My fascination with Plato and Aristotle

People

There is a lot to be discovered still about the brain, how and why it functions the way it does. Yet, I find something incredibly magical, almost undescribable, about how it produces ideas, thoughts, and insights that we have daily – some new and some old.

Every person on earth goes through life in a trillion different ways and circumstances. Throughout our lives, we take information through our senses, processing that information, and coming up with inferences and patterns that we formulate and express verbally or in writing. We start as naive individuals born to an unknown world in a unique period and grow into wise collective communities of worldly and intellectual people.

Life’s journey is wonderful, yet what captures and pokes at my curiosity most is how a thought or realization that I have today about our lives, relationships, and culture may not be new or as revolutionary as I anticipated. That thought may have been discussed and debated thousands of years ago and resulted in the same output as I thought today.

Over the last 2400 years, our world has changed in radical permutations. Yet the central concepts of how we operate individually, together, and in the community remain unchanged.

There most likely were other people before Plato and Aristotle, yet these two Greek philosophers are the most decorated and discussed. Their ideas and insights are central to our lives today.

Who were they?

Plato was a typical, carefree player from a wealthy family in Athens. He was stuck in his beliefs until he met a man named Socrates. Socrates taught him that the best way to live life was through rational contemplation, which leads to wisdom. This was the most rewarding life one could live.

Plato went on to teach his students that we are all part of something higher, a transcendent reality – though we only see a very small part of it during our time. Yet this reality unites us all into a single harmonious whole. Plato said, “want to crawl out of the cave of darkness and ignorance, and walk in the light of the truth.”

However, Plato’s most intelligent student has a completely different perspective. Aristotle was raised in a family of Greek physicians and learned early the importance of observation and experience. When he disagreed with Plato, he would say, “We don’t live in a cave; we live in reality” and “facts are the starting point of all knowledge.” Aristotle’s view is that we acquire knowledge through logical and methodical discovery of the world around us – piecing together facts to form a clear understanding.

Their differences were clear:

AristotlePlato
How does it work?Why does it exist at all?
How do you fit into the world that already exists?What do you want your world to be?
Wake up and smell the coffee.What’s your dream?

Two vastly different world views

These two had two vastly different world views, yet their insights still matter today. Here are some examples

  • According to Plato, every human soul has a natural desire to discover higher levels of truth that will improve our lives and the world around us.
  • Aristotle believed that the light of truth is found in the material world. He encouraged people to find their place in it and understand it. This made him the father of Western science since he wrote books discussing different fields such as biology, physics, astronomy, and psychology. Furthermore, Aristotle was known for his logical, linear thinking, which contrasted with Plato’s belief in intuitive leaps of imagination.
  • Aristotle is the godfather of today’s Internet, entrepreneurial start-ups, and e-commerce. In his book Politics, he wrote that the entire purpose of the society is to enable each person “to attain a higher and better life by the mutual exchange of their different services.” On the other hand, Plato speaks more to those who want to protect the planet, people who see the Big Picture and want to “think globally, act locally.”
  • Plato and Aristotle also play a role in our relationships. Oftentimes, we are more compatible with someone who balances out our inner Plato or Aristotle than with someone who shares some of the same interests.
  • The long-lasting battle between these two ways of viewing the world has appeared throughout the entire history of Western civilization. It also plays a role in ourselves. This inner struggle between our spiritual and creative side versus our logical and material side causes this tension daily in everything we do.

They were right about so many things in our world. They were not perfect in their output, yet the ideas and insights they contemplated align pretty well with our “modern” society.

While I will continue to have thoughts and realizations about my life experience, I am encouraged by their similarities in my thinking. Revisiting the outputs of these great thinkers and philosophers gives me confidence in our society to grow wiser while not losing touch with the material facts of logic.

Ideas Log

Startup

Since childhood, I have always been good at seeing problems and coming up with ideas.

I don’t know when I started, but for years now, I have had this practice. Whenever an idea pops into my head, no matter how small or large, I write it down in a journal or on any scrap paper I can find. I add the date and sometimes even draw a picture.

More often than not, if I allow my brain some free time to contemplate an idea, it’ll come up with a full-fledged product or solution. My brain obsessively runs through the problems in these situations and generates solutions independently. It will bother me all night if I don’t write the idea down immediately. This happens most frequently: 

-When I am in bed trying to fall asleep 

-When I am in the shower 

-On vacation when my mind is clear

As a kid, I was always solving problems while my friends watched or played. Reveling in ideas is both a gift and a burden at times because an idea-rich mind is constantly working.

After being diagnosed with ADHD earlier this year, I realized that this might be why my brain generates ideas. I am coming to accept my natural talent for bursts of creativity that solve important problems in the world.

So, I am publishing this Idea Log so that others may find inspiration from it. I only have time to pursue some of these ideas, but hopefully, someone else will read this and be able to bring one of them to life. I also have a private list that houses my more personal ideas.

