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LATEST POSTS 📚

If you’re new, not yet a subscriber, or just plain missed it, here are some of our recent editions.

🍿 Inboxed: Tech Partnership, Tech Poaching. A BTS look at one of the common elements that drives partnerships apart.
📝 Mastering The Founder Letter. A BTS on the collaboration and competition driving the tech industry. 🤝
🌐 Remote Work Is Eating The World. The pros, cons and pros of building out a global team.

PARTNERS 💫

HOUSEKEEPING 📨

Today is a lazy Sunday for me. It’s just me and my dog, Ziggy, right now. My partner is off galavanting around Europe for a month. So today, will consist of nothing more than reading, the Olympics, and sniffing a few butts for the two of us.

I actually created a LinkedIn for Ziggy a while ago. And every so often, I will head on to LinkedIn and drop a handful of comments in what I guess you would call ‘doggy speak’ on some accounts.

I try not to take myself so seriously online, in life and especially on LinkedIn. This one is one of simple little guilty pleasures in life. Anyway, enjoy today’s edition.

COLLECTION 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

How do you get the best out of yourself?

Being a leader is hard. Foundering is harder again. Late nights, ramen diets, much stress. It’s kinda a crazy thing to put yourself through. That’s why looking after number one should be, well, number one.

Today we ask 12 founders and leaders in tech what it is that they do that helps them make sure they are doing their level to stay happy, healthy and on top of their game.

Michael Batko CEO at Startmate

A heap of reflection really. I reflect weekly about work, using a system called the EdroloOS system. I also reflect on my personal life using another system that I learned from Nick Crocker. I reflect monthly on how I’m tracking towards reaching my goals professionally and personally as part of an email I sent to my closest thirty family members and friends. And lastly, I reflect annually on how I’m tracking towards my 10-year goals as part of a Startmate and my personal annual review.

This will sound excessive to most people, but it is much easier than it sounds. It all starts with the habit of weekly work and personal reflections. Everything after that is roll-up of reflections that become more and more refined and tested against my long term goals, whether I’m working towards what makes me happy and the impact I want to achieve in my life.

Immad Akhund - Co-founder and CEO at Mercury

Number one, I get good sleep. I've never been into compromising on sleep. Number two, I try to do things that are fun. I mean as a CEO you often just have to do things that are necessary but not fun. Which is fine. I don't think you can ignore that but I try to make some space to do things that actually like give me energy. For me, I love talking to customers.

I try to make space for doing those things even if there's other things that I need to get done that are not like as exciting or interesting to me. So I think those two are probably like my biggest tips for staying on top of things energy-wise.

Tyler Denk - Fo-Founder & CEO at Beehiiv

I am one of the most habit and routine based people I know. Not necessarily because I enjoy the rigidness of the routine, but almost out of necessity to ensure I am mentally and physically in the best state to perform. I don’t compromise on my morning routine. I wake up early—usually before 6am, I stretch, meditate, hit the gym, shower, then read emails.

And I don’t compromise on my night routine where I study Spanish, read for 30-45 minutes before bed, and be asleep by 10:30pm latest. I value quality sleep a ton. I also eat extremely healthy and almost the same thing every weekday. I like to ensure I eat healthy, and also to minimize choice and wasting time.

Would I like a bit more flexibility in my life? Absolutely. But right now my top priority by a mile is building beehiiv into an industry-defining success story and I’m doing whatever I can to increase the odds of that.

Niki Scevak - Co-Founder & Partner at Blackbird

Always be thinking what is the one thing that matters? And always be constantly adjusting your calendar to match that, so your actions can be the same as your words.

Ananda Aisola - COO and Co-Founder of Composer

I never attended an elite university or had the connections that come with living in the valley. For a large chunk of my career I pushed myself to succeed for one simple reason: fear. I am extremely competitive and wanted to prove that I could compete and win against the best.

Over the past year my attitude has changed along with the birth of my daughter. While my competitive spirit is still alive it is no longer my sole driving force. My personal and professional goals are now aligned—I want to live my life in such a way that as my daughter grows up, she is proud of me and sees me as a role model.

Wearing as many hats as I do, I’ve learnt over time to ruthlessly prioritize and to empower my team to take on more responsibility. The two non-negotiables for me that make this possible are daily exercise and putting my daughter to bed.

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Elicia McDonald - Partner at Airtree

I maintain a positive perspective. So much of life is about how you frame things. There's a quote I like: "We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorns have roses." I'm a glass-half-full person, and I suspect most venture investors and founders are eternal optimists. There is so much that can go wrong in early-stage startups that to dedicate your career to founding one or to build the conviction to invest; you have to be able to see past all the things that could go wrong and instead focus on what could happen if it goes right.

I get the best out of myself when I'm feeling positive, engaged, and valued, and I can put my skills to work to have a genuine impact on others. I also need balance and I'm lucky that one of our core values at Airtree is ‘There's more to life.’ If I work 24/7, I won't get the best out of myself professionally or personally. I don't want to be defined solely by my career; it's important to me to have a full life outside of work.

Lexy Franklin - CEO at Sidebar

There are five crucial pillars that I need to fly. I need to sleep, I need to eat, I need exercise, I need to take my vitamins, and I meditate. If I do those five, I feel like I am flying. If not, I am not as energized.

