How (Not) to Newsletter
Quick update on the future of the How (Not) to Founder newsletter, including a new name and adjusted focus.
How (Not) to Founder started as a pressure-release valve. I had just exited StackSource. I had nearly a decade of scar tissue as a startup operator, a few proud wins, a long list of avoidable mistakes, and a growing suspicion that most founder content is either faking success or laundering survivorship bias.
So I starting writing what I actually learned as a first-time founder:
What went sideways.
What I misunderstood early on.
What I learned too late.
What I’d do differently now.
It was honest and occasionally uncomfortable. The name fit. But something slowly shifted over the last year.
I’m no longer just processing the past; certainly not just my own past. I’m actively consulting, experimenting, and shipping (sometimes wisely, sometimes not) across both client projects, and a handful of my own personal experiments. I’m reflecting on the stories of others on mission to see a positive change in this world. I’m thinking about turning one (or more) of my experiment ideas into a future venture.
So I lost the momentum to only write about past founder/CEO confessions, and didn’t feel like the Failure tune was the primary topic to share about in my content. As my thoughts spread wider, I wrote less often, because most of my potentially shareable thoughts fell outside the scope I had set for this newsletter.
I still believe deeply in learning from mistakes. I just don’t think self-deprecation alone is a long-term strategy.
Why Salt & Wisdom
Salt preserves.
Wisdom compounds.
(Plus, this is already my consulting brand name, chosen at the onset of my first inbound consulting opportunity two years ago.)
The brand reflects how I actually operate now:
Practical, grounded, sometimes blunt.
Optimistic without being naive.
Faith-driven but (hopefully) not preachy.
Focused on building things that last, not just shipping clever ideas. OK, shipping some clever ideas thrown in just for fun.
This isn’t a pivot away from honesty. If anything, it’s a commitment to share the lessons I’m learning more holistically.
What’s Not Changing
I’m still allergic to:
Empty hustle culture
Fake certainty
Advice that only works if you already won the lottery
If something works, or something fails, I’ll show the .
What This Means Practically
The publication name will soon become Salt & Wisdom.
Existing posts will stay put, but will eventually redirect to my core SaltandWisdom.com domain (new website, let me know what you think!).
Subscriptions are still free and should continue to work normally.
If you originally subscribed for founder mistakes, you’ll still get them. They just won’t be the only note I play anymore.
If you’re building something real, wrestling with leverage, trying to steward talent and capital well, or navigating the strange overlap of technology, faith, and ambition, you’re in the right room.
Let’s keep building towards wisdom.