Suppose you find an idea on this public list that interests you. In that case, I ask that you shoot me an email or connect with me on LinkedIn so I know my ideas are appreciated (and if you need help developing the idea further, I would be happy to join as an advisor).

IDEAS

11/2022

Find an advisor software. So many startups lack expertise and could use a great board of advisors. It would be useful to have a guidepoint or GLG like system to find and recruit advisors to join a start.

11/2022

I find a website layout I like. I want to paste it into WordPress then have elementor or whatever layout plugin, build that website based on the layout/elements that it has. So I don’t have to do it all by hand.

Product Management Thoughts

EW - Learning Velocity Log

I need to have a roadmap for each app page to share the opportunities for each. Then put them on a timeline and see what they look like. Take a few hours each month to be creative and think about what this page could be in the future.

Linkedin Learnings

Systems

When connecting with people, write a short fast fact snapshot of yourself. Your goal is to get someone’s attention genuinely and honestly while having a clear call to action. See here:

Listening to State of Edtech - 
Me -- Serial social impact entrepreneur. Going through an exit with health tech startup now.
Edtech startup -- Accidental K12 startup started in 2019. Organic growth to 2500 users. FY21 $80k. Bootstrapped, seeking strategic capital Q2 23.
I would love to connect.

It’s hard to find edtech venture capital investors

EW - Learning Velocity Log

I thought it was hard to find investors interested in healthcare and aging products, but I see not many focused edtech VCs or angels. It is a small tight group of folks.

This pushes me to think that having “edtech” or niche investors may not be the only path. Just having people who believe in your mission or believe in you can be enough to support you in your journey. You don’t need to have specific niche investors aligned with your business. I believe or think these folks provide strategic customers or expertise in the market beyond the capital, but I don’t think it has to be a limiting factor.

My list so far:

  • Emerge – Jan Lynn Matern
  • Copper Wire Ventures – Jessica Milestone (leads NYC Edtech meetup)
  • Reach Capital – Steve Kupfer

What is the EW learning velocity log?

EW - Learning Velocity Log

I started EW while I was doing CB. It was a side project to help my friend solve his problem, but it also allow me to jump from project to project when I got stuck or bored with one. I was able to reenergize myself and to learn faster and faster.

I am learning so much so fast. My brain is moving a mile a minute, trying to learn and process information. I want a place to put all this information that I can. It may not be the most organized or most dramatically correct log, but it will be a place for me to use to accomplish the following goals:

  1. Track my progress
    1. Document my ideas, assumptions, questions, risks, and thoughts. See when I had these ideas or questions in association with the timeline.
    2. See how quickly I am learning or closing feedback loops
    3. Have an organized inventory to go back and see what I have done, learn from my experience to improve, and keep myself accountable.
  2. Share with investors
    1. If I do raise capital or exit, this journal will allow new strategic partners (capital or operational) to get up to speed quickly about my progress.
    2. Get on the same page before proceeding. I want to be sure I am partnering with the right strategic partners aligned to my values.
  3. Eventually, synthesize and share with other founders
    1. Maybe write a book or a cleaner blog
    2. When I advise founders, I can share this with them to help them grow faster

Without trust, all is lost

Lessons, Startup

“Why didn’t you come to us? Why didn’t you tell us this two months ago? We could have helped.” Ron (one of my investors) said.

Last week, Sam (one of my advisors) and I discussed our strategic partner and the relationship’s challenges. Sam then shared a Sam-ism (a piece of wisdom Sam sometimes shares to explain something he has learned in his 40+ year career). He said, “In any new relationship, I readily expend trust. If you break my trust, I am more cautious and go to the thinking trust but verify. And, if you break it again, the relationship is over. Then I do not trust you any further until you acknowledge your failure and apologize. Rebuilding is then possible, but it is a long road.” 

Ron and his organization have broken my trust more times than I could count in the past two years. They would promise to do or act on certain things, but then nothing would happen. When asked, it was like they forgot and just swept it under the rug, pretending like it never happened. And then, every quarter, they would ask for feedback through a survey. I was always honest in my responses, but it consistently came back to bite me. Ron and the organization’s members would either ignore the feedback or defend themselves instead of growing from it. This cycle caused me to lose trust in them repeatedly, with no acceptance on their part.

It made me feel bad like I was a terrible person. That this investor, this organization that supposedly believes in my company and me, disregards my feedback and defends themselves. I was frustrated, angry, and emotional from all of this. What was I to do? They were my investor, after all – they had a strong say in my company. How could I keep moving forward when I felt so conflicted?

…

I paused for a minute, considering how to answer Ron’s question. I could tell he wanted me to say that I was sorry and I should have come to him sooner, but the truth was, I wasn’t.

“I don’t trust you,” I said honestly. “I don’t trust your organization.”

Ron didn’t seem phased by my response. He kept talking like nothing had happened like he always does. But this time, I felt empowered by speaking the truth. No longer did I feel the anger and shame of this feeling. Instead, I felt the power of saying the truth face to face (well, zoom face to zoom face).

