Our New Year’s Resolution: Meet New People!
Yesterday felt like the real January 1, so we’re sharing a late New’s Year’s Resolution: meet new people!
Can you think of five people who work in SaaS companies that want to grow faster and pursue virtue? Send them our way!
Who do you want to meet? We know lots of good SaaS product leaders, sales leaders, technologists, marketers, investors, and other lovers of great work and good humor. Tell us who you want to meet, and we’ll be happy to make introductions.
In our spirit of renewal, below are some favorite inspirations from our two mentors, Michel de Montaigne of 16th century France and Margret the 16 years old pug of Central Avenue. We hope these words of wisdom help you improve your business.
If you like these, share with friends!
“The gain from our study is to have become better and wiser by it.”
“I’ve been a perfect dog my whole life, and every day I get better. ”
Application
Don’t ask, “What did we accomplish?” Ask, “What did we learn?” Focusing on accomplishments puts outcomes before learning. If we learn well, we’ll get the results we want, but if we focus too much on outcomes, we’ll jeopardize honest evaluation.
Keep track of your market hypothesis. Write it down. Test it. Revise it.
Think like a scientist. It’s fine to guess when you start, but each guess should get better through data.
“Practice at enduring work is practice at enduring pain.”
“No matter how bad my hips feel, I still get up the stairs.”
Application
Great work requires drudgery, but the more we work, the easier the work is to bear.
Do the task you’re trying to avoid first.
Set simple goals and measure your progress. Progress every day beats occasional breakthroughs every time.
“Because we have failed to choose their road well, we often spend a lot of time and effort for nothing, training children (and customers) for things in which they cannot get a foothold.”
“If I don’t like the dog food, I won’t eat it, no matter how nicely you ask.”
Application
Customers are like children: we have to show them the way forward, but we need to do it with love and empathy.
If we lead customers down the wrong road, our customers will know it, and they’ll resist.
As with raising children, our work is always about our customers.
“Who does not willingly exchange health, rest, and life for reputation and glory, the most useless, worthless, and false coin that is current among us? … Virtue is content with itself, without rules, without words, without deeds.”
“I say nothing, and yet I’m loved.”
Application
Don't let others define your fortune.
Piles of money are never guaranteed, no matter how hard we work.
Money is the wrong goal if we seek to be content with ourselves.
By seeking virtue we are guaranteed virtue, and we might get riches, too.
“I do not share the common error of judging another by myself. I easily believe another man may have qualities different from mine.”
“No two dogs are the same, yet we are all best in our own show. ”
Application
When you hire people, don’t assume you know what background they should have to do the work that needs to be done. Instead of talking, give them a task, and see how they do it.
About Fortune’s Path
Deep thinking, hard working, always learning, Fortune’s Path is a product consultancy that helps SaaS companies grow rich by pursuing virtue. Go-to-market. Competitive intelligence. Fractional leadership.