High Output Ventures

High Output Ventures partners with domain experts to create remote first businesses. We provide companies the ability to validate their business models, provide operational support and eventually scale their services through our early stage fund. We are head quartered in Singapore; however we are fully remote company with people all across the world.

Managing Director

Stable Books

New venture studio company that solves the problem for startups and solopreneurs based out of UAE to become tax compliant with the upcoming regulation changes. 

I provide support for the strategy and recruiting aspect of the business.

Co-Founder

IDENTIFI

IDENTIFI provides organizations the ability understand their current workforce & build data models that enable companies to attract, recruit and retain top talent.

Founder

TalentStories

TalentStories is a guide for the curious, the bold and the optimistic on our quest to define meaning and success in a complex, changing world of work.

On TalentStories we talk to people about their jobs, careers and businesses. We tease out their lessons, motivations and stories. And we discuss and explore the trends and ideas we need to keep up with to learn, grow -- and thrive.

Come join us on the journey, sign up here for free, early to our newsletter and podcast: https://www.talentstories.com

Innovo Global Solutions

Innovo Global Solutions (InnovoGS) is a leading provider of Psychometric Assessment and Training Services, Executive Recruitment and Human Resource Outsourcing. Established in 2006 with the aim to bring the latest and most advanced developments in the Human Resource industry to the Asian market in order to revolutionize the market and help organizations make the most of their investment in Human Capital. With Head Offices in Karachi, Pakistan, Innovo has a broad geographical coverage with satellite offices in UAE, Singapore and North America.

I serve as an advisor to the company.

Hatch Media

Hatch Media was successfully acquired by United Neon Advertising. 

Hatch Media is an alternative advertising company which provides its client with innovative ways to reach its target audience. It specializes in youth marketing to the 17-25 demographic which it reaches through its expansive network, spread throughout educational institutes around Singapore. If your company is looking to break away from the clutter of everyday advertising please contact them today to find out how they can be of assistance. Our services include:

- AdCups
- AdTable
- AdTissues
- Graffiti Mural Advertising

My primary role is to provide strategic direction to assist in growing the business. I also play a major role in the recruitment and growth of the core team.

txtanium

txtanium is mobile communication platform. It is a robust system which enables enterprises of all sizes to use text messaging to boost productivity and expedite communication internally and externally.

Investor

Business Incubation of Global Organizations

Co-founded this entrepreneurship club in 2003. Grew it from a membership base of 20 members to well over 500 members in my first year as president. Resided as an advisor and international chairman to assist in the expansion of the clubs geographic boundaries outside of Singapore. 

Today we have well over 3000 members spread across all through Asia.

International Chairman

Synaptic Creations

A technology media startup which specialized in providing advertising & marketing services to the educational sector in Singapore. Our offering included:

- Design Services (Web & Print)
- Brand Management
- Marketing & Promotion Activities 
- Event Marketing
- Printing Services

I was responsible for the overall business development aspect as well as recruiting and growing the team. Being my first venture I learned a lot regarding the importance of managing cash flows, selection of the right team members and selecting an growing within a niche segment.

Scaled a 150+ Person Remote Team | Follow for Expertise on Building High-Performance Remote Teams

Usman Sheikh is the Managing Director of High Output Ventures.

High Output Ventures is a seed-stage fund and startup studio investing in exceptional domains experts who are building the remote first companies of tomorrow.

Usman is an entrepreneur, having built, operated and sold companies over the last 15 years. He has an undergraduate degree in Economics from the National University of Singapore (NUS) and is a certified psychometric consultant from the prestigious Psychometric Centre at the University of Cambridge. He is also a certified NLP Practitioner.

Specialties: Marketing, Sales, Branding, Startups, Business Planning, Strategy Development

STOP referring to your employees as a "family":

Because, let's be real, you're not one.

Families:
‣ Don't fire low performers 
‣ Don't benchmark performance 
‣ Don't get paid for the work they do 
‣ Don't quit when they are not aligned

Teams, on the other hand:
‣ Hold each other accountable 
‣ Set clear expectations & measure progress 
‣ Compensate members for their contributions 
‣ Make tough decisions when goals diverge

You're not a family. You're a team.
A team that relies on EACH MEMBER doing their part.

If your employer insists on calling your team a "family", that is a major red flag and I would be wary.

Calling your employees a family might sound nice.
But it sets unrealistic expectations.
And blurs important boundaries.

