“Why are we so bad at separating luck and skill? Why are we so uncomfortable knowing that results can be beyond our control? Why do we create such a strong connection between results and the quality of the decisions preceding them?”

Is it skill or luck? If it’s a skill, it’s replicable.

If it’s luck, it’s not.

Firstly, “Why are we so bad at separating luck and skill?”

There are 3 biases here:

• Attribution bias: We tend to attribute our successes to skill and our failures to bad luck

• Hindsight bias: After an event occurs, we tend to see it as more predictable than it was

• Illusion of control: We often overestimate our ability to control events Second, “Why are we so uncomfortable knowing that results can be beyond our control?”

This discomfort likely comes from our need for control. We want things to be within our control. There comes anxiety reduction too. If we can control outcomes, we reduce the anxiety about the future.

Outcomes or results can really be beyond our control. Sometimes we want things to go a certain way, but ends up betraying you.

Accept that fact.

Lastly, ”Why do we create such a strong connection between results and the quality of the decisions preceding them?”

It’s easier to judge based on clear outcomes than to analyse complex decision processes. Society rewards results, not processes. So what can we do here?

• Cultivate the practice of identifying the role of luck in both successes and failures

• Reward good decision-making processes in your team, not just outcomes

All these headlines made you think to yourself…are my skills and talents even required in the modern world? Are they even valuable skills?

A clear and simple answer is: it depends.

A few days ago, a person on Reddit asked me questions about starting a career in web design. Here’s our long exchange:

Her: I’m moving out of state with my partner which gives me a golden opportunity to start a new career from scratch and I think I’ve settled on web design. I’ve done some basic HTML and CSS in the past (high school… so like 10+ years ago) and want to self-teach using online courses — is it a big hindrance to not have formal education in this field?

My other question is whether or not it’d be feasible to be 100% freelance as a self-taught designer?

Me: That’s a bold move, where are you heading to? I think web design is definitely a good profession. And nope, you don’t have to have a formal education in this field. You can 100% freelance as a self-taught designer. Guess what? I taught myself how to design, branding, and marketing.

Took up courses, watched lots of YouTube videos and talked to people (potential customers and experts). However, one thing I must say is, you can’t just solely on web design. You need to be good at other broad fields like branding, marketing, copywriting and usage of AI.

Ideally you want to become irreplaceable in what you do. Doesn’t have to be to change the world, but at least within your circle, you’re known as the designer.

Her: Heading to Arizona from Washington state! Very excited for some sun and heat...I’m curious what you do for clients in terms of branding and marketing. I definitely do want to offer multiple services since my current goal is to own my own business; I was considering doing graphic design as well since I’ve got a bit of experience in photoshop.

Me: Regarding branding and marketing, it’s part of the package for brand identity design. So I develop brand design systems, logos, collaterals, etc plus website landing pages. It’s better to specialise in something, i.e. be known for something. Then you should also have general knowledge on marketing and branding.

Be a generalised specialist.

“Be a generalised specialist,” an advice I give most people who asked me about their career.

Take the topic of web design as an example. With the advancement of intelligent machines like GenAI tools and more, what makes you irreplaceable?

Nothing (unless you’re the s-tier in web design and you know the ins and outs of web design, UX, UI, etc).

Dan Koe said in his recent newsletter:

"Being a specialist made sense in the Industrial Age but not in the Information Age.

When a bodybuilder gets injured, they either get bored and stop making progress or start from scratch.

When you get countered in a video game, or someone is already playing your role, you are at a massive disadvantage.

When your work consists of the same thing over and over again, not only are you a prime candidate for replacement, but life loses its zest because there is no challenge or novel goal that brings meaning to life… your time shrivels up because all you can focus on is working all day, being tired all night, paying the bills, hoping your family doesn’t leave you, and the rest.”

There will come a day when you’re completely bored of web design. Someone else will take over you and you’ll be at a disadvantage.

He continued by adding:

“On the other hand, generalists are diverse and interesting.”

When we’re talking about specialists vs generalists, we’re discussing replaceability and irreplaceability.

When you’re a generalist, you’re technically irreplaceability. But that is not to say you’re half-soaked in everything and do not have depth in a skill.

That’s why I call it “generalised specialist”—to make things clearer.

I’m talking about being somewhat like a “T-shaped professional,” where you’re so good at something (web design) and have a broad practical understanding of other relevant topics (philosophy, human psychology, branding, marketing, ads, etc.)

Now understanding this doesn’t immediately make you one. So let’s get into the more practical stuff.

How to be valuable in the increasingly distracted world

I recently picked up a new book called Deep Work by Cal Newport.

I picked up some ideas which I’m going to share here and combine with the idea of “generalised specialist.”

As mentioned earlier, being a generalist specialist, you not only have a deep understanding of a particular field, but you also have a broad understanding of other topics.

To be one, you need focus and concentration.

You can’t be scrolling 24/7 on social media, identify current trends, and call yourself a social media specialist. That, in itself, is not sustainable.

In the new economy, three groups in particular will have outsized advantage:

• those who can work well and creatively with intelligent machines

• those who are best at what they do

• those with access to capital

When you’re starting out, you probably don’t have access to capital, so let’s scrap that for now.

First point is about having the technical know-how to work with current machinery that most people don’t know how to use or leverage.

Second point is about being the best at what you do, but not necessarily the best in the world, as I mentioned earlier.

As we move towards a world where more tools are democratised and easier to pick up, it makes sense that a generalised specialist would thrive.

Have you seen people who seemed to always become more valuable as time goes by? How do they do that?

You must have these two core abilities

These two core abilities are nothing new.

The first: The ability to master hard things fast

The second: The ability to produce at an elite level, in both quality and speed

1. The ability to master hard things fast

In a world that's constantly evolving, your capacity to learn quickly is like a superpower. The ability to master hard things fast means being able to dive deep into new skills or concepts, process them efficiently, and come out on the other side with mastery.

Whether it's coding a new language, or an advanced marketing strategy, those who can quickly learn complex topics will have a distinct advantage over those who can't.

Think of a software developer who needs to learn a new programming language. Instead of dabbling here and there, they block out chunks of undistracted time each day.

Within a few weeks, they've gone from knowing nothing about the language to being competent enough to start using it in projects. That's the power of mastering hard things fast—your ability to learn becomes a weapon.

2. The ability to produce at an elite level, in both quality and speed

The second ability Newport emphasises is being able to produce top-notch work quickly. It's not enough to just be good at something—you have to be able to execute with speed.

This means you need to get into a rhythm where you can consistently churn out high-quality results.

We often hear people say, "Quality over quantity," but Newport argues that the real magic happens when you combine both. Producing at an elite level means you’re not just doing work that meets the standard; you’re doing work that sets the standard. And you're doing it faster than everyone else.

Consider a writer who needs to create compelling content for multiple clients. If they can only write one great article a week, they're limiting themselves. But if they can train themselves to write a great article every day, they’re suddenly much more valuable.

Think of Stephen King, who famously writes 2,000 words a day, every day. His output is massive, but so is the quality of his work. That’s the sweet spot. If he can do it, you too, can.

Why these abilities matter more than ever

The digital age is drowning us in distractions. Every ping, notification, and tweet is designed to pull our attention away from meaningful work. The ability to focus deeply on mastering new skills and producing excellent work at speed is like a competitive advantage.

Alex Hormozi said:

“It’s never been easier to win than it is now.

And people aren’t winning because there’s never been more weak people than there is right now.”

Most people are stuck in a cycle of shallow work—constantly switching tasks, checking emails, and reacting to the noise around them. But if you can break free from that and focus on these two core abilities, you're setting yourself up for success in a world where deep work is becoming increasingly rare and valuable.

Two core abilities and generalised specialist

If you can master hard things fast, you’re able to continually add new tools to your toolkit. You can pick up new skills or knowledge areas as needed—whether it's learning a new software, understanding a new market, or even shifting to an entirely different field. Your ability to learn quickly makes you incredibly flexible.

On the other hand, your ability to produce at an elite level ensures that you're not just dabbling in these areas. You're delivering real, tangible value that makes you stand out. You're not just another employee who knows a bit about many things—you're the one who can deliver results, regardless of the challenge.

