The Weary Kind
w.211 | Mochary, Smart vs Intelligent, PowerLaw, Who Is Game Are You Playing?
Dear Friends,
Happy Labor Day weekend. It’s the end of summer and the beginning of the sprint to the end of the year. Enjoy the festivities however you might choose to celebrate. As a step to getting out of the blocks for the fall, I am glad to be back at the keyboard for this edition of
.I spent most of the last month in Austin. When I mention that in conversation, people often say, ‘That’s terrible, it’s so hot,’ but I enjoyed it. Yes, I was in a controlled climate for most of the day (thanks, air conditioning!) - but I also appreciated that, when you do go outside there, sweat is a great equalizer. Everyone is impacted. No one looks great. You feel your humanity immediately. Thankful for the slight shade. Drink a lot of water. Take evening showers. It’s not too dissimilar to the feeling at Burning Man—accelerated bonding through shared hardship. Although I’m not sorry I missed that experience this year (good luck to everyone getting out!).
Walking around at night, sitting on an evening porch, and hitting up Barton Springs to tread water for exercise are all part of the rhythm. And the city was quiet as many people left for various summer holidays.
Now that it’s beginning to drop below 100, I dare say, I think I will miss it.
Back to the usual beat: What’s happening in the world?
Today's Contents:
Good Reads: Sensible Investing
Obviously The Future: The Podcast
Song of the Week: The Weary Kind
Good Reads: Sensible Investing
Smart vs. Intelligent by Morgan Housel
Intelligent people understand technical details, smart people understand emotional details.
Kevin Kelly has this great idea that you’re only thinking independently if your views on certain topics can’t be predicted from your views on other topics.
Recognizing that the best story wins.
He got it a bit wrong in the last paragraph: It’s hard to teach that. Storytelling is a soft, emotional skill. It’s not found in intelligence. It’s found in smarts.
You can teach storytelling. It’s not hard to teach; it’s just perceived to be harder because it is de-emphasized traditionally. You can teach smarts.
First Round Ten Years Project. Great read on ten data-backed lessons from ten years of startup investing.
A couple fit the prevailing narrative: Where you went to school matters; investors pay more for repeat founders.
A couple do not: Fortune favors the young; the next big thing can come from anywhere (I’ve always believed this for the record).
Mochary Method Curriculum. Matt Mochary is a Silicon Valley coach. He opened up his entire library of content and curriculum on Google to the public. That’s the link. There are lots of good, practical pieces in there.
Why Starting Your Investor Updates With “Cash on Hand” Information is a Major Red Flag Right Now. Like most things from Hunter Walk, it's worth the read.
The quicker you can ensure your team and your investors are all aligned behind a “spend X to generate something greater than X” strategy, the more likely you are to produce an outcome that rewards your time and hard work as a founder.
Thread on VenCap Returns: We looked at our data on 11,350 companies backed by 259 funds from 1986 to 2018.
Obviously The Future: The Podcast
Arvind and I decided to get serious a few months ago, and we started recording and editing over the summer. Everything people say is true: it’s more work than you expect, but we had fun, learned a lot, and feel pretty good about the output.
explores the massive trends that will shape our world in conversation with the trailblazers, the non-conformists, and the hidden experts who are building tomorrow, today.We are launching Season 1 the week of September 11th. Stay tuned…..
Song of the Week: The Weary Kind
Video and Trailer for Crazy Heart
The movie Crazy Heart, now almost 15 years old, is a classic. I recommend a re-watch or first watch, whatever it is for you. As I was sweating it out this summer, I was reminded of the verse from The Weary Kind, a key song from the film:
Your body aches. Playing your guitar, sweating out the hate. The days and the nights all feel the same.
Endure the heat and keep on going.
“The Weary Kind” by Ryan Bingham
Your body aches
Playing your guitar, sweating out the hate
The days and the nights all feel the same
Whiskey has been a thorn in your side
It doesn't forget
The highway that calls for your heart inside
And this ain't no place for the weary kind
This ain't no place to lose your mind
This ain't no place to fall behind
Pick up your crazy heart and give it one more trySelfie of August
My friend took this pic on a hangout in the hundred-and-five-degree heat. Now we exclaim, ‘Who’s game are ya playing?!’ whenever the situation warrants. It’s a question well worth asking yourself.
Thanks for reading, friends. Please always be in touch.
As always,
Katelyn