Sarah Tavel
Markets as Currents
Inspired by Sarah Tavel episode
Sarah Tavel says pick a market with a strong current in your direction - rowing is easier when the river flows your way. Same with parenting phases.
Sarah Tavel invests by evaluating market currents. Rowing upstream is exhausting. Downstream is still work, but the current helps. Smart founders pick markets where currents flow their way.
Here's what nobody tells you about toddler phases: they have currents. Some weeks, the current is with you. Your kid suddenly loves routines. Bedtime is smooth. You start giving advice to other parents.
Then the current changes. Overnight. Now they're limit-testing every boundary like it's their job. Sleep regression hits. Nothing works. You're rowing the same direction, but now you're upstream, and every stroke feels like you're dying.
The current isn't personal. It's developmental. But when you're in it, rowing upstream at 2 AM with a kid who's forgotten how sleep works, you feel like you're failing. You're not. You're just upstream.
Notice which way it's flowing. Make progress when it's with you. Survive when it's against you. The current always changes.
