founder-led content is more important than ever.

but it's hard to find the time, not be cringe, and consistently deliver quality sh*t.

here's the 9-question doc i send to my founder friends anytime they ask for content help... who's your audience/what do they want

WARNING: this is a long ass post (pt 2.)

I condensed 10 years of work on @MorningBrew into a 6-step process to build a successful newsletter business from scratch.

Let's hop in... Pt. 1 was a beast (full breakdown 👇).

Step 1: you picked your audience.
Step 2: you developed your content strategy.
Step 3: you mapped out your team.

Pt. 2 is all about execution.

Step 4: creating your newsletter.
Step 5: growing your newsletter.
Step 6: monetizing your newsletter.

we'll go through one-by-one...

https://x.com/businessbarista/status/1811787380761788554

WARNING: this is a long ass post.

But I have a sneaky suspicion it's the most valuable post you'll read all week.

I condensed 10 years of work on @MorningBrew into a 6-step process to build a successful newsletter business from scratch.

Today, I reveal steps 1-3... Step 1: Pick your Niche

Is your niche valuable? [must answer YES to continue]

1) Is it a high-need audience?
- Personal passion (think: gardening, cars, luxury art)
- Prosumer (think: retail investing, alternative investing)
- Professional need (think: sales, software dev, therapy)

2) Is it trending up?
- Will the audience for this niche be bigger in 5 years? (look at 1 & 3 year trends in Google Search Trends & reddstats)
- Will the audience’s need/passion for the information be higher in 5 years?

I keep a list of my favorite sources for learning cool shit.

When I’m bored I go to the list & read something random.

That’s my best defense against doom-scrolling or procrastination.

What should I add to the list?

The value of curation:

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a $54 billion behemoth.

It's bigger than Marriott, Netflix, and Twitter...combined.

Yet 99% of us don't actually understand the business.

THREAD: The story of AWS & lessons we can learn from it AWS is electricity for the internet.

It is the largest provider of on-demand, cloud computing services in the world.

With 33% of a $150 billion global cloud market, AWS makes our digital lives possible.

Gonna be in LA for 2.5 days w/ fiance, mom, and sister.

What should we do? this is low key my favorite part of twitter. curated recs for experiences from trusted sources

If you’re down to pitch your business in a unique way lmk.

I’m talking pitching from an ice bath.

Or while running on a treadmill.

Or while skydiving.

Or while holding your breath. A few specific RFP (request for pitches):

- Pitch from top of Mt Everest
- Pitch while getting your logo tattooed
- Pitch while jet skiing
- Pitch while in zero gravity
- Pitch while operating a bulldozer

Gamifying is the best way to build a habit.

I’ve turned fitness into a game by joining @thesamparr in a Combine.

- 225lb bench press
- 40yd dash
- Vertical jump
- Long jump

I’ll document each exercise & results below 👇 225lb Bench Press

- Date: 3/15/23
- Reps: 8

Only 8 sets of The Plunge exist right now.

And one of them is with me in Austin, TX.

If you want to try out axe-throwing meets cornhole & hang with me…

Meet me at Auditorium Shores from 9-11:30am tomorrow (3/11).

P.S. I’ll give you $5 if you beat me in the game

RSVP below… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… partiful.com/e/aTP2vlxjMluW…

Rihanna was the first female billionaire to perform a Super Bowl half-time show.

What you probably don't realize is most of her money didn't come from music.

Here are 5 lessons any entrepreneur can learn from the Barbadian icon: In 2017, Rihanna launched Fenty Beauty, a brand now worth >$2.8 billion.

Fenty's success is mindblowing. Some stats:

• Rihanna's stake is worth $1.4 billion
• $550 million in sales in Year 1
• Doubled revenue in 2022
• #fentybeauty has 2.2 billion views on TikTok

What ad copy should I test for The Plunge?

Key details:
- Axe-throwing inspired backyard game
- Throw plungers
- Set up in 60 seconds
- Can be played anywhere
- 2-8 players

Will give shoutout to anyone whose ad copy we use. Favorites so far:

In 60s you’ll be throwing plungers like axes with up to 8 friends. Create memories that stick.

