You're saying no ninety-seven times out of a hundred, and most founders find they have to make a very conscious effort to do this.

As you grow, it feels hopelessly corporate but it really is worth putting in place these compensation bands.

You need conviction in your own beliefs, and the willingness to ignore others naysaying.

Move fast. Speed is one of your main advantages over large companies.

You want an idea about what you can say. I know it sounds like a bad idea but here's specifically why its actually a great one. You want to sound crazy but you want to ask to be right.

I prefer to invest in a company that's going after a small but rapidly growing market than a big but slow growing one.

If you can just learn to think about the market first, you will have a big leg up on most people starting startups.