Forgive me a diversion from my usual posts for a bit of a moan, but just a question…
How is it possible to end up with a world where so many people are chill with wasting other people’s time?
I’ve been taking stock these past few days as now we’re in Q4 2023, I’m strategising a strong start to 2024. (Only 84 sleeps until Christmas, don’t you know.)
And looking back, the amount of effort I’ve spent with people who have ultimately ended up wasting my time is a massive proportion of my utilisation over the year.
You could say that this is a failing of my due diligence, but you can also advocate that there is a supply problem. There are too many people out there who are happy to burn through your diary like it’s written on Rizla.
The balance is that people who support startups need to be available to people who need that support, but at the same time, it ABSOLUTELY is on the founder or founders as well to assess whether you’re at a stage where there asking for that advice delivers value on both sides.