Professionally, I am an extremely driven person. I always have been. I actually really like the intense version of myself. I want to drive an impact in the world. I actually think the way that I get the best out of myself professionally is I am kind to myself in my head. It is counter-intuitive, and over time I have really learned to be nice to myself in my internal conversations. It does not mean, I am not ambitious, I really am, and I like to be encouraging when I am sitting in my own thoughts.

Karim Zuhri - Ex-GM & COO of Cascade

Firstly, I recognise that the journey is far from perfect. Life is interspersed with phases of stress and challenges that spill over into one’s work. I’ve learnt that the interconnection between personal well-being and work is inextricable.

During these times, I’ve allowed myself the grace to step back and address these issues. This means I can return with renewed vigour and creativity, unburdened by concerns.

Flexibility in work schedules has been pivotal for me. My preference for early mornings and evenings allows me periods of leisure and personal pursuits. I love working out, piano classes, and achieving my daily step goal of 20,000. I find that walking, especially during brainstorming sessions, enhances my creativity.

I’ve forged invaluable friendships at work, blurring the often hard lines drawn between professional and personal life. I am not a proponent of the traditional ‘work-life balance’ narrative. A predefined pathway. My passion for my work transcends the boundaries of a ‘job’. It is a pursuit I love, a sentiment I try to foster in others as well.

Drawing inspiration from ‘Atomic Habits,’, I’ve adopted a gradual approach to integrating new habits. This ensures they blend into my routine rather than being overwhelming additions. Community building, particularly with those sharing my values, serves as a reservoir of energy and inspiration for me. I identify as an extroverted introvert, valuing my alone time, but the balance between solitude and community is where I find my equilibrium.

This journey, filled with imperfections, learnings, and adaptations, has been my formula for drawing the best out of myself.

John Howard - Founder at Slingshot

I get the best out of myself by setting challenging goals, both short-term and long-term. I also make sure to take care of myself physically and mentally. I eat healthy, exercise regularly, and getting good sleep. I find that when I'm taking care of myself, I'm more productive and creative.

I also believe in lifelong learning. I'm always reading books, articles, and blogs about business, design, and entrepreneurship. I also attend conferences and workshops to stay up-to-date on the latest trends. I find that the more I learn, the better I am at my job.

Finally, I'm surrounded by a great support system of friends, family, and mentors. They help me stay motivated and focused on my goals.

Jennifer Phan, Co-Founder and CEO at Passionfroot

One mental model that I came across and helped me to build resilience as an entrepreneur who is starting out is the Rule of One Third. It kind of goes back to when you're embarking on a journey and when you're building something up when you're doing something incredibly hard, you're supposed to feel one-third of your time great, one-third of your time okay, and one-third like crap. 

And that shows that you're out of your comfort zone. You are growing, you're learning. And sometimes some days are shitty and then you just show up on those. And then it's just one of those shitty days - and that's okay.

Emmanuel Nataf - Co-Founder & CEO at Reedsy

I’m addicted to the effort, not the reward. I will keep going until I get where I want to be, no matter what. I realize that it might feel a bit weird or intense to most, but for me, it’s the only way. This is true for Reedsy though after 9 years—it’s a different type of effort—my long-distance cycling adventures, and my photography.

I think this mindset comes from my upbringing, having spent most of my childhood with Jewish grandparents, and in particular with my grandfather who was in the Resistance during WWII. My co-founder Ricardo likes to make jokes about how I inherited the Ashkenazi mindset from my mum’s side and rejected the fun Sephardic attitude from my dad’s.

Putting aside the environment I grew up in, living a healthy lifestyle helps—I don’t drink alcohol, never go to bed overly late, you’ll never see me in a nightclub, I cook my own meals, exercise, etc.

And lastly, I try to find inspiration in different ways, regularly seeing exhibitions, going to concerts, and traveling.

Bill Kerr - Founder & CEO at Athyna

I am not the best at looking after myself. I eat really well, I train loads, I track my sleep, but I also grind myself into the ground with work and sometimes my quality of life suffers. I can be head down for so long that when I look up, weeks have passed without much social interaction aside from with my partner and my dog.

Something I learnt recently from Sidebar—my accountability group I am in—is the habit of booking all of your leave at the start of the year. I haven’t got trips planned by the last week or two of every quarter I have booked my leave. And now, it’s all about just filling those dates with events. If I can keep my mind from getting too bogged down with work I think I can stay in a pretty positive place.

In sum

As a leader of an organisation, the way you act permeates through your organisation. If you are tired and burned out, your team will see it, and negative vibes plus a burnout culture will start to spread. Looking after yourself and watch wonderful thing happen.

And that’s it! You can also find all of our original interviews with all the founders and leaders above here.

BRAIN FOOD 🧠

I just caught a great episode of The Startup Podcast where they tackled the Agile vs. Waterfall debate. The hosts, along with John Cutler, dive into what makes each method tick and how to get Agile right—beyond just the trendy jargon. They talk about aligning rapid iterations with solid strategy, which is a game-changer if you’re trying to make your startup's workflow smoother.

If you're all about slicing through the buzz and diving deep into what really works in project management, this episode is a must-listen.

TWEET OF THE WEEK 🐣 

TOOLS WE USE 🛠️

Every week we highlight tools we actually use inside of our business and give them an honest review. Today we are highlighting Attio—powerful, flexible and data-driven, the exact CRM your business needs.

See the full set of tools we use inside of Athyna & Open Source CEO here.

HOW I CAN HELP 🥳