Writing and mumblings¶

Making Money is Negative Margin

In 2020 I had a hand injury that ended my career for 2-3 years. I've only managed to bounce back into being an indie consultant and educator. On the way back to being a productive member of society I've learned a few things:

1. I have what it takes to be successful, whether that's the feeling of never wanting to be poor again, or some internal motivation, or the 'cares a lot' or the 'chip on the shoulder' - whatever it is, I believe I will be successful
2. The gift of being enough is the greatest gift I can give myself
3. I will likely make too many sacrifices by default, not too few, and it will reflect in my regrets later in life

No One Has Potential But Yourself

I had a conversation with my friend today that shook something loose in my head: no one has potential. Like most of the lies I tell myself, this is obviously false - and yet, sometimes we need these extreme statements to see a deeper truth.

We often combat excess pessimism with excess optimism. We see potential in others and believe they can change. But this is just a projection of our own potential and values and beliefs.

Let me explain.

We throw around "potential" like it's something we can spot in others - this capacity for growth, for becoming. It's the story we tell when we hire someone who isn't quite ready, when we date someone who isn't quite there, when we believe in someone who hasn't quite proven themselves. We use it to describe the ability of a person to evolve and adapt, to grow into who they're "meant to be."

When I think about ambitious people, I never focus on their potential - their actions speak for themselves. I don't say "she's got a lot of potential" but rather "she's in the studio every day." The daily choices of ambitious people tell a clearer story than any assessment of their potential ever could. Their consistent actions drown out empty words and hypotheticals.

But after thirty years of watching people's stories unfold, I've come to understand something a little sad:

Everyone with true potential is already burning with passion and energy. They exist in a constant state of becoming themselves. There are always better words to describe their actions than just potential.

This comes in the form of someone saying they'll change their behavior once this happens or that happens. But more realistically, the ones with true agency aren't waiting for things to happen to them - they're already taking action, making their own opportunities, and shaping their own path forward.

This isn't just philosophical musing - it's a pattern I've seen play out in every relationship, every hiring decision, every friendship. When I see my friends choose the wrong people, whether in business or love, it always comes back to this fundamental misunderstanding about potential.

The potential you see in others is a reflection of the potential you have in yourself. And it's often cases of those who have the most potential are the ones that tend to overestimate potential in others.

This has been one of my biggest mistakes - believing I wasn't somehow alone in my ambition to evolve, to adapt, to grow. Let me share a story that brought this home.

In 2022, I met an artist in New York City. When they shared their dream of having their first gallery show, my mind immediately jumped to all the possibilities. I could see it clearly - the galleries we needed to visit, the portfolio we had to build, the right people we needed to meet. The path seemed obvious. Just effort.

But six months went by. Then a year. Then more. Nothing changed except the frequency of complaints about bosses, about systems, about circumstances. The more they complained about their inability to get what they wanted, the more frustrated I became. It took three years to accept that the potential I saw wasn't theirs at all - it was just a projection of how I wanted to live my life, the values I held for myself.

Now, lets contrast this with the people I spend my time with now. I never one said to my self "they have potential they just need to...". These ambitious people are already doing the work. Kinetic vs potential energy.

The ones with real momentum are always telling you what they're doing, asking for help, seeking feedback. Or they just disappear for long periods and come back with the thing they wanted, ready to celebrate together.

For most of my life I had an excess optimism about others' abilities, while many had an excess pessimism about their circumstances. The truth, as always, lies somewhere in between. But this realization, though humbling, has been incredibly liberating.

Here's what I've come to understand: The people with true potential aren't the ones having long discussions at basecamp. They are on the trail, the ones in motion, the ones you meet coming down from the summit with dirt on their boots and stories to tell.

And here's the truth - if we're living this way, truly pursuing our own potential, we can't afford to stand around at basecamp either. Waiting for others to pack their bags and gather their courage. We need to be on the trail. Because that's where we'll find our true companions - not in the comfortable conversations about what could be, but in the breathless exchanges between climbers passing on the path alive with purpose.

They don't need someone to see their potential - they're too busy staring down the path, watching their step, moving forward in a state of constant becoming.

So, what does this mean for you? Think of these people you're always waiting on, and trying to help. Is the potential you see in them a projection of your own potential? Or have they taken action already?

Legal Office Hours for AI Consultants

I want to invite my lawyer, Luke, to talk a little bit about the legal side of consulting. If you're new you should also checkout our consulting stack post.

In August, Luke officially launched Virgil. Their goal at Virgil is to be a one-stop shop for a startup’s back office, combining legal with related services that founders often prefer to outsource, such as bookkeeping, compliance, tax, and people operations. We primarily operate on flat monthly subscriptions, allowing startups to focus on what truly moves the needle.

He launched Virgil with Eric Ries, author of The Lean Startup, and Jeremy Howard, CEO of Answer AI. He's able to rely on the Answer AI team to build tools and help him stay informed about AI. He's licensed to practice in Illinois, and they have a national presence. That's his background and the essence of what we're building at Virgil.

Decomposing RAG Systems to Identify Bottlenecks

There's a reason Google has separate interfaces for Maps, Images, News, and Shopping. The same reason explains why many RAG systems today are hitting a performance ceiling. After working with dozens of companies implementing RAG, I've discovered that most teams focus on optimizing embeddings while missing two fundamental dimensions that matter far more: Topics and Capabilities.

Those Who Can Do, Must Teach: Why Teaching Makes You Better

"Those who can't do, teach" is wrong. Here's proof: I taught at the Data Science Club while learning myself. If I help bring a room of 60 people even 1 week ahead, in an hour, that's 60 weeks of learning value creation. That's more than a year of value from one hour. Teaching isn't what you do when you can't perform. It's how you multiply your impact.

Its a duty.

What is Retrieval Augmented Generation?

Retrieval augmented generation (RAG) is a technique that enhances the capabilities of large language models (LLMs) by integrating them with external knowledge sources. In essence, RAG combines the generative power of LLMs with the vast information stored in databases, documents, and other repositories. This approach enables LLMs to generate more accurate, relevant, and contextually grounded responses.

How to Improve RAG Applications; 6 Proven Strategies

This article explains six proven strategies to improve Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) systems. It builds on my previous articles and consulting experience helping companies enhance their RAG applications.

By the end of this post, you'll understand six key strategies I've found effective when improving RAG applications:

• Building a data flywheel with synthetic testing
• Implementing structured query segmentation
• Developing specialized search indices
• Mastering query routing and tool selection
• Leveraging metadata effectively
• Creating robust feedback loops

How to Get Started in AI Consulting:

Picture this: You're sitting at your desk, contemplating the leap into AI consulting. Maybe you're a seasoned ML engineer looking to transition from contractor to consultant, or perhaps you've been building AI products and want to branch out independently. Whatever brought you here, you're wondering how to transform your technical expertise into a thriving consulting practice.

Consulting writing

I want to share something that completely changed my consulting business: writing consistently.

Last month, a founder reached out saying, "I don't know who you are, but your blog posts keep showing up in our team's Slack. Are you available to help us?"

Two days later, we closed a $140,000 deal (for a 3-month project). Only 3 sales calls were needed.

This wasn't luck – it was the compound effect of putting words on the page every single day.

Who am I?

In the next year, this blog will be painted with a mix of technical machine learning content and personal notes. I've spent more of my 20s thinking about my life than machine learning. I'm not good at either, but I enjoy both.

Life story

I was born in a village in China. My parents were the children of rural farmers who grew up during the Cultural Revolution. They were the first generation of their family to read and write, and also the first generation to leave the village.