Ron explained how his organization had helped many other startups with this and that. He skipped right over what I said about trust and went straight into defensive mode. There was no acknowledgment, no ownership, no empathy, just attack. Pushing all the blame back to me; it was my fault.

Immediately as the call ended, I felt those strong emotions come on again. I was frustrated and angry from all of this. I took a deep breath and then another.

…

Without trust, all is loss. A relationship that is intended to support, grow, and develop falls apart under these conditions — especially one between an entrepreneur and investor. There is no room for growth and collaboration, only blame, defensive mechanisms, and a failed relationship.

This is not how trust is built. There is no self-awareness, vulnerability, or alignment in mutual respect – the foundations of a trusting relationship are entirely absent here.

As I continue to grow my company and attract new investors, I now realize that I need to seek relationships with those with a growth mindset. Investors who understood that they are not always right and who believe in mutual respect. This is another learning opportunity for me and a way for me to get better.

A hard week: bad contractor break up & lessons learned

Lessons, Startup

It’s been one of the hardest weeks of my startup journey thus far and concluded with a hard meeting. I had been anxiously waiting for this meeting for the past month. Every scenario of how it could play out occurred in my mind with all the anxiety-filled thoughts with each outcome I thought through. The actual meeting was just as hard and uncomfortable as I thought it would be. I spent so much time thinking about what to say in the meeting and how to get through the meeting that I didn’t prepare myself for how bad I would feel after the meeting.

Let me fill you in on the back story. As you have gathered, I am a technical founder and have learned to sell through my experience building this business. My process is based on all the blogs, books, and advice I have received. It also means my process is not standardized, efficient, or productive. I know that at some point, I would need extra help to accelerate the company’s growth. By the end of 2021, I knew that the time had come. So I sought a Sales and Business Development contractor to accelerate our deal volume and close additional partners. After months and months of interviewing, I finally found and hired a Sales/BD Contractor who I believed was the best fit.

This meeting I just had was the result of that contractor who had a bad breakup with the company. I will spare you (and the contractor) all the details about the relationship and how it unfolded, but I want to share my reflection on the situation and lessons learned.

Before I share, I want to reiterate that every decision I have ever made with the company is in the past. I repeatedly tell myself and believe that I made the best decision possible with the information I had at the time. This mantra clears my consciousness and gives me the space to reflect, learn, and grow, so ultimately I can become better because of it.

Lessons Learned

  1. Before hiring a Sales/BD contractor
    1. Clearly define the goals, metrics, milestones, and reasons you are hiring a Sales contractor
    2. Determine what type of selling skills this contractor needs to have to be successful. What stage of maturity are you at?
      1. A product has already been sold to a few customers and a defined playbook (defined could mean many different stages, from a few notes to exact personas to sell to, etc.)
      2. There is a product that has no playbook and needs to figure out how to sell
      3. There is a product in development, and pre-orders are needed, resulting in a lead time
    3. If you say the product is in 1 or 2., then have 100% confidence that it is. If not, say something in the pre-hiring discussions to set the right expectations.
    4. For the best results, the product should be in 1. and have already been sold by the founder to early customers.
  2. Managing and working with a sales contractor
    • Clearly describe to the contractor and ensure understanding of the steps are clear for what happens after a deal is signed
      • What blockers could arise in delivering the product to the customer promptly?
      • Who in the company is responsible for delivering the product?
      • If an order isn’t completed through the process, it takes too long, or there is an error along the way, then have a post-mortem. Talk it through with your team and fix it for next time.
    • Have a minimum of weekly sales calls to understand each deal in the pipeline in detail
      • What deals are you working on, and in what stage are they in?
      • What are the drivers for the customer? Why is the customer interested in this product?
      • What are the blockers for the customer? If you could remove all those blockers, would they sign tomorrow? What else is holding them back?
    • If issues arise, have a check-in and figure out what is happening with “Aaron Cooper’s Famous 3.”
      • The contractor understands the goal. Enough to repeat it back to you and gets it.
      • The contractor disagrees with the goal or feels negatively toward the goal.
      • The contractor doesn’t have the skillset or ability to reach the goal.
    • If an issue keeps coming up or can’t be resolved in a check-in, it is time to let the person go.
      • Don’t feel shameful, guilty, or unsure. If you have a gut feeling about the situation, just let the person go. It will save you from all the challenges later.
  3. Ending the relationship
    • Make sure the paperwork is clear.
    • Get a status report or hand off and move on.
    • Let it go, this is the hardest part, but you have to let go and let the control go. Learn from it and move on.

The Full Circle of Student Startups

Lessons

“Thank you. I am delighted and proud to have you involved. I feel like we’ve come full circle.” My old professor said in his closing remarks at our third meeting on Zoom. The first two meetings were to align the Committee on short and long-term goals and our processes. I was looking forward to the third meeting where we were going to get our hands dirty in the life-changing moments.