These two core abilities combined with you being a generalised specialist makes you indispensable.

Have the adaptability and ability to bridge gaps and you’ll become highly valuable in any pursuits. You’re the code to a software. You’re the strategy to a brand. You’re the tortilla to a Subway sandwich.

Assumptions can only go as far.

For example, at Designlabb, during the first interaction with our client, we will make sure to get the big picture of what they really want and really get them to explain what they want.

Some may be:

• "Raise my next funding round"

• "Increase my website conversions"

• "Make my brand more recognisable"

Once you understand the big picture, everything becomes easier.

It's okay if they don't know what they want in detail – that's why they engage you and rely on your expertise to lead them through the project.

Understanding the big picture is the most important, worry about the details later.

“The better you write, the higher you will go in Ogilvy & Mather. People who think well, write well. Good writing is not a natural gift. You have to learn to write well.”

Most people don’t understand the power you’ll get when you write well.

No. I’m not just talking about climbing the corporate ladder much more easily. It’s more than that.

Writing well is a superpower in all facets of life, and even if you’re not good at it, you still have to write well in some capacity.

Why? Communication.

Communication is key.

Think about your social media, research papers, or just messages to your friends and families—they all require writing. Clear writing.

One of the most legendary marketers of all time: David Ogilvy, wrote an internal memo to the employees of his advertising agency titled “How to write.” —in just 10 bullet points. I’m sure these will make you a better writer in no time.

Let’s break down each one.

1. Read the Roman-Raphaelson book on writing. Read it three times.

This is a classic book that everyone should read—whether you’re a copywriter, employee, manager, founder…

Take notes, try the tips mentioned, and see how your writing improves.

2. Write the way you talk. Naturally.

ChatGPT made most people sound like robots. At one glance you can tell what is ChatGPT-written or human-written.

There’s no need to find your writing voice either—in fact it’s a complete waste of time.

You already have your voice—the one you use every single day.

How you can start writing naturally?

• Write like how you write your journal

• Record yourself talking about a topic. Then, transcribe it.

3. Use short words, short sentences, and short paragraphs.

This one takes practice. Because short, medium, and long sentences create rhythm.

However, most of the time, writing can be shortened. Humans love to ‘yap’ a lot.

The easiest way to find when you're being too wordy is reading everything aloud before you publish it.

When you find yourself getting caught up, it's a sign you need to simplify.

4. Never use jargon words like "reconceptualizes, demassification, attitudinally, judgementally.” They are a hallmark of a pretentious ass.

🚫 “I need to include all kinds of fancy words to sound professional, credible, and trustworthy.”

✅ “You’re not likely to get the results you seek if your writing is murky, long-winded, bogged down by jargon, and topsyturvy in its order of thought.”

Here's how to think about jargon: When you see someone using big, fancy words every so often, they’re hiding their lack of understanding. It’s the ability to deconstruct a highly technical thing into a few simple words for easier understanding that’s ingenious.

Einstein said, “Make everything as simple as possible but not simpler.”

An easy solution: pretend you are writing to an 8th grader.

5. Never write more than two pages on any subject

99% of books should be blog posts.

And 99% of blog posts should be tweets.

If it can't fit in two pages, it should be simpler.

6. Check your quotations.

Always check your quotation. Misquotes are unforced errors. Always check.

7. Never send a letter or memo on the day you write it. Read it aloud the next morning—and then edit it.

If you are publishing something important, always, always, give it room to breathe.

Don’t rush your writing. Don’t rush reading it either. Read it aloud and listen to the flow and structure of the sentences.

8. If it is something important, get a colleague to improve it.

This pairs nicely with point number 7. Once you’re done writing, give it to someone to read. We often miss out on the small things like quotations, grammar errors, and spelling errors.

Here's how Tim Ferriss requests edits:

• Highlight anything that is confusing.

• Highlight any points where your mind starts to wander.

• Indicate the 10% of the piece that I need to keep no matter what.

9. Before you send your letter or memo, make sure it is crystal clear what you want the recipient to do.

This is so simple but easy to forget.

“Putting down first what you want the reader to do, next the three most important things the reader needs to understand to take that action, then starting to write.”

It’s no different at work. Here’s a framework from Wes Kao mentioned in her article 15 principles of managing up:

“Put your recommendation, action item, or question at the top, then context below. This allows folks to read as much or little of the context as they need. This is especially useful for remote teams, where a hefty amounts information is communicated asynchronously and in writing.

🚫 Action items, backstory, bottlenecks, and context all jumbled together

✅ Action items or question at the top, context separately below”

10. If you want ACTION, don't write. Go and tell the guy what you want.

Last but not least, writing should never replace a targeted conversation. Direct conversations, especially for emails and messages that require action, are often more effective and impactful.

The best writers will shape the future. Similarly, companies that cultivate a culture of writing will also shape the future.

Well, that used to be me. I was stuck in the vicious cycle of not settling and reflecting on what I already have.

Back then, I just didn’t feel like I was living my best life.

But, I decided to make a change.

I started experimenting with different ways to improve my daily routine and slowly but surely, I started to see results.

My life became more enjoyable, my relationships improved, and I felt more fulfilled overall.

If you’re looking for ways to make your life more fulfilling, you came to the right place.

I’ve put together 8 hacks I’ve found to be super helpful to live a more fulfilling and meaningful life and I’m confident they’ll help you too (and hopefully change the way you view life).

1. Experiences are worth more than material possessions

Any material possessions you buy now will become obsolete or outdated in 1 or 2 years’ time. For example, goods such as a $1,000 iPhone.

Instead, spend that money on something else that will bring you a lifetime experience — such as going for a trip with people you love.

The memories will stick with you forever and you’ll be glad to have them.

2. Knowing that you’re going to die one day

Most of us are afraid of stepping out of our comfort zone.

But what we should be worried about instead is staying in the same position — stagnant — and not progressing at all.

If you compare your current self to the person you were 1 year ago, are you satisfied with what you did? Do you regret anything?

What about the things you’ve always wanted to do? Is it a work in progress or you’re still waiting for the perfect time?

Thinking about your mortality is a great way to make you feel motivated and not feel afraid to open yourself to different experiences.

“Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.” — Steve Jobs

3. Start today and NOW, and stick to it

Starting today may seem like a chore to you.

But if you’re serious about your own self-development and growth to success, this cannot be a choice.

You have to be discipline and commit yourself to the intentional actions that will lead you to the place you want.

Want to start a business? Take up online courses, find a mentor, attend networking events…

The compilation of tiny activities will compound.

The ‘You’ 1 year from now wish you’d started at this very moment. So what are you waiting for?

4. Comparison kills momentum

Not everyone’s goals are the same as yours.

So why compare yourself to others?

The human desire is hard to resist. We want fame. We want material possessions. We want attention. We want to be rich.

If you create the right system and make progress every day, the fame, material possessions, attention, and money will follow — they are the byproducts.

Sure, investment bankers earn a lot. But if the job is not aligned with your interest, values, and passion, and is something that you feel obligated to do, then it’s probably not for you.

Do what makes you YOU. Don’t jump onto the bandwagon just because it’s the hottest trend or the path others take reap better rewards.

When you’re on the right path, people ahead of you tend to be helpful and will guide you to where you want to be. Let them be a source of inspiration.

And for those behind you, seek to teach them. It’s a win-win.

Comparison will kill your focus and kill you at last.

5. Fulfillment is more important than success

“Once I become a millionaire, I will be happy.”

Sounds familiar to you? Have that thought come across your mind before?

Your happiness shouldn’t depend on your level of success.

Live every moment to its fullest.

Don’t put yourself through unnecessary stress.

Seek happiness first, and all the things you desire to have will come later.

6. Leverage downtime

Downtime is the time when you’re not working or active.

Make full use your downtime to relax from the chaos happening around us — spend time with your loved ones, read a good book, let your creative juices flow.

Don’t scroll your socials. Don’t binge your latest favorite drama show on Netflix. Don’t spend your time on your phone.

All these should be done in moderation. And not for long periods of time.

The greatest discovery does not come from doing, doing, and doing. It comes when the mind is in alpha state — a state of relaxation and where ideas flow naturally (oscillates between the theta and beta waves).

