This is a short note from my Roam Research second brain. Here's a free guide where I introduce you to Roam & Building A Second Brain. 

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Type: 🌰 Seed [Nomenclature present here.] Source: [🌰 202111121523 No Meetings, No Deadlines, No Full-Time Employees] Tags:  #startups #innovation Date: November 12th, 2021

 I learned recently that [Gumroad] has no FTE, no meetings, and no deadlines.

Gumroad in numbers

• If we include everyone who works on Gumroad, it’s 25.

• If we include full-time employees, it’s none. Not even me.

• We have no meetings, and no deadlines either.

• And it’s working: our creators earn over $175 million a year, and we generate $11 million in annualized revenue, growing 85% year over year

How the no-meetings rule works

• Instead of having meetings, people “talk” to each other via GitHub, Notion, and (occasionally) Slack, expecting responses within 24 hours.

• Because there are no standups or “syncs” and some projects can involve expensive feedback loops to collaborate, working this way requires clear and thoughtful communication.

• Everyone writes well and writes a lot.

How the no deadline rule works

• There are no deadlines either. We ship incrementally, and launch things whenever the stuff in development is better than what’s currently in production.

• The occasional exception does exist, such as a tax deadline, but as a rule, I try not to tell anyone what to do or how fast to do it. When someone new joins the company, they do what everyone else does: go into our Notion queue, pick a task, and get to work, asking for clarification when needed.

• Instead of setting quarterly goals or using OKRs, we move towards a single north star: maximizing how much money creators earn.

• Our public roadmap helps Gumroad's creators hold us accountable.

How people get paid

• In practice, we pay everyone hourly based on their role. The range varies from $50 (customer support) to $250 (Head of Product) an hour.

• Recently I standardized our rates worldwide.

Prioritizing freedom and flexibility over scalability and growth

• Working on Gumroad isn't a majority of anyone's identity.

• People work at Gumroad as little as they need to sustain the other parts of their lives they prefer to spend their time and energy on a creative side-hustle, their family, or anything else.

• Gumroad engineer Nathan Chan says, “I produce more value for my time than at any other company in my career, and I’m able to fully participate in parenting and watching my kiddo grow up.”

• That includes me.

The future of work is not working

• Recently, I pitched to the whole company about going full-time, because it felt wrong to grow any larger without full-time staff.

• Nobody accepted.

• I realized then that I was trying to copy the status quo–to try and fix something that wasn’t broken–so that I could feel better about doing things the “normal” way.

• But the deal we already had in place was better for what our people prioritize: freedom overgrowth, sustainability over speed, life overwork.

This is a short note from my Roam Research second brain. Here's a free guide where I introduce you to Roam & Building A Second Brain. 

Readwise.io

If you're looking for a cool tool that captures your highlights from Kindle, articles, and notes, check out Readwise.io. Get a 6-month free trial using my invite link. Side note: Readwise has inbuilt integration with Roam Research.

Get 6 months free trial >

Metadata of Note

Type: Seedling [Nomenclature present here.] Source: [Thoughts] after conversations with [Rajesh] Tags: #hiring #leadership Date: November 28th, 2021

Having onboarded 6+ people to work with me, below are some best practices I have learned from onboarding employees to work on short-term passion projects. A seamless onboarding can lead to a faster way for the employee to get themselves plugged into the world of my project.

• Create an onboarding checklist: This is crucial. A good, detailed onboarding checklist will contain the following:

  • How to get access to all necessary tools

  • Background reading is required to get up to speed on the context of this new "world"

  • Beginner tutorials on all the "tools" that will be used by the employees

  • Beginner tasks for them to dip their leg in water: also include in this a task on changing LinkedIn profile description and posting an introduction wherever applicable.

• Let them shadow your work: People learn a LOT from seeing. You have the context for your world that they are just beginning to learn. One way to fast-track this learning is by getting them on a call to observe how you do something. E.g. how you publish an article on WordPress, how you use an #email marketing tool to send campaigns, how to use the Airtable CRM to create vies, etc.