A true leader understands the difference.
They focus on building a strong, cohesive team.
One that works together towards a common goal.

So let's drop the "family" label.
Focus on building a high-performing team instead.
It's the key to driving your organization's success.


Usman Sheikh

When someone asks me where my office is, I have started sending them this video 😎

I strongly believe well-run remote teams can far outperform onsite teams.

As a remote team, we can:
‣ Hire talent globally
‣ Focus on performance, not presence
‣ Provide an unmatched level of flexibility

If you work remotely and are proud of it, share this post with your network!


Three words every leader dreads:

"I am resigning"

It hurts even more when it comes as a surprise.

To be honest, I dropped the ball.

Instead of:
→ Ensuring alignment
→ Discussing their future
→ Nurturing the relationship

I had taken the relationship for granted.

As your team scales, this happens subtly.

Here is what you can do to avoid this from happening:

💬 Schedule regular 1-on-1s
- Discuss their goals
- Align on expectations
- Show genuine interest in their growth

⭐️ Recognize their contributions
- Celebrate their wins, big and small
- Express gratitude for their hard work
- Make them feel valued and appreciated

💰 Invest in their development
- Provide opportunities for learning and growth
- Support their career aspirations
- Be their advocate and champion

Your team is your most valuable asset.

Nurture those relationships.

Show them you care.

Because when you do, they'll go above and beyond for you.

And that's how you build a loyal, engaged, and high-performing team.

It starts with you.

Make it a priority.

Your team will thank you for it.

10 pieces of advice I share regularly with early stage founders:

- Sell before you build anything.

- Limit yourself to 1 ICP, 1 Funnel, 1 Offer. Don't complicate things.

- Keep the distance between your customer and yourself as close as possible.

- Do things that don't scale.

- Distribution will be the deciding factor in whether your idea will become a business.

- Don't hire full-time employees until you have validated who your customer is and their propensity to pay.

- Ensure the desired future success of the business is aligned between all cofounders.

- Find a group of entrepreneurs at similar stages to lean on and chat with during the hard times.

- Pivoting is important if nothing you do is sticking and you are losing momentum.

- Building a sustainable business takes time. Have patience and persistence to see it through.

Businesses only die when the founder quits. 

Keep your burn low and remain adaptable.

What other pieces of advice would you add to this list?


This is what I think will happen in the next 5, 10 to 20 years in the age of AI. I am just trying to plan for AI Camp. Let me know what you think in the comment with our version. Share it in your network so we can get more discussion of this going. 

Had a funny conversation yesterday. 

Individual had worked for 4 years at a big consulting firm.

Recently had gone through a startup bootcamp and a few courses from influencers online. 

Messaged me asking to build a product for him and also invest $250k to seed the company.

I asked:

- Have you spoken with customers? No.
- Do you know about X competitor? No.
- A plan as to how to spend the money? No.

The only thing I admired was this complete self confidence that he has the next big idea since slice bread and is going to be very wealthy very soon.

Conclusion: Please don't be this person.


🚨 STOP! If revenue is your startup's north star metric, you're headed for failure!

All revenue is NOT created equal.

Instead of solely focusing on increasing your top line:

💪 Focus on sustainable profitability 
‣ Are you saying no to the wrong clients? 
‣ Are you avoiding heavy discounting? 
‣ What repeatable problem are you solving?

📊 Understand your unit economics 
‣ What's your customer acquisition cost? 
‣ How much do you charge customers on average? 
‣ What's your customer servicing cost? 
‣ What's your average customer lifetime value?

🛡️ Build defensibility in your business 
‣ What unique value can you provide? 
‣ What daily actions build sustainable advantage? 
‣ How can you create high barriers to entry?

🌟 Focus on building a strong team 
‣ Why should top talent work with you? 
‣ Who do you need on your team to win? 
‣ How can you attract and retain the best?

Stop trying to sell to everyone! 
Get the basics right first.

While sales can solve many problems, focusing solely on revenue will likely result in building a business you no longer enjoy. (Story for another time)

The choice is yours: chase short-term revenue or build a lasting business you enjoy working on. 

(Picture: As a remote founder every hotel room is also your office 😎. You only make this much effort if you truly care about what you do!)

Aspiring founders always hear: "That has been done before"

I know I did, and it was discouraging at first.

Over the years, I have come to a powerful realization:

I prefer pursuing ideas that have been done before.

