Well said, very well said.<p>I really do like people who can both disagree and share their reasoning on that disagreement. They are priceless. Many, if not all, of my best conversations have started with "Chuck I think {that/you/we/this} is wrong and this is why ..." I've often felt that half a dozen smart people with this trait can go out and build anything you want. That is because they will cross check each other and in the end they will get more right than they get wrong.
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A well written post and a lot of good lessons. I really liked your 2 tips for spotting expensive middle men in particular. Seems obvious when you think about it, but well worth being conscious of.