• Correct their mistakes AND explain why you did so: Eventually, as they begin working on their tasks, they WILL make mistakes. There is no way around it. In these instances, the easier path to take would be to correct these mistakes on your own, especially the tiny ones. But, if you're willing to put in 30 more seconds to explain to them what they did wrong and how they can get better, you can save yourself so much time in the future!

  • Also important to make it clear to them: "You will make mistakes, and that is okay! This is the best way to learn. So when I give you feedback on something you did wrong, I am doing it for you to learn and grow."

• Ask them to interview past/present employees: This brilliant idea was given to me by [Rajesh] and I tried it with [Chaitanya] so far which worked very well. Asking new employees to interact with a few past/present ones will (a) teach them insights from having worked with me for 6+ months, (b) motivate them (assuming the interviewees all had a good time working with me), and (c) teach them serendipitous insights (which I didn't expect myself. I thought Chaitanya would only ask about their experience working with me, but he also asked them for advice in general in being a good employee.)

  • [November 17th, 2021] on a call with [Chaitanya] now as he's talking about the calls he had with everyone who's worked with me: it is such a great idea!!!! I can see the spark in Chaitanya's eyes as he's speaking about his experience talking to people. and I am learning so much hearing him - understanding how insightful everyone I work with is, and how well they've observed me.

There are certain moments in your life when you embody the superpower of foretelling the next few seconds. These are the moments in the movies when the protagonist knows she is about to get hit by a car even though it's still a few seconds into the future.

I had one of these moments on July 22nd, 2021.

Fortunately, my moment didn't result in an accident. On the contrary, it resulted in me spending the weekend of September 10th, 2021, in Keene, New York, being part of the pilot episode for a TV show titled A Climb To The Top.

What is A Climb To The Top?

A Climb To The Top is the brainchild of my dear mentor, friend, and professor from Columbia University: Chuck Garcia. Chuck climbed his very first mountain, Mt. Rainier, on 9/11/2002, exactly a year after the 9/11 attacks that killed 2,977 people and set off a butterfly effect in the U.S. and around the world: Operation Enduring Freedom was initiated to oust the Taliban regime from Afganisthan, Department of Homeland Security was created to prevent future attacks, a Victim Compensation Fund was set up with funding extended until 2090, to state a few examples.

The 9/11 attacks also had a butterfly effect on Chuck's life. It led him into a career in mountaineering and leadership coaching. For 20 years, Chuck has been using lessons from his mountaineering journey to help people climb the metaphorical mountains in their lives. He published his first book, A Climb To The Top, in 2016 to serve as the go-to guide for improving your communication and persuasion skills. Soon after it became well renowned, he launched his radio show by the same name in late 2019 to feature people who have overcome life's challenges to climb their mountains (where I'm proud to be one of the guests!). With the success of the radio show, he then began thinking, What next?

This led to the ideation of a docuseries: bringing in people from various walks of life in every episode who are undergoing changes in their lives and helping them navigate the changes, while climbing a mountain. Chuck's vision (which I deeply resonate with) is to inspire people who watch this show to resonate with the stories and feel inspired to craft a new story for themselves.

I had the privilege to be one of the cast members who were part of the pilot episode of the docuseries A Climb To The Top that was shot in Keene, New York.

Behind The Scenes

It all began on July 22nd, 2021.

Chuck and I had just finished recording our episode for his radio show. I was decompressing from an hour of talking and sharing my experiences when Chuck began excitedly, Saun-dhaar-ya, I wanted to tell you about a project that I am currently working on... I listened with intrigue as he explained his vision for creating a television show -- an intelligent reality show -- that portrays the stories of a few brave souls in each of its episodes as they set off to climb a literal and metaphorical mountain with Chuck. My mind began racing with thoughts. Oh my! This sounds exciting. Wow, Chuck is venturing into television now. Hmm... I wonder why he's sharing this with me. Oh, maybe, maybe he's asking me to be a part of it?! That can't be it, can it? Wouldn't he have told me already? Maybe it's not it. Yet, my intuition tells me it is.

