To:
Co-Founders & ambitious employees
From:
Matt Quinn (2 time non technical co-founder, several startup employee and 2x corporate sell out)
Subject:
Know your limits

2 years ago now, I sat down to meet someone trying to hire me and as she enquired about a recent string of startup experiences, I welled up.

​I had a lump in my throat. I tried to explain what I felt to be an embarrassing set of experiences I had been through with some teams.

At the end of 2021 when I sat down to review my year and write my goals for the next, I felt that I was at the intersection of two major life forces.
1. I had joined a large enterprise as a consulting senior PM 3 months prior
​and
2. I was due my first child in 6 weeks

Whilst I hit all my goals for 2021 something about it all did not feel challenging.

To:
Founders, Indie hackers & ambitious employees
From:
Matt Quinn (2 time non technical co-founder, side project maniac and 2x corporate sell out)
Subject:
Put your blinders on and go get what you want
​
As I round out the end of 3 months in my new corporate role, I wanted to jot down some quick thoughts on the gravity of mediocrity that plagues our world and how important it is to fight it.

To:
Founders & ambitious employees
From:
Matt Quinn (2 time non technical co-founder, several time startup employee and 2x corporate sell out)
Subject:
In failure there is still gold to be had

​A really cringe thing but 100% true thing to say is that in failure there are things you can still gain.
​
This is what I found myself explaining to a corporate tech lifer over a coffee in December - who had by his account, never taken a risk nor experienced the stress of failure or decline.

To: Solo founders, those looking for cofounders & non techies looking to co-found a company
From: Matt Quinn (2 time non technical co-founder, ACA)
Subject: RE: Found with the right team

To: Product People, The Powers That Be
CC: Anyone who cares
From: Matt Quinn (Head of Product, Dual Citizen, Lived in 8 major cities so far)
​Subject: RE: Does the world need more product managers?

To: World
CC: Founders with chips on their shoulders who feel that nothing they do is enough
From: Matt Quinn (2x founder, 1 exit, several side project - overly empathetic person)
Subject: I think I had a break through

My family is slowly catching on that we can enjoy activities online - together

On Saturday we watched an art class on zoom (from YouTube) and everyone had bought paints before hand.

Costumes were involved. The outcome was fantastic, fun and affordable

How often do you find you need advice, you reach out to people you look up to for help and their advice confirms everything you already knew, just in a clearer, unemotional way?