Go Slow to Go Fast
Build conviction through deep research before committing a team and capital
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Time to result
- ~months to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 98%
Acton Smith recommends delaying a full company launch while immersing yourself in the underlying idea. He advises reading widely, attending industry conferences, speaking with people in the field, and allowing time for patterns to connect. The output is not a perfect prediction but a crisp thesis: where the market is moving, what remains unsolved, and why this opportunity deserves commitment. He contrasts that foundation with raising money and hiring too early, when every new fact can push an uncertain team in a different direction. The final commitment signal is persistence: the idea remains mentally present after extended investigation and becomes difficult to ignore. Once that point arrives, the founder can move quickly with greater conviction.
Origin
Extracted from The Diary of a CEO
Core principles
- 01Early speed is dangerous without a firm foundation
- 02Deep exposure reveals connections that surface research misses
- 03An enduring idea earns commitment better than a passing trend
- 04Clear conviction attracts employees, investors, and journalists
How to run it
- 1
Hold the idea
Resist turning the first spark into an immediate company. Keep the idea visible and see whether it persists rather than fading with the trend.
Pro tip Write the initial thesis down so later enthusiasm does not rewrite it.
Watch out Do not mistake repeated rumination for market evidence.
- 2
Immerse in the field
Read books and research, attend relevant conferences, and speak directly with people who understand the space.
Pro tip Look for disagreement and inconvenient evidence, not only confirmation.
- 3
Connect the signals
Synthesize recurring problems, market changes, and overlooked opportunities into a coherent view of where value may emerge.
Pro tip State the opportunity in one crisp sentence before proceeding.
Watch out A pile of notes is not yet a thesis.
- 4
Check staying power
Ask whether the idea still commands attention after sustained research and whether the evidence has strengthened it.
Watch out Do not use emotional intensity as the only decision criterion.
- 5
Commit from conviction
When the thesis is clear and durable, communicate it plainly and begin building on the researched foundation.
Pro tip Use the thesis to align the first employees, investors, and partners.
In the wild
Acton Smith and Alex Tew believed meditation and mental health would become mainstream while many investors still viewed the market as niche. They researched and built through years of scepticism, remaining lean until broader demand arrived.
→ Calm had a developed product and thesis when the category began to expand.
Common mistakes
Hiring before conviction
A team and investor clock amplify the cost of changing direction when the founding thesis is still unstable.
Chasing visible momentum
Copying a company or trend seen last week creates urgency without developing a differentiated understanding.
Is it for you?
Best for
Founders considering a consequential new venture in a market that is still forming.
Not ideal for
Small, reversible experiments that can produce better evidence in days than extended desk research.
From the transcript
“Go slow to go fast. Do the work up front.”
“Spend months, sometimes years, researching what it is that you're intrigued about.”
From the episode
Calm App Founder: From $0 To $2 Billion By Making The World Meditate: Michael Acton Smith