The Physics of Startups
00:17:16 · Rob Snyder, S0
[00:17:16] S1: Yeah, so so I would just start by thinking of a big purchase that you have made. So I I talk about buying a Honda CRV in here, and um, and and my story of that. But think of a big purchase you've made and just kind of walk through the story in your own mind, what it was like, what your situation was, how it was changing, what drove you to do something versus do nothing. Like, why did you choose the thing you did choose? And that um the doing it with a bank purchase is often like fairly straightforward. Like, I didn't at no point did I want to buy a Honda CRV. At no point did I want to buy a car, right? Like I was I was basically pushed, kicking and screaming into buying a car. And yet, when I was at the dealership, I would have done literally anything to walk out with a Honda CRV based on the situation. And so, um, and so like understanding that and understanding what it felt like in the moment, in in kind of each moment along the way, when when you finally kind of got there, doing that with a big purchase, I think, is is going to be a good place to start because big purchases like are not usually that subtle in terms of why they happen. And then you can move to subtler and subtler purchases, and then you can start like understanding this not even for purchase things, but for actions you're taking. Like, why are you listening to this podcast right now? These kinds of things you can start to get away, nobody is self-hate. [00:18:48] S0: Yeah, like there's an accident, can't like the next button is broken on your iPhone.
00:18:48 · S0, Rob Snyder
[00:18:48] S0: Yeah, like there's an accident, can't like the next button is broken on your iPhone. [00:18:56] S1: Um, but but like what, yeah, so and and so um just start to get into the practice of this. It will help you understand the pull framework, but really like the thing that's underneath the pull framework, the thing I've trying to describe with the pull framework, which is more important than the framework itself.
00:19:16 · S0
[00:19:16] S0: Yeah. You know, and um one area that I've specifically learned by doing this kind of thing is like when I when I purchase things for my business, you know, there's there's all like this theory of like ROI is required, like you have to build a business case for all of these things, and you've you have to, you know, it has to be a pain point. Frequently when I'm buying a um what I'm actually making a transaction for a Cumbra or increasingly with with you and me, I'll reflect, I'll be like, I never thought about ROI. I never like this wasn't a pain point. Like it's it's it's like, but there was something happened that triggered it. And then I'll and then I'll like pause and be like, okay, what what happened and what did I do as a result of that? Like, where did I look for? What what if somebody would have just like magically appeared in front of me with and said magic words, what would have been those words that would I would have been like, oh yeah, like give me that. I'll you know, just like let's get this out of the way and and purchase. Um, and that's it's you know, both in my personal life, you know, you mentioned the CRV, but then also like buying on behalf of a business, um, you know, and and and because we sell more in in the BB space, um, like has helped me empathize or like better understand like what's likely going on on the purchasers, like journey and background and what's going on in their head. Um, Rob, any other advice? Like what uh I think that what should founders do about this is like just start implementing this like kind of me search reflection in their lives. Anything else that you'd say, you know, customer or actually one thing you brought up is going back, and if this is not natural to you, I love the tactic of reach out to some folks that you thought were going to purchase and see if they'll just give you 15 minutes um and just like talk you through, like, hey, I thought this was a really good fit. You told me it was a good fit. Why didn't you buy? Like, be honest with me. You know, like I'll frequently say, like, throw cold water on my face. Like, you know, help that's the thing I need right now. Um, any anything, or I don't know if you'd think about that, or anything else you'd say founders could could do right now. Yeah, oh that that exercise is fascinating.
00:21:18 · Rob Snyder
[00:21:18] S1: Because what you realize is that you had constructed some sort of like a logical argument in your head, and it's you know, and it's like, you know, it's this small, and you you just zoom out and see that the logical argument wasn't relevant in the context. And so, um, and so yeah, highly recommend doing that. Highly recommend just like starting to notice this in your own life. It's uh it's going to teach you things about yourself and your own mind that you might not like, uh, but it's still very worth doing because it's going to get you closer to um right. Like you can't I don't I can't understand what's in your mind. That's Adam Smith's theory of moral sentiments. Like, I I cannot understand that. I cannot feel what you are feeling. It's it's it's but I I all I do that by analogy, by imagining myself in your situation and seeing how you behave and then seeing if that makes sense to me, and then kind of like adjusting. And that's that's his whole, that's like the whole foundation of the theory of moral sentiments. And so this is a thing that's been around for for a while. I think Hayek would argue that we've bludgeoned this kind of thinking out of business of of the social sciences by a couple French people in the post uh post-revolutionary France. Uh that used to be. This podcast is not for people in Connecticut. It's also not for French people, just like in Coton. Even though, even though I'm I'm French, uh uh no. Uh so uh but yeah, no, I I think it's um this is this is a thing worth doing, and and hopefully this is a trigger for you to do it because it's very easy for people with the analytical mind, with the logical mind to um or with the tendencies uh to to avoid doing this.
00:23:10 · S0
[00:23:10] S0: Yeah, awesome. All right, perfect. Well, let's keep this one shorter and uh we'll wrap for today. Um and if you're interested in in working with Rob or if you want information about yeah, whatever we oh, quick quick teaser. We've got a uh PMF camp that we're gonna be launching here in uh little more than a month, something like a something like a month, but we'll get more concrete details out to folks soon. Um, anyways, we'll see folks soon. Take care.