Leverage your downtime to spark creative ideas.

7. It’s riskier NOT to take risks

If you’re not happy with your current self and you’re not taking the risk to turn that around, the blame is on you.

The worst thing you can do in life is to tolerate mediocrity.

If you want to be mediocre, then stay comfortable.

If you want to be rich, step out of your comfort zone.

Struggle. Fail. Then succeed.

Don’t waste time avoiding failure.

Don’t waste time to feel motivated before you work on your dreams.

Remember the Goldilocks Rule. It states that “humans experience peak motivation when working on tasks that are right on the edge of their current abilities.”

Statistically, we feel motivated when we work on a task that is 4% beyond our current abilities.

Don’t let the small percentage fool you. Compounding effect will always occur.

8. Spend quality and meaningful time with your loved ones

Be present with your family.

Sure, you can take breaks and go on trips to grow yourself.

But be sure that you always have your family in mind.

Celebrate their birthdays, attend weddings, spend quality time during the holidays.

Create memories. Appreciate every moment with them.

Because good times don’t last forever.

TL;DR

1. Experiences are worth more than material possessions

2. Knowing that you’re going to die one day

3. Start today and NOW, and stick to it

4. Comparison kills momentum

5. Fulfillment is more important than success

6. Leverage downtime

7. It’s riskier NOT to take risks

8. Spend quality and meaningful time with your loved ones

These are the 8 life hacks to live a fulfilling life. Although some may not be applicable to your life, they definitely serve as guidelines that will help you live happily and meaningfully while enjoying all the finest things in life.

The desire to achieve the things you want in life certainly requires determination and perseverance, and there will be many roadblocks, but be sure to practice these hacks to feel incredible while heading down the right path.

Demand generation is the essence of any marketing strategy and the foundation of an impressive business...

The master of demand generation is Nike, which invented influencer marketing when it didn't have a name!

Back in the 1970s, Nike closed its first deal.

The company paid $5,000 to distance runner Steve Prefontaine to run in the company's shoes.

It was a tiny deal compared to the ones it closes now.

Steve Prefontaine represented the athlete who crystallised the approach that Nike would use later on to generate demand for its products.

Today (as I'll show you), Nike has scaled this approach, but at the time, it had to re-invent it from scratch, as athletes didn't know who Nike was (the Nike brand shoe was launched in 1972).

Prefontaine was also a pupil of Nike's co-founder, Bill Bowerman.

Bill Bowerman was a coach at the University of Oregon; he was the product guy, always experimenting with new shoes and making technology a key component of the shoes.

Bill Bowerman opened the way to technology as a key component to differentiate the product, thus a key element of Nike's marketing strategy for decades.

Yet, the most staggering part of Nike's demand generation is the iconic side.

In 1984 Nike closed a deal with basketball player Michael Jordan.

Today the Jordan brand - a segment of Nike's $46 billion yearly business empire (in 2022) - generated in the same year a staggering $5.1 billion!

And as a result of it, Michael Jordan became a billionaire!

And for some context, in 2022, Nike spent $3.9 billion in demand generation efforts.

Now, Nike has been doing it for decades, leveling up its game, but initially, it did it with minimum budgets.

Thus, for tech-driven companies, demand generation can be done with a combination of fast experimentation and bold bets, not necessarily huge budgets.

How?

Breaking down the walls between perception and engineering

Let's see some of the strategies to use.

Change perception, don't change the code

One misleading fact about engineering-driven companies is that you got to make radical, core changes to products, to enhance value.

But those can be extremely expensive, time-consuming, and very very risky since they are driven by aggressive assumptions about what users want.

Instead, if you change perspective and start to ask, what's the simplest change, I can make on the UX which can change the perception of my product?

You get to find bold ideas to test. Those might be cheap, reversible, and easy to execute/test.

These ideas are what I like to call asymmetric bets. They carry a low downside and massive upside.

There is a caveat for that, to find them, you need to develop a sort of mindset where you can find these asymmetric bets.

They are fast, reversible, and have a potentially unlimited upside with a capped downside.

And often, they are very simple, counter-intuitive changes that can have a huge impact.

For example, if you're developing software products for B2C, removing the technical jargon from the UX can make the product scale.

No change to the core software code; simply removes the jargon, which makes the product more accessible, more relatable, and more prone to go viral.

Give perceived control

You have an elevator in an office. Everyone complains that it is too slow.

What do you do? Do you get to replace it? You could, but that is an engineer's approach.

Instead, you need to understand the problem deeply. You don't need to speed up the elevator's motion; you need to change the perception of the person experiencing the lift.

Thus, instead of replacing the elevator, you place a mirror in it. And suddenly, a few more seconds don't look as terrible!

Same thing with tech apps. You don't necessarily need to make things faster from an engineering standpoint.

First, you can make the experience more pleasant.

To say, if you run a website, by simply making the UX more pleasant by changing colors and characters, you can boost the perception of the site.

Perhaps, you can increase the size of the fonts. Paradoxically, when you optimize for accessibility, suddenly, you might make things more appealing to everyone else.

This works well for a business that is meant to be accessible to as many people as possible.

To say if you're running a luxury company, the last thing you want to do is to make it accessible. Instead, in that case, you might want to create friction and scarcity (as we'll see).

Second, give perceived control to users.

If you run a delivery app, wait time is a key component. The lower, the better, right? Correct! However, there is a certain threshold where less time doesn't make a huge difference.

In that range, you can warp time perception by, for instance, creating artificial interactions. Where the app describes how the delivery person is coming to you and the progress, it's making. These small things can make the wait time reduced in "perceived time."

Third, give it a rationale.

Let's say you are running a website that gives back an audit of something. But the site is slow when it gets too many requests.

Instead of simply having people wait for the report to upload, create a "virtual queue," which explains that other people are lined up for the free service. That might work well to justify the pain of the wait.

All these solutions warp the perceived time for users!

Enhanced value through pacing

If you're building a software product, speed is all, right? Well, yes, but...

We're humans, and if you give me something too fast, I'll assume it was too easy to get.

Thus, if you're building, let's say, a reporting tool, instead of spitting out results right on, have it show an interface that says something like "we're computing the answers" or "we're analyzing the data" or simply something that shows the user, the engine is doing cool stuff in the backend.

We're humans; we want to know that the person or machine on the other side is making a real effort to give us what we want.

And if what we're looking for is extremely valuable, we want to be sure the person or machine on the other side has taken the proper time to ponder our choices.

Thus, in this sense, engineering and perception run against each other.

The engineer wants to make things faster. The business person understands that engineering needs to be balanced with perception!

Friction as artificial scarcity

Hundreds of years after its founding, Harvard University still has among the lowest admission rates (about 5%).

Why is that? Is it to select talent? Indeed.

But, there is also some signaling in it. And that's about enhancing the perceived value of a Harvard degree. And a way to do it is to create friction to entry and keep it artificially scarce.

If everyone had a Harvard degree, none would pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to get one!

Luxury companies know this principle well. That is why you get a porter at the entrance, and unless you're willing to spend money, you might not feel entitled to enter.

That is why Luxury stores look like temples.

Everything there stands to signal scarcity and the status quo.

While luxury companies spend a lot of money on marketing and sales to achieve that.

You can achieve the same with very simple stuff.

For instance, if you sell a physical product, great packaging makes its perceived value increase.

If you sell a digital product, giving it a physical appearance might make a huge difference. Like selling a digital book but showing the cove as if it was a physical book.

Framing and changed perception

In general, coupons might not be a great idea for a business, right?

Yes, as over time, they devalue your product offering.

Yet, if you change the framing and move from a coupon to a contest or lottery, suddenly you've changed the perceived value of the offering, you're increasing demand, and you're not affecting the product pricing for worse.

In fact, with a contest and lottery, the person on the other side will feel lucky when they win.

However, you still want them to feel good if they lose.

So instead of giving up coupons, you can reframe them. You can give coupons to lottery losers, so they will still feel lucky and have a good perception about receiving a coupon. happy about it.

Thus, a coupon given without reason is worthless.

A coupon given for a reason becomes extremely valuable!

