LawTrades 3 and why startups would rather die than think
We have a tendency to think that the world must conform to our creations.
Bertrand Russell said, “Most men would rather die than think. Many do.”
I know that sounds extreme. But he was trying to tell u that most people inhibit thinking due to fear.
With the exception of people not thinking because they’re lazy or actually unable to–why don’t people stop, think, and actually make an effort?
It wasn’t until we were building our latest product (LawTrades 3) that I realized there was a high likelihood it could fail and my long-held beliefs around it could be shattered.
It felt easier to live in ignorance and lie to myself/others than experience failure or be judged publicly.
When you start thinking, you go down a cynical path where you may reject not only your product and mission, but connection, compassion, reason, and more.
If you probe even deeper, you may discover that “changing the world” is reducible to a KPI number; you’ll never be a $1B company; and that startup life is absurd.
So just ignore the thoughts?
It’s not that simple. Thoughts and ideas are powerful.
Thoughts free political regimes; they judge people on a scale of 1 to 5 stars and help people find meaningful work. They steal our attention for ads but also connect us to our families internationally for free.
Thinking matters to us, our communities, and to the world. We fear it because it shakes our foundations, but it’s required for progress.
Four years ago, I decided to build something to help lawyers make extra cash and get out of law school debt faster.
My journey was filled with honest thoughts and harsh realities informed by the best evidence available–our customers. Every product launch since has forced us to see the world anew.
It’s how we went from a goofy looking site to help people find neighborhood lawyers:
To an on-demand global workforce
A payment processing platform
A collaboration tool
An appointment booking system
and a better way to pay down student debt
I’m grateful for all the hard thinking we did to find our truth. I hope we continue to follow it wherever it may lead.
As Steven Pressfield wrote:
“The more scared we are of a work or calling, the more sure we can be that we have to do it.”
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