Dark Side

@amoreynis

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Above the road leading to the startup graveyard, there is a poster that says: "This is what my app does..." 1. Because the only thing that makes sense is what people do with it! In the sense of what result and with what effort they can get with it. 2. Despite the seeming banality of this statement, all the unsuccessful startups I know could not pass this simple test. 3, Their founders either could not clearly formulate the expected result that the user can get. Because they were always biased towards what is the result of the product's work. For example, "a personal finance program will give an understanding of what money is spent on." So what now - where to get the money? 4. Or achieving this result required efforts from the user that they are not ready to put in. Literally according to the principle "How to lose weight? You need to eat less!" So what now - eat less, or what? 5. In other words, an ideal product is a product that brings a person the end result he needs without any effort. 6. And the success of a real product is determined by how close it is to this ideal 😉

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How to make a viral product? 1. I learned here that the most important concept of humor is imagination. For example, how can you use round seats from bar stools? 2. As cymbals in a drum kit for people with sensitive ears. As a coaster for four latte at Starbucks, poured into one large mug. As a throwing disc for weaklings. Make a short video about any of these options - and it will be funny 😉 3. I immediately remembered a similar passage from MrBeast's instructions for members of his team. For example, how to make a funny video about toy dolls? 4. You can arrange a competition to see who can throw a doll with their left hand the farthest. You can make people throw dolls into a toy crib from a distance of 60 meters. You can calculate how many dolls it will take to break a wooden beam with a cross-section of 2 by 4 inches. As MrBeast says, this is his secret weapon — the ability to turn literally anything into funny content. 5. A bar stool with a round seat is not funny. A drum kit with a seat instead of cymbals is funny. A girl playing with a doll is not funny. Adult morons trying to break a wooden beam with a doll are funny. 6. Ordinary things can never become funny or funny. No matter how much you make funny faces or tell funny jokes while giving a lecture on mathematical analysis 😉 7. Or no matter how much you puff yourself up trying to come up with a viral advertisement for your ordinary product. Because the product itself should be viral! 8. And that means you should find an unusual use for ordinary technology. Because the ordinary is not funny at all, and no one will tell each other about it. 9. What unusual applications could your technology have? What unusual thing would such a product have to do? Or what unusual thing could it be used for? Or what else would be unusual about it?

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Isn't it time to throw a "power party"? 1. Yesterday I told you how one guy held what he called a "power party" with his friends. It's a party where people sit down to do boring tasks that they've been putting off for a long time. 2. The whole point is that friends decide to do the same thing. And it turns out that this is very motivating 💪✌️ 3. During the party described, one guy finally applied for a passport, another dude sorted out literally everything in subsequent letters, a third dude created a personal website, and so on. 4. Isn't it time for you to gather your friends for a party like this, to finally do what you've been putting off for a long time? 😉

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Micromanagement hinders, but microunderstanding helps! 1. Micromanagement and microunderstanding are two completely different things! Because one of them hinders scaling, and the other helps 😉 2. Micromanagement is when you stand behind each employee, directing and correcting their every action. It is clear that you will never be able to scale this way 3. Microunderstanding is when you understand every detail of each business process. The trick is that you do not have to monitor each employee performing these processes! 4. Because microunderstanding is only needed to drive the business process into such strict frameworks - so that each of its details is executed naturally, and a step to the left or to the right is simply impossible. 5. Then your business will spin like a well-oiled and well-oiled mechanism down to the last screw. And it will then be possible to scale it - simply by increasing the number of these screws. 6. I encountered this literally the other day when I was discussing the situation in his startup with a partner-founder. He had serious problems. And, as he himself admitted, only because his understanding of one of the areas of work was 1.5 on a 10-point scale 🌡️ 7. Therefore, at first he hoped that a specially hired manager of this area would sort everything out. Which, as usual, never happened ☹️ And therefore now he is going to increase his understanding of this area to 10 out of 10 in order to improve the business process. And only then hire a manager who will have to monitor its compliance. 8. In other words, if you understand some area of your startup's work not 10 out of 10 - be sure that this problem will eventually come to light. The only question is - when exactly 😉

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Isn't it time to change startups to film studios? 1. AI video > AI programming. The introduction of AI into programming has made it faster and cheaper. However, sales remain expensive and complex. Roughly speaking, if earlier the cost of development was related to the cost of sales as 80/20, now sales will become more expensive than development in the same ratio. And since video is now devouring the Internet, the most effective sales tool will be video. That is, huge advertising budgets will begin to be poured into AI video. 2. AI video > video. The introduction of AI into video will finally make it interactive. The viewer will be able to change the characters of films on the fly and even change the plot and ending as they wish. The same film can be watched every day, but every day it will be a completely different film. Thus, the viewer will become a co-author of films. It is even possible that viewers will be able to sell these fantasies on the theme of other people's films to other viewers, paying royalties to the creators of the original film. And this will become a whole new market. 3. AI video = programming. Previously, videos could only be shot by specially trained people and companies with a bag of time and money for it. Now the audience of potential video and film creators will grow 10-100 times. After all, the process of creating AI video is no different from the process of programming. And almost anyone can learn to program - if only they have the desire. Therefore, now it will be possible for one person to shoot a film for 1-10 million dollars. And a small team can aim for a billion 💰 4. The topic of AI video has been exciting me for the second month already. Because it looks like it can take off no weaker than the topic of startups once took off. And you need to do not just anything, but what the time has come for ⏱️ 5. What do you think is cooler - AI video or IT startups? 😉