To close, in a tech-driven world, perception becomes the moat

In a tech-driven world, where every company has become a software company, we're induced to think that hard engineering is the only way to solve issues.

Yet, if we were to devote a bit more effort to understanding what simple actions we can take that can create product differentiation, scarcity, and status quo, all of a sudden, we can change the fate of our business!

Following the steps above is critical because only via an effective demand generation strategy will you have more flexibility in how you want to build and grow your business.

Indeed, take the case of how Nike, over the years, has been strengthening more and more its direct-to-consumer distribution channel, which in 2022 reached a 42% of Nike's distribution.

That is possible when you have implemented a strong demand generation strategy!

©2024 The Business Engineer

How would they respond? Would they band together to remove it? Or would they get discouraged, quit, and return home?

With growing disappointment, the king watched as subject after subject came to this impediment and turned away. Or, at best, tried halfheartedly before giving up. Many openly complained or cursed the king or fortune or bemoaned the inconvenience, but none managed to do anything about it.

After several days, a lone peasant came along on his way into town. He did not turn away. Instead he strained and strained, trying to push it out of the way. Then an idea came to him: He scrambled into the nearby woods to find something he could use for leverage. Finally, he returned with a large branch he had crafted into a lever and deployed it to dislodge the massive rock from the road.

Beneath the rock were a purse of gold coins and a note from the king, which said:

“The obstacle in the path becomes the path. Never forget, within every obstacle is an opportunity to improve our condition.”

What if you had the ability to flip your obstacles and turn them into opportunities?

This short snippet is from The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday, who wrote about how some of the most successful people in history, from John D. Rockefeller to Ulysses S. Grant to Steve Jobs – have applied Stoicism to overcome what seems to be difficult or impossible situations.

The story you just read, there are a few key lessons in there:

1. Resourcefulness is crucial: The peasant’s ability to find and fashion a lever when faced with the “impossible” shows the importance of resourcefulness.

2. Persistence pays off: Unlike the other villagers, the peasant did not give up after initial attempts failed. This teaches us that leverage in any situation comes from the willingness to persevere where others might give up.

3. Opportunities often lie hidden within challenges: The hidden purse of gold coins beneath the boulder serves as a metaphor for the rewards that can come from facing and overcoming challenges.

What is leverage?

If you read till here, you probably want to know how the story relates to you building generational wealth.

First, let’s understand what leverage is. Leverage, in a broader sense, is a fundamental principle in the pursuit of wealth.

Alex Hormozi puts it this way, “Leverage is the difference between what you put in and what you get out.” Ideally, you want to get the most out of your input.

Let me paint you a scenario:

Imagine you're standing on the edge of a swimming pool. With every decision you make, you drop a pebble into the pool. The pebble represents the decisions you make. The ripples created by the pebble when it hit the surface of the water are the consequences of your decision.

When a pebble is small, the ripples you see will similarly be small.

That's when leverage comes in. Leverage fully transforms the pebble into something bigger, say a boulder. It amplifies the consequences and impacts of your decisions and judgement.

Much like the story of the peasant you read earlier, big output just by small input.

The four classes of leverage

There are four types of leverage that can be used to compound efforts and achieve greater success and scalability in business:

• Labor leverage

• Capital leverage

• Code leverage

• Media leverage

Labor leverage

Labor leverage: You have people working for you. Ideally, hire people better than you (permissioned leverage)

The first form of leverage is labor leverage. Traditionally, this means you have other people working for you. It is positioned at the bottom of the pyramid as it is considered the lowest form of leverage. It requires tremendous leadership skills and it's not made for everyone. You must be able to manage a big group of people and be able to articulate your ideas, solutions, and problems well to make sure everything goes as you say.

From a financial perspective, it is difficult for you to weather an economic downturn as you'll need to pay out wages to your workers first. However, if you're able to hire excellent workers and they're able to generate excellent positive cash flow for you, this form of permissioned leverage could make you wealthy.

Capital leverage

Capital leverage: Money that you have access to (permissioned leverage)

Capital is the next class of leverage. Similar to the collaboration, this is a permissioned leverage. It is positioned above labor leverage in the leverage pyramid. The traditional finance definition of leverage is borrowed money and if you know how money works, you're able to invest in income-producing assets such as productive businesses to get a significant boost in your returns.

It also means that if the manager makes the right decision, their money will multiply. If a wrong decision is made, they lose more money. Capital is much more trickier and complex form of leverage to use. However, it's what rich people in the modern world use to generate enormous wealth with their name attached to it. Capital leverage has probably been the dominant form of leverage in the last century.

Think of Warren Buffet. He is best known for amassing his fortune through a thoughtful value investing strategy. And using capital leverage, he is able to compound his judgment and make right decisions most of the time.

If you're good at managing capital, you can manage more of it and make more of it. It can scale very, very well. And before you know it, you'll already exceeded your financial goals.

Code leverage

Code leverage: Command robots to work for you (permission-less leverage)

Code, or machine leverage is a form of permissionless leverage. It works for you while you sleep and is now the leverage behind the newly rich. Think of the advent of new technologies such as blockchain. It is basically made out of complex code and it's a shared distributed ledger that stores information or data. It's the technology behind Bitcoin and Ethereum, which are applications of that technology. Think of SaaS businesses as well. Advancements in technology have democratised the ability to scale such businesses. You don’t need a huge IT infrastructure to run a scalable, deployable business.

This form of leverage is brand new—the most democratic form. It is the idea of products with no marginal cost of replication.

Code is probably the most powerful form of permissionless leverage and a great superpower because you can speak the language of robots. All you need is a computer and you don't need anyone’s permission.

Think of Google, Airbnb, Facebook, Instagram, etc. Behind these big companies, there's code that runs the whole system.

Media leverage

Media leverage: You have code and media working for you (permission-less leverage)

Likewise for content, or media leverage, it is the idea of products with no marginal cost of replication and a form of permissionless leverage. It's positioned at the same level with code.

Coding, writing books, recording podcasts, tweeting, and YouTubing—these kinds of things are permissionless. You don’t need anyone’s permission to do them, and that’s why they are very egalitarian. They’re great equalizers of leverage. Every great software developer, for example, now has an army of robots working for him at nighttime while he or she sleeps, after they’ve written the code, and it’s cranking away.

Media leverage is the content you create that is able to scale through code. For instance, the chance of your content being shown to others are based on code (the algorithm that runs the system).

Anyone with an internet connection can consume the content repeatedly through the code-based application.

If you're able to build and sell, you'll be unstoppable.

Forget rich versus poor, white-collar versus blue. It’s now leveraged versus un-leveraged.

How I learned about leverage

I first learned the concept of leverage from the book The Almanack of Naval Ravikant. It’s one of those books that I re-read many times (on my third now). In the book, there’s this quote that I specifically want to point out:

Wealth, health and happiness are interconnected. We typically prioritise some of these areas at the expense of others, and this tendency shifts as we age:

• When we are young, we have plenty of time and good health, but no money.

• When we reach middle age, we have money and health, but no time.

• When we reach retirement, we have time and money, but declining health. 

What we want is to aim for all three at once:

The truth is there is no right or wrong, or at which juncture of your life you should pursue certain things. It depends on what you want to achieve and your goals – given your current circumstances.

Knowing that we won’t be on this earth for long is a constant reminder for us to make sure that everything we do fits directly in the middle of the three. And having no regrets in life is ultimately what we want.

If this newsletter resonates with you, here are three more ways I can help:

1. Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn for bite-sized tips throughout the week (free).

2. Work with me for 1:1 brand design at my brand and design agency. Hit reply and I’ll send you a few questions to see if we’re a fit.

3. Book me as a keynote speaker. Reach out at alvis (at) designlabb (dot) cc

Thanks for reading.

See you next week,

Alvis

Replicate then iterate.

That’s how you learn faster without feeling paralysed by abundant information.

It’s like reading ancient philosophy first before reading modern philosophy.

A state where our mind is dominated by disordered and uncontrollable thoughts, often leading us away from our goals and consuming our cognitive resources.

You might think doing nothing is just relaxing, but it’s not.

When every day is the same and nothing new happens, your mind starts to get stale.

Then, you’re trapped in the mind that nothing is working for you.

