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Sahil Bloom

@SahilBloom

Feb 15

I think a lot about lessons I learned on the field and how they apply to business and life.

Here’s an important one on mistakes and focus:

In college, the pitchers had to log how many “compound mistakes” we made in a game.

A “mistake” was a walk, hit batter, or error. Basically something where you—or the team—screwed up.

A “compound mistake” occurred if you failed to get the next batter out following a mistake.

When you look at the data, it turns out it’s hard to give up a lot of runs if you avoid compound mistakes.

The takeaway is simple: leave the past mistake in the past and focus on getting the next batter out.

That’s what’s in your control—that’s what impacts the outcome.

Read 7 tweets

Sahil Bloom

@SahilBloom

Feb 15

@nikitabier

How to lose $250 billion in a day…

We brought @nikitabier on to talk Meta earnings and make some bold predictions for its future.

We also went deep on:
• Anthony Levandowski’s 2nd act
• @nounsdao IP strategy
• Spotify’s creator economics

It was fun & valuable. Links below!

Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/whe…

Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/25yI71…

YouTube:

@Beamtlc

Thanks as always to our sponsors @Beamtlc and @OpenPhoneApp!

Beam’s Dream Sleep Powder has been a game changer for me. TRY IT! Discount at beamorganics.com/room

OpenPhone is the go-to business phone system for startups. Discount at OpenPhone.co/room

Read 4 tweets

Sahil Bloom

@SahilBloom

Feb 13

10 ways to stand out in a hiring process (that don’t involve your resume):

Do Your Research

Before an interview, spend a few hours researching the company and role.

At a minimum, you should cover:
• Company mission
• Recent company news
• Recent market news
• Backgrounds of leaders
• Backgrounds of interviewers

Google is a powerful asset—use it.

Embrace “I Don’t Know”

You can’t know the answer to every question. And you know what? That’s ok.

Don’t be afraid to say “I don’t know”—but follow it with a plan to acquire that information.

Ex: “I don’t know, but I’ll dig in and follow up via email.”

Then actually follow up!

Read 14 tweets

Sahil Bloom

@SahilBloom

Feb 12

5 simple ways to increase your luck:

(1) Talk to more new people—go out instead of staying in.

(2) Send more cold emails and DMs.

(3) Write and share in public.

(4) Actively participate in digital communities.

(5) Spend more time in rooms where you’re the dumbest person.

I’ve written about “engineered serendipity” in the past. The idea that you can create or manufacture some luck.

This is closely related with the idea of “luck surface area” as well.

I’ve been trying to write a more comprehensive piece on the topic—I think it’ll eventually flow.

@SahilBloom

Ok, got some whiskey in me and the ideas are starting to flow. This thread should come together tomorrow or next week.

I guess you can follow me @SahilBloom so you don’t miss it.

Might mess around and drop 500,000 lessons learned when I hit 500,000 on here, too.

Read 4 tweets

Sahil Bloom

@SahilBloom

Feb 12

The Principal-Agent Problem is everywhere.

A universal mental model for startups, business, politics, and life.

Here’s a breakdown of what it is (and why it matters):

What is the Principal-Agent Problem?

Imagine a world divided into:
• Principals—owners
• Agents—employees

The Principal is an owner; the Agent works on behalf of the owner.

The Principal-Agent Problem is a term for the conflicting priorities of the Principal and the Agent.

This is really about incentives.

As an owner, the Principal's incentives are directly aligned with the outcome.

Due to the lack of ownership, the Agent's incentives may be very different—money, status, esteem, etc.

The Principal has skin in the game, but the Agent does not.

Read 19 tweets

Sahil Bloom

@SahilBloom

Feb 11

The formula for an effective cold startup pitch email:

@Julian

My friend @Julian posted a thread with a number of investors that are open to receiving cold pitches.

I got 100+ emails from the thread—which is awesome—but I noticed that some emails grabbed and held my attention more than others.

Here’s a formula for what works:

https://twitter.com/Julian/status/1491849464209821698

High-Conversion Subject Line

The subject line of the email is the first chance to hook them.

It should be concise and infuse any social proof you might have.

Example: “[Startup Name] — YC-Backed Neobank for India”

Example: “[Startup Name] — Sales Tech SaaS, 30% MoM Growth”

Read 11 tweets

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