Like you, I’m trying to crack the code: how do you build a billion dollar business from scratch? Why so greedy Zaid? I’m not. I was born to one of the richest families in Kuwait. But in Kuwait, most people are oil-money, government-teat-money rich. I hate that. What I want is the code Steve Jobs, James Dyson, Estée Lauder, and all the greats cracked: how do you become a mega contributor with only sweat, skills, and intelligence?

My first startup was a video game called “Ninja Hustle.” It was about cats. Ninja cats. Cat martial artists called the “OGs” who had to retrieve the “OG scroll” from the villain who stole it. Each cat had a backstory. And when you completed the game, each cat revealed a piece of wisdom from the OG Scroll.

Wisdom like this:

• A ninja’s gotta do what a ninja’s gotta do
• Aim over fame
• Beauty is deeper than fur

First Mistake (Typical Rich Kid Behavior)

I couldn’t code or do anything technical, so I hired a game development agency. I worked with the agency for months. They sent me character designs and worked on nailing down the idea. I thought they were superb until they sent me the first draft. Crap is the word I’d use to describe it. The animation was jank. The unique controls I spent months visualizing were not implemented at all. Garbage.

Rule 1: if you can’t judge skill-quality for a role, you can’t hire for it.

I cut my losses. Not to mention the year of pretending to be a big CEO of a video game startup. Sunk costs. Moving on.

How could I make sure this kind of irredeemable failure never happened again? It hit me like a Joe Rogan spin kick to the face: All the dos, don’ts, and wisdom already exists. I didn’t need to reinvent the wheel. All I needed to do was study the business pioneers that started from scratch and adapt their principles.

I’ve spent over ten years skilling-up, studying the best principles from the most successful people in history, and teaching everything I learned to my clients to see what works. Now, as I start building Caravan Notes from scratch, I want to share my journey and all the lessons I learn with you in this newsletter.