This game is the sh*t!

Backyard axe-throwing, without the risks of a visit to the ER.

Toss it like an axe. Stick it like a boss.

If you want to crush an investor update, use this format:

1) Summary
- Financials (rev, burn, runway)
- OKRs/Rocks/Goals (+ how you're tracking)
- State of the biz 1-liner

2) Asks for investors
- <3
- be specific
- in order of priority

3) Shoutouts
- Investors are competitive THAT IS IT. Should be <5 minutes.

If you want to include nice-to-reads, here are options for what could come after:

1) Commentary on each OKR/Goal OR
2) Function-by-function breakdown
3) General updates + Wins + Losses + Month ahead

Today's journaling prompt is about understanding the foundation of every relationship you have. Plz steal.

Prompt: Which type of attachment style do you have? Secure. Avoidant. Anxious. Or Disorganized.

Descriptions of each below... "Secure attachment is defined by an ability to build healthy, long-lasting relationships"

Signs:
- can regulate your emotions
- easily trust others
- comfortable being alone
- high self-esteem
- emotionally available
- ability to seek emotional support
- easy to connect with

I have a 3-step plan to dethrone Shark Tank.

Read on & hit me with feedback... I love Shark Tank.

I've watched religiously for 10+ years & I think it gets a lot right.

1) Gives platform to early-stage founders
2) Strong intrigue with big names putting big $ to work
3) Good storytelling of entrepreneurs' backstories
4) Makes startups feel approachable

I'm building the digital version of Shark Tank on social.

It's called 60 Second Startup.

It's been good, but it's missing an X factor to become massive.

I have a few ideas to add that X. Lemme know what you think... Format 1: Bracket-style tourney

- 16 startups
- head-to-head pitches
- audience votes on who wins & moves to next round
- winner of tourney gets $10,000 investment from me

I'm this close to launching The Plunge.

It's axe-throwing without the hospital visit.

Add yourself to the VIP list below to be notified when it goes live.

I'll randomly pick 1 person from this list at launch to get the game for free. Join the list: bit.ly/theplungevip

I built a $100,000,000 business, yet hated certain things about myself as a Founder.

But I’ve learned to be more loving.

8 self-hating beliefs I’ve reframed into self-love: Belief: Great entrepreneurs must be deeply opinionated to lead well & take big swings.

Self-critique: I don’t have strong enough opinions or contrarian views.

Reframe: I’m open-minded, which creates safety for others, and I take bets once I’m informed and they’re needed.

Free business idea: $99/mo Productivity Coach

We have trainers & nutritionists for physical health.
We have therapists for mental health.
We have executive coaches for career health.

Why not have a daily sparring partner/accountability holder for work productivity? Points for:

- People will pay for things that lead to visible increase in $ made
- With remote work, social media, endless content, focus is fragmented
- The greatest workers I know are disciplined. Most people are not

How much do you pay for your dog to get groomed?

Thinking of starting a mobile grooming service as a side hustle in Hoboken. Current math:

Cost of grooming trailer: $63k

Price per grooming: $65/avg
Cost for the groomer: $24/hr
Margin: $41/hr
Other costs: gas, cleaning, supplies

If 5 dogs per weekend day = $41 * 5 * 52 = $21,320 = 3yr payback

If 5 dogs per week day = $41 * 5 * 365 = $74,825 = <1yr

Who wants to pitch their business on 60 Second Startup?

Priority #1: give Founders visibility & pitch practice

Priority #2: defeat Shark Tank (bc they wouldn't make me a judge)

My pitch to Founders: episodes got up to 750k views, highest revenue days ever + millions raised Reply below if interested

There's an endless supply of startup content.

But Founders still feel lost & lonely because there's no single source of truth.

So I built it for fun.

Introducing Sherpa, the world's best, free startup guide 👇 Sherpa is a passion project that has allowed me to:

1) Do what I love (BUILD)
2) For those that I love to help (FOUNDERS)

The idea is simple.

An always-evolving database of the very best startup content on earth.