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3-2-1 Traction Newsletter

I help startup founders go to market sooner and find traction faster. I'm an entrepreneur, speaker, startup advisor, design thinker, content creator, dad, and junk. Every Monday, I send out three big ideas from me, two curated ideas from others, and one question to help you focus in your journey to find traction.

Featured Post

An odd week for me — and a quick favour from you

Hey Reader 👋 This week, I become a dad. While my wife and I have gone through the last 41 weeks together (or as together as we can, considering the biology of gestation), there is still the nearly mind-bending thought that one day, likely within a couple of days of you reading this email, I’m just going to walk out of some building a new human. Legally, of course. I’m not planning a heist. That’s where my focus is this week, BUT I could use a small assist… We’re about half way through the...

3-2-1 Traction: Woo-woo, ontic experimental realism, and why you can’t create culture ↓ Hey Reader 👋 Yeah, that subject line’s a doozy, but this newsletter’s not. I’ve got some good stuff for you, though. Here are 3 ideas from me, 2 ideas from others, and 1 question to help you focus. Let’s go. I. 3 ideas from me You can’t create culture As your startup grows, you’re going to start thinking about culture. Most new leaders (and far too many experienced ones, tbh) set about the task of...

3-2-1 Traction: Cofounders, prototypes, and (believe it or not) yoga pants ↓ Hey Reader 👋 Well, it’s Memorial Day in the US, which means summer is basically here. To help you get to the beach faster, I’ll forgo the banter. Let’s just dive in. 👇 I. three ideas from me The answer is often a prototype. In other words, before you build it, ensure you have the right “it”. Because you never do from the start. While 95% of startups fail, startups that cycle through 10 prototypes reduce their failure...

3-2-1 Traction: Strong teams, burnout, and who becomes an entrepreneur ↓ Hey Reader 👋 So, yeah… it’s been a few weeks since I’ve sent an issue of 3-2-1 Traction your way. Hopefully, you noticed my absence in your inbox. 😅 But I’m back! Give me a reply and let me know how you’ve been. I. three ideas from me Team is a lot more than just your cofounders. It’s cliché to talk about the importance of a startup’s team. (Not that it stopped Cameron and me from doing an entire episode of our podcast...

Hey Reader, For the last two weeks, I’ve been running a small experiment: a daily podcast. Each morning, I’ve been sharing one snippet of startup wisdom for you to ponder — and a question to help you focus on what matters. I call it Startup Meditations. Each episode is just a few minutes long: no fluff, easy to digest, thought-provoking. If you’re curious, below is a list of episodes I’ve released so far, and you can check out the full series on substack, or in whatever podcast app you use....

3-2-1 Traction: Is AI a bubble? Also, original pitches suck! ↓ Welcome to a new week, Reader 👋 Here are 3 ideas from me, 2 ideas from others, and 1 question for you. This is 3-2-1 Traction. Let’s go. 👇 three ideas from me Resist originality in your startup pitch. Pitches are stories, stories have structure, and structure creates predictability. Potential investors hear a lot of pitches — hundreds, maybe thousands. They all start to sound alike, and that’s where you might think it’s best to...

3-2-1 Traction: Disengaged customers, creative destruction, and the competition we ignore ↓ Hey Reader 👋 There’s no real theme today, but I hope you enjoy. When you’re done, I’d love it if you took 60 seconds to click “reply” and let me know what you think. Happy Monday! Reading time: 3 minutes. Read online instead ↗. I. three ideas from me “Competitors aren’t your only source of competition.” Tweet this ↗ There are few things more cringeworthy than a founder telling a potential investor they...

3-2-1 Traction: Validated learning, how not to waste your life, and what we can learn from Ikea ↓ Hey Reader 👋 I’m pivoting with this newsletter to create even more value for you: Instead of one long-form essay, each issue will have three big ideas from me, two curated ideas from others, and one big question for you — all to help you find traction for your startup. I’m dubbing it 3-2-1 Traction. Let me know what you think! Reading time: 4 minutes. Read online instead ↗. I. three ideas from me...

Hey Reader 👋 I’m back from a few weeks abroad, and while I enjoy little more than spending time with my wife, one of my favorite professional activities is answering your questions! Seriously. Fortunately for me, amongst the hundreds of messages that flooded my inbox, were plenty of reader questions. I picked four to answer here. Maybe I’ll make this “ask me anything” a regular thing. Read time: 4 minutes. What are the key metrics for a software startup that would lead a successful traction?...

Hey Reader 👋 By default, failure isn’t data. I’m flouting traditional wisdom today. Perhaps it’s because I’m in Paris, and the revolutionary spirit of the French has infected me. Or maybe I’m just a contrarian. Either way, I come armed with a solution. Here’s how to ensure you always learn from failure. Read time: 3 minutes. “Failure is data.” It’s a common retort to unpleasant news. I’ve certainly said it. It comes from the idea that we can only learn by being wrong before being right....