Notes from the frontlines 6/5

Every year, Sequoia Capital hosts a retreat for startup founders of all stages called Basecamp–an opportunity to learn from investors, hear best practices from fellow founders, and take a step back from the day-to-day grind and reflect. Last month, I was fortunate enough to attend, my first time returning to such an event post-pandemic.

It can take much work to carve out time for things like this. That weekend, my daughter was returning from her first international trip without her parents, and joining Basecamp meant I wouldn’t be at the airport to welcome her home. Anusha never left my mind the whole time I was at the retreat, but I was glad I went: hearing from some of the speakers, including some of the most influential players in the industry, gave me new energy and focus. Here are my top 3 takeaways:

1. Break it down into the simplest elements

When running a company, tackling big problems can sometimes feel overwhelming. Our company, Zum, currently provides student transportation to some of the biggest school districts in the country and is exploring the electrification of our bus fleets. It’s a huge task, but if you break it down into its simplest elements, let go of your assumptions, and connect the dots, you can tackle even the most significant issues.

2. Choose which mode you will play at

For those of you who play video games, you’ll immediately understand this. In any game, you start in easy mode, where the enemies are relatively weak, and you move quickly to the end of the level. Once you’ve mastered this, the game ramps up the challenge, and you enter expert mode, tackling more difficult enemies and gathering helpful rewards. The longer you play, the harder things get until you start playing legendary mode. The same is true of running a company and living your life. You can play in easy, expert, or legendary mode at any given point. Set an intention for how you want to play–and the longer you spend in legendary mode, the farther you’ll go.

3. Scale your ambition

In the past two decades, technology has changed our world dramatically–from the internet to mobile telephones to cloud computing and now AI. And our world is changing, too–climate change represents a bigger existential threat than ever. To weather these market disruptions and collectively tackle climate change, leaders must scale their ambition, dream big, and communicate those dreams. It’s the sharing of that big dream that helps leaders find the resources they need to effect change and bring the best and brightest along on their journey.

In the coming weeks, I’ll post more and more, sharing notes from the front lines of running a company, balancing a family, and helping build a sustainable future where Anusha and all our children will thrive.