Eventually, this staleness leads to the feeling of loss, anger, anxiety, frustration, and sadness.

Let alone trying to be the best in that field.

From my experience, the best way you can learn something better and become the best in something is through these 3 words:

Replicate to iterate.

You need to replicate what others are doing, then iterate on top of that.

Understand the ins and outs of the field
understand why people are learning it
understand what you can do to become better
understand what competitive advantage you have
understand what skills you can stack so you'll be the best

Before trying to iterate, replicate first.

One example: You can't become a good artist if you don't know what makes up a good artist.

• Does it mean you only have to be good at painting?

• Do you need to understand human anatomy and perspective to create realistic figures?

• Or is mastering color theory and composition the key to impactful artwork?

Learn everything about a good artist to become the best artist. Iterate. Gain feedback. Iterate.

For the most part, and because of the huge leap in technological advancement (i.e. AI, crypto, AR, VR, Metaverse, etc.), people who are responsible for marketing and advertising feel they have less time than ever.

There also seems to be less capable mentoring in the workplace at the same time as companies remove people who can really mentor others.

So how do we get strategy done fast, when time is not on our side?

1. Reverse the problem

Have a starting problem then ask yourself using this funnel-down approach:

• What’s causing this?

• What’s causing this?

• What’s causing this?

• What’s causing this?

• What’s causing this?

And formulate a strategy.

Do the opposite of the problem you land on.

2. Go Voltron on the benefits

You often hear people say, “don’t sell the features, sell the benefits.”

This works because benefits fit well in a story, which is a shorthand that goes into the emotional part of our brains and turns into a story that becomes part of us.

Smash benefits together and turn it into a strategy.

3. Rawdog consumer reviews

Reviews are the best way you can convince someone to buy from you.

Find a provocative phrase in a consumer review and make it your strategy.

4. Smash these together

Combine these two and turn it into a strategy:

• Insight: An unspoken human truth about your audience

• Benefit: The main benefit of your product to the audience

5. Mine the brand history

Brand history is one way you can clearly differentiate yourself from your ‘competitors.’

Grab those interesting facts about your business, find a pattern and let one of the facts win.

6. Do it for the culture

Combine these two and turn it into a strategy:

• Culture: What’s a big thing that’s happening in society?

• Benefit: The main benefit of your product to the audience

7. Do what’s worked

Finally, the cheat code.

Find an ad or organic post that’s worked for your brand.

Repeat it. Twist it. Make it feel novel and familiar.

Those are the strategies. Huge credits to Mark Pollard on Threads who came up with these. Try them out and let me know how it worked for your business.

They don’t understand the fundamentals of what makes a good brand.

They think that if they create a viral TikTok video, it gives them the authority to give themselves that title.

That’s not how it works.

True brand strategists know it’s not just about being seen but about being remembered for the right reasons.

In this letter, you’re not going to get the usual: “brand is a product or service that has a unique and immediately recognizable…” (goes on to fill one whole page.)

But you’ll get a fast-forward, straight-to-the-point definition from my experience.

First, let’s break down the meaning of brand.

A brand is not a logo.

A brand is not a product.

A brand is not the sum of all the impressions it makes on an audience.

A brand is not a commoditized product that you charge a little extra for peace of mind.

Rather, a brand is a result – it's a person's gut feeling about a product, service or company.

It's in their heads and in their hearts.

A brand is your reputation.

As simple as that.

Now we understand what a brand is. To bring the brand to life, we need a strategy.

What’s a brand strategy?

Brand strategy is about positioning, game theory, and time.

It’s about how tomorrow will be different than today (what you’re doing today that will change the dynamic of the marketplace.)

What then is positioning?

It’s about a clear map of who you are and who you are not. Essentially, if you’re not eagerly sending potential business to you’re ‘competitors’, then you don’t have a positioning.

Basically you’re saying you’re for everyone.

Positioning, in simpler terms, means, “We don’t have to compete with [brand], they do that, we do this.”

It’s about defining your niche so distinctly that the competition becomes irrelevant/differentiated in your specific domain.

Think about it.

How truly are people willing to pay extra for your offer than the substitute?

They’re not buying your product. They’re buying the experience they’ve been promised after buying your product.

People have choices and they’re not going to choose something because you want them to.

Next is Game Theory.

If you’ve learned economics or business or you’re a gamer, this may be familiar.

Game theory involves strategic decision-making that anticipates the actions and reactions of competitors.

To be clear, it’s not just about making the best move, but making the move that best responds to or influences what your competitors are likely to do (e.g. creating barriers to entry, leveraging first-mover advantage, or adopting a contrary position to dominate a niche market).

The aim is to provide a formal language to describe conscious and goal-oriented decision processes that involve one or more players.

We’ve seen this for Netflix and Blockbuster.

Now, let’s talk about Time.

The dimension of time in brand strategy relates to understanding and utilizing the timing of market entry, product releases, marketing campaigns, and more.

As brand strategists, you need to know when to push forward aggressively and when to hold back.

Timing is everything here.

Building a brand doesn’t happen overnight.

You need patience. Lots of patience.

One memorable brand strategy project I did was for Ladurée, a French manufacturer and retailer of high-end pastries.

They had a problem.

They wanted to enter the Shanghai market for the third time because the previous two were pop-up retail stores that did not provide a complete Ladurée French brand experience.

They wanted to convey three main things:

• Ladurée's French lifestyle

• The brand story of Ladurée, dating back to 1862

• The environmental experience and ambiance of Ladurée

So my team and I conducted appropriate validation of their current brand position in China and understand Chinese consumer perceptions of the brand.

Afterall, the majority of people in China are Chinese, so it’s better to segment the audience that way.

We found lots of reasons why consumers are not getting that brand experience they would get if they were in Paris. Here are a few:

1. The brand is not clearly established in China (consumers are confused whether it’s for afternoon tea, a place where you can get high-end pastries, or it’s just like any other pastry shop serving everything)

2. Their in-store experience doesn’t reflect the brand (for example, the staff being one of the main touchpoints for pre, during, and, post-purchase are lackluster, unprofessional, and overall not trained well to provide the French experience)

3. The stores are not strategically located in high foot traffic areas, and store designs do not give off the premium French experience people are craving for

While the simple fix may be changing the entire brand experience to meet what it’s like in Paris, we decided (based on the FG discussions and surveys we’ve conducted) that the main changes will be to establish two different brands.

A main Ladurée Flagship store and Ladurée (express style store.)

The Flagship store will be focused on maintaining the image as a high-end patisserie, famous for its exquisite and elegant macarons, pastries, and afternoon tea. 

The express style store will be adopting a streamlined version of Ladurée, designed to deliver the essence of French patisserie to customers seeking Ladurée experience in a convenient format.

Why did we decide on this?

Because it works in China.

We’ve seen it for Venchi, we’ve seen it for Pierre Marcolini.

And because this is what consumers like to see Ladurée stand for.

And what they want to be changed.

To hit home my point, here’s a 6-minute breakdown of Nike’s Brand Strategy by Seth Goldin:

If this newsletter resonates with you, here are three more ways I can help:

1. Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn for bite-sized tips throughout the week (free).

2. Work with me for 1:1 brand design at my brand and design agency. Hit reply and I’ll send you a few questions to see if we’re a fit.

3. Book me as a keynote speaker. Reach out at alvis (at) designlabb (dot) cc

Thanks for being here,

Alvis

Elon is the genius behind Tesla, PayPal, SpaceX, SolarCity, Neuralink, The Boring Company, OpenAI, and many more big companies you see out there.

He has one framework (mental model) for learning.

First-principles thinking.

First-principles thinking = breaking down complicated problems into fundamental truths and building up from there.

Essentially, it means deconstructing a problem to its most fundamental truths, then forming a solution from scratch.

• What is the thing made of?

• Why does it work this way?

• Can I make it better?

For example, how can you make a car battery last longer?

By using first-principles thinking, here are some questions you would ask:

• What is a battery?

• How does it generate energy?

• What are the limiting factors for energy generation?

Another example:

To learn coding, start with HTML, CSS, and Javascript.

Then memorize code snippets and plug them into existing code.

But, consider using first-principles thinking.

