01
The embarrassing thing is usually the right thing.
Every time I’ve felt most self-conscious about a decision, it turned out to be the right one. Tinkering with startup ideas in a community centre while all our friends had jobs at prestigious companies. Being “gamer founders” when everyone around us was building enterprise SaaS. Presenting our barely-functioning prototype in front of 200 people, only for it to attract our lead investor. The pattern held every time: if it made me cringe, it was worth doing.
02
Give your silly ideas a chance.
The ideas that feel like a waste of time can be your best bets. When we finished the first version of Chatforce, I spent two weeks using it to build Grand Theft Toronto, a meme game where you deliver Tim Hortons orders while dodging carjackers. It got us into the news and was the first Chatforce game to go viral.
03
Make friends along the way.
Building a company will pull you away from old friendships. Don’t let that make you lonely. Go to events, get to know people properly, and befriend the ones you connect with. Having even a few friends with your level of ambition makes the pursuit of your dreams so much easier.
