Davender
@coachdavender.bsky.social
Guiding visionary innovators to prosper in unpredictable times #momentumscaling @coachdavender
Thoughts on entrepreneurship, startups, technology, scaling, economics, leadership, writing, books and politics
Opinions are my own.
Thoughts on entrepreneurship, startups, technology, scaling, economics, leadership, writing, books and politics
Opinions are my own.
Pinned
In 2008, Shopify's founder feared his startup would collapse. Instead, the recession became rocket fuel. Here's what most founders miss about surviving (and thriving in) a crisis.
On my Substack: coachdavender.substack.com/p/when-adver...
#strategy #effectuation #antifragility #momentumscaling
On my Substack: coachdavender.substack.com/p/when-adver...
#strategy #effectuation #antifragility #momentumscaling
When Adversity Becomes Opportunity
Will the next economic crisis break your startup, or make it stronger?
coachdavender.substack.com
December 12, 2025 at 2:48 PM
In 2008, Shopify's founder feared his startup would collapse. Instead, the recession became rocket fuel. Here's what most founders miss about surviving (and thriving in) a crisis.
On my Substack: coachdavender.substack.com/p/when-adver...
#strategy #effectuation #antifragility #momentumscaling
On my Substack: coachdavender.substack.com/p/when-adver...
#strategy #effectuation #antifragility #momentumscaling
When change accelerates, rigour becomes more valuable, not less. The companies that thrive through disruption aren’t the ones that cut corners fastest. They’re the ones that build operational foundations strong enough to adapt as conditions shift.
coachdavender.substack.com/p/every-gene...
coachdavender.substack.com/p/every-gene...
Every Generation Thinks They Invented Urgency
Does the pace of change justify cutting corners?
coachdavender.substack.com
December 5, 2025 at 5:49 PM
When change accelerates, rigour becomes more valuable, not less. The companies that thrive through disruption aren’t the ones that cut corners fastest. They’re the ones that build operational foundations strong enough to adapt as conditions shift.
coachdavender.substack.com/p/every-gene...
coachdavender.substack.com/p/every-gene...
AI doesn't automate what you do. It makes your entire business model obsolete.
The question isn't whether this happens. It's whether you lead the transformation or get displaced by it.
coachdavender.substack.com/p/why-you-ne...
The question isn't whether this happens. It's whether you lead the transformation or get displaced by it.
coachdavender.substack.com/p/why-you-ne...
Why You Need to Bet Against Yourself To Win The Future
How do you evolve your business model when AI makes it obsolete?
coachdavender.substack.com
November 7, 2025 at 2:01 PM
AI doesn't automate what you do. It makes your entire business model obsolete.
The question isn't whether this happens. It's whether you lead the transformation or get displaced by it.
coachdavender.substack.com/p/why-you-ne...
The question isn't whether this happens. It's whether you lead the transformation or get displaced by it.
coachdavender.substack.com/p/why-you-ne...
Founders fixate on runway, or how long before the money runs out. But burn rates accelerate as you scale. Instead, think "hurdle rate". Stop trying to extend your runway and start figuring out what it takes to actually take off.
coachdavender.substack.com/p/the-runway...
coachdavender.substack.com/p/the-runway...
The Runway Trap: Why Breaking Even Isn't Enough
What if your "successful" business is actually costing you a fortune?
coachdavender.substack.com
November 3, 2025 at 3:45 PM
Founders fixate on runway, or how long before the money runs out. But burn rates accelerate as you scale. Instead, think "hurdle rate". Stop trying to extend your runway and start figuring out what it takes to actually take off.
coachdavender.substack.com/p/the-runway...
coachdavender.substack.com/p/the-runway...
What gets you to your first million in revenue won’t get you to ten, and what drives growth to ten won’t engineer profitability at fifty. Your business model must evolve, or it will quietly sabotage everything you’re trying to scale.
Today's Substack: coachdavender.substack.com/p/how-your-b...
Today's Substack: coachdavender.substack.com/p/how-your-b...
