11 Tips I learned from Carl. 1 insight I got him to ponder!

On my recent visit to Nothing's head office in London, I met up with Carl Pei to learn more about his vision and how he runs the company. Our conversation spanned many topics. Growing up with an ambition to be a Kung-Fu teacher then a police officer and finally the entrepreneur he is, Carl feels it was meant to be. Here are the 11 things that I learned from Carl, and the one thing I poked Carl’s interest on.

1. Just keep doing things! Don’t just think about it. Keep doing what you believe in!
2. Failure is part of the journey. So many projects failed secretly and there is no shame in failing.
3. You are never in control of the macro situation. COVID almost pulled the plug on Nothing. See the first point.
4. Remind yourself to be grateful and celebrate your successes. Don’t be exceedingly critical of your performance.
5. Life is a journey. Make the best out of it!
6. Inspiration is not related to the size of the organization. Smaller organizations and teams, passionate about working together, are more inspirational.
7. Pride comes not in the size of the team but in the number of customers who love your product.
8. Skills, capabilities, and cultural fit are key to hiring talent.
9. Design and technology must work hand in hand. You can’t have one without the other.
10. Not a believer of First Mover Advantage and believes in Late Mover Advantage. Let others try and see. (I don't necessarily agree on this) 
11. Ideas, Timing, and Team. While all three are critical, “Timing” has the highest priority.

Now, you might want to know what intrigued Carl with my AI question. It felt good to get Carl to pause and think!