Hey there,
Hope you're week has been a solid one. Last week, I ran a reverse job ad and I got some great feedback. If you're interested in being featured, drop me a line.
Enjoy this week's issue and, as always, pass it on if you're feeling inspired.
1. Becoming Warren Buffett
I watched this HBO documentary recently and really enjoyed it. Warren Buffett is one of the most interesting people I've ever come across.
Perhaps my favorite quote from the documentary: "I like to sit and think." That sums up quite a bit of Buffett's success.
The link above will take you to the full-length documentary on YouTube. I don't know that it will last there, so check it out.
2. Bill Simmons and Ben Thompson: The Battle for Tech Supremacy
Bill Simmons is best known as a sports writer and talking head, but he's also somewhat of a media mogul. He has a deep understanding of content, social media and audience-development. His most recent podcast guest was Ben Thompson, author of the Stratechery and one of the most highly respected tech analysts in the world.
3. Jerry Seinfeld: Comedian, Innovator, Micromanager
A brief look into the genius of Jerry Seinfeld.
You and Larry David wrote Seinfeld together, without a traditional writers’ room, and burnout was one reason you stopped. Was there a more sustainable way to do it? Could McKinsey or someone have helped you find a better model?
Who’s McKinsey?
It’s a consulting firm.
Are they funny?
No.
Then I don’t need them. If you’re efficient, you’re doing it the wrong way. The right way is the hard way. The show was successful because I micromanaged it—every word, every line, every take, every edit, every casting. That’s my way of life.
4. Why You Should Stop Thinking About Your Blog as a Publication
An interview with your truly about everything wrong with content marketing. I made a follow-up video to this as well.
Thanks to Lee Price (@leevprice) for putting this together.
So if you can identify, let’s say, three to five use cases for your product or five to 10 problems people hire your product to solve, that’s it. That’s your whole content strategy. And you can write really interesting, in-depth articles specifically about those topics.
That opens up new doors when you have a positive constraint — you’re only going to write about these 10 topics, so what are some new and interesting ways to do that? When you have a smaller amount of content to create, you can approach it from a lot of different angles.
5. Random Links
- DHH and Intercom CEO Eoghan McCabe had an interesting (and contentious) back and forth on Twitter.
- Here's what we're up to at QuickBooks: Redefining Entrepreneurship for the 99%
- Chasing Google Snippets? This tool is awesome --> answerthepublic.com
- If you start or own a company, please try to avoid stuff like this.
- Simple question, epic Quora answer: What tips & suggestions would experienced bloggers give to young bloggers?
- I'm going to keep reminding you to check out Dan Carlin's Hardcore History podcast.
- The stories that shaped Wordstream, Sumo.com, Moz, and Duct Tape Marketing
- Amen to this: Four Secrets Of People Who Finish Their Workweeks On Thursday
Have a great week!
Jimmy