Starting Greatness with Mike Maples

Key Takeaways 

• Be non-consensus, but right: Great startups identify something that is missing in the future that no one else realizes is missing 
• Figure out what you want that you can’t already get, then build it 
• It is important for the founders of a company to truly want the thing that they are creating 
• You must be willing to have thoughts and say things that cause investors to say, “that is the dumbest thing that I’ve ever heard” 
• You can succeed with a consensus idea if you are willing to relentlessly out-execute everyone else, but it is going to be much harder than succeeding with a non-consensus idea 
• Seek honest feedback from users and consumers instead of seeking validation from them 
• Have a broad hypothesis, but be open to the non-obvious thing when it presents itself or when you discover it 
• Winning is a mindset that pervades all else
• Err on the side of over-persistence; people tend to give up before they really give something a shot 

Read the full notes @ podcastnotes.org



Emmett Shear was a gamer long before he helped define one of the most important new media companies at the intersection of gaming, media, and the creator economy. What can we learn from his success as a founder? (hint: it has something to do with truly listening to users.)Check out the new Pattern Breakers Blog at patternbreakers.substack.comfor even more Pattern Breaking content from Mike. You can also pre-orderMike's new book Pattern Breakers wherever you buy books.