Thank you everyone for all the congratulations!
Turning 28 this weekend got me thinking about what I wish I knew when I was 18 and starting out. 3 things stand out:
- Put family and friends first. In the early years, I could spend long nights and evenings at the office hustling. Missing out on many happenings with fam and friends. Hustle is good, but working smart is better.
- Do better due diligence with potential partners, investors, customers, and projects. Met a co-founder or an investor? How often do you do a really really really deep due diligence before jumping in bed together and starting a new venture? To few founders do good due diligence on the investors and business partners.
- Network smarter. In the last few years, I picked up some really great advice on how to network and build a better network. This will be a post itself later! But too many times I went to network events and left without really making a long-lasting connection with anyone there.
What would you tell yourself at 18 years old knowing what you know today? Drop it in the comment!