What Is a Startup and How Should You Think to Build One?

An illustration of a winding path leading up a green mountain to a yellow flag at the peak.

A strange thing happens when you ask ten people what a startup is. One person talks about venture capital, another talks about technology, and someone else imagines a small team working from a coffee shop trying to build the next billion-dollar company. Most answers revolve around growth, funding, products, and ambition. I used to think … Read more

Product-Market Fit: The Startup Concept I Understood Wrong for a Long Time

A shovel vendor demonstrates product-market fit by appealing to a miner and a farmer, while a smartphone user shows no interest.

When I first started learning about startups, I had a completely different understanding of product-market fit than I do today. I assumed that product-market fit was something companies achieved after they became successful. Whenever I read stories about startups raising large funding rounds, reaching impressive revenue milestones, attracting media attention, or growing rapidly, I believed … Read more