no right answers

I had a conversation recently with a founder that said something that’s always been in the back of my mind about building companies. He made a simple observation: "For every successful decision I've studied, there's someone who did exactly the opposite and succeeded just as well."

This is profound, because it synthesizes one of the most challenging aspect of building companies - one that's rarely discussed openly.

There is no playbook from zero to one. Often, there is no right answer.

In my first company, we spent countless hours trying to uncover the "rules" of success. We studied competitors, decoded their strategies, and searched for the tactically-correct, low-risk path. I was convinced that success meant studying the game, finding the right formula, and following it diligently.

I was wrong. This time around, I'm realizing something fundamental: there is no right path. No matter what that successful advisor says, or what that founder who "did something similar" suggests, their experience is just a data point - not a direction.

What worked for Stripe won't necessarily work for you. What failed for Webvan might be brilliant in today's world. The "best practices" that built Airbnb might sink your company.

The truth is:

• The right move is the one that makes the most sense for your specific situation at that very point in time

• Only you, as the founder, truly understand that unique situational context

• Take external advice as input, not instruction

This is precisely why execution is so challenging in the founder role. You can't copy someone else's style - you have to develop your own. You can’t blindly take guidance from anyone. You have to:

• Develop your intuition, taste, and style

• Be comfortable quickly making decisions with incomplete information

• Develop really good processes on when to double-down, and when to pull-the-plug

So stop taking what other people say as gospel. I actually find it to be quite freeing because now the right answer is not somewhere to be found, but rather something to be developed internally.

I have to remind myself: there are no invisible rules (beyond legal and ethical ones). No secret playbook that everyone else knows but you. The successful ones simply developed their own style. Don't study their playbooks to death - build your own.

So do what feels right for your specific situation. But most importantly, do it fast. Because while there are no rules, there is one constant. Compound learning eats perfection of strategy for breakfast.

The next time someone tells you "this is how it's done," remember - they're just telling you how they did it. Your path might look entirely different.