Issue 13

March 25, 2024

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What I Do (and Don't) Know

On my mind

Over the weekend, I posted a vulnerable thread on X. It was part rant and part experiment. When it comes to social media, I pride myself on being real and never fake. This means that sometimes I feel compelled to share my lowlight reel, including my flaws, struggles, and mistakes.

It felt good to vent and publicly share what I do and don't know right now. The thread was also a bit of an experiment to see what kind of comments I would get and whether my brutal honesty would resonate with otheres. It did and I'm glad I posted it.

For 3 months now, I've been writing this newsletter and posting almost daily on X and LinkedIn. Here's what I know and don't know:

I don't know

• My niche or brand
• Who my audience is
• What I should write or post about

I do know

• I'm here for real connections, not viral posts or more followers
• I like to write, especially when I care about the topic
• I love to code and build products
• I want to solve problems and make life easier for people
• I enjoy being an engineering leader and helping engineers grow

In summary, I want to build cool shit and help people!

This might change in six months or two years, but for now, this is my reality and, to be honest, I like it. 😎

So if you're here because you're in Product or Engineering and want some leadership advice or you're building your own SaaS too and want some solopreneur tips, I'm flattered and grateful. I'm not just here to sell myself. I want to help you grow as a leader and an entrepreneur. So please reach out if you ever want to chat!

Valence

Our main priority remains to get feedback on our Slack app. I've challenged the team to meet with 1-3 people over the next few weeks, share the demo video, and listen.

My challenge to ask for feedback and embrace rejection was inspired by a book I started reading called Million Dollar Weekend. Thanks to this book, I've set a goal to get rejected more. 😂

My goal is to get rejected (or ghosted) at least 15 times a week! This means I need to contact at least 3 people ever weekday, which I can commit to.

Between X and LinkedIn, I have plenty of followers to ask. And since I'm working on two apps right now, I can alternate asking for feedback on each app.

So far I've probably asked about 20 people if they would be interested in hearing more about the Slack app over a video chat. 2 people said yes! I'm quickly getting over my fear of rejection and learning how powerful it can be to simply ask for what you want.

Agendaful

Last week I posted a message to my X followers inspiring them to set a weekly goal. I figured I should follow my advice. This was my Agendaful goal for last week:

1. Add database models for agendas and agenda items
2. Finish database integration for meetings

I'm happy to report I accomplished my goal and more! After I completed the tasks above, I started working on the database integration for agendas. The last big piece of my database work is to make sure agendas and agenda items can be saved and updated. That is underway so the finish line for this milestone is in sight!

It's hard to believe that less than 2 weeks ago, I posted a screenshot of my long to-do list for the database work and now I'm almost done! My strategy to break up the work by functions and chip away at it each day worked. Last week, I wrote about doing more and planning less. I'm checking off more items on my to-do list than I'm adding and it feels amazing! 🙌

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One last thing…

Here's what you might not know about me:

• I aim to get 7 hours of sleep every night
• I strive to read every day
• I try to exercise daily
• I'm a thankless Uber driver for my kids during the week 😭

I do all of this while working full-time and building my brand and business during my free time.

It's not easy.

You have to make sacrifices and be disciplined.

However, it is possible!

If you're thinking about building your brand or business, but feel like you don't have time, I'm here to call you out on your bullshit.

Time is not your problem. How you spend your time is the problem.

Turn off the TV. Get off your phone. You now have time.

So if you have a full-time job, a family, and hobbies, please don't think you have to say goodbye to them! There are plenty of successful solopreneurs and builders I know who do both.

I'm doing all of this my own way. Yes, I make sacrifices, but I also refuse to eliminate certain things like time with my family, sleep, and exercise.

You can too.

Thanks for reading this week. See you next week! 👋