My First Million
The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.
Hiring for 'Down'
Beyond traditional hiring criteria, prioritize team members who are enthusiastic about trying unproven ideas without extensive justification
Decision Rule
When evaluating candidates, assess whether they would support fragile new ideas or require extensive proof before engagement
How It Works
Innovation requires testing ideas before there's data to support them. Team members who need extensive justification will cause founders to self-censor ideas before even proposing them
Failure Modes
Hiring people who say yes to everything without critical thinking
Confusing 'down' with lack of standards or quality expectations
Creating team of yes-men who don't provide valuable pushback
Avoiding all skeptical voices that could prevent bad decisions
Example Decision
“Startup founder choosing between candidate with better technical skills but history of questioning non-data-driven decisions, vs candidate with good skills who expresses excitement about trying unconventional approaches - chooses the second candidate”