And it was.

 He didn't ask me to be a part of it; rather, he wanted me to apply for it, which I did, and as the stars aligned perfectly, the publishing agency liked my profile and ended up picking me to be one of the cast members.

So there I was: boarding an airplane on September 8th, 2021, to visit a city whose presence I hadn't felt in 2.5 years since graduating from Columbia University.

The pilot episode shoot lasted less than 72 hours in total but gave me memories worth a lifetime. I wanted to share my experience of being part of this magical project and talk about the people I met, the purpose that brought us together, and my foray into performing in front of a camera.

People

There were 21 people in total: 6 cast members (Chuck, Grace, Kenny, Rose, Ben, and myself), and 15 crew members who took care of everything from direction to sound to lighting.

It was one of those rare instances where every one of the 21 got along well with each other and infused an air of positivity into the entire experience, even though most of us met each other for the first time in our lives.

The night before we left to Keene, Chuck, Kenny, Rose, and I had dinner at a Greek restaurant in downtown Manhattan. I remember walking into that dinner feeling excitement with a pinch of nervousness. Even though I met the cast members via zoom calls in the weeks prior, I wanted to make a good first impression in person. Thankfully, within 10 minutes of us meeting each other, the ice was broken and we launched into a night of carefree storytelling. In a world where smartphones have hijacked dinner tables, the four of us broke the convention and intently listened to each other as we all got a chance to share our story (kudos to Kenny on this!).

I walked out of that dinner feeling emotionally rejuvenated, brimming with excitement for the upcoming few days.

On Friday, we set off at 9 AM from New York City in two big vans for a 6-hour drive to Keene, NY. Except for a 20-minute nap that I sneaked in mid-trip to alleviate my nausea, I was either conversing or listening to someone's conversation the rest of the time.

All of us in the cast came with an open heart to share our stories: Kenny was moving away from a 30-year career in screenwriting to launch his leadership coaching venture; Rose was contemplating her future as a professor and trailblazer in championing education for all; Ben wanted to change the world with his vision to harness renewable energy in an innovative way after working as a naval officer. As for me, I shared my vision of becoming an entrepreneur in the area of edTech, and more so a polymath who has creative autonomy and control over how my time is spent, while navigating the constraints of doing it as an immigrant.

I slept at 11:10 PM that first night and remember having this thought right before I entered my REM state,

"Magic happens when people come together for a common cause, and are present with each other without distractions. I learned so much about everyone around me today. What a beautiful day!"

Purpose

"When you know your WHY, you can endure any HOW." -- Viktor Frankl

This was the phrase I kept replaying in my mind as I walked the last mile of a day-long hike up and down the Algonquin Peak, an 8.5-mile hike with a 5115 ft elevation (and 3100 ft elevation gain). Although it's the second tallest peak in New York, its steep elevation and rocky pathway makes it the hardest of the 46 peaks to climb in the Adirondack Mountains.

Aside from actually climbing up and down, we paused every mile along the way to shoot scenes for the episode. Every time we paused, a part of the cast and crew would be busy shooting while the rest of us engaged in conversations and admired the beauty around us. I resorted to spending a lot of this time simply watching the clouds, sun, and trees. Having spent the past few months immersed in ideating, building, and running my course, having an opportunity to pause was a gift for me.

 I will be honest: I struggled the last mile both while climbing up and climbing down. I kept thinking, Are we there yet? Please let us be there. I would silently pray that someone passed our group or the crew wanted to shoot some B-rolls, just so it would give me a chance to pause and rest for a while. What helped alleviate this struggle and put it into perspective was watching the crew members climb not just with their backpack, but also with 50 lbs worth of expensive shooting equipment.

