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 |...

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