Sander's Newsletter, Issue 4
Building doesn't end, answering the phone, Top Gun
Hi there, and welcome to my newsletter — about all things future of work, company-building, and operating.
I’ve been building companies for 15 years, starting with Thumbtack (local services) and now Scaled (startup recruiting) and GroomBuggy (dog grooming). I’m motivated to get jobs for people as tech accelerates. This newsletter chronicles my birds-eye view on the workforce and my journey in creating jobs for the future.
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🏖 You’re done
You’re a millionaire.
You ran the race.
You launched the product.
You raised the kids.
You lost the weight.
You paid the debt.
You got the Green Card.
You raised the money.
You got the job.
You made the hire.
You retired.
You did it.
You made it.
You’re done.
We have to set goals.
Great things are built only with narrow focus over long periods by ambitious people.
For so many years a Thumbtack IPO was one of my greatest goals. In 2011 I shot a video of the Thumbtack offices that I promised to “post to TechCrunch” on the day of our IPO in 10 years. In 2015 I created my IPO playlist on Spotify in preparation for the IPO party we’d host for all Thumbtack employees current and past. When times were tough I powered through in part by keeping the IPO in mind. “It’ll all be worth it when we IPO.”
For me that goal was powerful, motivating, focusing, important, necessary.
Never be ashamed to squint at the horizon, imagine a better future, and sprint.
🏔 You’re not done
But don’t delude yourself.
The finish line is just another starting point.
So many goals I’ve set.
So many at which I’ve failed.
And many that I’ve achieved.
Achieving many of the goals has made my life better.
For sure.
And yet.
As time has gone on. As I’ve grown up. As I look back on cycle after cycle of goals gone by.
It turns out.
The things I remember best. And am most proud of. And value the most.
Aren’t the outcomes.
But rather the process. The people. The struggle. The laughs. The small wins. The growth.
Builders build. And there’s no end to building.
You achieve one goal, another arises.
Wins and losses, successes and failures. Give it enough shots and you’ll have plenty of both.
Some of those things matter but most don’t.
What matters:
Are you at least trying?
Moving things forward?
Applying outward pressure?
Protecting the core so you have time and energy for something beyond yourself?
Saying no to the unnecessary?
Getting feedback?
Nudging the world daily in a positive direction across your work, family and friends?
Those are the hardest things.
They never end.
But they are what matters.
🎨 Business updates
Scaled
If you or someone you know could use help recruiting great people onto your team — sourcing, screening, and/or scheduling great candidates at very high quality and very low cost — have I got an offer for you!
Check out our latest product offering at Scaled. Reply here to let me know if you or someone you know may be interested. Let Scaled hire your next engineer, or growth marketer, or head of X, or…
Although our world has globalized over the last few decades there is still so much opportunity to find outstanding global talent and train them to do high value work for incredible organizations in the U.S. and elsewhere. This is a big part of what we’re doing at Scaled. Turns out no country has a monopoly on world-class Sourcers, Recruiters, and Recruiting Coordinators.
Thumbtack
Home and local services is largely recession-resistant (unlike recruiting 😅).
When people aren’t buying new homes, they’re maintaining their current ones.
When demand softens for plumbers, plumbers need Thumbtack more than ever.
Happy to be in this business.
GroomBuggy
When we first started GroomBuggy a friend asked me how we were going to compete in the market.
I said “We’re going to answer the phone.”
Sander Fund I
I’m not an investor type. But I like helping friends. I’m raising a fund to invest in tech companies started by friends and referrals of friends. I’ve been investing in friends for years and it has gone well. Reply to let me know if you’d like to know more, I will share details once I pull them together.
🎒 Grab bag
👩🍳 Sous chef of the month. Over the last six months I have found myself cooking a lot with the kids. Right now it is my favorite activity to do with them. They gain confidence by feeling and being (mostly) helpful, they learn not by hearing but rather by watching and doing, they see some of what it takes to run a household. There are lots of smiles and satisfactions and few whines and distractions. A worthy tool in the free range parenting tool belt.
🎥 Movie of the month. What you’ve heard is true. Top Gun: Maverick is a top 10 movie of all time for me. I watched it in a theater with seats that shake, wind that blows, and water that sprays.
📖 Book of the month. Life is not a line. It is a series of dots, of moments. One makes trouble for others by trying to be special. Real courage is the courage to be normal. Change is possible. Happiness is engaging productively in your community by focusing on your work, friendships, and family. If any of this resonates with you as it does for me — pick up a copy of The Courage To Be Disliked.
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See you next month!
👋 Sander
Well said, Sander. And so timely.