Pick My Brain’s Post

Early Saturday morning, our group (T333) met up for the first session of 'Zero to One ~  Peter Thiel' I had the pleasure of moderating the session. We covered the three chapters: 1. The challenge of the future. 2. Party like it's 1999. 3. All happy companies are different. Noteworthy concepts: - Vertical progress vs Horizontal progress - 0-1 , 1-n -Definite optimism -Indefinite pessimism -Contrarian truth Key takeaways from the discussion: a. There is a need to leverage Technology more than Globalization in a bid to solve the world's problems. b. We need to build companies that are highly differentiated from the competitor's offering. c. It is hard to develop new things in big organizations. d. It is even harder to do it by yourself. e. You need to work with other people to get stuff done, but you also need to stay small enough so that you actually can. 'Positively defined, a startup is the largest group of people you can convince of a plan to build a different future' #leadershipdevelopment Appreciation to the team for a very engaging discussion. Sammy Jamar, Muriithi Kibe, Eng. Moshe M. O. Ojanga , Anthony Kaigwa MBA, CMRP, CRL, Reuben Kiiru Mburu, Lawrence Githinji, The Men's Book Breakfast ~ The MBB

📚 #T335 The Men's Book Breakfast ~ The MBB on Saturday, March 9th, was mind blowing! 🚀 Excited to share insights from "Zero to One" by Peter Thiel! 📚 Let's dive into Chapters 10-12: 🔍 Chapter 10 - THE MECHANICS OF MAFIA: Unveiling the vital role of company culture, fueled by the unwavering vision of its founder. Navigating the labyrinth of talent acquisition, a cornerstone for building a thriving enterprise. A cautionary tale on the influence of clients on culture, underscoring the delicate balance between evolution and preservation. 🔍 Chapter 11 - IF YOU BUILD IT, WILL THEY COME?: Elevating customer service and crafting a robust sales strategy as non-negotiables in the startup journey. Exploring the paradox of engineers perceiving sales as trivial, while it remains the lifeblood of any business. Drawing inspiration from Elon Musk's masterful persuasion skills in propelling Space X to stratospheric success. Spotlighting the indispensable role of effective distribution channels in scaling a venture. 🔍 Chapter 12 - MAN, AND MACHINE: Embracing the symbiotic relationship between humans and technology, where computers augment rather than replace human ingenuity. Pioneering a new era where businesses empower individuals, laying the foundation for enduring success. Unveiling the power of the "Igor" example, a testament to the potency of a man-machine hybrid approach in tackling multifaceted challenges. Thanks to the team members guided by the brilliant Joshua Gitoho, MCIPS, and the invaluable contributions of @Gerald Owino, Peter Kagechu, @Simon Wanyutu,  Njenga Wainaina, and David Kimura. The atmosphere was charged with knowledge and insight. 💡 A heartfelt thank you goes out to Lawrence Githinji whose orchestrating skills brought this extraordinary interaction to life. What are your thoughts on company culture, sales strategy, and the man-machine partnership? Share your ideas below! 👇 #ZeroToOne #StartupSuccess #Entrepreneurship101

This blog post will provide new founders with actionable tips to help them navigate this complex environment. Real-world examples from well-known founders will inspire and guide you along the way. Check out my blog post https://wix.to/oCGXBHw #newblogpost

This week Sarah van Hellenberg Hubar-Fisher and myself chat with Jason Foster.  Jason is currently the CEO of Oribiotech and was one of the founding team at Indivior. This is a master class in hyper scaling to IPO while keeping the culture. Growing from 5 people to 400 people in 4 years on the way to a $1b in revenue business. Highlights 05:32 The Driving Force to IPO 08:48 Culture is what happens between team building sessions 18:05 Angel investing and getting back in the hot seat 19:49 How come I haven’t heard about a cure for cancer? 20:52 The 10m seed round 21:14 I really wasn’t looking for a job 22:03 5000 health tech opportunities 25:19 Building the company you always wanted to work for 27:03 You can’t let talent dilute 28:31 Taking money off the table 31:10 You’re taking their money they get a say 32:24 Why you don’t want value add investors 38:15 Firing like Moneyball 40:38 Not a question I have been asked before 42:27 Apple wrapping a ecosystem around hardware 45:44 Are Apple’s best days behind it? 48:07 Jason the athlete! 51:52 Can big companies innovate? Listen here on  Youtube https://lnkd.in/epc_bwUh  Spotify https://lnkd.in/eqdJru5h

In honor of Women’s Business Month, we will be shining a spotlight on several of our women-owned business clients. We are pleased to introduce Ceemo.ai and Heather Lawver. Ceemo’s mission is to make it easier for everyone to brand, market & pitch their company. Nothing makes us happier than helping other founders discover how to tell their stories more effectively, and seeing how that unlocks their company's future. One secret to our success is: Never undervalue the power of determination. Startup life is really hard. Lean on your team, your friends and your family. If you take care of them, they will take care of you. Next powered by Shulman Rogers

