# 5 Years of Dalton + Michael: What We've Learned Making Videos

## Метаданные

- **Канал:** Dalton + Michael
- **YouTube:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vOblQ659hs
- **Дата:** 27.04.2026
- **Длительность:** 13:01
- **Просмотры:** 7,980
- **Источник:** https://ekstraktznaniy.ru/video/51269

## Описание

In this episode of Dalton + Michael, we reflect on making startup advice videos for YouTube since 2021. We've spoken to hundreds of founders that have watched the videos and heard lots of feedback. We also discuss what advice we bring into our own daily lives.

This is a throwback episode of Dalton + Michael, recorded in the style of the original episodes. A new studio is coming soon.

Dalton + Michael is brought to you by  @Standard_Cap 

Dalton Caldwell on X: https://x.com/daltonc 
Michael Seibel on X: https://x.com/mwseibel

## Транскрипт

### Segment 1 (00:00 - 05:00) []

If I were to go back in time and kind of give myself some advice on how to advise founders better, I think that I would be spending more time trying to help founders get between stages, get to the next stage, and less time trying to help founders optimize the stage that they're in. All right, welcome to Dalton Plus Michael Throwback Edition. On this episode, we're going to be talking about the lessons we've learned from the past five years of making startup videos. And I got to be honest, when we started, I didn't think we'd be doing this for 5 years, and it doesn't feel like 5 years has passed. So, I didn't really have a vision for how long we'd be making these videos either, or that people would care about them. And I certainly didn't expect that this is probably what people know me the best for. Like somehow this is I guess the most important thing I've done, — which isn't that weird. — Not what I expected. And you know, it's it it's cool because everything I get when I talk to people are good vibes where you know the gist is it seems like we're having fun. It seems like we have these funny conversations and we enjoy chatting with each other and I think people feel like they're a fly on the wall of like two friends talking about startups that have a lot of stories and um people like that. So, so thank you for watching these. These videos have almost been awkwardly rewarding. I would say it's awkward because the number of times people will come up to us and say, "Hey, thank you for doing this. " And it's like it's weird. And you know, so I'll say like, "Hey, thanks for watching, but like it is really fun to be able to have an impact in people's lives and especially because you know, we're in the startup ecosystem, you know, we've done some stuff. I feel like people who are aspiring to be where we are or even further than we where we are. It's fun to kind of give them a little on-ramp to like, hey, like you can be part of this, too. " And so, um, I think that part has been very surprising and rewarding. I think that maybe an interesting question to ask is what is some of the startup advice that um we're using ourselves. — I mean I think to start with um I think sometimes the people are joking about our videos. They're like, "Oh, you could just summarize them all by just do the thing. " You know, like Yeah, I get it, guys. Like yet another video, another Dalton Michael video that's like don't overthink, don't worry so much, just do the thing. fair critique. Okay. Like I can I have no um push back on that, but man, it's true. Just do the thing. And in my life, by the way, I want to pause on that. And you know, it's kind of like being like an athlete asking you like, "How do I get faster? " And you say like, "Go to the gym and train. " And the athlete being like, "But you said that yesterday. " And it's like, "Sure, but why? That's still the best way to do it. " And it's good to hear it. Again, the point of a coach is a coach being like, "Hey, you should keep running. " You know, like they're not actually going to tell you stuff you've never heard before for the most part, but their job is to be repetitive and to hold you accountable, right? Like the role a coach has in your life is not to say things you've literally never thought of before, right? Like at least if you're at an advanced level, maybe if you've if you don't know how to shot put or something, the coach needs to tell you how to shop put. at some point, you know, there the job of a coach is to be repetitive in a nice way. And so I've gotten a lot of value of reminding myself of our own advice. Like I think about the videos all the time that we've made and what I would say. And so that's I've been using that with with, you know, my business and what I've been working on is just like, hey, stop overthinking, dude. Like just go do the thing. Like that's what you would tell people, so why aren't you doing it? You know, that voice is in my head all the time. It's funny because as I do more and more kind of research and work in San Francisco government, you know, I find myself re reaching for versions of MVPs all the time. And it's like really funny because a common train of thought conversation will be here's a history of all of the super big projects that we've tried to do and failed. It's like okay, good to know. Great. here's a spec for the next super big project that we're really excited to try to do and you know and it'll inevitably involve software because I'm around and you know I find myself constantly reaching for that like you it's the Paul be Paul Buhight right what's the 9010 right with 10% of the work can we make some freaking can we get something done here and it's so surprising because I think that people kind of and I might have expected myself to try to design

