"To design is much more than simply to assemble, to order, or even to edit; it is to add value and meaning, to illuminate, to simplify, to clarify, to modify, to dignify, to dramatize, to persuade, and perhaps even to amuse." - Paul Rand

Found via @dkr

They're not giving you the best opportunity of your life. Then a scary thing can happen: You might realize one day that you’ve lost your competitive edge. You won’t be the best anymore. You won’t be able to fall in love with new stuff. Things are cushy where you are. You get complacent and stall. So, run your prospective engineering hires through that narrative. Then show them the alternative: working at your startup.

Today is John Hughes' birthday. I grew up in the 80's, but not as a teenager. I didn't get to see most of his movies in the theatres, but I have seen them all. I used to live in Chicago's north shore suburbs (where I attended high school), a place that is to John Hughes as Maine is to Stephen King. So, while he has a special place in the hearts of millions, having lived in the area where his movies took place, and having actually been to literally dozens of the places where his movies were filmed creates a special connection for me.

I'm really fascinated by him and have read a lot about his work, process, and life; including his eventual disappearance from Hollywood. I was legitimately sad on the day he died.  That's why I was so happy to wake up this morning to find this link, which was included in a tweet that was retweeted by my friend Dustin. It's pretty amazing.

As the tweet said, "If you've not read this, do so now; if you already have, read it again."

Hat tip to Merrick for sharing this. This article really resonated with me because I feel it describes one of the ways I can best help startups. Over the years, I have built a lot of relationships with people. As a byproduct of how Threadless ran while I was there, every relationship was (and continues to be) treated like a friendship. This is something I still do to this day, which makes it easier for me to reach out and connect people. Whether these connections lead to hires, advice, or even funding, I take great pleasure in being able to extend my network to help others.

I'm proud to be a connector.