After three many years of running construction corporations, I’ve gained enough perspective to see patterns. Starting with Oom, then launching Jangl, evolving through The Quarry and Cc:Betty, and then leading product and engineering at corporations like Facebook, Disney+ and TelevisaUnivision, I was able to differentiate the good calls I made from the ones that were near bad calls. Now I can explain landmines that I only saw after I stepped on them.
I’m happy with what I’ve built. But if I start one other company, there are some things I will do completely differently.
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Confirm that chemistry does not autoscale
During the Jangla days, I was in full sprint mode. Jangl was a direct-to-consumer service that allowed the use of an anonymous phone number – used, say, for online dating members to initially chat and text each other without exchanging real phone numbers. Everything was ready: launch the product, raise money, close deals.
I hired quickly, hurried, and expected every little thing to fall into place through sheer force of will. But chemistry does not develop just because the variety of employees increases. The team must focus on values, energy, fight and get better. Most importantly, the founding team must focus on what they are building, not only what they are building.
I was incorrect greater than once. But I also partially succeeded. Before I co-founded Cc:Betty, a smarter, more human approach to manage email conversations, I was much more conscious of it. Still, I wasn’t intentional. There were subtle discrepancies in ambition and pace that only became apparent once we were too far along. We were solving a real problem, but there was no glue.
Next time I will look for this glue first.
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Focus on team cohesion first
If I start one other company, I will be obsessed with team chemistry from the very starting. Not just functional roles, but emotional dynamics. Are we difficult each other in the right way? Do we quickly get better from tension? Do all of us lose sleep over the same problems? And when we disagree, do we trust ourselves enough to maneuver forward without ego?
I will even be much clearer about the form of company I need to build. Is it a 100-person rocket ship under pressure from investors, or a tight-knit crew solving a cardinal problem of autonomy? Is it a consumer or an enterprise? Is it a long game or a quick game?
These aren’t just business decisions – they’re lifestyle decisions. When you are early on, misjudging these things sets the incorrect tone for every little thing that follows.
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View culture as an operating system
And culture? It’s not nice to have it. It’s the operating system. Early-stage corporations often treat culture as something that may wait until the product adapts to the market. This is a mistake. Culture is about product-market fit and weathering the chaos along the way.
When I look back, what I remember most vividly is not the roadshow or the premiere. These are the people – the ones who showed up with real energy and took responsibility as if it was their name on the door. The ones who made late nights feel like early momentum. Those who believed, even if the market didn’t.
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Build around character
If I start one other company, I will build it around people. Not only because of skills or biography, but also because of character. For how they deal with pressure. For how they assist others stand up. For taking a hit and still coming back even.
In fact, building a business is not about technology. It’s about the people you build with – relationships, rhythm and trust. It carries you when resources are tight, when a product fails, when competitors move faster than you expected.
Next time I will build slower but stronger. With the right partners. With full alignment. With a culture that is intentional from day one. Because now I know: the product you ship is only as strong as the people you ship it with.
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