Break the codes into fundamental truths like servers, APIs, databases, etc.

First-principles thinking is how Elon Musk landed SpaceX’s cost-saving reusable rocket.

Instead of outsourcing, he realized they could create the parts at a lower cost in-house.

In summary, you apply first-principles thinking to your learning by:

• Defining what you want to learn

• Identify the most fundamental truths

• Synthesize new ideas from those truths

• Iterate on the points above

This is the key to rapid learning in any field.

If this newsletter resonates with you, here are three more ways I can help:

1. Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn for bite-sized tips throughout the week (free).

2. Work with me for 1:1 brand design at my brand and design agency. Hit reply and I’ll send you a few questions to see if we’re a fit.

3. Book me as a keynote speaker. Reach out at alvis (at) designlabb (dot) cc

Thanks for being here,

Alvis

Authenticity is undoubtedly the new hot thing on social media. And of course, everyone, especially on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, would want a piece upside that comes with a trend.

But do we really know what’s the meaning of that?

What does ‘be authentic’ really mean?

What if I told you that what you know about ‘being authentic’ is wrong?

What is the real ‘be authentic’

Authenticity is not being your true everyday self. It’s the integral version of you. Let’s say something happened. Authenticity is what the integral, principled version of you would do. Yes, it’s about integrity.

Show every part of your life, talk about anything you want, show the world your true everyday self. After all, you’re being yourself, you’re being authentic, right?

That’s when you’re wrong.

Forget about doing all that. It’s just not interesting to people. In fact, we don’t care about your everyday self.

Take internet celebrities for example. You don’t see them being trolls on the internet, even if that’s being ourselves.

We select the integral version of ourselves to show the world – essentially, it’s about how we align our public actions with our internal values and beliefs, even under scrutiny or in challenging situations.

Here’s a way you can frame this:

LeBron James, beyond being one of the greatest basketball players, has used his platform to address social issues, particularly around race and education. His "I PROMISE School," aimed at at-risk children in his hometown of Akron, Ohio, reflects his commitment to using his success to uplift others. His advocacy and activism, whether it’s speaking out against social injustices or investing in the future of his community, demonstrate an integral version of himself that is committed to more than just sports.

Dolly Parton, the beloved country singer, has always been open about her humble beginnings and has continuously incorporated them into her public persona and music. Despite her immense success, she has maintained a strong connection to her roots, which is evident in her extensive philanthropic work focused on literacy and children’s education in rural areas. Her efforts to give back to a community similar to where she grew up exemplify how her public actions resonate deeply with her personal values – showcasing her authenticity.

What does authenticity mean for you?

These examples show that authenticity isn’t merely about being oneself but about being the best version of oneself that is true to one's core values and principles.

For celebrities, whose lives are perpetually in the spotlight, maintaining this authenticity can be challenging but also immensely rewarding.

It not only garners respect from fans and peers but also creates a lasting impact that goes beyond their primary field of work.

Now think for yourself. Who is the authentic you?

If this newsletter resonates with you, here are three more ways I can help:

1. Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn for bite-sized tips throughout the week (free).

2. Work with me for 1:1 brand design at my brand and design agency. Hit reply and I’ll send you a few questions to see if we’re a fit.

3. Book me as a keynote speaker. Reach out at alvis (at) designlabb (dot) com

Thanks for being here,

Alvis

“Good stories surprise us. They make us think and feel. They stick in our minds and help us remember ideas and concepts in a way that a PowerPoint crammed with bar graphs never can.” — Joe Lazauskas and Shane Snow, The Storytelling Edge

Telling compelling stories to sell products and ideas is nothing new.

But it's this incredible, timeless way we share messages, stir up emotions, and connect with others, all wrapped up in a neat little narrative package.

As easy as it may sound, not many know how to do it.

Look around you. Good business leaders don’t drown you with facts and numbers to get their points across. They use stories so that you get the bigger picture.

Let’s talk about comedy. Have you ever heard a comedian telling a joke with all technical terms that you won’t understand? If they were to use it, it’s probably part of the joke. Mainly, they’re telling a story – to bring you along with them on a journey.

By now we should all know, facts and numbers don’t create ‘sticky’ memories. So then how can we create stories that people love and will remember?

Start with a message

Who is your audience? What do you want to share with them? What’s the key message you want them to take away with?

Knowing these, you’ll know what to include in the story you tell.

For example, at my Fintech API hackathon win last year, my team and I knew the panel of judges we’d face. So we know how our deck should be structured and how technical our pitch should be.

We also noted down the key pointers we want them to take away. With all that covered, it comes down to how the message was delivered. And we delivered it well.

So before figuring out the best ways to deliver them, settle your message first.

You must purposefully turn your life into a story

One of my favorite tips I’ve received about storytelling was “Make it personal.” Personal experiences make the story easily relatable. What I meant is, that everything you see, everything you’re working on, everything you use, are all part of a story – your life.

Think of every detail of the story. Structure it in a way the audience can understand and make sure only to include the important parts that can make up the story. Never overwhelm your audience with unnecessary information.

You need to have the skills to evoke emotions

A big point to remember is that people buy (get sold) with emotions and justify with logic. It has to do with something called “The Elaboration Likelihood Model”.

The Elaboration Likelihood Model taps into two routes of attitude change in humans:

The Central Route Processing: Using logic, reasoning, and deep thoughts/thinking

The Peripheral Route Processing: Using cues, imagery, and examples to elicit emotions

The central route encourages you to really think more critically about it – using your rational mind to consider the issues and arguments before reaching any decision.

Whereas the peripheral route encourages you to unconsciously focus on superficial images (or even examples that create an image in your mind) and “cues” in order to influence attitudes and decisions, without any serious consideration of the content.

Have a balance between the two in your story i.e. using imagery and examples, as well as useful data and tech jargons.

Hopefully this helps.

Thanks for reading.

In partnership with Designlabb

Your design work done at lightspeed, with Designlabb

Design can be chaotic, frustrating, and one in which every decision feels like it might send you into a parallel universe of conflicting opinions. My years of experience in this made this statement even more true.

Designlabb is like a Netflix subscription but for design. It replaces freelancers, fractional designers and agencies for one flat monthly fee, with design delivered so fast it will blow your mind. We’re 100% asynchronous – no endless back-and-forth emails.

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Top Learnings of the Week

1. Met Allen Lau, founder of WattPad and Operating Partner at Two Small Fish Ventures: He was here in Singapore the past week and was at multiple panel discussions at HSBC, SGX, etc. He discussed how Singapore enterprises can expand to North America and how family offices (FO) can seek geographic diversification in North America.

   
   Allen mentioned the 3 ‘A’s that are implanted in my mind. For a FO to diversify its portfolio, they first obviously need ‘Access’. That could be partners, networks, etc. The next ‘A’ is ‘Assess’ and as a FO, we need to be able to assess PE, VC opportunities, real estate, etc. Lastly, it’s ‘Assist’. For instance, startups really need assistance. They’re looking for help beyond just capital. That’s when these FOs can help by leveraging their experience and networks to help these founders, etc.

2. Higgsfield AI launched Diffuse, a way to preview your video model on mobile: The app utilizes advanced AI algorithms to create lifelike animated characters that resemble the user. Users can then drop these characters into various video scenarios

3. Meta will start labelling AI-generated content: The new policy will require a "Made with AI" label to be applied to a broader range of content, including video, audio, and images, that are created or altered using AI tools. This is an expansion of Meta's previous policy, which only covered manipulated videos. Meta's decision to label AI-generated content is in response to feedback from its Oversight Board, which had urged the company to overhaul its approach to manipulated media
   

My thoughts are:

Deep diving into a specific area not only makes you an expert in that field but also equips you with a unique set of problem-solving skills, perspectives, and methodologies that can be applied more widely than one might think.

In today’s age, we think we need to know and be good at everything, but that could not be more wrong.

I’m here to argue that we should not generalize. Rather, specialization is the new generalization.

Let me explain.

Don’t spread yourself too thinly

The core concept of this letter is, not to spread yourself too thinly.

Focus is key here.

The graphic is self-explanatory.

If you decide you’ll be generalizing, rather than getting better at a field you become mediocre at everything.

