When starting a business the first people we (usually) jump to for feedback are friends and family. They are the quickest and most reliable people to get feedback from. Easiest way to get people to try your potential product. However, I think that this is dangerous. I believe that friends and family are not reliable … Continue reading Friends and family are the worst people to pitch your business ideas
Flip Burgers
The book “Both Sides of the Table”, by Mark Suster has a great entrepreneurial concept that I’d like to share. He calls it “Flipping Burgers”. If you want to start a burger restaurant, you first need to learn how to cook the burgers. Flip burgers = do the grunt work yourself and master the granular … Continue reading Flip Burgers
Why you should release your ideas before you feel ready to
In life I believe that there are two types of people when it comes to creative and entrepreneurial pursuits; Doers and Planners. The doers are people who jump into projects without thinking. They do first and then learn from their mistakes. The planners on the other hand are obsessed with finding potential mistakes before they … Continue reading Why you should release your ideas before you feel ready to
Tell people you’re doing research
...instead of pitching your business You had it. That “Aha” Moment. The moment where the lightbulb went off and you’re excited about your next potential business opportunity. What to do next? Immediately start building it? Start researching the costs and feasibility? Quit your job and start pitching people for money? In my opinion, whenever you … Continue reading Tell people you’re doing research
A letter I wrote to myself before starting my first company
I quit my job in Bangalore, India, flew back to the US to get a new visa, and was on my way back to Bangalore with a fresh 5 year multiple entry business visa (courtesy of the company I just quit). I knew I wanted to start a business, but I didn’t know what it … Continue reading A letter I wrote to myself before starting my first company
Why I moved on from BrainGain
Around 4 years ago I started my first company, BrainGain. A company that helped people find jobs around the world. Jobs in Marketing, Sales, Design, Software Development, Data Science and more. I was more or less a recruiter. I found companies that gave me a job description, and then I recruited foreigners and expats from … Continue reading Why I moved on from BrainGain
Validate your ideas before you build
The difference between SOME validation vs. ENOUGH validation Creating a business the 2nd time around, after fucking up my first one, has been an interesting experience. I recently shut down the recruitment arm of my business. Was tired of long sales cycles and uncertainty, so I put a stop to it. Then I sat on … Continue reading Validate your ideas before you build
If your work is a “grind”, you’re doing something wrong
One of the most common words that I hear used to describe work is the word “grind”. If getting through your day is a “Grind” that sounds like a miserable way to live. If your work is a “grind”, you’re doing something wrong. Grind implies friction. Resistance. Pushing a rock uphill, or swimming upstream. Grinding … Continue reading If your work is a “grind”, you’re doing something wrong
When Work Ethic Works Against You
The downsides of having a strong work ethic, and how it can slow you down… In today’s world, being busy is a looked at as a good thing. In order to be successful you must work hard, bust your ass, and get shit done. If you’re not busy, you’re looked at as lazy or unmotivated. Around … Continue reading When Work Ethic Works Against You
Every Resource I know for Finding Work Abroad
Nonprofits, tech, internships, VC firms and more…. For the last 3 years I have been running BrainGain.co, a recruitment agency helping people to discover international work opportunities. Throughout that time I’ve discovered a lot of resources for finding jobs abroad. Rather than hoarding them to myself I have decided to share the wealth with the … Continue reading Every Resource I know for Finding Work Abroad