The Problem with Perfection
Sharing Struggles + Josh Designs Pitch Kicks
Vol. 1 Issue 16
In this week’s episode we hear a pitch for a business that sounds perfect.
Software for on-demand, 3D printed shoes. Is it the capital efficient business with great margins that all investors want?
It’s hard to tell. Kind of like an AI generated photo. It’s so perfect you begin to question if it’s real…
a realistic photo of a venture capitalist wearing a pair of white and green startup kicks with gold embellishments stepping foot on the surface of the moon
I don’t like when things look perfect.
Perfect looks fake. It makes me think you’re hiding something.
I like messy authenticity.
My favorite artists color outside the lines or blur blobs into beauty with impressionistic style.
My favorite social posts reveal the struggles alongside the highlights. Because authenticity gives people a chance to connect with you. The REAL you.
This week has been messy in our family. And I think it should be normal to share that.
At our Monday morning team meeting – cleverly named The Sitch with The Pitch – Josh and I updated our team on the personal stuff that took us out of town last week. It wasn’t a therapy session. Just a brief update. They empathized and we moved on.
This is important.
Vulnerability brings understanding and support. Hiding your personal life hurts you and your team.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. For everyone’s mental health can we normalize sharing our struggles?
Many people shy away from opening up out of fear that they’ll be judged. The opposite is usually true.
There’s a simple concept in communication theory that explains this.
When you are vulnerable with others they tend to be vulnerable with you. That’s how relationships are deepened. You just have to be the first person to remove the mask.
Imagine sharing about your family member struggling with mental illness only to find out your coworker is struggling to support someone with mental illness too!
It takes a bit of courage, but the result is worth it.
Who can you be vulnerable with today? Start by sharing something easy. Peel back the layers one at a time. Like an onion… or parfait.
Hey, this is Josh
Let’s talk about Pitch kicks. I mean come on! In a world where AI connects to the supply chain and anyone can design their own shoes… why not?
Obviously, we’re pretty far off from this becoming reality. But I had a lot of fun on Midjourney creating mockups of Pitch kicks.
Tweaking these concepts, however, proved impossible. It seems the technology is far better at idea generation than it is at refining them.
And when I tried to stitch the word “pitch” on the side of the sneakers?
Forgetta ‘bout it.
a realistic photo of a startup founder at a desk wearing a pair of green and grey sneakers with the word pitch stitched on the side
So for now if you want a pair of pitch kicks I guess you’ll have to settle for a pair of iTchcc’s, prich’s or be like that bearded guy who started Packil.
Josh signing off.
Fresh Reads
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Do You Want to Manage or Do You Want to Invest?
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A VC who doesn’t take her phone to bed? Thanks for modeling healthy habits Elizabeth.
With my first company, I used to feel stressed all the time and had lots of trouble sleeping.
The ups and downs never go away in building a company, but here are things that I do differently in building @HustleFundVC
More >>
And this tweet from Mac really makes me wonder who was in his 2:00 meeting. Sir, he’s talking to you ⬇️
Male GPs and VCs...... STOP BEING SEXIST TO YOU FEMALE COUNTERPARTS AND SUBORDINATES...... STOP BEING SHITTY HUMANS!
I know it's not everyone but yo, we gotta do better.
#SayItLoudForThoseInTheBack
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