I Think My Developer Is Lying to Me
You can't read the code, so you can't check what you're told. How to tell if your developer is lying without learning to program, and what to do next.
• 12 min read
Working for Equity Is a Free Plan You Can't Upgrade
You set your price at zero for six months, and now you need money. Why equity renegotiations run downhill, and what has to be in the deal on day one.
• 15 min read
Freemium Trades Friction for Friction
Removing the price removes the friction, and the commitment goes with it. Why free users don't upgrade, and what a credit card at signup actually buys you.
• 13 min read
Don't Take a Share in a Business That Doesn't Exist Yet
The rule underneath everything I've written about equity, stated once and plainly. When to pay cash, when shares are legitimate, and what to do before then.
• 11 min read
You've Been Offered Equity to Build Something
The mirror of the hiring post, written for builders. How to evaluate a founder, price the work, and tell a real opportunity from a lottery ticket.
• 13 min read
Your AI Prototype Stalled. How to Hire Someone to Finish It
You built something real with AI and hit a wall. How to find a builder who can take it over, evaluate them without reading code, and not get taken.
• 17 min read
Take the Bait, Eat the Poison
Every business gets offered shortcuts. The offer is the bait and the shortcut is the poison. How to decide what you will not do before anybody asks.
• 19 min read
The Rainmaker Trap
Builders who hate self-promotion end up trusting whoever promises growth. How to tell an audience somebody owns from access they only claim to have.
• 19 min read
Conversion Has Levels, and the Second Is Just as Hard
Stranger to free user is one conversion. Free user to paid is a second one, and it is just as hard. Measure both, by source, all the way to revenue.
• 8 min read
You Never Built a Growth Engine
You shipped the software and nothing happened. The missing piece is usually a growth engine, and you can build one the way you build software.
• 10 min read
Ethics Is a Feature
In a world of rug pulls and enshittification, actually caring about people isn't naive. It's the most durable competitive advantage you can build.
• 12 min read
Looking for a Technical Cofounder Is Usually a Red Flag
Written for builders. When somebody asks you to be their technical cofounder, the request tells you what they think your work is worth. How to read it.
• 9 min read
The Equity Tell
If startup equity is so valuable, why does it only flow one direction? The answer reveals everything about what that equity is actually worth.
• 8 min read
The Startup Industrial Complex
The startup ecosystem has become a dream factory that profits from founders, not businesses. Here's how to see through it.
• 19 min read
Luck Is Real (And It's Not a Strategy)
Success requires luck, but luck isn't random. It compounds on capability. The goal isn't to get lucky. It's to become someone luck can work with.
• 8 min read
The Many Hats Hypothesis
The best way to learn your business is to do every job yourself. Not forever, but first. Direct experience teaches what delegation can't.
• 8 min read
Your Startup Doesn't Have to Be Software
The tech startup narrative dominates, but software isn't the answer for everyone. Without a tech background, it might be the hardest path, not the smartest.
• 8 min read
The DIY Trade-off: When Building More Makes Sense
Standard MVP advice assumes you're paying developers. When you're building yourself, the calculus changes, and sometimes building more is the smarter move.
• 7 min read
The Question Nobody Asks: Why You?
Founders obsess over market opportunities but skip the most important question: why are you the right person to build this? Fit matters more than opportunity.
• 8 min read
Focus Beats FOMO Every Time
Chasing trends and imitating competitors is a losing strategy. The founders who win choose carefully, commit fully, and compound effort over years.
• 7 min read