Idea Ripper // ArchiveCards: 1555 [Live] | Updated: 2026-10-14
Card #c1349IR // #c1349Synthesis

"For months, I had tried to guide, nudge, and suggest what Jenna should do for content. The work that came from those efforts was okay… nothing great or memorable." "…the lesson here was simple: hire great, talented people and let them run wild."

— In our words · Source: Cancel Me If You Can (Dave Portnoy)

[Use when]

You've hired someone strong and catch yourself steering their ideas.

[Why it matters]

Jenna Marbles' breakout video, made on her own, became the most viral thing a Barstool employee had ever released. Portnoy's direction had produced nothing comparable. Talent does its best work on ideas the boss couldn't have come up with.

Filed under situations:When the team is looking to you to lead

More from Cancel Me If You Can

#c1344"At this point the business model was pretty simple: if I could sell $3,400 worth of ads in the newspaper, I would break even."You're running a new venture on thin cash and the finances feel vague. #c1345"How do you sell ads for a newspaper that doesn’t exist? On promises."You need paying customers before you have a finished product. #c1346"I’d sift through all my competitors’ publications in Boston and call every single one of their advertisers every single week to poach them…You're looking for your first customers and your competitors publish who theirs are.

Same situation, different book

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