The central idea of these commandments is to ask how we can change businesses for the greater good, either by creating businesses that specifically focus on doing good or helping existing businesses think about-;and implementing-; cost-effective and innovative ways in which their business can address broader social concerns. The goal is a double bottom line-;profit and public good.

1. Startup
Commandments

2. You Get What You
Work for, Not What
You Wish For
Hard work always wins. In the real world, effort
trumps talent. Hope is not a strategy. We may
not outsmart them all, but we’ll certainly
outwork them.

3. Keep Raising the
Bar
Constant iteration is the key. You get better
by getting better. Successive
approximation beats postponed perfection.
There’s no finish line-; ever.

4. Shoot for the Stars
•
Always ask for the best seat in the house. You miss
100% of the shots you don’t take. If you don’t
ask, the answer’s always “no”.

5. Don’t Sell Yourself
Short
Feasibility will compromise you soon enough.
Don’t allow yourself to be defined by the
limitations of other people. Fueling your fears is
a waste of imagination.

6. Keep Moving
Forward
Excellence is always anchored in perseverance.
It’s only a “No” for now. Over every hill is
another hill. The only easy day was yesterday.

7. Start Now with
What You Have
Waiting doesn’t necessarily get you to a better
answer. The time will never be “just right.”
Elaboration in planning is a form of pollution. A
good plan executed today beats a perfect plan
next week. It’s easier to ask for forgiveness than
permission. Only the winners decide what were
the war crimes.

8. Nobody Said Life
Was Fair
In the world of startups, there aren’t rewards or
punishments, there are only consequences. Some
win, some lose, but those who don’t constantly
change die for sure. There’s no such thing
as a good excuse. Make smart mistakes and
don’t repeat them.

9. Never Play the
Blame Game
People who blame their circumstances for their
situation will never change things for the better.
The ones who succeed look for the conditions
they need to succeed and - if they can’t find
them - they make them. When you continually
blame others, you give up your power to make
things better.

10. Sometimes the
Baby is Just Ugly
Time is the scarcest resource. Opportunity costs
are everything. If you’re digging yourself into a
hole, the first order of business is to stop
digging. Don’t be reluctant to change your
mind. Don’t try to do things cheaply that you
shouldn’t be doing at all. Stubborn on vision;
flexible on details.

11. Make Something
that Makes a
Difference
Focus on making a difference and making a life
rather than just trying to make a living.

12. Cheddar Breed
Jealousy
Unless you’re a publicly listed company, you have
no business flaunting your profits. What purpose
does it achieve? Flossing? Chill. Focus on being
great and delivering a great service or product,
let people focus on that. You don’t need and
definitely don’t need the negative energy that
comes with people knowing how much profits
your business is making. It’s a distraction.

13. Do More. Talk Less
Quit the talking, let the actions speak. Let the
services and products you ship from your
startup do the talking.

14. Verify & Validate
Everything
• Once again, think about what matters for
your startup. Validate everything.
Sometimes trouble doesn’t announce itself, it
sweet talks its way in.

15. Never get high on
your own PR
•
• Your public relations is meant at best to tell
a good story about your startup and
hopefully get potential customers hooked on
whatever it is you offer, but never get high
on it. You know very well your startup has
areas it needs to improve on so instead of
basking in all those PR good stories, focus
and keep working on getting better.

16. Money and Blood
Don’t Mix
•
You could say this rule (Keep your business and family
separated) is debatable in terms of startups, but
think about it from a diversity point of view.
It is probably better from a decision making point of
view to have people that are different from you (but
have the requisite skills) helping you make decisions
from a different perspective. With family, chances
are you all believe in the same things and most
probably view the world the same way.