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Isn't it time to change startups to film studios? 1. AI video > AI programming. The introduction of AI into programming has made it faster and cheaper. However, sales remain expensive and complex. Roughly speaking, if earlier the cost of development was related to the cost of sales as 80/20, now sales will become more expensive than development in the same ratio. And since video is now devouring the Internet, the most effective sales tool will be video. That is, huge advertising budgets will begin to be poured into AI video. 2. AI video > video. The introduction of AI into video will finally make it interactive. The viewer will be able to change the characters of films on the fly and even change the plot and ending as they wish. The same film can be watched every day, but every day it will be a completely different film. Thus, the viewer will become a co-author of films. It is even possible that viewers will be able to sell these fantasies on the theme of other people's films to other viewers, paying royalties to the creators of the original film. And this will become a whole new market. 3. AI video = programming. Previously, videos could only be shot by specially trained people and companies with a bag of time and money for it. Now the audience of potential video and film creators will grow 10-100 times. After all, the process of creating AI video is no different from the process of programming. And almost anyone can learn to program - if only they have the desire. Therefore, now it will be possible for one person to shoot a film for 1-10 million dollars. And a small team can aim for a billion 💰 4. The topic of AI video has been exciting me for the second month already. Because it looks like it can take off no weaker than the topic of startups once took off. And you need to do not just anything, but what the time has come for ⏱️ 5. What do you think is cooler - AI video or IT startups? 😉

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"How can we find employees who are ready to work their asses off for our company?" 1. No way. 2. The only thing that is possible is to find people who are ready to work their asses off for themselves 😉 Although there are not that many such people. 3. For example, these could be people who desperately need to earn money. And you give them this opportunity - and without any restrictions from above. 4. And if you align their earnings with what the company will earn as a result - although they will work their asses off for themselves, it will be indistinguishable from the fact that they are working their asses off for the company 😉 5. In short, you need to look for the hungry. Because not a single well-fed person, despite the highest level of competence, will work their ass off for anyone or anything.

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"How can we find employees who are ready to work their asses off for our company?" 1. No way. 2. The only thing that is possible is to find people who are ready to work their asses off for themselves 😉 Although there are not that many such people. 3. For example, these could be people who desperately need to earn money. And you give them this opportunity - and without any restrictions from above. 4. And if you align their earnings with what the company will earn as a result - although they will work their asses off for themselves, it will be indistinguishable from the fact that they are working their asses off for the company 😉 5. In short, you need to look for the hungry. Because not a single well-fed person, despite the highest level of competence, will work their ass off for anyone or anything.

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Checklist for a breakthrough AI startup 1. Actually, it's funny to even call this a checklist, because the list consists of only one item 😉 2. You need to find something that AI can make cheaper and/or simpler by 10-100 times - so that 10-100 times more people start using it. 3. The potential for such changes is currently hidden in very different areas - from legal services to video production. 4. You just need to choose which of these you want to do. 5. Yes, the result also depends on this. But in the end, does it really matter to you whether you make 1 billion or 10 😉

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The cost of attracting a customer should not be reduced, but increased! 1. Oddly enough, startups that try to reduce the cost of attracting a customer to fit into their small profit margin are doomed. 2. Because only those startups whose business models allow them to pay the highest possible customer acquisition prices will survive. And there are two reasons for this. 3. First, any clever and cheap way to attract customers will inevitably be copied. After which competitors will flood in, and the cost of such advertising will begin to rise sharply. 4. Second, the one who sets the highest prices for their advertising will be able to push all competitors out of this channel. Or ruin them if they risk paying the same money. 5. So, if you are upset by the high acquisition prices in your topic, do not look for ways to reduce them. It is better to calculate your business model so that you can pay 1.5-2 times more for attracting customers! 6. And then you will simply wipe out all your competitors from this market 😉

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You can't improve. You can only change. 1. In business, nothing can be fixed. In the sense that you can't take something that doesn't work and make it work. 2. To do this, you need to change the business process - throw out what doesn't work, add what's missing, or even build everything from scratch. 3. In other words, in business, nothing can be improved, you can only change. 4. While writing, I realized that life is the same thing. You can't improve life. You can only change it - and hope that this will lead to its improvement 😉

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I'm not an idiot 1. If I stop asking users why they stopped using my product, it means I already know what's wrong with it. I just don't want to admit it to myself. 2. If I don't stop asking users about it, it means I'm an idiot if I still haven't figured it out 😉 3. So, what's wrong with my product? What can I do to try to fix it? 4. And if I say that the product is actually good, it's the users who are bad, then I'm definitely an idiot ☹️ 5. But you're better than me, aren't you? 😉

