In episode 700, Rob goes solo to celebrate another milestone of Startups For the Rest of Us. He reflects on playing the long game and doing so publicly enough to create larger luck surface area. He also emphasizes building skills in the process, and highlights several founders who have done this well.

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Topics we cover:

2:41 – Balancing short vs. long term thinking and decision making
7:30 – Examples of founders leaning into the long game
12:18 – Putting in the time, and doing it publicly (enough)
16:42 – Lucky or smart?
21:22 – How do I know if I’m playing the correct long game?
23:54 – Acquiring skills as you play the long game
27:13 – Cheers to 700!

Links from the Show:

Apply for TinySeed Spring 2024
MicroConf
TinySeed
Start Small, Stay Small by Rob Walling
Gather
TinySeed Tales S2E1 | Introducing Gather
Lucky or Smart? by Bo Peabody

If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you!

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Startups For the Rest of Us

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Episode 700 | Playing the Long Game