School for Startups Minutes

Today, we're wrapping up our discussion of Elon Musk and his collection of companies and how they all fit together. There's one more piece that I'd like to talk about: the Neuralink piece, right after this. There are already 22 people in the world who have a Neuralink implant in their brain. It allows them to control a computer using only their thoughts. Now, if AI and connectivity accelerate, the...

This week, we're talking about Elon Musk and his network of companies and how they all fit together. When you look at his collection of businesses as a whole, you can see that he has much grander plans than just selling us cars. I'll tell you how X, also known as Twitter, fits into it right after this. A lot of people call it Twitter still, but X is Elon's social media platform. Underneath, it's a...

This week, we're talking about Elon Musk and how all of his companies together have a much larger goal than just selling us cars. When you look at the companies and see how they fit together, you'll see that Elon has an even grander plan than what we're aware of already. I'll tell you more in just a second. Tesla is the ground layer. SpaceX is the orbital layer. SpaceX is really important to Elon...

Elon Musk is one of the most controversial people out there right now. Some love him, and some hate him, but we can't deny that he's doing really cool things all over the world in different technologies. Yesterday, I spoke about his new Boring Company. They're going to be digging a tunnel from two theme parks in Orlando to connect them. Today, I want to talk about Tesla and show you how it fits in...

This week, I thought it would be fun to talk about all of the things that Elon Musk is doing right now. I know he's very controversial. A lot of people love him, and a lot of people hate him, but he's doing some interesting things that I think you need to know about. I'll start right after this. Universal Studios in Florida just opened a third theme park, and it's a little bit away from the first...

This week, we have been talking about technology that was supposed to save us time and make our lives better. In many instances, it's worked out that way. In others, it hasn't. Some of the software, some of the updates, and some of the silly things that we have to do to maintain our office automations are really just a pain and take up more time than they save. I'll have my final thought right aft...

Technology was supposed to make our lives easier and to save us time and to make us more productive. Sometimes that's true, but a lot of times, it's just not true at all. Today, I'm going to talk about one of the things that happens every week at your business that technology has probably made worse. Technology was supposed to make meetings so much easier. We created technology so that we could sh...

This week, we are talking about security and technology that's designed to make our lives better, to save time, and to make us more secure. All of these updates, we've been talking about the silliness of some of them. This week, in just a second, I'm going to tell you my thoughts on passwords. Oh, passwords. I like just a simple, easy password that I can remember and type quickly, and then the sit...

This week, we are talking about all the technology that was supposed to save us time that isn't. We've already talked about how software is not as easy as it's promised. It just never works out that way. It's supposed to install in five minutes, and then you're supposed to be up and running. Well, then why do I have to hire another company to come in and help me install it? It's all just crazy. I'...

I want to talk about all that technology that was supposed to save us so much time. You know, the Jetsons, the flying robots that take care of all of the concerns, put your new clothes out, go to the laundry, and then cook dinner. We were promised all of that, and we didn't get it. This week, I want to talk about all the things we were promised that just don't live up to it. I'm going to start in...

Imposter syndrome, signal before success, fronting, putting on the suit. These are all phrases that mean the same thing, projecting success before it happens, and we entrepreneurs must do that. You have to let people know about your successes. You need to brag on your own behalf because no one else will. The important thing is this: you cannot lie. You cannot stretch the truth, but you need to be...

Entrepreneurship is hard, and we hear it a lot, so we will celebrate absurdly small wins because we need to. The first time you get a sale will be monumental, and the first time you get an unsolicited referral will feel like magic. The first time you get an email that says, "I found you online," it will be one of the greatest moments of your life, right up there with a child being born. I got an e...

Freedomnetwork.com. Another thing that new entrepreneurs discover is the stress and the way that it affects you, most likely all of that stress. The stress of feeding your family and growing the business will affect you in the smallest, weirdest ways. You will suddenly be upset because the password doesn't work. The printer is not connected, and that will drive you over the edge. Be careful with y...

Another thing that new entrepreneurs don't understand, but will eventually learn, is that their family will never truly understand what they do. They'll give you polite expressions like, "Do you get benefits?" or "Is this just a phase?" or "Will you get a real job?" And I promise you, the confusion never goes away because we do things that are new and exciting and different and don't fit into fami...

This week, I want to talk about things that entrepreneurs don't know until they get started. Little things that sneak up on them, and then they discover that the truth of entrepreneurship is maybe not as glamorous as it may seem. One of the things that entrepreneurs only find out once they get started is that you will miss a paycheck every once in a while and pretend like it's okay, that your othe...

Customers notice when you respect their time. The best example of this, and we all joke about it, is when the cable company says they will be there between three and five. I remember when my son got his very first apartment, and he called at 3:15 and said, Dad, the cable company's not here. What am I going to do? What should I do? Should I call them and check up on them? And I was like, son, you'l...

Customers notice when you set clear expectations, even if the news is not good. Our local power company is very good about sending texts telling us when the power outage will be over, and they update that information every 30 minutes or so. Because of that, I trust the information implicitly, and I have more respect and trust for our local power company. I know that sounds crazy, but they do a pre...

Customers notice your tone before your solution. Tone communicates intent faster than any other information. Calm, respectful responses build confidence before the problem is solved, whereas impatience and defensive responses increase concern, even when the answer is correct. Customers remember how the interaction felt more than they remember whether it was fixed or not. Tone, and whether you're s...

Customers notice when policies matter more than people. We don't like it when a rule replaces judgment. That "that's our policy" feels final and impersonal, even if the policy makes sense. We must acknowledge that sometimes the customer's uniqueness and personal situation need to be considered. Policies should guide decisions, not eliminate discretion.

Last week I talked about things that customers notice about you or your business. For example, I talked about the new apartment that I just rented, and they asked, do you have pets? I said no. I had to go on a website and validate that I don't have pets and that I don't intend to have pets. It took me 20 minutes. I will never forget that. This week, we're going to do five more things that customer...

The period after the sale defines the future of the relationship. Follow-up, availability, and continued care signal long-term commitment. Sustainable businesses are built after the invoice is paid. Customers do not expect constant attention, but they expect presence. Presence creates trust that marketing alone cannot replace.

Customers may not mention it, but they immediately sense when thy are remembered their name, their history, their favorite drink. All of those sort of. Things make you feel like you are remembered and part of the inside club. When customers feel recognized, they engage more openly and trust more deeply. Loyalty increases without being requested. The lesson is subtle but powerful. Systems remember...

As a customer, I am not excited about the big sale. I am excited about how I get treated day in and day out. Consistency builds confidence. Customers prefer knowing what they are going to get and not being surprised. Inconsistency makes for uncertainty. Businesses grow by meeting expectations reliably, not by exceeding them. Occasionally, predictable performance is the best answer.

I rented an apartment recently and had to fill out a form on a website about my pets. I do not have any pets, so it should have been one click. No, it took me about 20 minutes to certify that I did not have any pets. Customers notice when you make things more difficult. They pause, they abandon the process, and they buy somewhere else. Every extra step adds resistance, and simplicity is not conven...

We as individuals and the companies that we work for all have reputations, and they happen slowly over time as customers or friends or family notice things about us that they do not talk about. I will give you an example of how this will affect your business right after this. Customers almost never compliment on response time. They do not leave reviews praising how quickly an email was answered. E...