Curation is a superpower.

It's all around us, it's old as time, and it adds value to consumers.

Yet people fail to understand it.

It's time for a Curation masterclass 👇
Quick agenda:

1) What is curation
2) Misconception #1
3) Internet's impact on curation
4) Misconception #2
5) Misconception #3
To appreciate the value of curation you need to understand what it is.

My definition:

The act of narrowing down choice to the things that you believe a consumer will want or should want.

Curation is about limiting choice for the sake of speed & focus.
The first big misconception about curation is why it's actually valuable.

Given Morning Brew’s value prop is driven by curation, I can speak to this directly.

We don't break news or do original reporting in our daily newsletter, yet 3mm people trust us with their time.
How could we amass this audience if none of the content is technically the first version of that story?

It's all about smart curation.

Readers don’t care that we’re not breaking news. They only care that we’re saving time they’d spend figuring out what news to care about.
Turns out, people will pay for smart curation AND the value of curation is going up thanks to the internet.

The internet has unlocked abundance.

With abundance comes greater need for smart curators to cut down search costs & help save you time.
Which leads to the second misconception of curation.

Curation is not just reserved for media businesses.

Think about it.

Trader Joes curates food that caters to the needs of a specific shopper.

Universities curate courses that cater to the needs of a specific student.
Curation is all around us.

And curation is not new. That is the third misconception of this superpower.

Take WalMart as an example.

WalMart has been a master curator since its founding in 1962.
It curated not due to abundance of choice, but scarcity of space, stocking the shelves of its 30k-200k square foot stores.

Curation based on local preferences of the retailer’s customers was also a priority.

A Bentonville shopper has different interests than a New Haven one.
That is what I hope you realize about curation.

It exists everywhere, it’s as old as time and it’s really about simplifying choice and optimizing satisfaction for the customer.
If you enjoyed this masterclass, check out my full @FoundersPod on curation...

here: spoti.fi/3tAQp5e

or here: apple.co/3txMlCZ
And follow me on Twitter for more deep dives into businesses, business lessons, and business stories! twitter.com/businessbarista

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More from @businessbarista

16 Apr
This Week on Founder’s Journal

Breaking down the 3 episodes...

Monday: “Jobs to be Done” 👇
Wednesday: “Guest Journal w/ @mrsharma” 👇

Topic: Building in Public
Read 6 tweets
16 Apr
Over the last 8 years, @nathanbarry has built ConvertKit into a $28mm ARR business.

Here are 8 tips & lessons he shared with @dickiebush and I that have contributed to his success 👇
1) Growth is unpredictable and non-linear.

The company went from $2,000/month to $100,000/month in a very short period of time.

Build impatiently, but trust the process.
2) Firing sucks, but there's a right way to do it.

ConvertKit has always been a fully distributed company.

But Nathan didn't want to fire someone over the internet, so he flew to them in order to fire them.
Read 10 tweets
14 Apr
I present "10 Questions with @mrsharma".

Think tweet-thread meets AMA.

I'll ask Nik 10 questions about Building in Public. He'll reply with his best answers for you all to see.

Like or RT your fav response.

Let's hop in 👇
1. What is "Build in Public"? And why should we care?
2. What are the pros of "Build in Public"?
Read 12 tweets
12 Apr
In 1990, Tony Ulwick created "Jobs to Be Done," a framework that has enabled next-level product innovation.

But you don't need to be in product to benefit from this way of thinking.

Read on to learn the framework & how to apply to your work today👇
Jobs to Be Done asks a very simple question.

"What job is your product hired to do?"

It forces you to view things from the perspective of the customer.

And it makes you realize people don't buy products & services.

They search for solutions that help them get jobs done.
Take lawnmowers, for example.

If you ask the layperson, what's the purpose of a lawnmower, they'd respond "To cut grass, obviously."

But that's not the job a lawnmower does.

A lawnmower's job is to keep grass low in order to maintain a lawn's beauty.
Read 10 tweets
10 Apr
Independent thinking is one of the greatest professional superpowers.

The best part: it is teachable.

Here is the playbook to 10x your independent thinking👇
You must first understand what it looks like to think for yourself.

Per @paulg, there are three attributes of independent thought:

1) Fastidiousness about truth
2) Resistance to being told what to think
3) Curiosity
#1 FASTIDIOUSNESS ABOUT TRUTH

A fancy way of saying being a perfectionist about finding the truth.

You’re allergic to the phrase “we do it this way, because this is how things have always been done.”
Read 14 tweets
6 Apr
When building a business, nothing is more important than a co-founder relationship.

Yet the dynamics of these relationships are seldom discussed.

That ends now.

Here are five learnings in six years of building Morning Brew alongside @austin_rief 👇
1. Find a brain VERY different from yours

We didn't need two Alexs or two Austins.

We needed brains that complemented each other and uncovered blindspots.

I am a divergent thinker.

Austin is a convergent thinker.

Both are crucial in building businesses.
2. Find someone that likes solving VERY different problems from you

I love solving new problems and problems related to people.

Austin loves solving problems related to scale and strategy.

If co-founders love & hate solving the same problems, it can create friction.
Read 8 tweets

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