Reflectivity
Yayoi Kusama's Infinity Mirror Rooms
Reflectivity acts like a mirror. It can be self-reinforcing (internal reflection) or be something shared and mirrored between individuals and society (external reflection).
I think a lot about this concept and how to apply it in my daily life. Let's define it further:
Self-reinforcing (internal reflection) reflectivity works like a loop within the self, deepening or reinforcing its own existence within an individual or system. It is introspective, recursive, and often leads to self-perpetuation. Confidence is reflective, as believing in oneself leads to actions that reinforce that belief, strengthening confidence further.
External facing reflectivity (external reflection) occurs when something is mirrored, transferred, or amplified outwardly, often influencing others or the external world. It is relational, interactive, and often involves feedback loops between individuals or systems. Respect is reflective because treating others with respect will encourage them to treat you with respect in return.
Both of these concepts can be very powerful. When applied to the best (or the worst) in life, they can have an incredible effect on oneself and one's relationship with others and the world. I've put together a few of my favourite examples below:
| Concept | Self reinforcing | External facing |
|---|---|---|
| Beauty | A person contemplates their own standards of beauty, reinforcing their aesthetic preferences. | Beauty standards are shaped by society, reflecting cultural ideals onto individuals. |
| Positivity | A positive mindset leads to more positive interpretations and experiences. | A positive person lifts the mood of others, creating an uplifting environment. |
| Happiness | Reflecting on happy moments makes someone feel happier. | Smiles and laughter spread joy to others. |
| Love | Self-love enhances personal well-being and resilience. | Love is often reciprocated between people, deepening relationships. |
| Gratitude | Practicing gratitude strengthens one's ability to find joy in everyday life. | Expressing gratitude encourages others to feel valued and do the same. |
| Confidence | Each success reinforces self-belief. | Confidence projects outward, influencing how others perceive and respond to you. |
| Wisdom | Self-reflection refines personal insight. | Wisdom is shared through teaching and advising others. |
| Respect | Holding oneself to high standards of self-respect leads to dignity and integrity. | Showing respect to others often leads to mutual respect in return. |
Reflectivity in entrepreneurship: the power of feedback loops
Applying both forms of reflectivity described above can help founders on their journey to build enduring companies.
Startup life is often described as a journey of trial and error, learning, and adaptation. Success in startups is driven by speed of execution, and yet I can't help but think that the art of reflectivity helps steer the execution (in the right way) through internal and external growth. This manifests in different ways:
1) Iterative learning
A startup's survival depends on its ability to learn and adapt. The build-measure-learn loop is a prime example of self-reinforcing reflectivity. Each iteration improves the product, reinforcing what works and discarding what doesn't. YC is notorious for driving this type of loop at the early stages of company building.
2) Founder mindset
The mental models that founders develop become self-reinforcing. Confidence and decisiveness grow with each successful execution, while unchecked biases can create echo chambers of poor decision-making. A good example of this is Jeff Bezos' "regret minimization framework" which reflects a mindset that continuously reinforces bold, long-term decision-making.
3) Company culture
Culture is reflective. The way leaders behave is mirrored by their teams. When ownership, transparency, and trust are embedded early, these values compound as the company scales. Conversely, cultures that tolerate mediocrity or lack accountability create negative feedback loops that erode performance and morale. The best companies use culture as a competitive advantage, fostering positive loops that reinforce excellence. Brian Chesky's founder mode rallied the Airbnb troops around a different way of running the business. Elon Musk sleeping at the Tesla factory showed everyone in the company the sacrifice that their leader was ready to endure to ensure the company's success. Lovable's culture is one of its defining strengths: it empowers high agency, deep trust, and a sense of ownership across a small but mighty team.
4) Brand and comms
A company's brand is a reflection of its internal values and customer interactions. Companies that communicate with clarity and authenticity often see this reflected in customer loyalty and brand equity. Apple's meticulous focus on design and premium experience is reflected in its cult-like following. Speaking of cults, in today's business climate of skepticism toward corpo comms and PR (fueled by widespread distrust in traditional media), founders need to go direct and embrace being the spokesperson of their company and own their company's narrative (as per Lulu Meservey's manifesto). By doing so, founders reflect themselves into their company brand, creating cult like following across stakeholders. A great example here was how Tobi Lutke's AI memo reflected on the readers the type of company Shopify aims to be in the AI era.
5) Momentum
Growth compounds with a feedback loop. Each success reinforces further success. Network effects also thrive on reflection as each user attracts more users. The takeaway is to leverage the compounding effects of growth because momentum fuels momentum. The astronomical rise of AI startups is a great example - OpenAI or Eleven Labs keep banging the drum and compounding growth at speeds never seen before.
6) Customer relationships
How a company treats its customers directly influences how customers treat the brand. Trust and engagement are not just built but reflected. Companies that actively listen to and respond to feedback create a reinforcement loop of customer satisfaction and retention. Our portfolio company Attio's customer-obsessed culture ensures that its service standards are reflected in customer trust, loyalty, and love (which leads to an abnormal amount of shoutouts online for a CRM business, which is far from normal :)).
Entrepreneurship is all about continual forward momentum. However, looking in the mirror and seeing what the world reflects back is a critical tool that must be used. Refining internal beliefs, external messaging, and market interactions to create positive, reinforcing cycles of growth can help founders build companies that don't just react to change but actually evolve with it. This is even more important as the rate of change in startup land has never been so disruptive and so fast.
Reflection is growth. Practice reflectivity… in startups and in life :)