All Posts
Introducing Extovate
I’ve been working at the startup-corporate intersection in one form or another since 2015. After spending three years at The Estee Lauder Companies building the
Starting and Selling a MicroSaas Product in 16 Months
I officially sold Open Innovation Leads to a new owner last week. Here’s the story of the project, including how I built, grew, and sold
Problems With Corporate Innovation DAOs
A few weeks ago, I wrote an article exploring the effects of structuring a corporate innovation group as a decentralized autonomous organization. In that post,
The Best Books I Read In 2021
It’s that time of year again – my annual post about the best books I read over the past twelve months. You can find previous
Reimagining Corporate Innovation As a Decentralized Autonomous Organization
Since the inception of the term ‘corporate innovation’, companies have struggled with how to structure it in a way that is both separate enough from
The Best Books I Read In 2020
2020 was a strange year for everyone. I’m not going to rehash the events for you – there are enough thinkpieces out there already. But
The Mamba Mentality Key Takeaways
The world lost a treasure when Kobe Bryant tragically died in January. Kobe’s book The Mamba Mentality is a fascinating look at his work ethic,
Customer Mirage: Risks of Signing A Large Company As Your First Customer
Imagine you’re in a hot, dry desert and desperate for water. You’ve been walking all day and the thought of drinking nice, cool water makes
The Art of Rejecting Startups
Corporate innovation people get pitched by startups All. The. Time. In theory, a startup may reach out or be introduced and they’re a perfect fit
Talk is Cheap
Last week, I saw a tweet by Ryan Kulp highlighting predictions by Gonz Sanchez on the 2020 European startup ecosystem. The predictions, while interesting, weren’t
The Five Questions Large Companies Ask When Evaluating Startups
I get contacted regularly by startups looking to partner with large, global companies who can give them scale. My work over the years has shown
Epics
I’m currently in the midst of reading the incredible Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa, and my mind went on a tangent (which is surprising to no
The Best Books I Read in 2019
I traveled less in 2019 than I ever have in my adult life and since I do much of my reading on trips (flights, trains,
Corporate Startup Lab Demo Day 2019
Last week, I had the pleasure of attending and keynoting Carnegie Mellon University’s Corporate Startup Lab Demo Day. My friend and mentor Sean Ammirati first
Inside Outside Podcast Interview
I recently had the opportunity go on my friend Brian Ardinger’s podcast, where we spoke about The Startup Gold Mine. We were able to get
The Laws of Human Nature Key Takeaways
I’ve been a huge fan of Robert Greene’s work ever since his 48 Laws of Power was recommended by my boss back when I was
Entertainment Isn’t Dumb
If you watched the Super Bowl this year, you probably saw Microsoft’s heartwarming commercial about children with disabilities using an adaptive Xbox controller to play
Agile Giants Podcast Interview
My good friend Sean Ammirati has started a brand new podcast called Agile Giants. The show is inspired by his work over the past few
The Hidden Life of Trees Key Takeaways
The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate – Discoveries from a Secret World by Peter Wohlleben is an eye-opening read that
Hustle to Freedom Podcast Interview
I recently had an opportunity to chat with Ryan Helms on his Hustle to Freedom podcast. It was a pretty wide-ranging conversation that included lots
Twelve Years a Slave Key Takeaways
Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup has gained attention in recent years, thanks to the film adaptation, which won several Academy Awards. I personally
A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived Key Takeaways
A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived: The Human Story Retold Through Our Genes by Adam Rutherford is a well-written, entertaining book about the
What to Do When Your Corporate Partner Says No
“Sorry, this just isn’t a good fit for us right now.” This simple but terrifying sentence is a recurring nightmare for founders trying to close
Food of the Gods Key Takeaways
Food of the Gods: The Search for the Original Tree of Knowledge by Terence McKenna is a book that’s frequently mentioned by experts in the
Compensation and Blame: Two Sides of the Same Coin
Last week, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers signed the largest contract in NFL history, worth up to $180 million over the next six years,
The Elephant in the Brain Key Takeaways
The Elephant in the Brain: Hidden Motives in Everyday Life by Kevin Simler and Robin Hanson is a book primarily about how the human brain engages
Uncomfortable Reading
People have many different reasons for reading books. Some read purely for pleasure. Others read to expand their horizons and experience different perspectives. And some
Setting the Table Key Takeaways
As I’ve dived deeper into the hospitality world because of Unlimited Brewing, I’ve found that I really enjoy reading books by folks in the restaurant
Skin in the Game Key Takeaways
Skin in the Game: Hidden Asymmetries in Daily Life is the long awaited fourth installment of Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s Incerto series. If you follow Taleb
12 Rules For Life Key Takeaways
Those of you who follow me on Twitter, listen to the podcast I co-host, or subscribe to my newsletter, know I’m a huge fan of
The Lindy Effect and The Future of Beer
In today’s world, we’re constantly being inundated with “newness”. It seems like every day, there’s a new startup or company coming up with a technology
The Way of Zen Key Takeaways
The Way of Zen by Alan Watts is a book I had heard a lot about over the years but had never actually taken the
Planting Seeds
I’ve been making a point to ask startup founders I hang out with for advice, particularly about management, priorities, and growth. I’m mainly trying to
The Wisdom of Finance Key Takeaways
