Jesse Pujji - Founder of Ampush and Gateway X
In this episode of the "Idea Maze," I sit down with Jesse Pujji, the founder and CEO of Ampush and Gateway X. With Ampush, a performance marketing agency, Jesse assisted some of the titans in the tech industry on their paths to hypergrowth. Following his departure from Ampush, he launched Gateway X, a studio devoted to nurturing businesses that not only tap into his distinctive super-powers but are also architected to become self-sustaining, cash-generating entities without the reliance on outside venture capital.
Looking back on the companies he has started and assisted, Jesse developed a concrete framework for searching for and evaluating potential ideas. Some of the elements of the framework is pretty familiar, but with some very insightful twists that I think can frame founders’ thinking in a different way:
Ask yourself – “how is the world changing”: Many founders narrow their search around industries of interest or problems that one has passion for. Jesse advocates for a more dynamic approach based on broader market, technological, or behavioral shifts. What are changes in the world that you would bet the next 10-20 years on? And then what are opportunities that arise either to accelerate that shift or as a second order effect of those changes
Leverage Unfair Advantages: Jesse brings a fresh perspective to the concept of an "unfair advantage." He proposes that an unfair advantage can arise from the cross section of two different areas where an individual possesses top-quartile skills. You probably aren’t top 1% in the world at any one thing, but if you combine two relative areas of strength, and then work on that cross section persistently, you probably will emerge as a true 1% talent with a distinct unfair advantage.
Choose the game you want to play: Jesse emphasizes the necessity of profitability and cash generation within the initial year of a venture. This advice, instilled in him by his mentor Rick Elias, underscores the importance of playing by the rules of your own choosing. As Rick shared, “everything wants to win the game. But they don’t think about what game they are playing.”
Genuine Enthusiasm: This goes back to the unfair advantage. It’s the repeated work that actually allows your skills to build and your advantages to compound. To keep grinding, you need to be genuinely enthusiastic about the day-to-day activities and subject matter of the work you are pursuing. Otherwise, you won’t hang in there long enough for the compounding benefits to be realized.
Towards the end of our discussion, Jesse also offered an amazing nugget specifically for second-time founders. Both he and I find that second time founders get stuck because they are hindered by the pressure of heightened expectations and the perceived opportunity cost of their time. He recounts overcoming this stagnation through the creation of "Poophoria," a project he called "the dumbest idea I've ever had." Despite all of the idea’s flaws, he sees that project as the catalyst that got him out of the funk as a second-time founder and started him on a new learning path that led to other, more fruitful businesses down the road.
Those are just a few tidbits from the interview, but you can dive deeper into this rich discussion by tuning into the full podcast. If you find value in what you've heard and read, please consider sharing this podcast and newsletter and leaving a review. Your support goes a long way! Thank you!