Newsletter

After my second exit, I “launched” my coaching practice.  I posted a few times on LinkedIn.I spoke to a few people.I expected momentum. I had real experience.Results I could point to.Frameworks I believed in. And then… nothing. Not zero — but nowhere near the pull I expected. I felt confused.A little embarrassed.And if I’m honest

Every time we buy a stock — NVIDIA, Apple, Tesla — we do something interesting. We track the stock price.We notice it’s every move. We barely own 0.00001% of the company.We have almost zero control over this price.And yet, we watch it closely.We care. After all, we have invested our hard-earned money in it. Now

Founders rarely pause.We build, solve, react, and keep moving. But every December, I make myself pause. And even when it feels like nothing much was achieved, that pause helps me take stock.  And then the progress I overlooked becomes clear. Progress doesn’t always look loud — especially when you’re building stronger founder mental models. Sometimes

He walked into her store and offered $7 million.In her thick, broken English, she said, “You too cheap.” Twenty years later, he returned.This time he asked. “How much?”She said, “Sixty million.” He came back with a check for $55 million and acquired 90% of her company.No negotiation.No due diligence.Her word was enough. And the man

Selling any new idea — a product, a feature, a service, always hits a wall of objections. “That’s not how we work today.”“Your system can’t do what we do manually.”“The old way is good enough.” Humans are deeply attached to what already exists. Even if the old way is painfully inefficient, we defend it. Founders

Last week, we explored how to choose the right co-founder.​Here’s part 1 if you missed it.​ But choosing your co-founder is only half the story.The real work begins after you start building together. If something feels even slightly off with your co-founder right now, this edition will show you why… and what to do next.

65% of startups shut down because founders fight.Not because the idea was weak or the market wasn’t ready.But because the partnership broke. That number stayed with me ever since. Earlier this year, I started coaching a managing partner. She was struggling to align with her co-founder. Watching it up close reminded me of what I

I’m not sure if I like Elon Musk. But I’ve always been curious about how he operates, and why success seems to follow him despite the chaos. I’m reading his biography, Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson.The book is 650 pages long—and he’s still building. But if you work 24/7 for over 25 years and take

This is the 70th edition of CEO Mastery. When I sent the first one, I didn’t imagine it would turn into a weekly ritual — a space where founders, CXOs, and leaders come together to think clearly about growth. Seventy editions later, one thing feels certain: the lessons that last aren’t just about business. They’re

Last week, we explored the first five filters to help you build a company investors love and founders envy: Risk, Preparation, Allocation, Patience, and Focus. In case you missed it, read Part I here -> This week, we’ll complete Charlie’s checklist with the filters that refine how you think, decide, and adapt as markets change.