The note had two job titles and a question mark after each.
Cofounder?
Technical leadership?
I was nearing the end of my vesting period at Aaptiv and trying to decide what came next. Staying longer was one option. The other options were all over the place. I had restarted conversations with Google. I was talking with Facebook and LinkedIn. A recruiter asked about Peloton, and I replied that I still preferred an earlier company where I could have more impact.
Then there was a much smaller opportunity that might involve building from zero.
I did not have a job description. I had questions.
The first section of my working note was about what I wanted. I wanted to grow and build a business with somebody I trusted. I wanted a partner with different skills who would still work collaboratively, instead of dividing the company into separate territories.
The vision was only half the story. The other half was the people who would build it, how they would work together, and how good and bad performance would be handled. I cared about that part as much as the idea.
The next section was less romantic.
What existed already? What agreements were in place with other collaborators? What did the next six months look like? I had not yet spent enough time on the market, the opportunity, unit economics, or costs. If material existed, I wanted to read it.
The technology section was plain. Nothing I had heard sounded outlandish, but starting from zero would take time. We would need a small team. We would need to put the work in order and break it into pieces that could actually be built.
I was not trying to talk myself into the opportunity. I was trying to find the parts that a good pitch leaves blurry.
Two possible titles fit on two lines. The questions took the rest of the page.