A Quick Personal Note: We're Changing Our Name!

I have some exciting news to share. I’m renaming this newsletter to Invisible Rules.

Why the change? Well, what started as a small side project has grown into an incredible community of more than 3,500 subscribers. Many of you are amazing entrepreneurs I've had the privilege of meeting and researching while writing my upcoming book, Invisible Rules: How to Outsmart the Entrepreneurial Game, which will officially launch in the spring of 2026.

Since everything I explore here—the hidden patterns, the counterintuitive strategies, the unspoken truths of business—is part of the book's core philosophy, it only felt right to align the two. The name is changing to create that consistency, but the mission stays the same: to decode the unwritten rules that determine success. Thank you for being on this journey with me.

Now, on to our regularly scheduled programming.

The Invisible Rule Killing Your Startup: The Complexity Bias

Here’s an invisible rule many founders fall for: the belief that a complex, high-tech solution is always better than a simple one. We feel the pressure to build an "AI-powered, blockchain-enabled, synergistic platform" when a simple text message might be what customers truly need. If you don't recognize this invisible rule, you end up chasing whatever shiny object investors and big-name customers dangle in front of you. You start obsessing over technology and features, rather than the actual outcome.

I see this constantly. One of my portfolio companies, a truly interesting business, is stuck in this exact loop. The founder is perpetually distracted by the features investors and high-profile clients tell him he needs to have. The conversation is never about the outcome; it's always about a checklist of sophisticated product features required to be seen as "high-value."

If you don't realize you're up against an invisible rule, you'll get sucked into this game of trying to please everyone. You’ll waste time and resources, delaying product-market fit while you could be building a loyal following with a niche that genuinely cares about the result.

The "Aha" Moment: The Omelet Test

Imagine you want a great omelet.

One person tries to sell you a $2,000 AI-powered smart stove with a million settings.

Another person shows you how to make a better omelet using a simple pan and fresh ingredients.

The Complexity Bias tricks us into valuing the impressive, complicated stove over the perfect omelet. We forget that the goal is to solve the problem, not to build the most intricate tool.

How to Outsmart the Bias (Don't Navigate—Win)

You don't beat this rule by fighting it head-on. You outsmart it by making simplicity your strategic weapon. Here's how:

🍳 1. Focus on the Outcome-Obsessed. Forget the tech-obsessed gatekeepers for a moment. Find the users who are desperate for the result and build a loyal community with them first. Their success becomes your leverage. These are the people who just want the delicious omelet and don't care if it was cooked on a smart stove or a campfire.

📊 2. Weaponize Your Proof. Your best pitch isn't a long list of features; it's undeniable proof. Gather data that shows how your simple solution delivers better, faster, or cheaper results. Cold, hard evidence has a way of silencing the debate over which tool is fancier.

✨ 3. Rebrand "Simple" as "Elegant." Once you have your proof, you can re-enter the main conversation. Your solution is no longer just "simple"—it's "elegant," "radically efficient," and "human-centered." You use the system's own language to prove that your approach isn't just different, it's smarter.

Stop building complicated stoves. Start making better omelets. That's how you outsmart the game.

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