My First Million
The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.
Pre-Fall vs Post-Fall Assessment
People are either pre-fall (haven't been truly humbled by life) or post-fall (have experienced deep adversity that fundamentally changed them)
Decision Rule
When evaluating partners or employees, assess whether they've been through genuine hardship that tested their character and resilience
How It Works
Major adversity reveals true character and builds resilience - people who've never faced real hardship may crack under pressure in spectacular ways
Failure Modes
Assuming success means someone is post-fall
Underestimating pre-fall people who haven't faced adversity yet
Overvaluing suffering without growth
Example Decision
“Choose the co-founder who built a failed startup and lost everything over the one with only academic and professional success”