Journal
Thinking out loud.
Notes on AI, growth, operations, and what we're learning from building and buying businesses.
The Donkey Work Is Optional
A recruiter told me recently that he was struggling to grow. Not because he couldn't win clients. He was good at that part. Confident on the phone, sharp in meetings, the kind of person who builds trust quickly. His problem was everything that happened after the handshake.
The Ideas Person Wins Now
For a decade we were told ideas are worthless and execution is everything. AI just flipped that on its head.
The All-Round CEO Is Back
The generalist CEO was dismissed as a dilettante. AI just made them the most dangerous person in the room.
Bottlenecks Used to Be People. Now They're Optional.
The constraint is no longer capacity. It's clarity. If you know what you want, AI lets you get it done.
CEOs Are Building Again
Brian Armstrong is coding again. He's not alone. AI collapsed the trade-off between leading and building.
The Hierarchy Is Flattening - For Real This Time
Flat organisations were predicted for thirty years. AI is the reason it's finally happening.
Why Most AI Projects Fail Before They Start
The gap between AI hype and AI value isn't technical. It's operational. Here's what we see again and again.
The Operator Advantage
Advisors tell you what to do. Operators show you what actually works. There's a difference.
Buying Broken Businesses: What We've Learned
Distressed acquisitions aren't for everyone. Here's what three turnarounds taught us about finding value where others see risk.
