I send one action packed email a week called a 1x1x1 covering crazy cool businesses I spot, updates on what we're building and buying, and lessons from the journey of an entrepreneur.
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For those of you that are new here, every week I send what I call a 1x1x1.
One thought from my week.
One interesting find/tool from my week.
One image from my life.
Let's dive in 👇
Stop Pulling Trains Uphill.
Let me tell you what I hate.
I hate pulling trains uphill.
If you’ve ever tried to build a business in a shrinking market, you know what I mean.
It’s like dragging a 100-ton locomotive up a mountain… with a jump rope.
No matter how hard you work, you're always fighting gravity.
Or in this case: market trends, macro headwinds, and your own sanity.
So recently, I’ve been thinking: What kind of markets do I actually want to play in?
And I landed on something simple:
I want to build in markets that make me feel like I’m skiing downhill, not hiking uphill.
Pick the right TAM (Total Addressable Market). Not just the right idea.
People love talking about product-market fit (including myself).
But here's the truth: Product-market fit in a crap market is likely still crap.
So I started thinking deeply about TAM.
Not just how big it is, but whether it’s growing, recession-proof, and wide open enough to support not just one or two players but 50+ amazing companies.
Why? Because if a market is growing, you don’t need to be a genius to win.
You just need to be not dumb, show up, build something really good and ride the wave.
Think about it like this:
I know I know a lot harder than it looks.
Yes, some of these growing markets are hard to get into.
They might need real tech. Or real capital. Or god forbid, real effort.
But here’s the upside:
When the pie is that big, you don’t need to be the whole pie.
You just need one slice.
Maybe even just the crust.
And that tiny slice? In a $100B market?
Kind of a big deal.
Another thing I’ve been chewing on related to all this: competition density.
I’ve played in markets with:
Guess which one is better?
Every time I find myself in a “Red Ocean” full of sharks, spammers, and slightly better versions of the same thing, I remember:
It’s way more fun to be one of 10 real players in a market than one of 10,000 carbon copies.
So Ask Yourself:
Because if you get this right.
If you find that growing, high-potential market with room to breathe then building becomes fun again.
You get to show up every day, work hard, and know the wind is at your back.
And if you get it wrong?
Well… hope you brought your hiking boots.
Still in R&D with a few new tools. Will report back ASAP!
Enjoyed getting some Savannah sunsets in with the best of company!
