Can Test Prep Feel Like Magic?

TLDR: I make a bet that education can still be magic. Six students, two mentors, one rooftop at sunset. 2x per week, five weeks. 6-8 pm, Wednesdays an...

On "You're just another SAT Bootcamp"

Entering high school, I wanted to be an engineer. My dad used to tell me about a guy he know who was a doctor, a lawyer, AND an engineer. This was wh...

On structure vs autonomy

Years ago, I worked at a tutoring company called Compass. I tutored for them, then I did sales full time for them, then my car rental business picked ...

93/100

In baseball: getting a hit 30 percent of the time is Hall of Fame. In business, there’s a ten percent chance a startup will last longer than five yea...

On Systems and Diversification

Conventional financial wisdom told me to diversify. Work in X. Live in Y. Invest in Z. This leads to working in Santa Monica. Living in Woodland Hil...

Restraint. Do Less.

One thing uncomfortable to talk about as a tutor: you’re not just in it to help kids. You’re in it for the validation. To a student, to a parent, I c...

On working for algorithms

We all work for a boss. I used to rent cars to Uber and Lyft drivers. As a provider of a service, my bosses were my renters. The algorithm of Uber a...

On constraints as opportunity

You ever look at a blank page on a day where you have nothing to do but write that thing? You ever have a million options? Let constraints help you ...

On space as curriculum

One of my favorite shows growing up was The League. It's a group of dudes in their late 30s who play fantasy football. One of them gets divorced, li...

On my best use case of AI

AI as it stands isn't all knowing. It's pattern seeking. Because it can understand patterns really well, it's good for showing you how your assumptio...

Private equity and how it destroyed the ACT

TLDR: A private equity firm bought the ACT, built a half-assed new testing product, and potentially destroyed its only competitive advantages against ...

Asymmetric bets

Asymmetric bets: ideas that have low downside, maximum upside. Example of a bad asymmetric bet: my first business. Renting old Toyota Priuses long te...

The Fire that saved Ashland

In January, a fire burned a lot of Los Angeles. One of our students—and five of her closest friends—lost their homes. First COVID. Now this. I though...

Founders Notes