Month: July 2019

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Favorite quotes

Love me some great quotes. Here are a few of my personal faves.

For sure 👇
“Being aware of a single shortcoming within yourself is far more useful than being aware of a thousand in someone else.”
– Dalai Lama


This is especially true nowadays. Also a great quote for product management.
“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”
– Da Vinci


An old classic!
“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”
 – Ben Franklin


And wow – maybe the best for last?
“We have two lives, and the second begins when we realize we only have one.”
– Confucius



 

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Simplify your product

I don’t know about you, but I love – absolutely LOVE – knowing my stuff when someone lobs me a grenade in the form of a thorny business or technical question, in which I’m well-versed.

 

It can be a C-level, a smart-ass playing “gotcha,” or a coworker genuinely interested in learning something. In any case, it feels fantastic to answer confidently and without hesitation, because, well, I know my shit. Plain and simple.

 

When I don’t know my shit, things get…problematic. But especially for me, because I’m not very good at bluffing.

 

Over the years I’ve worked with some very smart (and not so smart) individuals, and I’ve learned one simple truth: don’t bullshit. Bullshit is bullshit, and guess what? It stinks. And who can smell it best? People who know what they’re talking about! See the pattern here?


Now don’t get me wrong: there are still those so confident in their bullshit convictions that they defy conventional categorization. (They tend to end up in Sales, by the way. Which makes sense.)

 

But in any case, the key to building a great product, and hence a great business, is simple: be simple. Go deep and narrow, and don’t compromise. Ever notice how the best companies can explain what they do in one succinct sentence?

 

When a family member or non-adtech friend asks me what my company does, and I respond with, “Well, we’re a technology-enabled media services company that provides expertise on real-time bidding advertising solutions for direct marketers,” I get looks that say either “I don’t care” or “Shut the fuck up.” It’s true.

 

People overcomplicate things, especially in ad tech. So stop it. Or feel free to call b/s as liberally as needed.