8 rules the top play by that those at the bottom should adopt.

— Thread
(requested by followers)

1. Leverage

Most poor people don't leverage. Trying to get everything done yourself will limit you to only how much you can do.

Get more hands working for you, and find a way to pay or show them what's in it for them.
2. Trust

When doing business, poor people would require collateral from strangers, but excuse those close to them because they *trust* them.

That's how you get scammed.

The unspoken rule is to know your safety net whenever you're not taking collateral.

Never need to trust.
3. Morality

Never seen a very successful businessman say "This is not a good thing, it's evil."

It's either good for business or bad for business. Its either effective or ineffective.

Morality will only limit you.
4. Reciprocity

Expecting someone to help you because you helped them in the past is ludicrous.

If you're no longer useful to them, people have no reason to help you.

"Whenever you see water flowing upstream it means someone it repaying a kindness."

— 48 Laws Of Power
5. Opportunity Cost vs Face Value

@callicrates_
6. Don't Take Roles

If you're taking responsibility you should also have authority.

If you've been good for long, it's time to be bad.

If someone is starting to feel entitled to what's yours, it's time to show them who the owner is.

Avoid being put in a particular role.
7. Cunning

Most wish life was easier and everybody was straightforward.

Stop being one of most.

Being direct and straightforward may seem like a virtue, it's not. That's just laziness.

Learn to get your way without having to resort to this.

Read 48 Laws Of Power
8. Appearances

Only a bottom tier person, an ignoramus, or someone trying to deceive you will tell you

"it's not what's on the outside, but what's on the inside that counts."

We like looking at knickknacks, but who likes looking at car engines?!

Appearances matter.

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I like this heuristic, and have a few which are similar in intent to it:


Hiring efficiency:

How long does it take, measured from initial expression of interest through offer of employment signed, for a typical candidate cold inbounding to the company?

What is the *theoretical minimum* for *any* candidate?

How long does it take, as a developer newly hired at the company:

* To get a fully credentialed machine issued to you
* To get a fully functional development environment on that machine which could push code to production immediately
* To solo ship one material quanta of work

How long does it take, from first idea floated to "It's on the Internet", to create a piece of marketing collateral.

(For bonus points: break down by ambitiousness / form factor.)

How many people have to say yes to do something which is clearly worth doing which costs $5,000 / $15,000 / $250,000 and has never been done before.