### Segment 2 (05:00 - 10:00) [5:00]

grand solutions. I I'm not convinced the world is built on grand solutions. Like I'm not convinced that at any resolution it's not a bunch of 9010 Legos. — Yeah. It's all a hack. Like the more you know how technology works, it's like a bunch of hacks on top of hacks. And that's just how it works, right? Um — well, and that's government. And I think that's what's so funny is I think that like in the American culture, government is kind of simultaneously ridiculed but presented as this kind of pristine almost like spiritual thing. And it's kind of like no, it's a human organization. Point to me at a human organization and show me how it's spiritual and pristine and like you know what I don't think you can find one. So I think that's been really fun has been like one bringing an MVP culture but then two being able to deliver the fast wins that MVP culture can like you know like it's really motivational to iterate on something that actually move the bar a little bit. So I think that's been really fun too. other things that come to mind after five years. — I think everyone knows our advice, but they still want to hear it anyway. And I like to think about it um too. And sometimes they go back to watch the old videos. It's almost like listening to an old song. Like somehow even if you know the answers or you've seen the video, there's something calming and meditative about remembering the basics and focusing on the basics. So again, this is — when I come to our own videos or advice and I think about our conversations over the years, — I'm always just trying to think about the basics and first principles thinking and getting out of my head of, you know, spinning out and creating super complicated solutions or super complicated scenarios, you know. So I guess simple thinking is my summary of the thing that stuck with me. I think for me probably the last thing that stuck with me is looking back we've worked at companies at all these different stages and at every stage in a startup it's stressful things feel like essential um at every stage but fundamentally the stages are different and I think that maybe if I were to go back in time and kind of give myself some advice on how to advise founders better I think that I would be spending more time trying to help founders get between stages, get to the next stage, and less time trying to help founders optimize the stage that they're in. I've met a lot of companies where I feel as though engaging in the question of how you could actually be a big successful company is too hard. There's some maybe some truths that we don't want to talk about there. So instead, we'll kind of engage in easier questions like how do you hit your monthly growth goal or how do you like add another millionaire R, right? Like we won't tackle the major stuff. And I think the other thing that cames to mind on my front is that like it turns out to be a great company, you have to be great at the later stages. It's like it's funny like I love Michael Jordan kind of videos and kind of stories and so on and so forth. he was my favorite athlete. And there are all these stories about one, like how Michael Jordan could lock in the regular season, right? So it wasn't like he was coasting, but then like two, how he became an even better player in the playoffs like his average got went up. I almost want to inspire founders to be on that arc and I almost feel like sometimes founders imagine a different arc like the hard stuff is now. like they invert that arc like oh the really hard stuff the NBA final thing is where I'm starting and every step it's going to be easier and by the end it's going to feel like I'm playing a preseason game and I'm like no no no no and so I think if I would go back in time I would kind of emphasize that more because I think that the folks who have the right mindset they're just more resilient and like they're they think bigger they can execute bigger it's almost like they're flying in like clear air we always are honest with folks But let's just talk about the numbers. The actual number of really big startups that make it — um is small and we're always honest about that. And to me, our main message is it's still worth trying if you're having fun and you're following the fundamentals and that something awesome will happen with your life. like — yes, — like something cool will happen by using these tools and going on an adventure and you know, working with a co-founder and trying to help people that — kind of like no matter what path it takes, if you do it the right way, the fight is still worth fighting. And I

### Segment 3 (10:00 - 13:00) [10:00]

stand by that. But my reaction to what you're saying, which is just the grim math of reality here, just like there aren't 10,000 Michael Jordans out there, right? there — there is not that many um really big companies and again I just — I've always tried to bridge the gap between tell anyone that watches these videos there's room for you here we want you here there's a seat at the table you should be a founder if you want to be you know like basically the opposite of gatekeeping has always been one of the messages I've been trying to do and we have to combine that with being honest and again maybe we keep using the sports thing Like I think sports is awesome for kids growing up and you learn a lot and I have my kids doing sports and I know the odds and probably they're not going to be professional athletes and those are both true statements, right? — Yeah, I agree and I think that the piece of advice that I would give somebody who really wants to win is like think about how do you win in games when so few people win? Like think about how those types of games are different from games where lots of people win. We always talk about this idea of are you doing the average of what the 10 people or 20 or 50 people around you are doing? And like in some games that's a great winning strategy and other games that's the exact wrong strategy. — I think that like I wish if I were to go back in time I would have you know we get to work with really smart people. I would have kind of engaged them at an intellectual level on what kind of tactics work in games with so few winners because I think I might have been able to kind of like addict people to the like intellectual strategy part of that as opposed to I fear what happens too often is addicting people to the next month's growth goal. It's almost like chess. I'm not a good chess player, but basically you can be pretty good if you just memorize a bunch of opening moves and beat most people, but the metag game to be great at chess, I think, is just totally different. Like, there's a whole different metag game to be a really, really good chess player. — Yes. — Versus someone that, — you know, can beat everyone in their hometown. What I fear is that people are practicing a game that can make them a top 10% founder or give outcome, but like they're not even practicing the game that could help produce a top 1% or 0. 1% outcome. — And it's like in a power law distribution of rewards, being in the top 10%. — Not good enough. — Well, it's good, but you probably will always wonder if you could have gone farther. You know that that's probably what I would say. But it's still good. — Still good. It's still good. All right. Great chat, Dan. — All right. Thanks, Michael.