Knowledge Marketplace
My First Million

My First Million

The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.

Back to Takes

Internet-first business relationships can be more effective than traditional in-person relationship building for many types of partnerships

Spiciness
cultural_observation

The Reasoning

Online interactions allow you to observe someone's thinking, work quality, and character over time through their content and communications, providing better signal than brief in-person meetings.

What Needs to Be True

  • Both parties maintain consistent online presence
  • Work can be evaluated digitally
  • Trust can be built through verified small interactions
  • Communication tools are reliable

Counterargument

In-person chemistry and non-verbal communication provide important relationship information that can't be replicated online

What Would Change This View

If remote relationship quality consistently underperforms in-person relationships over long term

Implications for Builders

Invest in online presence and reputation

Develop systems for evaluating remote partners

Don't require in-person meetings for partnerships

Build verification systems for high-stakes deals

Example Application

Sam built multiple business partnerships worth tens of thousands per month entirely through Twitter DMs and Slack without phone calls.