🧨BOOM! 🧨 ANOTHER NEW WORLD MEMBER! A big #NDBAbiz welcome to Jeffrey Feldberg founder of Deep Wealth ... "The only system by owners for owners to increase profits and value." "Imagine yourself not just rejecting a seven-figure offer but ultimately achieving a life-changing nine-figure exit. That's the transformative power of Deep Wealth Mastery, a 90-day strategic journey designed by Jeffrey Feldberg, based on his experience of turning down a seven-figure offer and later welcoming a nine-figure exit. Envision skyrocketing your profits, maximizing your enterprise value, and crafting a fulfilling post-exit life. Deep Wealth Mastery unlocks hidden potential for exponential growth, positions you to attract top-dollar offers, and empowers you to build lasting success beyond the sale. Don't just dream of entrepreneurial excellence; prepare for it. Deep Wealth Mastery is more than learning—it's an experience that reshapes your approach to business and life. Join us today and embark on a transformative journey." Copy and paste the following link into your web browser to schedule a complimentary strategy call to unlock your nine-figure potential and redefine success across every facet of your venture: https://buff.ly/3OPpmjs Welcome to the Team Business, buff.ly/3wmcz1u

PSA: Long weekends give founders time to overthink. Prepare for a pivot. Thanksgiving weekend is here and from my experience in startup land… long weekends = uninterrupted time for the CEO to rethink *everything*. Monday morning, you’ll be in an all-hands meeting reviewing a shiny new deck filled with urgent, non-negotiable ideas. What’s in the Shiny Deck? (Pick any two!): - mission-critical roadmap that’s 100% AI-integrated - bold redefinition of the company’s value proposition - 10x growth hack for customer acquisition visionary new product that’s totally unvalidated - timeline to execute it all in one week My advice to CEOs and founders guilty of this long weekend behavior: Skip the overthinking. Be transparent about the company challenges and brainstorm solutions with your team. Transparency builds buy-in, alignment, and real progress. No shiny deck required! #BuzzkillInBusiness #StartupReality #FounderVision

Continuous Good. On March 15, I gave a 3-minute pitch to a crowded room at the Prince Waikiki Hotel during the East Meets West 10th annual conference in Hawaii hosted by Blue Startups. Special thanks to the organizers and sponsors for an informative event. It served as the official public announcement of a product that I’ve been working on for a few months with 3 other brilliant and generous minds: Celeste L., Yan Vishnepolsky, and Carlo Liquido. This product is the first to come out of my recently formed Hawaii-based business called Continuous Good LLC. Continuous Good LLC creates products and services using advanced technologies that benefit minority communities, businesses, and tech talent. Our first product, /’gīdens/ is designed to tackle a very BIG problem: Small business failure. We will be leveraging AI to help small business owners navigate ambiguity, gain clarity, and achieve successful outcomes, especially those who are marginalized. Although we did not win the pitch competition, I walked away meeting some transformative individuals and learned what it means to have a successful company in Hawaii.  This conference launched me into the world of VC funding and networking with investors. All very new for me. The dinner hosted by Crosscut Ventures was delicious and the conversations were just as satisfying. The 1:1 I had with Uriridiakoghene (Ulili) Onovakpuri from Kapor Capital was enlightening and energizing. Yiying Lu gave a powerful and inspiring talk as usual. She never disappoints. Gregory Shepard gave me so much hope for the future. It was an honor to meet him and learn from him. Chris Yeh shared some eye opening insights. To be clear, seeking VC's and investors was something that I was very hesitant to step into because of the less than 1% of funding that goes to Black founders and the reasons why. Nonetheless, here I am. And after this conference, I’m glad I'm in this space. I’m not gonna lie, I’m nervous as @#&$! BUT, I believe too much in this community, our team, and this product that will help so many small business owners to let a little thing like fear get in the way. If you're interested in learning more about /'gīdens/, I'm down to chat. Here we go!

At X Solutions, we believe in the power of vision and execution. Our mantra, "Think Big, Start Small, Scale Fast," reflects our approach to success. We encourage businesses to dream big, begin with focused, achievable steps, and then rapidly scale to reach new heights. Whether you’re launching a new project or growing your brand, starting with a solid foundation and accelerating growth is the key to long-term success. Let us help you transform your bold ideas into reality and expand at a pace that drives impactful results. #ThinkBigStartSmall #XSolutions #BusinessGrowth #ScaleFast #DigitalTransformation #InnovationJourney #DreamBigAchieveMore #StartupMindset #growthstrategy

See that pale blue dot? That's us. Say hi. 👋 Tiny right? Humbling? Carl Sagan's words about the "Pale Blue Dot" photograph offer a powerful reminder: "There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known." That image along with Carl's words resonate so much with how we view our standing in the universe and how we believe we should be acting towards each other. So today, we're introducing the first of our core values: Perspective. For us, perspective means: - Partnering kindly and collaboratively, recognising we're all on this journey together - Understanding where a startup truly stands in its growth journey - Aligning brand narratives with both current capabilities and future potential - Balancing immediate needs with long-term, planet-positive impact By maintaining perspective, we help founders craft messages and digital experiences that don't just build brands—they inspire action for our pale blue dot. Founders, how has your startup journey shaped your core values? #StartupValues #Perspective #EcoTech #BrandStrategy