How Your Business Model Canvas Evolves As You Scale
Are you trying to navigate to tomorrow's business with yesterday's map?
coachdavender.substack.com
October 31, 2025 at 12:13 PM
What gets you to your first million in revenue won’t get you to ten, and what drives growth to ten won’t engineer profitability at fifty. Your business model must evolve, or it will quietly sabotage everything you’re trying to scale.
Today's Substack: coachdavender.substack.com/p/how-your-b...
Today's Substack: coachdavender.substack.com/p/how-your-b...
@kyla.bsky.social 's piece on America's "casino economy", where the house keeps changing rules mid-game, should make you question whether the institutional foundations for cross-border business are still solid.
Right now, I'd say they're not.
Gift Link: www.nytimes.com/2025/10/26/o...
Right now, I'd say they're not.
Gift Link: www.nytimes.com/2025/10/26/o...
Opinion | It Is Trump’s Casino Economy Now. You’ll Probably Lose.
www.nytimes.com
October 26, 2025 at 3:36 PM
@kyla.bsky.social 's piece on America's "casino economy", where the house keeps changing rules mid-game, should make you question whether the institutional foundations for cross-border business are still solid.
Right now, I'd say they're not.
Gift Link: www.nytimes.com/2025/10/26/o...
Right now, I'd say they're not.
Gift Link: www.nytimes.com/2025/10/26/o...
What will you do when the AI bubble pops? Because it will...
coachdavender.substack.com/p/ais-subsid...
#strategy #momentumscaling
coachdavender.substack.com/p/ais-subsid...
#strategy #momentumscaling
The Subsidy Trap
What will you do when AI's hype balloon pops?
coachdavender.substack.com
October 23, 2025 at 12:01 PM
What will you do when the AI bubble pops? Because it will...
coachdavender.substack.com/p/ais-subsid...
#strategy #momentumscaling
coachdavender.substack.com/p/ais-subsid...
#strategy #momentumscaling
How many untested assumptions are costing you deals right now? Most sales strategies are expensive guesswork dressed up as plans. Build a go-to-market engine that gets smarter with every test. Stop guessing. Start testing.
coachdavender.substack.com/p/stop-guess...
coachdavender.substack.com/p/stop-guess...
Stop Hacking And Start Testing: Applying the Experimental Method to Sales
How many untested assumptions are sabotaging your go-to-market processes?
coachdavender.substack.com
October 20, 2025 at 12:14 PM
How many untested assumptions are costing you deals right now? Most sales strategies are expensive guesswork dressed up as plans. Build a go-to-market engine that gets smarter with every test. Stop guessing. Start testing.
coachdavender.substack.com/p/stop-guess...
coachdavender.substack.com/p/stop-guess...
What are your constraints telling you?
On my Substack: coachdavender.substack.com/p/your-const...
#momentumscaling #growth #strategy #startups
On my Substack: coachdavender.substack.com/p/your-const...
#momentumscaling #growth #strategy #startups
October 14, 2025 at 12:14 PM
What are your constraints telling you?
On my Substack: coachdavender.substack.com/p/your-const...
#momentumscaling #growth #strategy #startups
On my Substack: coachdavender.substack.com/p/your-const...
#momentumscaling #growth #strategy #startups
In 2017, I spent three weeks in Buenos Aires learning about the local startup scene. What struck me is how a once-prosperous country squandered its wealth and power. I felt I was seeing the USA 20 years or so in the future. Today, that "20 years" is probably 5 years away.
medium.com/@umairh/what...
medium.com/@umairh/what...
What Collapse Destroys, or How the Wealth of Nations (and People) Dies
Hi! How’s everyone?
medium.com
October 4, 2025 at 9:18 PM
In 2017, I spent three weeks in Buenos Aires learning about the local startup scene. What struck me is how a once-prosperous country squandered its wealth and power. I felt I was seeing the USA 20 years or so in the future. Today, that "20 years" is probably 5 years away.
medium.com/@umairh/what...
medium.com/@umairh/what...
Imagine if the country next to where you live created a “Department of War”, and just instructed all of their generals and admirals: "We're going to go on offence, not just on defence. Maximum lethality, not tepid legality. Violent effect, not politically correct."
