The Premise Is Simple

Every problem you will ever face has already been solved by someone, somewhere, at some resolution.

Chess has more possible positions than atoms in the observable universe, yet it's "solved" in the game-theory sense: given perfect play, the outcome is known. Your go-to-market puzzle, your retention cliff, your co-founder blow-up—smaller search spaces, solved many times over.

The Mindset

Instead of treating each problem as totally unique, do not take action right away. First ask yourself:

What is the basic issue here? Can I slice it smaller?

Who has figured out this kind of problem before?

What exactly did they do to solve it, and why?

Do not settle surface level parallels; these are often false comparisons. Look for situations whose core dynamic (the "spirit" of the problem) is similar. This can look very different across industries and disciplines.

Atlas Energy Solutions, the largest frac sand supplier in the Permian Basin, faced a structural problem: its logistics segment barely broke even because trucking (the default method for hauling sand) was expensive, labor-intensive, and dangerous.

The basic issue was simple: how do you move huge volumes of heavy material over distance at lower cost than trucking? Mining companies, confronted with similar constraints, had long answered this with conveyor belts.

Atlas realized they could do the same. By building the Dune Express, a 42-mile enclosed conveyor, they turned a structural cost burden into a long-term, high-margin advantage, leaving only the final mile to trucks and gaining immediate pricing power over competitors.

Your energy for execution is finite. Commitment to re-inventing for every problem is ego disguised as virtue.

Have Empathy for Yourself

It's tough to be repeatedly solving urgent problems all day long. Being in the arena is loud, painful, and disorienting. Once you solve one problem, two more sprout its place. Stress narrows your vision; soon every alert feels unique.

You can only make a few decisions that matter every day. Make them well and don't worry about the rest.

If you can't name two people or companies who've lived this scene, you haven't atomized enough. Keep cutting until the parallels become clear. You don't have to know them personally. Some of my favorites are long dead.

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. Charging ahead and simply working hard on the wrong problem will get you worse than nowhere; you will fall behind without knowing it. Be wary of that. The direction you drive matters much more than how fast you drive.

Why Create Mediocrity When You Can Copy Brilliance?