That’s not what you want to be in the creator economy.

This brings me to the next point.

Be known for something

We all thought that AI would replace blue-collar jobs first.

Instead, it’s coming for the white collars first.

That is a reality that shocked the world.

Then, of course, that question pops up in our minds:

“Will AI replace us? Will AI be able to do the work I’m doing at a much faster, better, and cheaper way? Will AI render human effort obsolete?”

By now you shouldn’t be surprised.

The answer is yes.

If you decide to generalize, the likelihood of you getting replaced by AI in every field is higher.

A specialized skill is harder to replace because you’re so good at it (even better than AI)

If you’re good at one thing, people will come look for you.

Master the art, master the concept, master the dos and the don’ts.

Eventually, this is a skill that’s second nature to you.

People would trust you for your work. People seek your advice on it. People would pay you just to teach them.

Once you master a skill, master another

Certainly, being known and certified for a skill means you’re more highly-demanded.

Once you have one skill down, stack it with another skill and continue the cycle.

Like learning sales, then marketing, then brand.

Time is in your favour.

You can do it slowly at a comfortable pace but never too slow.

For once, think and do to specialize, not to generalize.

You’ll become much more valuable.

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• Guidde: Create free video documentation with AI

• PitchBob.io: AI pitch deck generator & startup co-pilot

Top Learnings of the Week

1. First patient using Neuralink Brain Chip (link)

2. Stability AI introduced its own Upscaler (link)

3. Open Interpreter introduced 01 Light, a new, portable open-source voice interface that connects to a user’s computer (link)

4. Reddit (RDDT) shares surge 48%, starting from $47 each (link)

5. Elon Musk open source Grok to show that he is committed to the vision of open-sourcing AI (link)

While watching it, I felt it relates to many people.

And to me too.

Here are 3 life lessons I learned from him:

Here's the problem:

Many aspiring entrepreneurs struggle to know what they’re good at,

let alone know what to do with their life.

Alex Hormozi’s video on “3 Ways to Do What You Love (and get wealthy too) helps us understand the types of paths you can and eventually will take:

3 paths every entrepreneur has to take:

• Pure artist

• Pure entrepreneur

• Hybrid path

The First Path: Pure Artist

The path of a pure artist is the person who loves doing the thing.

Your art form can be:

• Plumbing

• Carpentry

• Coding software

• Making media

• Making wallets

You just enjoy doing it and you do it well.

What happens is you get better over time,and rather than increasing the number of units sold, you can increase the price and make more money out of it.

If you’re on this path, master your art.

Be so good people look for you for your work.

The Second Path: Pure Entrepreneur

Pure entrepreneurs are people whose art form is the business.

Rather than thinking about wallets,and selling more wallets, the business itself is the painting.

As they develop as an artist, so too does their expression of art.

The businesses they build become bigger, more complex, more neat, or simpler.

Focus on the art of business – learning the art of selling and offering.

The Third Path: Hybrid

Tobias Lütke, founder of Shopify, loves building Shopify pages, loves coding, and loves building products.

He found somebody else to build the business around him while he did what he’s best at.

There’s no right path here.

It depends on the season you’re in and what works best for you.

My point here?

You can start on the artist path and transition to the entrepreneur path later.

Alex Hormozi started as an artist to fitness. He studied the art of fitness which includes things like:

• Macro counting,

• Different ways to exercise

• Exercise programs.

And became an entrepreneur later.

The artist path starts with offering at a commoditized price point, and eventually do things at extraordinarily high levels and the price point eventually becomes a luxury.

People come to you because they trust your work.

And you offer the best that nobody in the market can offer.

Understand what you do best and offer it to the world.

If you’re an entrepreneur by heart,sure, go down that path.

If you’re good at a craft, make sure to be better as you go.

There’s no right path, there’s only the path.

Hope you’ve learned something here.

Thanks for reading my friends.

AI Tools to Boost Your Productivity

• Ideogram - Generate realistic AI images with legible text.

• Claude - AI assistant from Anthropic, with the recent release of Claude 3.

• Pi - Your personal AI assistant that organizes your thoughts, makes clear plans, and acts on them.

• Chatsimple - Copilot for your website visitor powered by AI.

• Microsoft Copilot - Your AI research assistant that focuses on productivity and creativity (Also, they launched their custom Copilot GPTs).
  

Top Learnings of the Week

1. Cognition launches the first-ever AI software agent: It can code, test, deploy apps, find and fix bugs, learn new technologies, and even contribute to open-source projects all on its own. Devin is meant to work alongside human programmers to handle routine tasks, freeing them up to focus on more complex challenges.

But trust me it will be packed with value.

I was recently having a conversation with my work friend – you can think of him as a humble, hardworking, and overall nice person to hang out with.

He has a problem. And that is managing his time.

Many of us would want to think that time management is an innate skill, something you’re born with or without.

However, the truth is, that it’s actually a skill that can be developed and honed over time.

This realization led us to a deeper conversation about what it really takes to manage one’s time effectively. It’s not just about having the right tools or techniques, although they can help – for instance, apps like Forest or Momentum.

It’s about understanding yourself, your priorities, and the value you place with your time.

Like what Dan Koe, an internet influencer who strongly advocates for one-person business and mental mastery said in his book, The Art of Focus:

The ability to focus your attention on a meaningful goal, holding that in the back of your mind as a distraction repellent, knowing exactly how to achieve it through prior experience, and refocusing on the choice in front of you is a superpower. – The Art of Focus

In fact, time management is less about managing time and more about managing yourself.

This might sound a bit paradoxical, but it makes complete sense if you think deeply about it. We all have the same 24 hours in a day, but how we choose to spend those hours can vastly differ based on our priorities, goals, and understanding of what’s truly important to us.

In that, knowing how to manage your time well is a superpower.

Time is by your side if you know how to use it. Performance is by your side if you know how to do it. Opportunity is by your side if you know how to seize it. Everything you want already exists, you just need to put in the work before it reveals itself.

The Art of Understanding Yourself

First of all, truly understanding your priorities is crucial. My friend realized that he often felt overwhelmed not because he had too much to do, but because he wasn't clear on what was truly important.

This lack of clarity led to everything feeling urgent and important, which is a recipe for stress and inefficiency.

You have to take a step back and identify your top priorities, then train your mind consciously to focus on things that truly matter to reduce the noise and distraction.

The shorter way to do many things is to only do one thing at a time. – Mozart

The value of saying no cannot be overstated. It’s the most powerful tool in your time management arsenal.

Reclaim your time by saying no to things that don’t really align with your goal – think from a bigger perspective. Be conscious about your choice.

What you don’t do determines what you can do.

Self-awareness cannot be neglected. You need to understand your own rhythms and when you’re most productive to get the most out of the least (the flow state, or leverage).

You shouldn’t force yourself to be a morning person when you know you can’t produce the best work then. The most complex task is to really find and understand yourself first before pursuing other things. Everything will go much smoother.

Timeblocking – The Ultimate Hack

After I was introduced to this concept, my life has been so much easier.

Time blocking is a time management method that involves dividing your day into blocks of time, each dedicated to accomplishing a specific task or group of tasks – helping you organize your day and avoid inefficiency and fatigue.

This is what you need to know when blocking your time:

• Know your tasks and priorities: Before you can block out time, you need to know what you need to accomplish. Make a list of your tasks, separating them into categories like work, personal, and leisure.

• Estimate time for each task: Some tasks will take longer than others. Roughly estimate how much time you will need for each task.

• Consider your energy levels: Schedule tasks that require more focus or creativity during the times of day when you're most alert and productive. Like Mark Twain said: “If it's your job to eat a frog, it's best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it's your job to eat two frogs, it's best to eat the biggest one first.” Less demanding tasks can be scheduled for when your energy dips.

• Block off time in your calendar: Use a digital calendar or a planner to block off time for your tasks. Treat these blocks as you would any other appointment—non-negotiable.

• Include breaks and buffer time: Include breaks to recharge and buffer time between blocks to handle overflows or unexpected tasks. You don’t have to work the entire day.

The idea is to block off time on your calendar so you know which tasks need to be done at which block. Creating this system will ensure you get more things done.

