Saying no is table stakes

A monumental part of building a startup is getting good at dealing with opportunity cost.

At any given moment, there are approximately 10,000 things you could do. Of those, probably around 100 of them are decent ideas. Of those, you get to pick one.

The one you choose needs to have your confidence and belief behind it. You can’t flip flop around and be indecisive. Find your bet, and put your money down with as much information you can, as quickly as you can, so you can find out if you were right. That’s the key to the game.

But, this inherently means you need to be saying “no” to a lot of good ideas too. Ideas that could in theory be the right way forward. It means potentially disappointing people who are excited about those ideas.

But focus is key, and lack of it is a road to failure. Focus can’t exist if you’re not willing to place your bet.