Now consider how Canadians feel
Now consider how Canadians feel
October 1, 2025 at 2:51 AM
Imagine if the country next to where you live created a “Department of War”, and just instructed all of their generals and admirals: "We're going to go on offence, not just on defence. Maximum lethality, not tepid legality. Violent effect, not politically correct."
Now consider how Canadians feel
Now consider how Canadians feel
On my Substack this morning: coachdavender.substack.com/p/the-empath...
September 12, 2025 at 12:46 PM
On my Substack this morning: coachdavender.substack.com/p/the-empath...
Are you building the perfect product for a market that might not exist tomorrow?
Your biggest disruptor isn't your business model—it's the world itself.
My latest Substack:
Your biggest disruptor isn't your business model—it's the world itself.
My latest Substack:
Of Black Swans and Grey Rhinos
How can you scale your venture when the rules keep changing?
coachdavender.substack.com
September 10, 2025 at 1:23 PM
Are you building the perfect product for a market that might not exist tomorrow?
Your biggest disruptor isn't your business model—it's the world itself.
My latest Substack:
Your biggest disruptor isn't your business model—it's the world itself.
My latest Substack:
What if the money you raise is actually working against you?
I got a $30K loan for my new startup, felt validated, bought dream equipment... then discovered nobody wanted what I was selling.
Read the rest of the story on my Substack:
I got a $30K loan for my new startup, felt validated, bought dream equipment... then discovered nobody wanted what I was selling.
Read the rest of the story on my Substack:
Between The Dream And The Dollar
What if the money you raise is actually working against you?
coachdavender.substack.com
September 8, 2025 at 1:45 PM
What if the money you raise is actually working against you?
I got a $30K loan for my new startup, felt validated, bought dream equipment... then discovered nobody wanted what I was selling.
Read the rest of the story on my Substack:
I got a $30K loan for my new startup, felt validated, bought dream equipment... then discovered nobody wanted what I was selling.
Read the rest of the story on my Substack:
If your growth strategy depends on AI tools that are currently priced below their true cost, what happens when the subsidy phase ends, and prices adjust to reality?
My latest Substack: coachdavender.substack.com/p/ais-subsid...
My latest Substack: coachdavender.substack.com/p/ais-subsid...
The Subsidy Trap
What will you do when AI's hype balloon pops?
coachdavender.substack.com
September 5, 2025 at 12:40 PM
If your growth strategy depends on AI tools that are currently priced below their true cost, what happens when the subsidy phase ends, and prices adjust to reality?
My latest Substack: coachdavender.substack.com/p/ais-subsid...
My latest Substack: coachdavender.substack.com/p/ais-subsid...
As you conduct your market research, are you seeking insight or just reassurance?
My latest Substack: open.substack.com/pub/coachdav...
My latest Substack: open.substack.com/pub/coachdav...
The True Goal of Market Research Is Surprise
Are you seeking insight or just reassurance?
open.substack.com
September 3, 2025 at 1:39 PM
As you conduct your market research, are you seeking insight or just reassurance?
My latest Substack: open.substack.com/pub/coachdav...
My latest Substack: open.substack.com/pub/coachdav...
"Quebecers who claim English as their first language still total more than a million. Not an insignificant community. When we forget their contributions, we betray Canada’s identity and historical conscience. And we turn Quebec’s history into fiction."
www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...
www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...
Quebec without anglophones? That’d be like a poutine without cheese curds
For almost 300 years, English-speaking Quebecers have been a nation-building force for both province and country.
www.thestar.com
September 1, 2025 at 3:50 PM
"Quebecers who claim English as their first language still total more than a million. Not an insignificant community. When we forget their contributions, we betray Canada’s identity and historical conscience. And we turn Quebec’s history into fiction."
www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...
www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...
Why qualified leads don’t convert: It’s not your pitch or product. Successful conversion needs three conditions to align: Right Time (urgency), Right Place (budget/authority), Right Fit (matches their success criteria). Don’t blame yourself. Diagnose what’s missing.
August 27, 2025 at 1:23 PM
Why qualified leads don’t convert: It’s not your pitch or product. Successful conversion needs three conditions to align: Right Time (urgency), Right Place (budget/authority), Right Fit (matches their success criteria). Don’t blame yourself. Diagnose what’s missing.