What they accomplished as a crew that day was herculean and they all deserve a badge of honor.

Climbing that mountain meant a great deal to me; to all of us. Amidst gasping for air, I knew it would become a story I retell over and over in my future. Of all the lessons I learned that day, the most impactful one was acknowledging the importance of community while climbing, and in life.

As Chuck beautifully writes in his book,

"Mountains are not climbed alone, neither are careers. Success depends on the generosity you are willing to extend to your colleagues. Known as the Law of Reciprocity, this universal principle is on display in so many other aspects of our lives.”

Performance

It was around 6:00 PM on Friday, September 10th.

I was lying down on a hard, short bench next to our cabin. Fueled by curiosity to learn something new, I opened YouTube and typed the future of learning. After scrolling for a few seconds, I landed on watching the TED talk by Mark Rubin on how to trick your brain into learning more.

Mid-way through that (enjoyable) video, I heard someone calling out for me. It was my time to go in front of a camera and share my story.

It was a surreal experience. There I was, sitting next to Chuck, as the camera crew ran through some final checks before giving us the green signal. While I've known Chuck for years, I was meeting the crew for the first time. It felt odd to share my deepest experiences in front of people whom I just met. But the moment Chuck and I began conversing, I lost track of those thoughts and immersed myself in the conversation.

In total, I spent a few hours in front of the camera: including three one-on-one conversations with Chuck, two group conversations with the entire cast, and a few journal entries which were just me talking directly into the camera. Every time, right before the action!, I would take a few breaths, smile at the people around me, and acknowledge the privilege I had. I felt touched watching everyone around me in the crew work so hard those few days to set up the stage for me and the rest of the cast. This entire experience gave me the opportunity to pause, reflect on the important questions, and share my story.

What greater privilege could I have asked for?

Chuck Garcia

I've known Chuck for 4 years. It took me only one email though -- his very first email -- to know he was someone very special.

On August 28th, 2017, I sent him an email at 9:07 AM, right after I sat through one of his classes on communication at Columbia University. I couldn't control myself: his delivery, diction, and body language were so compelling.

He is still the only person I can recollect who responded to a thank you-note with the invitation to have lunch. That lunch set off a butterfly effect over the next 4 years: while we lost contact for a year after I graduated, through the virtue of LinkedIn, we reconnected sometime in 2020 and began having an impromptu call every few months to be a part of each other's lives. Thank goodness we did!

If we hadn't, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to have spoken to him for ~8 hours, one-on-one, in these 3 days.

We spoke about everything from emotional intelligence to the power of money to the future of education. Chuck makes just conversing fun, with his insatiable curiosity, animated demeanor, and impeccable diction.

I developed a connection with him in the three days that feels unbreakable now. And thanks to Chuck, I also had the fortune to meet the rest of the cast members, all of whom I had such fun connecting and conversing with.

The moment to say goodbye to Chuck finally arrived Sunday night as we drove back to New York City. I hugged him thrice while saying goodbye. As soon as we dropped him off, I could feel the void in the car -- and in my heart -- which later turned to tears that brimmed up in my eyes.

I let it flow, just as all of our conversations did.

Closing Thoughts

We have no idea what the future of A Climb To The Top will look like.

Over the next few months, as the editing process begins and comes to an end, we hope to submit the pilot episode to all the streaming services: Netflix, Hulu, Discovery+, and more.

It might be picked up by one; it might be picked up by none.

If it does get picked up, you can expect to watch the episode sometime in late 2022. A part of me is scared for that day; scared that the Soundarya that the world watches will be an old Soundarya, not the present one.

What if I change so much that I don't resonate with the stories I shared anymore?

 I thought about this question a few times. For now, I've concluded with the following:

If I do change so much that I don't resonate with the story anymore, it's the best-case scenario: it's a sign of growth; of evolution. Because, I'd rather change too much than too little.

