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Nicolas Cava

Notes on leading yourself, ruthless simplicity, and AI.

Seventeen years of building teams, burning out twice, and starting over, written down.

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  • Your developer is protecting you from the truth

    Your developer is protecting you from the truth. And it's costing you everything. Every Monday: "It's almost done." Every Wednesday: "Good progress, on track."...

  • You don't need a technical co-founder

    You don't need a technical co-founder. You've been sold a lie. Everyone tells you the same thing: "Investors want to see a technical co-founder." "You can't...

  • 8 tools that cost $0:

    8 tools that cost $0: You are paying for tools you do not need. 1. Project management: Linear 2. Customer support: Help Scout 4. Analytics: PostHog (open...

  • You don't become great by being reasonable

    You don't become great by being reasonable. Not in this market. Not in this climate. I was waiting for my turn. I was waiting to feel ready to act. I was...

  • Founder guilt is a tax you don't have to pay

    Founder guilt is a tax you don't have to pay. You're not coding anymore. You're not grinding weekends. You hired a Fractional CTO instead of brute-forcing it...

  • Investors don't want certainty

    Investors don't want certainty. They look for honesty. Admit that you don't know. Test openly. I know. Investor day. You panic. You make your deck pretty....

  • Fatigue is a performance tool

    Fatigue is a performance tool. But only when you use it out loud. Everyone worships energy. Every meeting starts with high energy only. Every Slack thread:...

  • Still holding back on vibe-coding?

    Still holding back on vibe-coding? Watch how fast you get left behind. Skip the nostalgia. Every major tech jump made engineers cringe. You don't adapt. You're...

  • A co-founder is not a CTO

    A co-founder is not a CTO. Let that sink in. Stop pretending voting equals knowing. The fastest way to fail is to hand technical voting power to someone who...

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