Breakfast of many Founders

Entrepreneurs are mad for Avocados- in shakes, on toast, even guacamole. it’s perfect as protein, and even better as a value reminder. Yes, true! I caught Seth’s Godin mention the Avocado principle recently: it’s a well cited mantra in the Bay and especially at 500 where I learned so many incubator scale tricks. It goes something like this:

If you wait until you really want an avocado, the market won’t have any ripe ones. You need to buy them in advance. But… If you eat an avocado that’s not quite ripe, you won’t enjoy it. AND, you won’t have a chance to enjoy it tomorrow, when it would have been perfect if you had only waited. If you live your life based on instant gratification and little planning, you’ll either never have a good avocado or you’ll pay more than you should to someone else who planned ahead. So… buy more avocados than you think you need, because the hassles are always greater than the cost, so you might as well invest. And since you have so many, share them when they’re ripe. What goes around comes around.

Seems so simple, doesn’t it. You have to plan ahead or you’ll overpay, or get sick. If you do invest, there’s plenty to share at the ripening. Don’t be a pig.