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29 Lessons From Year 29
This year was a weird one, but there was just as much to learn. Here are 9 things that stood out for me this year.
Remote Work is Here to Stay
Why remote work will outlast the pandemic—examining the permanent shifts in how we work, the benefits companies have discovered, and what this means for the future.
Find Solutions, Not Problems
Pointing out problems is easy. But we all have a choice to make: do we want to be critics, or optimists?
Valuing Time
We are terrible at managing our time. Here are two techniques I've found useful for helping understand the value of time.
Why I Hate Jargon
We're all guilty of using jargon sometimes. It feels good, and shows expertise. But we should only be using it in specific situations.
How to Make Mistakes
We all make mistakes—but how we deal with them has a dramatic impact on our lives. Learn the mindset shift that transforms errors from setbacks into stepping stones for growth.
Advice for Those Graduating College
I've learned far more in the years since I've graduated than I did while at school. Here's my advice for those finishing university or college.
8 Lessons from Year 28
Lessons I've learned on how to live better from my 28th year, including the formula for happiness, how to set good goals, and what you should read.
What Makes a Great Product Manager?
What makes a great product manager? This list of attributes is extensive, but all are important to being a great PM.
Why Your Project Needs a Concept
Concepts, like a concept car, are important for communicating your vision of the future with customers and employees alike. They're also valuable tools for clarifying assumptions and details, and should not be overlooked.
My Favourite Tech Products
A curated list of my favourite tech products for productivity, focus, and effective work—from noise-cancelling headphones to apps that help me stay organized and get things done.
Techstars Boston Week 11 - Last Workshop
This week was the last "normal" week in Techstars, before the pitch practice madness begins. The final week was full of workshops, with the last workshop on Friday, and the topics varied from selling techniques, to common VC (venture capital) pitch mistakes, to PR (public relations) strategy.
Techstars Boston Week 4 - Efficiency
Sales and efficiency were the key topics this week, with a workshop focused on sales, and some insights from the Founder Story.
I Have a New Job at Unito
I just left my position as cofounder at Lean Systems, and started a new role with Unito, a startup based in Montreal doing syncing between collaboration tools. This post explains the rationale for the decision, and why I’m excited about this new opportunity.
Techstars Boston Week 1 - The Beginning
Four key lessons from my first week as an Associate at Techstars Boston—insights on startup culture, mentor relationships, and the intensity of accelerator programs.
Techstars Boston Week 5 - Madness Over!
Lessons from Week 5 of Techstars Boston, where we learned about the power of the Techstars network, and learned all about customer interviewing.
The 3-Tier Buying Model
In this post, I posit there are three tiers for most goods: cheap, luxury and middle. The value is typically found in the middle, and while there are some good products in the other tiers, you must be careful.
Techstars NYC Week 2 - Sales & Mentor Madness
After determining that growth and product were going to be our two main points of focus in Week 1, we got prepared for Mentor Madness in Week 2.
Techstars NYC Week 4 - Conference Tips
I spent most of Week 4 in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, attending the NBAA Schedulers & Dispatchers conference which happens once every year. In theory, these are exactly the people we want to be talking to, learning from, and eventually helping, so it was a great opportunity.
Advice for Finding a Cofounder
Finding a cofounder is one of the most important steps in the life of a startup. Here are my tips on how to do it.
Inversion - How to Succeed by Avoiding Mistakes
Inversion is a powerful concept that charts the path to success by looking at the opposite - the things guaranteed to make you fail. Understanding this mental model will help you solve problems throughout life.
My Favourite Photo & Video Products
All of my favourite photo and video products in one post, with details about each one, and how I use them.
My First 3 Months at Unito
Reflections on my first 3 months at Unito, a Montreal-based tech startup—lessons on joining a growing company, product development, and startup culture.
What is Confirmation Bias?
Confirmation bias affects us all, every day. Do you know where it occurs in your own life? Do you know how to reduce the effects? This post will teach you to identify and counter confirmation bias throughout your life.
Making the Most of College
This fall, my two brothers are both applying to college (used interchangeably with university throughout). Both are in different situations, and separated by three years; they’re likely going to have very different experiences. But the fact that both are going to be heading off to university for at least the next four years prompted me to reflect on my time at university, and what I’d do differently if I had to do it again.
My Founder Institute Experience
Thinking about joining the Founder Institute in your city? This post goes into detail about my experience, and whether I would recommend it.
Techstars Boston Week 6 - Hangover
Lessons from Week 6 at Techstars Boston, with some great Founder Stories, learning about behavioural interviewing and exploring cofounder conflict.
The Growth Process (for Startups)
Expanding upon the growth framework I introduced in the last post, I describe in detail how I think about growth, and the steps I go through when working on growth experiments.
What is Growth? (And What Does a 'Growth Specialist' Do?)
What is growth? And what does a Growth Specialist do? When I tell people about my work, these are the questions that immediately follow. This post gives an overview of the answers to these questions.
Extreme Ownership: Taking Responsibility to Improve
Learn how the concept of Extreme Ownership can help you overcome self-justification and cognitive dissonance to take responsibility and improve faster.
Stop Criticizing Positive Change
Many people want to improve themselves. Our natural tendency when people attempt to make a change is to find the faults, the imperfections. You must fight this habit.
The 4 Things You Need for a Great Remote Work Setup
Remote work is here to stay. To make it productive, you need to make sure you have these four things in place. If you do, it will be almost like being in person!
Startup Failure - Why I Left My Startup
The difficult decision to leave the startup I founded through Founder Institute Montreal—lessons learned about co-founder dynamics, market timing, and knowing when to walk away.
The Complete Guide to Personality Tests
Find out which personality tests you should use to figure out your strengths and weaknesses, essential knowledge for success both personally and professionally.