Philosophy & Values
The principles that guide how I build, lead, and live
Nearly two decades of building companies teaches you that success isn't just about strategy or execution—it's about the principles you hold when no one's watching. These are the beliefs that have guided me through failures, successes, and everything in between.
Core Principles
Solve Real Problems for Real People
The most dangerous trap in technology is building solutions looking for problems. At AxiaASC, every feature starts with a question: "What specific pain does this eliminate for surgeons, administrators, or patients?" If we can't answer clearly, we don't build it.
Invisible Technology Is the Best Technology
The goal isn't to impress users with our AI—it's to make their jobs so seamless they forget they're using software at all. The best compliment we can receive is "it just works." Healthcare professionals should focus on patients, not interfaces.
Long-Term Thinking in a Short-Term World
Quarterly thinking destroys companies. We make decisions based on where healthcare will be in five years, not what metrics look good this month. Building trust with ambulatory surgery centers takes time. Cutting corners to accelerate growth destroys the very relationships that enable it.
Embrace the Uncomfortable Truth
The market doesn't care about our feelings. When data contradicts our assumptions, the data wins. When customers tell us our product falls short, they're giving us a gift. Defensiveness is the enemy of improvement.
On Healthcare & Technology
Healthcare is personal. Every inefficiency in an ambulatory surgery center isn't just a business problem—it's a patient waiting longer, a surgeon staying late, an administrator drowning in paperwork when they could be improving care.
AI in healthcare faces justified skepticism. Too many companies treat medical professionals as obstacles rather than partners. Our approach is different: we build with clinicians, not for them. Their expertise shapes our algorithms. Their workflows determine our interfaces. Their trust is earned, not assumed.
The goal of healthcare technology should be giving time back. Every minute our software saves an administrator is a minute they can spend on quality improvement. Every scheduling optimization means one less cancelled surgery, one less patient rearranging their life.
"Technology should amplify human capability, not replace human judgment."
On Entrepreneurship
Starting a company is an act of optimism—a belief that the future can be better than the present, and that you're the one to make it happen. But optimism without realism is delusion. The best founders I've known hold both simultaneously.
Failure is data, not destiny. My career includes ventures that didn't work out, partnerships that dissolved, products that never found their market. Each taught me something essential. The shame isn't in failing—it's in failing to learn.
Speed matters, but direction matters more. Moving fast in the wrong direction just gets you to the wrong place sooner. I'd rather spend extra time validating an assumption than rush to build something nobody wants.
What I've Learned About Building Teams
Hire people who challenge your assumptions. Surround yourself with those who share your values but not necessarily your perspective. The most valuable team member isn't the one who always agrees—it's the one who asks the question nobody else thought to ask.
On Continuous Learning
The moment you think you've figured it out is the moment you start falling behind. Markets evolve, technologies emerge, and yesterday's best practices become tomorrow's liabilities. Staying curious isn't optional—it's survival.
I read voraciously, but I also believe in learning from unexpected sources. A Coen Brothers film can teach you about timing and narrative as well as any business book. A great meal can teach you about quality and attention to detail. Every experience is a potential lesson if you approach it with the right mindset.
The best teachers are often the practitioners, not the professors. I learn more from a conversation with an ASC administrator about their daily frustrations than from a hundred market research reports.
Personal Convictions
- Integrity is non-negotiable. Your reputation is the only asset that compounds over decades. Guard it ruthlessly.
- Show up when it's hard. Anyone can be present when things are going well. Character is revealed in the difficult moments.
- Listen more than you speak. You already know what you think. Conversations are for learning what others think.
- Give credit generously. Success is always a team effort. Hoarding recognition creates resentment; sharing it builds loyalty.
- Admit what you don't know. Pretending expertise you don't have wastes everyone's time and erodes trust when discovered.
- Protect your time. It's the only resource you can't earn back. Spend it on what matters and with whom you care about.