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Give your pigeon a kick 1. "Imagine a flock of pigeons flying. Suddenly, an invisible hand throws one of the pigeons high into the air. And everyone notices it! And no one pays attention to the rest." These are the words a partner of the a16z fund uses to describe the current situation on the startup market. 2. Any technology can be copied very quickly now. That's why there are a lot of similar pigeon startups flying around the market 😉 Some are lower, some are higher — it doesn't matter at all! Because only those who fly above the threshold of ordinary inattention get a chance to succeed. 3. And most importantly — you can't achieve this by improving the product. Against the background of many analogues, you can only attract attention with attention-grabbing tools 🚀 One example is the American startup Cluely. 4. In March, a startup created a product in 4 days that you can discreetly peek at during online technical interviews. The founders talk about how they used it to pass interviews at Amazon, Facebook, and TikTok. After which they get kicked out of Columbia University, which they also talk about everywhere. 5. In April, the startup is already earning $250,000 a month. Which they also talk about everywhere and raise their first $5.3 million in investments. At the same time, a provocative video is released about how the founder used Cluely to cheat on a romantic date. The video gets more than 20 million views. 6. In May, the startup announces that it is releasing a product “with which you can cheat anywhere,” and not just at interviews. For example, discreetly peek at cheat sheets during conversations with clients, patients, employees, etc. 😉 7. In June, the police break up a startup party held during the Y Combinator AI school. Cluely is already making over $400,000 a month and is raising another $15 million in funding from a16z. 8. What have you done in the last couple of months to attract as much attention as you have?

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Development is not an "improvement" 1. Development is not an "improvement". Because after improvement, it's the same thing, but better 😉 And development is a transition to a qualitatively new level. That is, transformation into something else. 2. Roughly speaking, Facebook developed when it was transformed from a dating app first into an illustrated catalog of Harvard students, and then into a social network. After that, Zuckerberg began trying to turn Facebook into a virtual world, but he hasn't succeeded yet. 3. Airbnb developed when it was transformed from a flophouse with inflatable mattresses first into a service for moving guests into a spare room, and then into a business renting out apartments and houses for short terms. And now Brian Chesky wants to turn Airbnb into an app for any experience and impressions related to travel. And even to life in general. 4. It is worth noting separately that "expansion", "scaling", "entering new countries" are still improvements, not development. Because everything remains the same. Only the size changes. 5. And "development" is when you are able to perceive what you have done only as a preparatory stage for something new. And regardless of the stage, size and success - from small unsuccessful startups to large successful companies. 6. And from here a very interesting and promising question immediately follows. What you already have now is a preparatory stage for what?

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5. The simplest examples of leading metrics are your schedule, your spending, and your social circle. 6. If you spend time and money on the same thing, communicating with the same people, there is a good chance that after a year your progress will stop. 7. First you will reach a plateau, and then you will gradually slide off it. Because everything that does not grow, dies ☹️ 8. So how are your leading metrics doing? 😉

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Leading metrics are not only for startups, but also for ordinary people! 1. Any self-respecting startup evaluates its progress not just by revenue growth, but by so-called "leading" metrics. These metrics reflect which indicators are improving today - which will affect revenue growth tomorrow. 2. Mark Zuckerberg was almost the first to draw attention to such metrics - noticing that those who continued to use Facebook were those who had friended at least 10 people within 14 days of registration. Therefore, Facebook immediately began to persistently offer new users friend candidates. 3. The trick is that such leading metrics are not only for startups, but also for ordinary people! 4. It is clear that you can evaluate your progress, for example, by how much more you began to earn. But will this progress continue?

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Anyone try OpenCode? Been hearing good things https://opencode.ai/

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5. First, you need to guess where this big machine will be carried by inertia next. In order to do something "perpendicular" yourself. For what the competitor will have to waste time on turning around. 6. And then find a niche where this big machine will not want to climb at first. Because the niche is too narrow, like, why bother. 7. And the trick of the startup will be to expand this narrow niche. So that it can turn into a truck before the catching truck gets around to it 😉 8. In short, what truck is your startup catching up to? Where will it be carried by inertia? And what narrow alley will it not want to squeeze into?

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How to escape from a truck? 1. You've seen in movies many times how a guy on a puny moped escapes from a powerful truck? And he never goes straight, because then the truck will catch up with him in two jumps and crush him. 2. Instead, he constantly turns sharply - and the heavy truck moves forward by inertia. After which he is forced to turn around or reverse in order to join the pursuit again. 3. And eventually the moped turns into a narrow alley, where the truck simply cannot squeeze in. And then the guy on the moped shows the truck the finger and disappears. 4. Well, this is a classic scheme of competitive struggle between a puny startup and a powerful and large competitor 😉

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2. What makes money: — Solving expensive problems for customers with large budgets. — Automating tasks for which manual outsourcing currently costs $5,000 per month and up. — Creating platforms that bring order to the usual chaos, and which can therefore chew up chaotic data 😉 — Automation is not to improve the efficiency of processes, but to increase revenue. 3. Examples of questions that automation should answer: — Will someone pay $1,000 per month to not do this manually? — Will this save them from having to answer a call from an angry client at 2 a.m.? — Will automation break if the input data format changes? — Does this automation solve a $10,000 problem or eliminate a $10 inconvenience.

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