I first came across Mihir Desai and his ideas when I encountered the transcript of his Harvard commencement speech on optionality. His speech (among others)
This Is What Elon Musk Does To Prevent Corporate Silos
In a verified publicly available email, Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed his thoughts on corporate silos and hierarchical information flow. Here’s the email: Subject: Communication
Thoughts on the 500 Startups Corporate Startup Engagement Report
500 Startups, one of the world’s leading startup accelerators, recently released a report on how large companies can best work with startups. Given their unique
The E-Myth Revisited Key Takeaways
Disclaimer: When I first heard of The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It by Michael Gerber, I
The Optionality Trap
The optionality trap starts when we’re young: “Get good grades in school. You’ll have more options when choosing a college.” -Parents “Pick a major that
Crucial Conversations Key Takeways
Crucial Conversations: Tools For Talking When Stakes Are High was recommended to me by my brother, Jay. Like many of us, I have a bad
Fix Your Map, Not The Terrain
I recently had the pleasure of joining Nat Eliason on his podcast ‘Nat Chat’ to discuss Antifragile by Nassim Taleb, which if you don’t know,
The Powerful Sales Hack I Learned By Watching 8 Mile
Confession: 8 Mile is one of my favorite movies. That’s not only because I’m a huge hip-hop fan. The gritty Detroit scenes, the classic hero’s
What Buying Books and Venture Capital Have In Common
If this is your first time visiting my site, there’s something you should know: I love reading. As subscribers of my monthly reading recommendation newsletter
Innovation Isn’t a Department – It’s a Culture
I’ve been going through the Jocko Podcast archives over the past few months. While listening to Episode 47, one of the listener questions really got
Losing the Beginner’s Mind: FIDM Recap
Last week, I had the opportunity to give a talk on product innovation at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM). While I think
Four Common Mistakes Startups Make When Selling to Large Companies
For the typical early stage startup, closing a deal with a Fortune 500 company can provide a huge boost in morale and momentum (and hopefully
Greatness All Around Us
We’ve all heard the cliché that we become the average of the five people we spend the most time with. Without a doubt, humans are massively
Eight Years
I retweeted something last night that I’ve been thinking about ever since. Here’s the tweet: Eight years ago Uber CEO @travisk was staying at the
Pick One: Commodity, Luxury, or Dead – The Future Of Product Positioning
The other day, I was looking to buy a jump rope I could travel with. After spending (wasting?) about 30 minutes going through jump ropes
Staying In Shape While Traveling
Staying in shape, mentally and physically, is obviously important to overall well-being. Personally, I find my mind is sharper and more importantly, I’m a much happier person
How To Get Up To Speed In Any Industry…Quickly
Getting started in a new industry can be super challenging but in today’s world of shorter stints with companies, quickly building working knowledge of a new
Sales Prep: How Do You Get In The Mindset To Sell?
On the surface of it, selling something is pretty weird. You’re basically using words, Jedi mind tricks, and (occasionally twisted) logic to convince someone that
How To Not Suck At Customer Development
Over the past ~2 years, I’ve been working almost exclusively on customer development and growth at Mom Trusted, with my consulting clients, and at Workhorse.
Failure: The Secret To Becoming Mentally Tough
I’ve been noodling on a theory for awhile related to mental toughness. The theory is this: There‘s a huge difference in mental strength between those
Russell Wilson, Adversity, and Stoicism
“Why didn’t they run it from the 1 with Marshawn?” It’s something nearly everyone has wondered aloud in the past few days. For those of
Most Business Books Are Unnecessary
Most business books are unnecessary to read if you’re reading to learn something. When I say unnecessary, I don’t mean the information provided in them
The 10 Most Influential Books I Read in 2014
In 2014, I made it a goal to re-dedicate myself to reading. I read a ton growing up but for the past 6-8 years, I
When Free Stuff Online Becomes Dangerous
Ask anyone if they want to get something valuable without giving up a single penny in return and they will definitely say “yes”. It’s a
How Are Some People So Productive?
The thing that impresses me the most about successful people is the sheer volume and quality of their work. How can someone accomplish so much
The One Thing They Don’t Tell You About Growth Marketing
True or False: Accomplishing your goal 30% of the time is good. The answer: It depends. If you’re in school and only getting 30% of
Deep Knowledge
It’s so easy these days to think you’re an expert at something. Read a few articles about a topic, look at a few Quora questions,
Staying Mentally Stable On The Startup Rollercoaster
Lately, there’s been some much needed talk in the startup community about the mental health effects of the constant ups and downs that come with
Disruption Is Counter-Intuitive
Question: Pre-Uber, how many startups were trying to disrupt the transportation industry? Answer: No clue but way fewer than there are right now. Transportation was
My 5 Minute Morning Routine
I know I’m not the only person who experiences this but I’ve struggled with negative thinking my whole life. I don’t mean that I always
Human Hubris and the Big Data Fallacy
I recently finished reading both The Black Swan and Antifragile by Nassim Taleb and find myself constantly thinking of the “Turkey Problem”. For those unfamiliar
Don’t Get It Twisted: Customer Development = Startup Sales
There seems to be a misconception out there in startup world. There is plenty of talk about “customer development” and Lean Startup Methodology (talking to
The Importance Of Pricing Model In Product Market Fit
Product-market fit is the holy grail for startups. Reaching product-market fit means you’re ready to scale. On the surface, it’s a pretty simple concept: you’ve