Dave Schappell

“A related tactic is asking them to play your value back to you.54 This works especially well when the customer has been reticent to give feedback. I was nervous to do this when this was first taught to me. What if the customer couldn’t do so? What if I didn’t like what I heard? But that’s the point. You want to know if you landed your value proposition or what parts of the pitch didn’t stick, something like, “You’ve clearly seen a lot and are very advanced in your thinking. I’m curious, what value do you see, if any, in what we’re doing?”
― Rags Gupta, One to Ten: Finding Your Way from Startup to Scaleup

“Everything offended Jessica, which is inevitable when you move through the world in search of offense.”
― Emily St. John Mandel, Sea of Tranquility

“First-time founders mistakenly ascribe too much power to their prospects. This manifests in sharing too much information, demos, and access to yourself without getting enough in return. Don’t make this mistake. Remember, the customer has big problems that you, with your insight, team, and technology, are uniquely suited to solve. The companies you’re selling to are worried about being disrupted from below or having their direct competitors steal a march on them. They need innovation, which you represent, to surpass the competition and prevent disruption.”
― Rags Gupta, One to Ten: Finding Your Way from Startup to Scaleup

“The OKR framework, famously espoused by Intel and then Google, is effective to bring transparency and accountability across functions. It also enables autonomy because each function or individual determines how to achieve the key results that will impact their objectives.”
― Rags Gupta, One to Ten: Finding Your Way from Startup to Scaleup