What mindset shapes your entrepreneurial decision-making most?

Erin Kelly

Co-Founder and CEO · Askpolly

Stick it out

Erin Kelly says to stick it out, saying many founders give in or give up too early, and that this advice, heard years ago, got her through hard times and worked out.

Matthew Rabinowitz

Executive Chairman · Natera

Sell half

Matthew Rabinowitz says the lesson he took is 50%: if thinking of selling, sell half; if wondering whether to buy, buy half, because you'll be half right and half wrong and won't have regrets.

The answer starts at 43:14.

Sam Parr

Co-Founder · Hampton

Infinite paths to success

Sam Parr says the lesson he has drawn from talking to many people is that there are infinite paths to an end destination, since he has seen people ignore common startup rules and still reach good outcomes.

Marc Minor

Cofounder and CEO · Higharc

Nobody knows what they're doing

Marc Minor says the biggest piece of advice he can give is that nobody knows what they're doing, especially when starting a company, so it's best to start learning as fast as possible.

The answer starts at 15:19.

Jon Lensing MD

Co-Founder and CEO · OpenLoop

Always be experimenting

Jon Lensing MD says he always tries to be experimenting and trying things, because most might not work but the ones that do can get you to another level.

Sam Kroonenburg

CEO & Co-Founder · Cuttable

Conviction in the vision

Sam Kroonenburg says having conviction in the vision shaped his decisions: taking the long view, sticking to what they want to build, and asking if they are making progress toward the vision.

The answer starts at 25:55.

AF

Andrew Feldman

Founder and CEO · Cerebras

Naive can‑do attitude

Andrew Feldman says a naive can-do attitude is what lets you attempt a company again, because the scar tissue built up from seeing how hard it is otherwise stops you from doing it.

Daniel Lubetzky

Host

Grit, wit, and fit

Daniel Lubetzky says grit, wit, and fit guide his entrepreneurial decision-making: grit is hard work and not giving up, but he says it isn't enough without strategic creativity and a fit between product and consumers.

Sarah Buchner

Founder & CEO · Trunk Tools, Inc.

Give yourself a chance to fail

Sarah Buchner says giving herself a chance to fail and try shaped her decision to stay and start Trunk Tools, reasoning she could give up once she failed but not without trying.

The answer starts at 28:03.

CM

Coco Mao

CEO & Co-Founder · Openart Ai

Start small

Coco Mao says to start with something small and then you'll eventually see the full picture; she says you don't need to force yourself to see the whole path clearly.

Ryan Shearman

CEO & Co-founder · Loa Carbon

Failure is tuition

Ryan Shearman says failure is tuition: fear of failure is the real failure, and if you're not failing, you're not pushing hard enough, so fail fast, learn the thing, and move.

The answer starts at 30:33.

Crystal Bell

Founder & Chief Clarity Officer

Learn to start

Crystal Bell says the lesson is that you learn how to start—being new at things to build community and friendships and find where she fits; it gave her empathy for people brand new to their career or area.

Sridhar Ramaswamy

Chief Executive Officer · Snowflake

Believe you can do something better

Sridhar Ramaswamy says you need to believe you can do something better, because every startup is an act of believing you can do what others haven't.

Jesse Stein

Founder & CEO · Hermetic Ai

Double down on what's working

Jesse Stein says one key lesson is to double down on what's working, testing and riding it until it stops, then trying something else; he says entrepreneurs often get distracted by the shiny and new instead.

Sasha Orloff

Member of Staff · Accrual

Embrace imperfection

Sasha Orloff says founders should embrace imperfection, because no investor expects a business to be perfect and having a healthy grasp of reality matters more than seeming flawless.

Capacity to take pain

Travis Kalanick says excellence is the capacity to take pain.

Gyve Safavi

Co-Founder & CEO · SURI

Prioritize customers

Gyve Safavi says he learned to prioritize customers and not index so hard on what other people tell him, since their business is customer-related.

David Bland

Founder · Precoil

You cannot pick winners

David Bland says you cannot pick winners — "You just cannot pick them" — reasoning that of roughly 250 products only one or two turn out wildly successful, and there are many ways to be wrong.

Aizada Marat

CEO & Founder · Alma

Validate problem with paying customers

Aizada Marat says to validate a problem by seeing if people will actually pay before starting, because supportive praise and "I'd buy that" are just fluff.

Neka Pasquale LAc MS

Founder & Chief Product Officer · Urban Remedy

Hold onto your vision

Neka Pasquale says to hold onto your vision, because taking investment makes it easy to make business decisions that don't align with how you see your company.

Colin Zima

Co-Founder, CEO · Omni

Be thoughtful about where you spend time

Colin Zima says to be thoughtful about where you spend your time and what you're doing, because the company only gets more valuable based on what you do, so reflect on whether you made it more valuable.

Tom Bilyeu

CEO · Impact Theory

Pre‑established metrics

Tom Bilyeu says a pre-established metric—decided when emotionally sober—is what he responds to, so emotions don't drive him when he's losing or making money and can't see clearly.

Temirlan Rakhmetzhanov

Co-Founder & CEO · Armeta

Sell before you build

Temirlan Rakhmetzhanov says his answer is to sell before building: he now tells clients a feature is ready and asks if they'd buy it before developing, after past ventures failed by not validating with the market.

Sam Altman

Chief Executive Officer · OpenAI

Seek ideas contrary to conventional wisdom

Sam Altman advises seeking ideas contrary to conventional wisdom and being okay if it takes long, since conventional wisdom is often wrong about what matters most and dismissal buys time before competitors.

Alex Konrad

Founder and Editor · Upstarts Media

Decisiveness

Alex Konrad says decisiveness is the number one thing that makes for a successful founder, because you always have imperfect information and cannot agonize over it; at some point you have to own the decision.