'Tell People Your Goals!': The Secret To Accomplishing Anything - Cliff Weitzman

Added: Mar 1, 2024

Journey to Speechify

Weitzman's journey to creating Speechify started with his struggles with reading in high school and college. He faced challenges with dyslexia and wanted to create a tool to help himself and others with similar learning difficulties. He learned to code and built various products before focusing on Speechify. He realized the potential of deep learning technology in improving text-to-speech capabilities and set out to create a revolutionary product. He attended conferences and even jumped on stage after a keynote speech to demo Speechify, which led to schools inviting him to teach students how to use the software.

Building the Product

Speechify initially catered to individuals with dyslexia, ADHD, and other learning differences. As the technology improved, the app gained popularity among a wider audience, including professionals and individuals with vision issues or language barriers. Weitzman's dedication to continuously improving the product and understanding the needs of his users led to its success.

Importance of Learning to Code

Weitzman emphasizes the importance of learning to code for aspiring founders. He believes that understanding technology and computer science is essential for making informed decisions and managing a tech-based company. Learning to code provides valuable mental models and problem-solving skills that can benefit individuals in various fields.

Entrepreneurial Spirit

Weitzman's entrepreneurial journey began in high school, where he built various products and businesses. His curiosity, tinkering nature, and desire for financial independence drove him to create innovative solutions. The influence of his father, who instilled a strong work ethic and a deep understanding of the financial world, also played a significant role in shaping Weitzman's entrepreneurial mindset.

Inventor vs. Entrepreneur

Weitzman identifies more as an inventor than an entrepreneur, as he enjoys creating and inventing new solutions. His goal of building a "muse company" that generates passive income reflects his desire for financial freedom and autonomy. He draws inspiration from inventors like Thomas Edison and values the process of elevating economic resources to create value.

Learning and Networking

Weitzman emphasizes the importance of learning and networking in his journey. He reached out to experts in various fields, read extensively on topics of interest, and sought advice from successful individuals. He also hired virtual assistants to gather contact details of key people and sent personalized emails to connect with them. By showing genuine interest and following up persistently, Weitzman was able to build valuable relationships and learn from industry leaders.

Tenacity and Persistence

Weitzman's tenacity and persistence are evident in his approach to learning and building Speechify. He set goals for himself, such as coding for a certain number of hours each day, and held himself accountable with consequences if he didn't meet those goals. He was willing to go to great lengths, such as flying around the world to meet with experts and learn from them, even when faced with financial constraints.

Validation and Growth

To validate Speechify, Weitzman created a Kickstarter campaign and received pre-purchases for the software. He hired freelancers to help with coding but ultimately decided to do it himself. He also enlisted the help of talented individuals, such as a video editor and computer science students, to further develop the product. Through continuous learning, networking, and hands-on work, Speechify began to grow and gain traction.

Finding the Right Idea

Weitzman emphasizes the importance of finding the right idea for a startup. He suggests looking for problems in everyday life and thinking about how to solve them. He also recommends considering emerging technologies and building on them to create a unique product with a viable business model.

Building the Team

Weitzman talks about the importance of building a strong team for a startup. He shares his experience of hiring people from diverse backgrounds and focusing on qualities like learning ability, passion for the product, loyalty to the team, and the ability to ship features quickly. He believes in taking chances on people based on their potential rather than their pedigree.

Generating Leads

Weitzman stresses the significance of lead generation for a startup. He advises capturing people's emails through various channels like LinkedIn, Twitter, or YouTube to create an email list of potential customers. He also suggests creating content around the idea to attract and engage users before building the product.

Customer Acquisition

Weitzman emphasizes the need for a solid customer acquisition strategy for a startup. He mentions using platforms like YouTube, search engine optimization, and App Store optimization to attract users to the product. He advises focusing on how to make people come to use the product rather than assuming that building a good website or app will automatically attract users.

Strategy and Moat

Weitzman talks about the importance of having a strong strategy and a competitive advantage for a startup. He mentions the concept of a moat, where a business has monopolistic tendencies that make it challenging for competitors to compete. He suggests building a business with a moat to ensure long-term success.

Goal Setting

Weitzman stresses the importance of setting clear goals and breaking them down into manageable steps. He recommends setting goals across different categories such as love, adventure, music, spirituality, intellectual curiosity, business, fitness, and goals for loved ones. These goals should be set for different timeframes ranging from one month to ten years.

His goal-setting process involves regular reflection and updating of goals. He meets with a group called 'Elephants' every quarter to review and set new goals. He uses a visual Google Sheet with emojis to represent his goals and breaks them down into short-term and long-term targets.

