E31: 3 Thoughts That Changed How I Run My Companies

Three interconnected insights that fundamentally changed how I run SimpleDirect and ANC. Why finding balance beats going to extremes, measuring the right things determines your destination, and building systems creates compound leverage.Thought #1: Why LinkedIn makes me cringe (and why I was wrong too):LinkedIn is 50% performance theater - fake vulnerability, motivational quotes, "crushed this meeting" postsI went to opposite extreme for years - built in silence, posted nothing from 2019-2024Got sucked into competitor's secrecy mindset, feared idea theftResult: zero feedback, no community, shouting into empty roomReal answer: need both building AND sharing, just find your ratio (mine is 70/30)The simple test for authentic content: If you disappeared tomorrow, would people miss your VALUE or just notice the SILENCE?If they miss insights/frameworks within a week, you're doing it rightIf they notice months later you stopped posting, that's performance modeReal founders share learning moments that become others' learning moments tooThought #2: Most people measure the wrong things:Spent three years measuring: How much can I raise? What's our valuation? When's Series A?Was measuring someone else's version of success, not mineEngineer friends making $150-300K think entrepreneurship is too riskyBut their metrics plateau - $150K → $300K → $500K → stops (linear trajectory)Entrepreneur metrics compound once you hit breakout pointThe content creation metrics trap:DHH (Basecamp founder) checked daily blog stats for 6 months, felt like screaming into void60-70% of podcasts quit at episode 20 due to daily dopamine metric checkingMeasuring daily stats vs 12-month windows misses compound growthSame with money: linear thinking (task A = pay B) vs compound thinking (make money while sleeping)Critical insight: Metrics you choose determine where you end up. Linear metrics = plateau. Compound metrics = growth.Thought #3: Stopped working, started building systems instead:Most founders in "execution mode" - task comes up, process it, do it, repeatBusy doesn't equal productiveShifted to "architect mode" - which tasks are repetitive? What can be automated?Build system once, let it run foreverSimpleDirect system examples:Customer support ate hours daily, now ChatRoute handles 80% automatically 24/7Delegation with frameworks - systems run without me (mostly)Even podcast production became systematic workflowOne hour saved per day = 5 hours per week = massive compound time investmentThe harsh question that reveals everything: If you disappeared for 7 days with zero work or replies, would your business keep running? If everything stops = you're doing work. If everything keeps running = you've built systems.How to start building systems:Look at last 3 tasks you did this weekDocument what you repeat constantlyAsk: Can AI handle it? Can software automate it? Can I document the process?Don't need to code - use Zapier, Slack bots, ChatGPT workflowsTurn ONE task into a system THIS WEEK (not this month)The common thread across all three thoughts:Performance vs Doing = balance building and broadcastingMeasuring What Matters = compound value beats linear activitySystems Over Work = leverage beats doing tasks manuallyAll require same mindset: optimize for compounding results, not feeling productiveReal productivity defined:Building systems that compoundMeasuring what actually mattersSharing just enough to distribute what you builtDoing nothing while systems run themselvesThree questions for this weekend:Performance vs Doing: What's your honest ratio? (0% building in silence or 100% all performance?)What are you measuring? List top 3 metrics - are they linear or compound?What work could be a system? Document one repetitive task and automate it THIS WEEKRed flags you're optimizing for feeling productive instead of results: Checking daily stats constantly, doing same manual tasks repeatedly, measuring someone else's success metrics, going to extremes (100% building in silence OR 100% performance posting).Bottom line: LinkedIn performance feels productive but builds nothing. Daily metrics feel productive but miss trajectory. Manual tasks feel productive but don't scale. Real productivity is building compound systems, measuring what matters, and finding your balance between building and sharing.New episodes Monday/Wednesday/Friday at 9am EST. Real founder lessons, not startup theater.Daily thoughts: @TheGeorgePu on Twitter/XFull episodes: founderreality.comEmail: [email protected]