If You Have a Plan B, That’s Your Plan A

Safety equals auto-sabotage

Early in my career, I learned this lesson the hard way.

I started my first company, Alameda, with a friend from Business School.

As we began building the company, we were also recruiting for corporate jobs—just in case.

He received an offer from McKinsey, the world's top-ranked consulting firm.
I got one from Redfin, a shiny Silicon Valley unicorn.

Then, Alameda took off.

It stopped being a school project and became a real company.

So we agreed to go all in.

I dropped my offer.

McKinsey, however, told my co-founder something different—very astutely:

“You don’t need to reject the offer. Defer it for six months. If the project doesn’t work out, your seat is waiting.”

It sounded perfect.
A golden parachute.

The first three months were all growth.
Then, in month four, we hit a wall. Revenue stalled.

One morning, my co-founder walked into the office without his backpack and asked to talk.

“I don’t think I can continue.”

That was it.

I was left alone, trying to rescue what would later become the largest furniture and home décor marketplace in Latin America.

When things got hard, he didn’t face uncertainty.
He faced the seductive comfort of McKinsey.

And that’s when I learned:

If you have a Plan B, that is your Plan A.

Takeaway

Plan B doesn’t make you safer.
It makes quitting easier.

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3-2-1 Sprint

3 Micro Ideas

1. If something worthwhile feels too safe, you’re probably hedging.

2. Remove optionality in public. Tell people what you’re doing so backing out costs reputation.

3. Write down your Plan B—and make choosing it painful.

2 Quotes

• “If you have a Plan B, that is your Plan A.” — Learned the hard way

• “Necessity is the mother of invention.” — Plato

1 Question
Where in your life is Plan B quietly running the show?

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If you’ve ever debated whether having a Plan B is a good idea, forward this to that person.
And if you’re in it yourself—hit reply. I read everyone.

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