Making Goals Public

Weitzman believes in sharing his goals with others to hold himself accountable. He suggests sharing goals with friends, family, or even on social media to create a sense of commitment. By making goals public, individuals are more likely to stay motivated and work towards achieving them.

Drive for Success

Weitzman's drive for success stems from a desire to be the best person he can be, maximize love in his life, and create value in the world. He aims to elevate the collective quality of life, especially for individuals with dyslexia, ADHD, and other challenges. Weitzman's definition of success includes being a good father and making a positive impact on the world.

Visualizing Goals

He also attributes his drive and motivation to his ability to dream and visualize his goals. He draws inspiration from characters in fantasy books and historical figures like Teddy Roosevelt. By having a clear vision of who he wants to be, Weitzman is able to set ambitious goals and work towards achieving them.

Weitzman emphasizes the importance of visualizing goals and taking action towards achieving them. He suggests creating a vision board or visual representation of goals to stay motivated. By taking consistent action and setting clear targets, individuals can make progress towards their goals.

ADHD and Dyslexia

Weitzman discusses his struggles with ADHD and dyslexia, explaining how these conditions affect his executive functioning and dopamine regulation in the brain. He highlights the challenges of focusing, mood swings, and susceptibility to addiction that come with ADHD. Despite these difficulties, he emphasizes that individuals with ADHD are often very intelligent and can hyperfocus on things they are passionate about. He shares his personal strategies for managing ADHD, such as setting up habits and mechanisms to improve focus and avoid distractions.

Speechify and Audiobooks

Weitzman mentions that Speechify also offers audiobooks with a credit model similar to Audible. He explains how Speechify aims to provide a better user experience with features like faster listening speeds, immersive reading, and collaborative reading experiences. He also discusses the partnership with author Brandon Sanderson and other authors to offer their books directly on Speechify. He highlights the competitive pricing and better deals for authors that Speechify provides compared to other platforms like Audible.

Generative AI and Speechify

Weitzman delves into the role of generative AI in Speechify, explaining how the platform uses deep learning models to transform text into speech and enhance the reading experience. He mentions the various applications of AI in Speechify, such as speech synthesis, character recognition, transcription, translation, natural language processing, and recommendation engines. Weitzman emphasizes the goal of Speechify to make reading accessible and enjoyable for everyone by leveraging AI technology to improve the user experience.

Using Speechify

Weitzman recommends using the Mac app for Speechify, citing it as the best product the platform offers. He suggests using the Mac app to listen to emails, design work, or any text on the computer, as it can enhance productivity and make tasks more manageable. He also advises users to upload PDFs of unreleased books into Speechify to listen to them before they are officially available. By utilizing Speechify's features like OCR, speed adjustment, and text-to-speech transformation, users can enhance their reading and listening experience.

Competition and Future Plans

Weitzman addresses the competition with platforms like Audible and Spotify, expressing confidence in Speechify's unique offerings and focus on improving the user experience. He believes that having competitors in the market is beneficial for fostering innovation and providing better options for users. He discusses the ongoing research and development efforts at Speechify to create new features and technologies for future products. He emphasizes the importance of having a dedicated team to work on improving existing products and developing new solutions for users.

Productivity

Weitzman emphasizes the importance of setting goals and creating a structured routine to achieve them. He suggests using tools like Google Calendar and Trello to organize tasks and manage time effectively. He also recommends breaking down tasks into smaller, manageable chunks to avoid feeling overwhelmed. Additionally, he highlights the significance of prioritizing self-care and mental health to maintain productivity levels.

Fitness

Weitzman shares his approach to fitness, focusing on gaining muscle and losing fat simultaneously. He explains the importance of tracking macronutrients to achieve fitness goals. He recommends consuming a high protein diet and engaging in regular strength training exercises to build muscle and improve overall health. He emphasizes the significance of progressive overload and consistency in workouts to see results.

Money

Weitzman reflects on his relationship with money and how it has evolved over time. He discusses the impact of financial security on happiness and the importance of setting realistic financial goals. He advises listeners to calculate their desired annual income based on their lifestyle preferences and long-term aspirations. He emphasizes the value of investing in experiences, relationships, and personal growth rather than solely focusing on accumulating wealth.

Happiness

Weitzman shares insights on the correlation between money and happiness, highlighting that while financial stability can contribute to happiness, true fulfillment comes from personal growth and meaningful relationships. He emphasizes the importance of continuous learning, self-improvement, and contributing positively to the world. He suggests redefining success based on internal fulfillment rather than external validation, such as self-directed goals and self-judgment.