The 6 Traits Of A Successful Entrepreneur (#431)

Both describe “urgency” as moving and deciding quickly, and Nick frames it as the foundation trait that enables everything else (execution, recruiting, shipping). They contrast this with people who “lollygag” and do the bare minimum, noting that those people can be fine for some roles but aren’t the “10X” type they’re trying to recruit.

Nick argues that most top hires come from the large middle group who aren’t on job boards but would move for a compelling opportunity, and he says his career was built on identifying these people and persuading them to switch. Sam describes his approach as learning someone’s goals and pitching how joining him could help them reach those goals, often using “fun/excitement” rather than a world-changing mission.

Sam emphasizes “follow-through” as one of the hardest traits to find and says he looks for evidence of shipping real things (projects, products, content, organized clubs). Both describe using small test tasks (e.g., “make me a video,” “write tomorrow’s email”) to quickly filter out people who talk but don’t deliver.

Nick highlights clear, concise communication as a major indicator of effectiveness, and connects it to the ability to delegate. Sam adds “taste” and “intelligence,” saying he probes what people read/watch/follow and uses the “bottom fourth of the resume” (hobbies/interests) to judge whether someone can explain what excites them and fit his brand’s tone.

Nick’s “big theory” is that being good at your own job can earn you a great living, but being able to make other people good at their jobs is what makes you the true “10X-er.” He links this to writing/copywriting as a practical mechanism for delegating and leading via Slack, email, and documentation.