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This is his unfiltered story of how founder martyrdom, ego-driven decisions, and the relentless pursuit of “productivity” can kill everything you’re trying to build.
🧠 Critical Founder Insights
▪️ How to identify what work actually moves the needle
▪️ The difference between being bold versus being rash
▪️ The psychological traps that make founders optimise for ego instead of reality
▪️ The art of creating psychological safety that transforms company culture overnight
▪️ Why putting yourself first isn’t selfish - it’s the only way to truly serve your team
▪️ The “martingale system” trap that destroys even the most promising startups
📖 Chapters
00:00 - Intro
01:45 - From university reject to startup head of growth
05:00 - “95% of work is a complete f**king waste of time”
08:11 - How to spot busywork vs needle-moving activities
10:24 - The ego test: when rationalisation becomes poison
12:20 - Breaking down founder ego and fear of failure
16:01 - The other side: why you still need some ego to succeed
20:22 - The secret to good research (Amos Tversky’s game-changing quote)
22:08 - Reality vs perception: mental models for startup success
23:13 - Mould toxicity: when founder martyrdom nearly killed him
28:04 - The subtle signs that compound into disaster
30:39 - Why your energy ripples through everything
35:05 - The Elon paradox: when 100-hour weeks actually work
41:33 - Bold vs rash: the Napoleon trap every founder falls into
45:25 - Richard Branson’s secret: understanding the rules before breaking them
52:11 - The barbell theory: how to take asymmetric bets
58:44 - First principles of hiring: why companies are just people breaking bread
01:04:39 - Leading through change: communication as the ultimate leverage
🍿 WATCH NEXT (YOUTUBE)
How 120 Seconds Changed My £7.6M Startup |...
📧 Get exclusive insights, timeless frameworks & founder tools in my newsletter: https://the-aj-connection.kit.com/e2d...
Visit discovermonk.com/SCALEWITHSOUL for a £100 Discount
By AJThis is his unfiltered story of how founder martyrdom, ego-driven decisions, and the relentless pursuit of “productivity” can kill everything you’re trying to build.
🧠 Critical Founder Insights
▪️ How to identify what work actually moves the needle
▪️ The difference between being bold versus being rash
▪️ The psychological traps that make founders optimise for ego instead of reality
▪️ The art of creating psychological safety that transforms company culture overnight
▪️ Why putting yourself first isn’t selfish - it’s the only way to truly serve your team
▪️ The “martingale system” trap that destroys even the most promising startups
📖 Chapters
00:00 - Intro
01:45 - From university reject to startup head of growth
05:00 - “95% of work is a complete f**king waste of time”
08:11 - How to spot busywork vs needle-moving activities
10:24 - The ego test: when rationalisation becomes poison
12:20 - Breaking down founder ego and fear of failure
16:01 - The other side: why you still need some ego to succeed
20:22 - The secret to good research (Amos Tversky’s game-changing quote)
22:08 - Reality vs perception: mental models for startup success
23:13 - Mould toxicity: when founder martyrdom nearly killed him
28:04 - The subtle signs that compound into disaster
30:39 - Why your energy ripples through everything
35:05 - The Elon paradox: when 100-hour weeks actually work
41:33 - Bold vs rash: the Napoleon trap every founder falls into
45:25 - Richard Branson’s secret: understanding the rules before breaking them
52:11 - The barbell theory: how to take asymmetric bets
58:44 - First principles of hiring: why companies are just people breaking bread
01:04:39 - Leading through change: communication as the ultimate leverage
🍿 WATCH NEXT (YOUTUBE)
How 120 Seconds Changed My £7.6M Startup |...
📧 Get exclusive insights, timeless frameworks & founder tools in my newsletter: https://the-aj-connection.kit.com/e2d...
Visit discovermonk.com/SCALEWITHSOUL for a £100 Discount