3 reasons why:

- People already want the product
- Easier to identify and reach customers 
- Analyze competitors to improve

It is far easier to improve on an existing idea than to come up with a brand new one.

This advice is especially relevant for first-time entrepreneurs.

I've built many things people never wanted. Tough lesson.

The carousel below perfectly illustrates this powerful point.

Do you have any similar stories of improving and adapting an existing winning idea?

How Two Consultants made $3.1b 

I never thought it would be possible to reduce my video creation time from 3 hours to just 10 minutes. 

 Here's how I did it:

- Switched to bullet points vs scripts
- Filmed in cuts vs one long video
- Spoke like I would with my friends
- Accepted my first 25 videos will suck
- Joined a community to help with feedback

Curious to know what you all think!

If you have watched my earlier videos would love feedback on:

→ The content (Did it provide value?)
→ The style (Did the editing, pacing keep you engaged?)
→ Anything specific you want to see improved

I am challenging myself to create these daily, will share the best ones here!

Want to thank everyone who gave me feedback earlier!

Your attitude determines the quality of your life.

No matter how hard things may be right now.

Choose to start with positivity.

Wishing everyone an awesome week ahead!


What separates high performers from everyone else?

Their ability to focus on what matters.

High performers understand the value of their time. 
They prioritize ruthlessly and invest their energy where it counts.

Sundays are great days to:
‣ Review how your last week went
‣ Reflect on where you spent your time
‣ Check if you're closer to your goals
‣ Acknowledge what you accomplished

The one skill all of us need to master is how we invest our time.

Show me your calendar and I will show you your priorities. 
Your calendar reveals where your focus lies. 
It's a stark reflection of what you deem important.

As we begin a new week, it pays to pause today. 

List down the one thing you need to get done this week to make it a win.

Is it finalizing that project? 
Taking the first step towards your big goal?
Getting out of the building and talking to customers?

Identify your priority and block off time for it. 
Guard that time fiercely. 
Resist the temptation to let less important tasks derail you.

High performers know that success lies in mastering their focus. 

They don't just wish for a great week. 
They plan for it, strategically and intentionally.

Here's to a week of laser-sharp focus and meaningful progress!


When the path of entrepreneurship isn't the right fit.

Happy Saturday everyone! 

The only way to get stuff done without being busy: 

Accepting trade-offs.

When I was starting off as an entrepreneur, I spread myself too thin.

→ I didn't prioritize high value goals
→ I wanted to please everyone
→ I said yes too easily

Today, I actively work to protect my time and schedule

→ Schedule deep work on my calendar
→ Say no to most opportunities
→ Have a clear list of goals

The list below, inspired by Shaan Puri's fantastic video.

What would you add to the list below?

(Link to the video in the comments below)

If you can answer this one question clearly, the probability of you succeeding at your business is exponentially higher:

What is your desired future success state for your business?

Be specific about:

→ What does your dream day look like?
→ How many employees do you have?
→ What type of clients do you work with?
→ How much money are you making?
→ How is your business positioned in the market?

No matter how ambitious or insane your vision may be. The ability to see it clearly and recognize the delta between where you are right now and where you want to be, will determine your probability of success.

Do you agree?


I spent $100,000 building an email list. 

It didn't convert. 😭

Here are 5 painful lessons I learned:
→ We waited too long to engage with our list
→ Didn't validate key assumptions upfront
→ Our strategy wasn't tailored to the local market
→ Underestimated education and nurturing needed
→ Weren't agile enough to quickly pivot

Back in 2021, I partnered with my friend Chi Anh Dao. 

We launched Her Vietnam together, aiming to build Vietnam's largest Gen Z women's media site. 🚀

We put together a rockstar team:
- Assembled an editorial squad
- Hired top-notch designers
- Brought on a head of marketing

Our core metrics were simple:
- Email subscribers 📧
- Website traffic 🌐

The plan was straightforward:
- Grow a massive email list
- Launch an ecommerce store to monetize it 💰

We gave ourselves a year to make it happen. 

After 12 months, we had nearly 35,000 email subscribers. Anticipation was through the roof for the store launch! 🎉

However, weeks post-launch, click-through rates were abysmal. 📉 

Subscribers needed way more nurturing and education than we expected.

