There’s No Glory in Overworking (read)

"My identity was rooted in this startup. At some point over the course of 2–3 years, it had completely taken over. I allowed it. Slowly, I forgot why I wanted to detach myself. And eventually, I just didn’t know how. Some days, I woke up lethargic and drained, without the energy to even get up. I spent those mornings counting the holes on my ceiling, contemplating life."

Mianya Ong of Level Studios reflects on the imminence of burnout when we get lost in ‘the hustle’, the ‘what if’, and the ‘who am I’ we all feel by working at a startup.

From the Investors

Fred Wilson of Union Square Ventures says that there is something about the other pathway into VC, via investing, consulting, writing, that works equally well, or better in some cases in “Investor VCs and Operator VCs”

Anthony Pompliano of Full Tilt Capital feels a little uncomfortable and weird to share this level of detail about Full Tilt Capital and offers data to make the case that his strategy may not be as crazy as people thought in “Full Tilt Capital Progress Report”

Jason Mendelson of Foundry Group provides the framework he utilizes to make fast but sound decisions and how he evaluates them, knowing when to ask ‘Can this be bigger?’ versus ‘Should this be bigger?’ and why being a musician is his secret weapon in How Self-Awareness Helps You Tap Your Potential (Podcast)

Jessica Droste Yagan of Impact Engine outlines resources and best practices for improving investor-entrepreneur relations in "Please Communicate with Your Investors!"

From the Operators

Cameron Conaway of Klipfolio encourages marketers to notice the human side of data in "Landing page metrics and the 5 stories they tell"

Kieran Flanagan of HubSpot explains the most common reason for freemium failure (inability to scale free user growth) and how to solve for it in "The Importance of Product-Channel Fit in Freemium"

Gentry Underwood, formerly of Mailbox, explains the benefits of design being a “we” vs an “I” issue, how to be your most productive self, and discusses what it took to turn Mailbox into a $100 million acquisition within 30 days of launch in “High Resolution Ep. #12” (video)

Nathan and Bianca Kinch of >X cover the unexpected insights from their participation in a recent street performance and four tactics to design better user and business outcomes in “Monetizing Engagement: Design Lessons from NYC Street Performers”

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