When I wrapped my previous podcast â Web Masters â after 100 episodes, I swore up and down Iâd never involve myself in another podcast.
The time commitment! The difficulty growing! The frustrations of scheduling guests!
For something that seems so simple⊠âjust press record and then publish it to the worldâ⊠the actual logistics are exhausting.
But the magic of time is that it creates an amnesia of sorts where you look back on past experiences and all the great things seem greater while all the not-so-great things seem less terrible.
Iâm guessing you can already see where this post is going, so letâs just jump to it: I got asked to co-host a new podcast about tech, business, and entrepreneurship, and I said yes.
The truth is, I learned a lot from my previous podcast, and the goal of this new one is to be everything my last podcast wasnât. Specifically, my old podcast was interviews with famous, successful entrepreneurs from the early days of the Internet. And while the conversations were fascinating from a historical perspective, they werenât helpful for entrepreneurs like all of you who need help getting stuff done today⊠now. Plus, it took itself way too seriously. If I was going to do another podcast, I knew I wanted it to be fun.
And one other thing â there was no way I was doing it all by myself again. Luckily, this time, Iâve got an amazing co-host: The insanely talented Chris Leithe. Chris is a seasoned founder and entrepreneur whoâs an expert in scaling startups to big revenues and big exits.
The new show is called ThoughtWave, and as you can see from the cover art above, itâs not meant to take itself seriously. We hope itâs insightful and actionable, but enjoyable. In each episode, Chris and I will take a look at big tech stories the mainstream media loves to hype (looking at you, AI, blockchain, and the metaverseâŠ) and unravel what they actually mean for scrappy entrepreneurs like you and me. The goal is to do what Iâm alway trying to do with my articles and newsletters, which is cut through the noise and clichĂ©s so we can focus on the core of what really matters: How will this latest trend, buzzword, or industry drama impact the businesses and livelihoods of everyday founders?
We just published the first episode of ThoughtWave, which you can listen to on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.
We plan on releasing new episodes weekly. Do me a huge favor and like, subscribe, share, review, and all of those other things youâre supposed to do on podcasts but only 1% of people actually do. Also, commit to listening for a few episodes as I get my podcasting feet back under me, so to speak. My number one goal this time around is to create something meaningful, valuable, and actionable for all of you, and thatâs going to take some time and feedback. Feel free to drop me a note with your own thoughtwaves (see what I did there? đ), and let me know what I can do to make ThoughtWave as valuable as possible for entrepreneurs like you.
This weekâs new articlesâŠ
The Reason People Arenât Using the Revolutionary New Product Youâve Just Built
What if building incredible new technologies isnât as valuable as most entrepreneurs always think?
Are You Actually Building a Business or Just âPlaying Entrepreneurâ?
If youâve been working on the same company for a long time and havenât made much progress, thereâs probably a good reason.
Office Hours Q&A
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QUESTION:
Hey Aaron,
Iâve been a big fan of your work for a while now, and your articles and newsletters have been a huge source of inspiration as Iâve been navigating the ups and downs of building my first startup. One of the challenges Iâm facing, and something Iâd love to get your opinion on, is knowing when to listen to feedback and when to trust my own instincts. I get a lot of conflicting opinions from different advisors, mentors, and even customers, and sometimes it feels like Iâm being pulled in different directions.
How do you decide which advice to follow and when to stick with your gut, especially when youâre getting so much conflicting input?
Thanks so much for your thoughts on this,
Samir
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First off, thanks for being a fan! I love knowing the newsletters and articles are helpful as you navigate the wild ride of building your first startup. And youâre exactly right about the challenge of dealing with conflicting advice. Figuring out when to trust your instincts and when to follow feedback is an unexpectedly tricky part of entrepreneurship.
Hereâs the thing: advice is everywhere. When youâre starting out, youâll feel like everyoneâs got an opinion about what you should do next. But if you listen to all of it, you end up spinning in circles. The key isnât choosing between your gut and advice; the key is figuring out how to filter advice in ways that align with your goals.
The process starts with having a clear vision. I call this your âNorth Starâ â it keeps you steady when the waters get choppy. If a piece of feedback challenges that vision in a way that helps you refine or improve it, then itâs worth considering. But if someoneâs advice is trying to pull you completely off course, donât feel bad about (politely) letting it go.
Next, consider where the feedback is coming from. Not every voice has the same weight. Ask yourself if the person giving you advice has been in your shoes or if the person understands your industry. People with relevant experience have valuable insights, but that doesnât mean every suggestion needs to be followed exactly. Youâre in charge of filtering it.
Also, look for patterns in the feedback. If youâre hearing the same thing from multiple people, you should probably pay more attention. In contrast, if only one person pushes an idea that doesnât sit right with you, youâre more likely okay to let it go. Your instincts are valuable, and a piece of advice feeling wrong is often a sign you need to dig deeper.
In fact, you should always dig deeper about every piece of advice you get (even what youâre reading here). The truth is, all the pieces of advice you get during your entrepreneurial journey are more like data points than rules. Learn to treat advice as valuable information to guide your decisions, not mandates you have to follow. Weigh the advice against your vision and the context you have from living and breathing your business every day. After all, no one knows your company as well as you do.
Ultimately, youâve got the clearest picture of where you want to go. When conflicting advice starts pulling you in different directions, trust that you know whatâs best for your business. And even if you get it wrong sometimes (which you will â everyone does), the clarity of your vision and your willingness to adapt will keep you on track.
Got startup questions of your own? Reply to this email with whatever you want to know, and Iâll do my best to answer!
