$ manifesto
Manifesto
What drives me, how I work with people, and how I live.
This is what guides how I act. I first wrote it for the people I build with, so they'd know what to expect from me. It's still true.
Working with me
What moves me
- I trust the people I build with.
- I want to see them succeed, and I want to see us succeed as a team. I'll do my best to make that happen, and if I do, feeling successful comes on its own.
- Congruence, excellence and constant learning.
- Some tension early in a collaboration is normal. It's just ideas syncing.
How I work and decide
- I don't lie, even when the truth is hard to say. And I don't want to be lied to.
- I question every idea, my own included. I'm always looking for inconsistencies.
- I aim for perfection, knowing imperfection is part of it. That means the best I can do with the resources I have right now.
- I'm open to change. Show me real evidence, like data, books or results, and I'll listen.
- Building is expensive in time and money, so I validate before I build.
What I've learned by building
- I've built and launched many times. I've been accepted by accelerators and rejected by users. I've built a lot, and discarded a lot.
- I've studied the method deeply. That means all the YC material and Startup School, working with YC alumni, The Four Steps to the Epiphany, Lean Canvas, and getting out of the building to talk to users.
- So I can usually tell when a startup is on the right track, and when a mistake could have been avoided. Show me a different route you've validated, and I'm all ears.
What I call a truth
- A truth applies everywhere under a given set of circumstances. Follow it, and the outcome is predictable, even when the result isn't what you expected. That surprise only tunes the truth and makes it more solid.
- I'm closest to a truth when I can't find a single situation where it wouldn't apply.
Failure is not a mistake
- Being wrong is fine. Failing is fine. It's even what you aim for, because failing means learning, learning makes you wiser, and wiser people make fewer mistakes.
- A mistake is different. It's something you could have seen coming. If there was no way to be prepared, it wasn't a mistake. It was a failure, and a lesson.
Day to day
The user is our north star. Everything we build needs evidence behind it, and the evidence is the pain we're solving.
- Listen first. Lots of interviews with lots of users. We let them tell us their pains, in their own words.
- Evidence before code. We only build what solves a pain we've heard again and again.
- Then build. The smallest thing that solves that pain, and back to the users to see if it did.
- Sync. Short, honest, frequent. Decisions get written down.
- Pivot. When the evidence says so, not when it gets uncomfortable.
- Move fast, break fast, fix fast.
Who I want around me
People who want to be better, and who work at it. People who…
- tell the truth
- are committed
- work hard
- are congruent
- complement my weaknesses
- make my strengths stronger
- share their wisdom
- think of what's best for others
- embrace failure
- embrace fear and uncertainty
- ask questions
- set goals
- listen and challenge with respect
- are willing to change
People who won't let me down, and who know I'll do the same for them.
What I look for in a co-founder
- Wisdom: someone who has studied how to build a startup, a company and a product launch.
- High emotional intelligence.
What I bring, and what I'm looking for in a partner
- Building. It comes naturally to me, and I'm fast at it. I can sell too, but I'd love a partner whose main strength and focus is selling: living in customer conversations and closing deals, and able to build when it's needed.
- Focus. Ideas come easily to me, so the next one is always tempting. A partner who keeps us on one thing until it works makes us both better.
- Directness. I'm direct and my standards are high. A partner who reads the room helps hard conversations land well.
- Above all. We both do whatever the company needs, even when it's not our most developed skill yet.
I'm looking for a sales/BD co-founder to take Tribu (Slack-native team wellness) to its first paying clients. I bring product, engineering and infrastructure. If closing deals with People/HR leaders excites you, let's talk.
In short
Life's short.
Let's enjoy it.
Let's build something people want, because it solves a problem and makes someone's life better.
Even if we fail, we'll learn.
And that's already winning.
Life Framework v1
A compass for living with intention.
The same idea as the Better Together Framework, pointed at my own life. A fixed structure, with content that changes as I do.
- Freedom
- Curiosity
- Family & people
- Competence
- Integrity
- Create more than I consume
Live, learn, create, connect, experience.
Keep a body that is healthy, strong, capable and skilled.
Produce value, grow capability and build freedom.
- Smart / always learning
- Fit
- Market-valuable
- Musician
- Connected
- Financially free
- Money
- Organization
- Home
- Projects
- Calendar
- Admin
- Am I living by my principles?
- Is F, E or W being neglected?
- Do my current goals still matter?
- Is any system getting in my way instead of helping?
The structure stays. The content evolves with me. · Original graphic (Spanish) ↗
