The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers

What I Wish Someone Had Told Me

1. Optimism, obsession, self-belief, raw horsepower and personal connections are how things get started.


2. Cohesive teams, the right combination of calmness and urgency, and unreasonable commitment are how things get finished. Long-term orientation is in short supply; try not to worry about what people think in the short t

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Because this happened to me — and I knew better — I think you need to remember it! You'll have to fire under-performers to retain good people on your team. You will find it difficult to fire under-performers until you have to. We don't like uncomfortable things. It will be extremely difficult for you."After leaving the company a year later, a subor... See more

Most importantly, the sooner you make a decision, the sooner youwill know from your crew what is achievable, and the sooner theywill be able to expand upon - and use their talents to - elevateit. The time you spent not deciding is time you rob from yourstaff's ability to make whatever the object of the decision thebest it can be. The show simply ca... See more

Firing executives It is always painful to let people go. When you fire an executive, it can be hard not only on you and the executive but also on his entire organization.38 There are some steps you can take, though, to minimize the uncertainty and confusion that come along with these difficult decisions. Before you let an executive go, you should m

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