Cody James 🇺🇸

GFY Propaganda bullshit. Expected, I suppose, from a Nashi propagandist. I have 3 miniature humans that aren't my hobby - they're my entire raison d'être. To say nothing of my delightful wife that I greatly enjoy spending as much time with as possible. Every single late night at the office, business dinner, investor event/retreat, trip to a supplier, visit to a customer, etc is a direct trade-off against my being an involved and present father (and husband). It's a difficult balance! And yet I've done it. The real talk side of the "hustle culture" bullshit that nobody talks about is how your work output falls off a cliff around ~60 hours. Maybe a bit more if you're super young, but I doubt it. In most cases, that 80th hour at your desk is performative - it's theater. Balanced lives (whether it's raising kids, sailing, tinkering on hobby cars, fitness, whatever) directly lead to balanced thinking and a FAR more sustainable lifestyle than "all work no play." And, more importantly, it models for your employees that balance is actually good for output, morale, retention, etc. Building big, impactful companies is a marathon. An ultra marathon. 10 years of marathons back to back. Your mind (and body) do need to actually rest and restore, or else you burn out. Fact of life. Nonsense claims like this are propaganda from the (typically) VC crowd who want to see MOAR HOURS as if that makes PMF happen, under the misguided belief that hours in linearly equals company value out. Have hobbies. Have kids. Take a vacation with your partner. And also work hard to build your company. The balance is difficult to find, but very doable.