Instead of direct orders, our social media DMs were flooded with requests for product tutorials and info. 🙋‍♀️

We knew we had to pivot fast:
- Poured fuel on our social channels, especially Instagram 🔥
- Cranked out video content instead of written posts 📹
- Rebranded the store as HerGlow to better connect with our audience ✨

Fast forward to 2024, the retooled business is growing steadily month-over-month. We're all-in on TikTok this quarter and hunting for experts who've cracked the code on ecommerce in Vietnam. 👀

For all the entrepreneurs out there, here are the key takeaways from our rollercoaster ride:
→ Validate your assumptions early to avoid overinvesting 🧪
→ Build your product around real customer behavior 🔍
→ Stay ready to pivot on a dime based on market feedback 🌪️
→ Recognize that ecommerce and digital payments are still evolving in SEA 🌱

If you're an ecommerce founder building in Vietnam, slide into my DMs please! We're always down to swap insights with like-minded entrepreneurs. 🤝

-

At High Output Ventures, we partner with entrepreneurs and operators to build bootstrapped remote companies. 

Let's explore collaborating if this resonated with you!


Three sentences hold 80% of people back:

1. I don't know how to start
2. I don't have enough time
3. I am not good enough

These limiting beliefs keep us stuck in a cycle of self-doubt and inaction.

We need to flip the narrative:

→ Start small and learn as you go
→ Make time for what truly matters
→ Believe in your potential and keep growing

Every journey starts with a small step outside of our comfort zone.

As another week begins, we have the opportunity to take that step.
Attached are a few inspiring illustrations to help you get started.

Progress matters more than perfection.

Embrace challenges and celebrate your achievements.

Wishing all of you a great week ahead.

Illustrations by: Pejman Milani & Quoted Visually

The power of small compounding habits

Wish more entrepreneurs understood this.

Your customers don't care about your:

‣ Tech stack 
‣ Product's features 
‣ Awards and recognition

Instead, they want to know if you:

‣ Can help them achieve their goals 
‣ Truly understand their needs 
‣ Are committed to their success

The entrepreneurs who get this go deep.

They uncover their deepest desires, fears, and aspirations.
They obsess over understanding what makes them tick. 
And craft their message around that.

Because when you tap into those core emotions...

You show them you "get" them. 
Trust emerges. 
Connections form. Sales happen.

Not because of your features. 

But because you've demonstrated true empathy. 

You've made it about them, not you.

And that's the secret to winning in business.

Know your customers inside and out. 
Speak to their core desires. 
Sell the outcomes, not the features.

Do that, and you'll leave your competition in the dust. 

Every single time.


"I expected you to do better this quarter."

I said this to one of my direct reports.

I could sense the tension on the call.

This encounter was a few years ago. 

I brought it up with my coach and had one of my most pivotal sessions.

Silent expectations destroy:
‣ Relationships
‣ Teams
‣ Companies

I slowly learned how to remove the word expectation from my vocabulary and replace it with the habit of setting agreements.

One of the best pieces of advice he gave me was:

"When you don't like a situation create an agreement to change the situation."

Once I became self-aware of the number of expectations I had in my life, both professionally and personally, I began to change them immediately.

Today, agreement setting is one of the first activities I do when working with anyone. 

It has reduced the shades of grey in my life, and it makes it very easy to stop working with people who are continuously changing agreements.

A great exercise to get started with this change is to:

1. Write out all the expectations you have of people around you
2. Work on converting them into agreements

Try it out and let me know how it goes!


Thinking about launching a business? Think again.

Times are tough.

As someone who has been through the messy middle multiple times, it never gets easier.

Finding something you care about is the only way you are going to make it through.

Really enjoyed this podcast with Greg Isenberg swapping startup ideas with Kevin Rose. 

If you are looking to quit a job you hate, check out the full video below for some inspiration!


This mistake held me back when I was starting my first few businesses:

Instead of hiring 1 great person, I hired 5 junior people.

My rationale was simple.

I didn't have the money to hire the best.
The best wouldn't want to join my company.
So I did what I could.

While this strategy can work, it takes too much time.

When I heard Andrew Wilkinson share the framework of Hire 1 to Hire 10, everything in my personal experience fell into place.

If you are just starting out, I strongly recommend:
‣ Wait until validation to hire your first employee
‣ Hire the best person you can for the role
‣ Someone who others will want to work and learn from

Will it be harder? For sure.

However, if you get this one hire right, you'll save yourself months and years of pain.

You won't have to train an army of juniors.
You can work on getting to product-market fit faster.

As someone who has made this mistake multiple times over, trust me.
Your future self will thank you.


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