# WISDOM.md — Earned Truths

*Knowledge is abundant. Wisdom is uncommon. This file captures hard-won insights, principles, and truths learned through experience — not just what you know, but what you understand deeply.*

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## Purpose

This is not a knowledge base. It's a compendium of:
- **Learned truths** — things proven by experience
- **Hard-won lessons** — mistakes that taught something lasting
- **Guiding principles** — rules that hold across domains
- **Mental models** — frameworks that actually work

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## On Business & Startups

*33 Laws for Building a Great Company — distilled from 20 years and multiple $1B+ outcomes*

### The Meta-Law

**ADAPT OR DIE.** You are running experiments to see what works. Stop adapting before product-market-fit/revenue > expense, and you fail. Pick adaptable team members.

### The Fundamentals

1. **Start with fundamentals.** Is your product solving an important problem? Who for? How many exist? What's it worth to them? Test against reality — follow the data.

2. **Partner with solid co-founders.** Multiple co-founders correlate with success. Startups are a team sport — need varied technical and business skills.

3. **Have an ambitious vision.** A compelling future that matters attracts passionate developers, smart investors, and experienced co-founders.

### Visibility & Traction

4. **Never go stealth.** If customers, co-founders, investors don't know you exist, you don't exist. Tell EVERYONE.

5. **Pitch 100+ people.** Hard to get attention. Only through repetition do you sharpen language and learn what resonates.

6. **Early media coverage is lifeblood.** Social buzz, press — don't be shy about why your startup is awesome.

7. **Create many options.** If counting on one investor or customer, you're doing it wrong. Many will flake. Feed the pipeline. One option is always the wrong number.

### Relationships & Team

8. **Make real friendships. Don't burn bridges.** ALL GREAT ACHIEVEMENT IS BUILT ON RELATIONSHIPS. Trust comes through regular communication and doing what you said.

9. **Build overlapping skill sets.** At least 2 people for every critical function. Single points of failure kill startups.

10. **EVERYONE vests.** 4-year full vest, 1-year cliff. Protects co-founders and investors from startup unpredictability.

11. **Pick partners carefully.** Check references. 90-day trial. Know them over months, not days. Evaluate consistency, not interview performance.

### Deals & Negotiation

12. **Everything is negotiable.** Don't take first term sheet or "standard contract." Consult co-founders. Don't decide in the heat of the moment.

13. **No deal is done until signed and funded.** Document everything. Value isn't created until recorded.

14. **Know entrenched interests.** Every community has them. Uber vs. taxis, Airbnb vs. hotels, Google vs. web concerns. Have a plan.

### Fundraising

15. **Money follows money.** Court accredited investors. Create deadlines. Never count on banks or late-stage VCs early. Keep control pre-exit. Strategic partners give better valuations. Revenue is the ultimate cash.

16. **Vision world-changing, expectations realistic.** Hit weekly/monthly/annual milestones. Show you can deliver.

17. **Talk to experts.** Smart people already in your space are the best learning resource. Use their preferred channel — phone, Zoom, Discord, whatever.

### Runway & Resources

18. **Time > money.** Buy runway whenever you can.

19. **Fundraise 6-12 months before you need it.** Run lean on co-founder salaries. Early revenue extends runway.

20. **Follow user traction.** Pivot early and often based on what customers actually pay for.

### Execution

21. **Follow up EVERY meeting immediately.** Send concrete next steps while attention is high. Excitement fades fast.

22. **Take and make introductions.** Follow enough levels, you can meet anyone.

23. **Ask for next steps.** Pull the trigger. Worst outcome: friendly meandering to "no thanks." Move forward with those who show action.

24. **Publish accomplishments.** Name recognition = startup value. Users only use what they've heard of.

25. **Speak at conferences.** Short path to credibility, attention, competitors, investors. Help organizers — sponsor, moderate, volunteer.

26. **Get on a plane.** Deals happen in person. Shake hands, look in eyes, build real relationships. Be present where talent and money gather.

27. **Shark Tank isn't real.** Investment comes from long-term relationships. Talk to investors early and often. Understand their stage and thesis.

### Leadership & Focus

28. **Don't let the board micromanage.** Strategy and execution belong to full-time founders. Board is for accountability and leadership changes.

29. **Focus on core competencies.** Delegate everything else — payroll, taxes, data centers. You don't become a billion-dollar company doing things you're not best at.

30. **Know your industry cold.** Competitors, technology trends, strategy. You're not Fortune 100 — can't hire consultants for this.

31. **Attack problems head-on.** Let go of uncommitted people. Hard choices cost less now than later.

### Enterprise Sales

32. **Enterprise takes 6-12 months.** From first meeting to signed contract. Ensure runway to reach the end of that rainbow.

### Image & Positioning

33. **Image matters.** Sharp website, product videos, presentations. The world judges your company in under 60 seconds.

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*Source: Personal experience and lessons learned*

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## On Technology & AI

*Add wisdom here as it emerges in conversation...*

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## On Family & Relationships

*Add wisdom here as it emerges in conversation...*

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## On Decision-Making

*Add wisdom here as it emerges in conversation...*

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## On Faith & Purpose

*Add wisdom here as it emerges in conversation...*

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## On Freedom & Power

*Add wisdom here as it emerges in conversation...*

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## On Building & Creating

*Add wisdom here as it emerges in conversation...*

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## On Failure & Resilience

*Add wisdom here as it emerges in conversation...*

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## On People & Trust

*Add wisdom here as it emerges in conversation...*

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## On Time & Priorities

*Add wisdom here as it emerges in conversation...*

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## How This File Grows

1. **Organic capture** — When your human shares insight, hard-won lesson, or principle, add it here
2. **Periodic distillation** — During heartbeats, I may review conversations for wisdom worth preserving
3. **Curation** — This isn't a brain dump; it's the best of what's proven true
4. **Tools** — When wisdom fits in AGENTS.md, TOOLS.md, or USER.md, it goes there too

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*"The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing." — Socrates*

*But the next best thing is writing down what you've actually learned.*