From my talk at Good Soil Forum

See the shift before it moves you

Biggie wrote ten rules for a business with no second chances. These are mine, from twenty years of getting hired, getting fired and starting over. Most come with the data behind them.

The Notorious B.I.G. in front of the New York skyline
The Notorious B.I.G., who wrote the first ten rules.

The 10 rules

01

Never let one client hold your company up

Diversify before you celebrate. One client at 80% of revenue holds your future.

02

Pivot before they pivot on you

When leadership changes, ask whether the mission you signed up for still exists.

2.5xMore money raised by startups that pivot once or twice, compared with those that never pivot or keep pivoting. Source: Startup Genome Report
03

If it's too good to be true, it is

Until you have a contract, nothing matters. Overpromising and no transparency mean walk away.

04

Ego doesn't save a bad business

Your name opens the door. The product keeps you in the room.

65%More likely to make acquisitions: overconfident CEOs, who overpay and pursue deals that destroy value. Source: Malmendier & Tate, Journal of Financial Economics
05

Find an opening that solves a real problem

Build into a gap the market actually has, not one you wish it had.

35%Of failed startups say nobody needed what they built. Source: CB Insights
06

Get what you're owed, and when

Every client eventually fires you. Get paid on time, and don't extend yourself like a contract is a marriage.

$17.7KOwed, on average, to each small business waiting on unpaid invoices. Source: Intuit QuickBooks, 2026
07

You don't have to go into business with everybody

The person who was closest isn't always the right partner. Choose experience over comfort.

65%Of high-potential startups fail because of co-founder conflict. Source: Noam Wasserman, Harvard Business School
08

There's the bet. And there's the main thing.

Keep them separate until market signals tell you the bet should take over: demand, customer interviews, a void that keeps showing up.

33%Less likely to fail: founders who build while keeping their day job. Source: Raffiee & Feng, Academy of Management Journal
09

You always know when it's coming

You can feel a firing coming. Start moving six months before it lands.

10

If everyone runs your pace, you're in the wrong room

Find smarter rooms. Learn the skill you're missing, then bring in people who've done it.

7xMore money raised by founders who have mentors and keep learning. Source: Startup Genome Report
+1

If you didn't show up tomorrow, would it still run?

Pivot toward a business that scales without you.

20–30%Of businesses put up for sale actually find a buyer. Source: Exit Planning Institute

Keep going

Steal my AI stackThe tools I use and six copy-and-paste prompts. Connect on LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/martinekechukwu Follow on InstagramOne rule a week, broken down.