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As the co-founder of Good American and founding pa

As the co-founder of Good American and founding partner of SKIMS, Emma Grede built her career by asking questions, listening intently, and studying the people around her.

“The best mentors don’t have time to mentor you… So ask questions. Learn from whoever’s in the room.”

At 18, working in fashion production, she sat in front of her boss, listened to every sales call, and took notes.

Was it a formal mentorship? No. Was it formative? Absolutely.

Grede’s advice to ambitious people: Stop chasing a perfect mentor. Start being radically curious.

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Elon Musk doesn’t solve problems like most peopl

Elon Musk doesn’t solve problems like most people do.

While others copy what’s already been done, he starts from zero.

“First principles is a physics way of looking at the world… you boil things down to the most fundamental truths and reason up from there.”
This mental model powers everything from Tesla to SpaceX, and it’s why Musk keeps doing what others call impossible.

Most people reason by analogy. It’s easier. But it rarely leads to breakthrough ideas.

First principles thinking is harder, because it forces clarity. It strips away assumptions, traditions, and trends until only truth is left.

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Apple was weeks from bankruptcy until Steve Jobs r

Apple was weeks from bankruptcy until Steve Jobs returned in 1997.

Three months later, in a rare CNBC interview, he revealed the mindset behind the turnaround:

“If you get the right strategy, the right people, and the right culture… the bottom line will follow.”

Jobs wasn’t focused on profits.

He was focused on 𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩, across people, product, and purpose.

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“The great founders are frugal.” When Eric Sc

“The great founders are frugal.”

When Eric Schmidt joined Google as CEO in 2001, the company had already raised $25 million, yet he shared an office with four engineers and lent his car to a founder whose car broke down.

That wasn’t unusual. According to Schmidt, it was a sign they were building something real.

“I can always tell when we’re dealing with a proper founder by how they’re spending their money.”

Startups that focus on optics, lavish offices, expensive perks miss the point. The best founders know that precision in spending and personal sacrifice are part of the DNA.

This isn’t about hustle culture. It’s about discipline, clarity, and understanding what early-stage leadership really requires.

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One of Silicon Valley’s most influnetial minds,

Before “Is It Cake?” went viral, Skoda was alr

Paul Graham, co-founder of Y Combinator, explains

Paul Graham, co-founder of Y Combinator, explains why great startups don’t begin with scale.

They begin with obsession:

← “You’ve got to find people who want what you’re making a lot.”
← “Then focus entirely on making those first users super, super happy.”

Forget mass adoption. Your first 10 users matter more than your next 10,000.

This is how billion dollar companies get built, from a small, intense fire 📈

If you’re in the early days of building, does this change how you think about growth? 👀

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5,126 failures. No business plan. Young hires. T