Ellory Monks

Finally sharing: IIJA Handbook for State & Local Is this my magnum opus?! 🎨😱 the-atlas.com/iija-handbook-…

Making a brief reappearance on Twitter to lament over and share this news that it looks like another state/local pub is biting the dust. @danvock is one of the most talented and knowledgeable writers out there. We need people like him in state and local policy journalism.

Obscure Signs That Someone is a Badass I’ve learned to look for little “tells” that someone will be successful. While there is no guarantee, these things are always good signs.

Here are some of my favorite startup sales learnings over the years ... 1. 0-1 sales talent does not exist. Founders, this is you. 2. Product/market fit is (almost) always found in adjacent markets. Don’t handcuff yourself to Day 1 market vision. 3. The demo should never be focused on the product. 4. You need to understand their buying process before you build/define your GTM. 5. Unlocking product/market fit is a process of elimination (like science), NOT a hedge. 6. If the problem is not currently being measured or managed, it’s likely not a priority for the prospect, today. 7. Specificity is fastest way to build market trust — “Wow, I feel like you understand this better than I do.” 8. The quality of your questions is critical for discovery; the quality of their questions is critical for intent. 9. Your niche is not a random starting point. It’s a GTM strategy to prove the experiment with Act 1. 10. Building a working GTM will take longer than building a working product. 11. Give yourself 18-24 months in the market to be invalidated, rejected, and redirected. Founders will also be "Head of Sales" for this period. 12. Consistency is the only way to unlock repeatable themes. Controlled conversations (i.e., experiments) are critical. 13. 80% of early sales is getting them excited by YOU, the Founder — how you see the world (vision) and how you uniquely solve their specific problem today. Hint: the founder is the 'product.' 14. A seed-stage startup should never have a VP of Sales. 15. Channel partnerships are a colossal waste of time. If you haven’t sorted it by going direct, don’t expect another party to. 16. Traction/success abroad seldom puts you further ahead in the U.S.; in fact, it often requires unwinding. 17. If the primary need is being over-served, focus on the secondary need. This is for ‘red ocean’ markets. 18. Someone asking for more features is (almost) never an early adopter. Easy and lightweight is how to test unproven partners ;) 19. The sales team should never lead the product roadmap. 20. SMB is not easier than enterprise. And, there is no such thing as mid-market; it's 'upper-end small business' or 'lower-end enterprise'. 21. Never expect the user to sell to the buyer on your behalf — go direct to the buyer -- in many cases, users can be a blocker. 22. If you did not co-write the RFP, you are likely just a checkbox in their buying process. 23. Enterprise deals are all about expansion opportunity -- if you’re not expanding by a multiple YoY, someone is not doing their job 24. In the enterprise, sales get 'closed' via text. 25. A startup should never wait on the product to go to market.

you called?

just do it

I think about spaced repetition forgetting curves for marketing/branding absolutely all of the time. Did you just launch? You need to get in front of people again at 2, 7, 30 and 60 days later if you don't want to be forgotten. This is the stuff brands are built on.

Founder Mode: paulgraham.com/foundermode.ht…

this is why smart people are great at giving advice but not taking it.

Working at a startup early in your career is good because every time you think “someone should fix that” you realize that’s probably you. It conditions you to not become indifferent to broken things & inefficiencies. Nothing is ever someone else’s problem. It ruins you.

“The world is a museum of passion projects.”

More evidence that fare-free transit is bad policy: Colorado's "Zero Fare for Better Air" program didn't actually improve air quality. Also: Going fare free "failed to improve welfare even when incorporating [transit's] positive externalities." doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.…

The only perspective on AI that matters

Men who act like jerks are more likely to get away with sexism. When a man is rude to other men, people are more likely to overlook his misogyny. They think he's just an asshole. We shouldn't give pricks a pass. Treating everyone poorly is not an excuse for degrading women.

The next time an engineer tells me product positioning doesn’t matter I’m going to remind them that we let squirrels live because they have a fluffy tail. Squirrels are rats. With a fluffy tail. Messaging matters.

On this year's Memorial Day, remember the past life and death sacrifices made by millions of Americans and their families and friends to save and protect our beloved country and the world from the scourge of fascism and dictatorship.

The single superpower you need to achieve great things

we've officially reached AGI

The Starbucks Reward app is a juggernaut: 34m users and ~$2B of stored funds (which Starbucks is effectively paid $200m+ a year to hold). But mobile orders are now 31% of US sales and focus on grab n’ go is ruining in-store experience. I explain why here:readtrung.com/p/starbucks-di…

FWIW: Suburban backlash threatens country’s biggest transit systems politi.co/3WsKtwF via @politico

Cliques divide people into insiders and outsiders. Healthy groups offer everyone a sense of belonging. It's not enough to be polite. It's critical to convey that we value each member's contribution. The foundation of respect is making sure others feel seen and heard.