Do it for the culture🔋
Company DNA is one important feature that'll make your company great and employees super happy
#52
So, this is the third post I’ve come across talking about how awesome Stripe is. For those of us who don’t know about this company, they basically allow payments to happen online. Started by Patrick and John Collison, they have built a pretty impressive company over the past 8 years (they’re both under 30). I should probably put out my notes from Tim Ferriss’ interview with Patrick some months back. One of the most impressive minds I’ve heard speak. Anyway, below is 5 reasons why you should learn from Stripe, as told by @dalexeenko. And this applies to any type of company, not just SV cos.
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Finished my first week at @Stripe. Beyond impressed by many things; the following stood out to me the most:
1/ Optimism
2/ Humility
3/ People
4/ First principles thinking
5/ Sense of urgency and focus
1/ Optimism. Building economic infrastructure for the internet is no small feat. Stripe is working on loads of really challenging problems. Yet everyone I talk to at Stripe radiates optimism and shows the "How can we get this seemingly impossible thing to work" attitude.
2/ Humility. Arguably Stripe is one of the most prominent tech startups out there, yet, the level of humility and thoughtfulness demonstrated by folks throughout the organization is unbelievable.
3/ People. Every single stripe I've met has been extremely friendly, welcoming, smart and super well-rounded. When someone hears that you are new to the company, they are happy to explain how their part of the organization works, do some whiteboarding, or answer any questions. And that's true on all levels, from individual contributors to executives.
4/ First principles thinking. It's amazing to see the rigor that goes into thinking about solving complex problems and not just following established patterns. Getting all the way down to the fundamentals of the problem is a common way of thinking here.
5/ Sense of urgency and focus. While Stripe has a set of long-term goals and a long time horizon, people here balance it out with a "Get things done" attitude, constantly pushing things forward every single day.
It definitely feels like a special place to be at!
Article List— What I’m reading (10 articles a day x 7 days x 4 weeks x 12 months = 3360 articles a year).
Uber launches boat service in Nigeria’s megacity Lagos, what you need to know: What happened to G-Boats? or whatever Gokada was peddling? When big brother with more money and access comes through, gotta put on your helmet…or life jacket.
The 5 Best Ways to Make Business Connections, According to Master Networkers: I think i’ve posted this before. But why not post again? I know some of you didn’t read that one.
Now There’s a Degree Designed for Those Who Want to Become an Influencer: Learn how to make bank in the 21st century. New products/ services require new skills. Don’t slack.
The UK just unveiled a $23,000 payment card made from solid gold: Na if i pay this 23k, what money would I have to spend? Clearly not their target market…yet.
Japanese artist's decade-old doodle in a New York bar skyrockets in value: Makes me think of what I want to do with @artsoulkojo’s graffitis all over the place…🤔🤔
VC Brad Feld on WeWork, SoftBank, and why venture firms may have to slow down their pacing in 2020: Moral of the story- look for authentic leaders who are not pandering BS.
The first “Made in Rwanda” Volkswagen is out of the factory: Well this is good news. First made in Africa phone out last week from Mara and now this? Rwanda is moving. And don’t compare this feat to Kantanka, please.
Ghana’s rebased inflation explained: Old post but I found it quite relevant. Easy explanation of how inflation rates happen and what the central bank’s inflation targeting framework works.
East Meets West: A Q&A With CcHub's Bosun Tijani On Acquisition Of iHub: Bosun talking about CC HUb’s acquisition of iHub and his vision for the future.
Nigerian Fintech Firm Targets $1.1 Billion in Eastern Europe Loans: Diversify your consumer base and you just might survive.
Jumia lost $2B in market capitalization: This is so cringe. Jumia is really in flames. Stolen from uncle Jason on Twitter- “Africa’s entire consumer internet investment was largely handed to Jumia. They were supposed to win. In no category did they win. hotels, property, payments…”
Podcast— What I’m listening to (1 podcast episode a day x 7 days x 4 weeks x 12 months = 336 podcast episodes). Broadening my experiences through others’ stories.
Back to listening to Land of Giants because I really need to understand what makes Amazon the company it is. These guys are really taking over our lives. And what I’m still trying to figure out when the AWS spin-off will happen. Amazon shares may still be undervalued, if you’re trying to get AWS stock on the low.
Book— 1 Chapter a day x 7 days x 4 weeks x 12 months = 336 chapters. Most books have 10-12 chapters, so 1 year = 28 to 33 books. And my book list is nearing 1000 books. Send help 🌚
Venture Deals: Want to know how venture funds really work and how term sheets operate and different negotiation tactics to use when raising money? I have a present for you.
📱📱Quote of the day
“Learn to negotiate.”- AB
Remember folks: “Until the lion learns to write, every story will glorify the hunter.”