Today’s quote of the week comes from Leonard Bernstein:

“To achieve great things, you need a plan and not quite enough time.”

1. All successful founders are the same

Breaking through with a company is not just winning a lottery. When you speak with successful founders, you notice patterns about what enabled their success.

Oftentimes, the things they point out largely overlap.

There are indeed proven factors that anyone can focus on to set themselves up for success, but they’re not commonly discussed in the public. Therefore aspiring entrepreneurs prioritize the wrong things and hold themselves back.

The best way to get closer to your goals is to learn from those who have done it. Hassan W. Bhatti shared his takeaways from interviewing 9 unicorn founders in this post, and it’s a very eye-opening read.

2. 9 free websites to skyrocket your marketing

There is a ton of information online about what skills marketers should improve to get better results.

“You should be familiar with UX, growth strategies, SEO, keyword analysis, etc.”

Everybody knows these things are important, but what they don’t tell you, is what’s the smartest way to actually improve at a given subject.

Here’s an excellent list of 9 free websites that make learning much easier.

If you’re into marketing, you will surely find a website here which will bring your goals closer.

3. Book summaries done right

People have very different opinions on reading book summaries. While I always advise reading the full piece whenever you can, I think summaries should not be overlooked.

Any means you take to improve yourself is worth it. You should never be ashamed of that.

However, I’ve read books and been disappointed because their primary focus was on a different topic than what I bought them for.

That’s why reading a summary can help. You get familiar with what exactly the book entails and can make a decision to learn more by buying a copy.

Even if you never intended to buy the actual book, a summary as a quick means to get an entry-level understanding of a topic is perfectly okay too.

Wisewords has a vast library of well-written summaries of non-fiction books.

Recently I was recommended the book “Predatory thinking” by Dave Trott.

I read the summary, realized it’s for me, and now I look forward to reading it to internalize the teachings.

4. Take notes like Kendrick Lamar

Note-taking is one of the most underrated skills out there.

The best creators in the world are always on the lookout for interesting ideas, and they note them down systematically. So that when it’s time to execute and actually start creating, they will have extra momentum and can revisit their notes to memorize ideas and emotions

David Perell has been featured in this newsletter in the past, and I really admire his work. In a new post, he analyses the note-taking process of Kendrick Lamar.

I’ve heard stories of many other musicians and creators having a similarly precise note-taking system.

This lays the foundation for their awesome work, so nobody should overlook its importance.

See you again next week.

Whenever you’re ready, there are 2 ways I can help you:

1. If your agency, company, or marketing team struggles with creating your weekly content and finding new clients on social media, I’d recommend considering my course:
   ​Content Production Masterclass: A 7-step system to attract a steady stream of clients online by writing a high-impact newsletter and outstanding daily content in less than 8 hours a week.
2. If you’d like me to coach or consult you in private, I offer a 1-on-1 coaching program and a 1-hour consultation call. Learn more about my services here.