 I made the decision to attend the Women in Product 2020 Virtual Conference just a few days before the conference itself. Until then, I was on the fence about the value of a virtual conference. But, curiosity took over, and I wanted to see it for myself. Before talking about the pros and cons, I do have to say with full sincerity that the team behind the conference, along with all the volunteers, did a fantastic job with the "digital logistics" of the three-day conference by sending sufficient reminders before the d-day, giving clear instructions on how to get into the conference, and monitoring all the sessions throughout to respond to queries and concerns. A wonderful job indeed!

Why Conferences Matter?

People attend conferences because it helps them extend the mental models they have in their mind by sitting through sessions that teach them new ones, letting serendipity take over by bumping into strangers who become friends, and having the opportunity to escape into a new world for a few days, away from the daily responsibilities and chores.

At least, that's how I think about it.

A lot of that requires being present in the same physical space as others. Can a virtual conference match that, or perhaps transcend it?

Let's look at some of the Good, Bad, and Surprising of attending a virtual conference. Some of these points are specific to WIP, but most revolve around the general theme of virtual conferences.

The Good

I want to reiterate this once again because of the splendid job: I loved how well the WIP team handled the digital logistics of the event. Beyond that,

• I was thoroughly pleased by some of the features offered by the conference platform, Hopin. There are two worth calling out: The Networking feature pairs you up with a random attendee for a 2.5 minute chat, thus simulating the serendipity of real-life encounters. And, the Messaging feature lets you search for and send a message to any attendee at the conference, including the speakers. Think of how powerful that can be for a moment, as it gives you direct access to some extraordinary women.

• While listening to a speaker, I would often look at the Chat on the right and learn something new from others who were sharing their insights. And be able to share mine in return. This is impossible at an in-person event. The virtue of making it virtual gives you access to the insights of the audience, along with the speaker, without interrupting the session.

• Before entering a session, I would quickly look up the speakers' bio and set up my Roam Research workspace to take notes from the event. During the session, I would take notes if I find something insightful, and once the event was over, review them again to find connections with my existing notes. This ability to be prepared and truly reap value out of a session would have been a lot harder without a laptop and monitor in front of me.

The Bad

Now, switching gears...

• I dearly missed being captivated by a speaker while sitting amongst a crowd. The tension you feel when you're sitting next to strangers, the way a crowd goes silent when the speaker reaches the climax, followed by the deafening sound of applause... all that makes an experience more real, which I missed.

• Some of the sessions were underwhelming. Without naming names, there were sessions where the speaker simply mentioned a slew of cliched, pithy quotes, such as don't stop learning and be confident in what you do. It's not bad advice, except I forgot it the minute they said it since it wasn't backed up with a memorable story.

• Finally, not surprisingly, the entire event was filled with distractions, given its virtual nature. I could switch between Stages at the touch of a button, get a message from anyone at any point, or be sucked into the stream of never-ending messages in the Chat on the right. I also realized while listening to a few speakers that I was able to clearly spot those who were reading from a screen on their end from the slight vacillating movement of their eyes. This realization distracted me a lot.

The Surprising

Did you notice it while reading the article?

As I sat down to reflect on my experience, it hit me: the things that make a virtual conference good are also the things that make it bad. The flexibility of being able to message anyone also meant anyone could message you. The convenience of switching between stages meant you could barely sit through an entire session without itching to switch. The virtue of being able to take notes meant your devices were always with you, robbing you of the opportunity to immerse yourself in the experience. Like many other trends propagated by COVID-19, such as online education and remote work, virtual conferences are here to stay. So the question to you before you attend your next (virtual) conference is, what best practices can you follow to get the most out of it?

I personally reaped good value for the $149 spent and time invested into WIP 2020. But, I realize now that without setting up the best practices, it just as easily could have been 10 hours spent staring at a screen, passively consuming information through one ear and letting it slip through the other, akin to water being poured into a drum with a big hole at the bottom.