Building influence isn’t about better storytelling—it’s about better follow-through. When your actions consistently outpace your story, trust compounds. Real influence grows through underpromising and overdelivering, not hype. #momentumscaling
August 25, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Building influence isn’t about better storytelling—it’s about better follow-through. When your actions consistently outpace your story, trust compounds. Real influence grows through underpromising and overdelivering, not hype. #momentumscaling
What if startup success isn't about moving faster, but building smarter? Startups don't die from lack of product-market fit. They die from fragility: one shock can end everything. Reserve some resources to strengthen your core. Survivors don't grow fastest. They grow strongest.
#momentumscaling
#momentumscaling
August 18, 2025 at 1:45 PM
What if startup success isn't about moving faster, but building smarter? Startups don't die from lack of product-market fit. They die from fragility: one shock can end everything. Reserve some resources to strengthen your core. Survivors don't grow fastest. They grow strongest.
#momentumscaling
#momentumscaling
Just signed off from my writing group check-in and learned two concepts:
- Writers are “porous” = highly receptive to our environment, where we draw our inspiration;
- “being in limerence with my first draft” = obsessed / thinking about it morning, noon and night… yes this is me!
#booksky #writing
- Writers are “porous” = highly receptive to our environment, where we draw our inspiration;
- “being in limerence with my first draft” = obsessed / thinking about it morning, noon and night… yes this is me!
#booksky #writing
August 15, 2025 at 5:08 PM
This week's excerpt from my book draft explores the unpredictable nature of reality and how it interferes with your sparkling pitch deck.
On my Substack: coachdavender.substack.com/p/excerpt-re...
#momentumscaling #uncertainty #risk #strategy
On my Substack: coachdavender.substack.com/p/excerpt-re...
#momentumscaling #uncertainty #risk #strategy
Excerpt: Reality Is Unpredictable
How many unforeseen events have blindsided you that never appeared in your original projections?
coachdavender.substack.com
August 13, 2025 at 1:23 PM
This week's excerpt from my book draft explores the unpredictable nature of reality and how it interferes with your sparkling pitch deck.
On my Substack: coachdavender.substack.com/p/excerpt-re...
#momentumscaling #uncertainty #risk #strategy
On my Substack: coachdavender.substack.com/p/excerpt-re...
#momentumscaling #uncertainty #risk #strategy
Are you dancing with the tension between risk, reward, and effort, or getting trapped by it?
open.substack.com/pub/coachdav...
open.substack.com/pub/coachdav...
Thot: The Power of Strategic Imbalance
Are you dancing with the tension between risk, reward, and effort, or getting trapped by it?
open.substack.com
August 11, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Are you dancing with the tension between risk, reward, and effort, or getting trapped by it?
open.substack.com/pub/coachdav...
open.substack.com/pub/coachdav...
A deeper dive into the difficult topic of sunk costs. This Substack is also a sneak peek into my book draft.
On my Substack: coachdavender.substack.com/p/the-high-p...
On my Substack: coachdavender.substack.com/p/the-high-p...
The High Price of Sunk Costs
If you keep chasing a promise that never arrives, at what point does persistence become stubbornness?
coachdavender.substack.com
August 7, 2025 at 12:38 PM
A deeper dive into the difficult topic of sunk costs. This Substack is also a sneak peek into my book draft.
On my Substack: coachdavender.substack.com/p/the-high-p...
On my Substack: coachdavender.substack.com/p/the-high-p...
When projects aren't creating results, persistence can become stubbornness. Sunk costs multiply—adding interest, lost time, missed opportunities. Investors only care what you do next, not what you spent. Ask 'Is this still worth it?' not 'How much have I spent?' Be your own most demanding investor.
August 6, 2025 at 12:50 PM
When projects aren't creating results, persistence can become stubbornness. Sunk costs multiply—adding interest, lost time, missed opportunities. Investors only care what you do next, not what you spent. Ask 'Is this still worth it?' not 'How much have I spent?' Be your own most demanding investor.