Founders

#41 The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers


Listen Later

What I learned from reading The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers by Ben Horowitz.

---

There's no recipe for complicated, dynamic situations [0:01]

Meeting Marc Andreessen [8:30]

The co-founder relationship between Marc and Ben [11:00]

How they came up with the idea for Loudcloud (Opsware) / A business is just an idea that will make someone's life better. —Richard Branson [13:45]

Ben finds value by asking the question: What would I do if we went bankrupt? [21:05]

Sell the wrong product to find the right one [22:30]

Saving a $20 million a year customer by buying a $10 million company [23:16]

Do not play the odds [27:27]

Discount praise. Focus on what can be fixed [28:32]

Why training is so important (compounding effect) [31:20]

Difference between large company executives and founders [32:00]

Why it is a good idea to collect good ideas [34:00]

Determination is more important than intelligence [35:30]

Your culture should be unique / Using shock to create behavioral change [38:24]

There is no founder school [40:30]

Perseverance is more important than intelligence [41:01]

Copy from great founders [46:50]

----

Founders Notes gives you the ability to tap into the collective knowledge of history's greatest entrepreneurs on demand. Use it to supplement the decisions you make in your work.  Get access to Founders Notes here

----

“I have listened to every episode released and look forward to every episode that comes out. The only criticism I would have is that after each podcast I usually want to buy the book because I am interested so my poor wallet suffers. ” — Gareth

Be like Gareth. Buy a book: All the books featured on Founders Podcast

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

FoundersBy David Senra

  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9

4.9

1,756 ratings


More shows like Founders

View all
a16z Podcast by Andreessen Horowitz

a16z Podcast

1,030 Listeners

The Twenty Minute VC (20VC): Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch by Harry Stebbings

The Twenty Minute VC (20VC): Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch

518 Listeners

The Knowledge Project with Shane Parrish by Shane Parrish

The Knowledge Project with Shane Parrish

2,634 Listeners

Invest Like the Best with Patrick O'Shaughnessy by Colossus | Investing & Business Podcasts

Invest Like the Best with Patrick O'Shaughnessy

2,313 Listeners

Capital Allocators – Inside the Institutional Investment Industry by Ted Seides – Allocator and Asset Management Expert

Capital Allocators – Inside the Institutional Investment Industry

803 Listeners

How to Take Over the World by Ben Wilson | QCODE

How to Take Over the World

794 Listeners

My First Million by Hubspot Media

My First Million

2,618 Listeners

All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg by All-In Podcast, LLC

All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg

9,045 Listeners

The Memo by Howard Marks by Oaktree Capital Management

The Memo by Howard Marks

401 Listeners

Business Breakdowns by Colossus | Investing & Business Podcasts

Business Breakdowns

345 Listeners

ACQ2 by Acquired by Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal

ACQ2 by Acquired

210 Listeners

Joys of Compounding by Colossus | Investing & Business Podcasts

Joys of Compounding

95 Listeners

Moneywise by Hampton

Moneywise

644 Listeners

BG2Pod with Brad Gerstner and Bill Gurley by BG2Pod

BG2Pod with Brad Gerstner and Bill Gurley

455 Listeners

Never Enough by Andrew Wilkinson

Never Enough

56 Listeners