Edrizio De La Cruz

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5 surprising things I've learned from 5 billionaires

There are 2000 billionaires in the world. I've had the great opportunity of working with 5, whom I met when each of them invested in my last startup. Below are 5 lessons I learned from them, that I think are just as applicable to founders:


They text more than they call - This is because it's harder to multitask while you’re on the phone

  1. Their currencies, in order of priority, are 1. Relationships, 2. Their time, 3. Their attention, 4. Their money 

  2. They love to teach what they’ve learned - Because they’ve gone through the odyssey of building things that made them successful, they find joy in helping and teaching others. 

  3. They’re more responsive than you’d think - After 10 years in tech, I'm surprised how unresponsive the VCs I know are. By contrast, I'm surprised how responsive the billionaires I know are. I think this is because they understand the value of relationships and are always eager to teach, points #2 and #3 respectively

  4. They only focus on what they are best at - They typically don't invest much of their capital or time in things outside their expertise. They’ve truly mastered the art of focus and the power of compounded knowledge over the years, which led to their wealth to begin with