Use AI to your advantage, but never to replace you

After all, in today’s day and age, AI tools are here to reduce our cognitive load so we can focus our clear minds and time on things that really matter.

AI tools are tools for a reason and shouldn’t replace every part of our day-to-day life.

Never outsource creative thinking for it is the most valuable skill and monetizable asset you have.

Ending it here.

AI Tools to Boost Your Productivity

• Ideogram - Generate realistic AI images with legible text.

• Claude - AI assistant from Anthropic, with the recent release of Claude 3.

• Pi - Your personal AI assistant that organizes your thoughts, makes clear plans, and acts on them.

• Chatsimple - Copilot for your website visitor powered by AI.

• Consensus - Your AI research assistant that searches 200 million academic papers from Consensus.

Top Learnings of the Week

1. Pika released Lip Sync: Your videos can now talk with Pika Lip Sync. We’re even closer to Hollywood-style productions, bringing lifelike animation and dynamic vocal performances right to your fingertips (link)

2. Alibaba introduces Emo: A method for generating animated portraits driven by vocal audio, achieving high resolution and accuracy through diffusion models and transformer networks (link)

3. Anthropic AI: Anthropic released their latest AI model family – Claude 3, consisting of three state-of-the-art models in ascending order of capability: Claude 3 Haiku, Claude 3 Sonnet, and Claude 3 Opus. These models are claimed to have near-human abilities, excelling in reasoning, expert knowledge, mathematics, and language tasks. Their top-tier Claude 3 Opus outperforms top models like GPT-4 and Gemini Ultra across major benchmarks (link)

4. Inflection AI launches a new model for Pi chatbot that nearly matches GPT-4: The company whose mission is to create a personal AI for everyone just released their new major foundational model, Inflection 2.5, which approached GPT-4’s performance but used only 40% of the amount of compute for training (link)

But I happened to read this excellent book called "The Almanack of Naval Ravikant" by Eric Jorgenson. In fact, it’s one of those I would recommend to all my friends.

To give a little bit of context. Naval Ravikant is an entrepreneur, philosopher, and investor who has captivated the world with his principles for building wealth and creating long-term happiness. He is also a podcaster, who runs Naval Podcast.

The Almanack of Naval Ravikant is a collection of Naval's wisdom and experience from the last ten years, shared as a curation of his most insightful interviews and poignant reflections.

You see, luck is the element that plays a huge role in the difference between the success and failure that happen in our lives.

Nothing significant will change or happen without hard work, or work, for that matter. You may win the lottery, but you can't rely on it. Your attitude and behavior will change in the course of life. According to Naval, there are four kinds (or ways) of luck that matter to entrepreneurs, or literally, anyone.

1. Hope luck finds you

2. Hustle until you stumble into it

3. Prepare the mind and be sensitive to chances others miss

4. Become the best at what you do. Refine what you do until this is true. Opportunity will seek you out. Luck becomes your destiny.

Here are the details about each kind of luck, and how it can affect your chances of professional success.

1. You hope luck finds you ("Blind luck")

"The first kind of luck is blind luck where one gets lucky because something completely out of their control happened. This includes fortune, fate, etc."

Blind luck happens sometimes. But nobody knows when it will happen. It happens by sheer luck or accidental luck.

For example, when you're walking on the pavement on the way home, you find a $100 bill on the ground. You pick it up, and put it in your pocket. The fact that you found the $100 bill happens by complete luck and you'll never know when it will happen again.

You didn't do anything special to influence the luck that happened. You could only be grateful and thankful for the fortune that comes your way.

Takeaway:

• Just like playing the lottery, sometimes you win, but most of the time you lose. You can't rely on it. There's really no effort on your part for this luck to happen. You wouldn't give up your job just to play the lottery full-time.

• Be grateful when blind luck happens

2. You hustle until you stumble into it ("Fortune favors the bold")

"Then, there's luck through persistence, hard work, hustle, and motion. This is when you're running around creating opportunities. You're generating a lot of energy, you're doing a lot to stir things up. It's almost like mixing a petri dish or mixing a bunch off reagents and seeing what combines. You're just generating enough force, hustle, and energy for luck to find you."

A basic level of action stirs up the pot. You generate a lot of energy and noise. Just by the sheer act of doing something, you're more likely to stumble into luck.

As an entrepreneur, if you happen to pick the right market and enter at the right time, you're likely to stumble onto something significant. But opportunities don't necessarily come to you. You have to generate some sort of motion, or rather momentum in order to uncover the opportunities.

Takeaway:

• Try things. Stop analyzing. You hustle because you want to get what you want. Just do it. Be curious about things. Explore the realm of possibilities out there. You're certainly better off missing all your basketball shots than not doing anything. You'll eventually stumble into luck.

Imperfect action is better than perfect inaction. – Harry S. Truman

I've never heard anyone stumbling on something sitting down. – Charles F. Kettering

3. You prepare the mind and be sensitive to chances others miss ("Chances favor the prepared mind")

"A third way is you become very good at spotting luck. If you are very skilled in a field, you will notice when a lucky break happens in your field, and other people who aren't attuned to it won't notice. So, you become sensitive to luck."

After many years of hard work, you have developed your skills beyond your contemporaries, gained unique knowledge, experiences, and skills. With this luck, an opportunity presents itself, but only you can see it because you can clearly see the gaps now. Others may have seen the same opportunity, but may fail to recognize it because they simply do not know how to comprehend it.

Others call it luck, but you know that it is because of your consistent hard work in your specialism for many years. You were able to put things together and create the fortune that you've long awaited.

Takeaway:

• The more you synthesize your learnings and experiences from the past, the better prepared your mind is when you encounter this luck.

• Strengthen your critical thinking skills, gain knowledge and experiences in your field so that when opportunities present themselves, you're ready to take advantage of them.

In the field of observation chance favors only the prepared mind. - Louis Pasteur

4. You become the best at what you do. Refine what you do until this is true, then an opportunity will seek you out

"The last kind of luck is the weirdest, hardest kind, where you build a unique character, a unique brand, a unique mindset, which causes luck to find you."

The final form of luck enables you to discover fortune because of your directed motion. To simply put, you build your character in a certain way, and then your character becomes your destiny. Luck becomes destiny.

In the book, Naval Ravikant used an example of a deep-sea diver with a reputation for risky diving expeditions. Imagine being the best deep-sea diver in the world. You've put in the work, hours, blood, sweat and tears into deep-sea diving and now you're known for taking dives that nobody else dare to attempt.

By sheer luck, or luck that happens without doing anything special to influence the luck factor, a person finds a sunken treasure ship off the coast but they can't get to it. Well, their luck became your luck, as they're going to come to you to help them get the treasure, and in return, you're going to get paid for it.

From the deep-sea diver's example, we know that he is an influential, trusted and reliable figure in his field. The person who found the sunken treasure is experiencing blind luck and you're experiencing luck that comes to you naturally because of your constant drive and determination to be the best at what you do.

To get rich without getting lucky, we want to be deterministic. When you become the best at what you do, and no one can do what you do as well, luck will naturally be attracted to you. This way, you create your own luck. You put yourself in a position where luck is attracted to you. We don't want to leave it to chance, just like winning a lottery.

You can’t be normal and expect abnormal results. – Jeffery Pfeffer, a professor at Stanford

Takeaway:

• It starts off with the mental mind. Then, you start building your character and reputation so that eventually, wins that come by are no longer luck, but because of the sheer deterministic character that makes you capable of taking advantage of opportunities that others might characterize as luck...but you know deep down it wasn't.

• Be eccentric in whatever you do. Being eccentric helps you to find the new and novel. Be willing to dig deeper into things and be very good at it.

Wherever focus goes, energy flows.

Everything is energy and that's all there is to it. Match the frequency of the reality you want and you cannot help but get that reality. It can be no other way. This is not philosophy. This is physics. – Albert Einstein

So what does all these lucks mean for you? What can you do and how can you take advantage of them?

AI Tools to Boost Your Productivity

• GigaBrain - Discover real insights from Reddit discussions with curated content.

• HeyGen - Produce studio quality videos with AI-generated avatars and voices.

• Pi - Your personal AI assistant that organizes your thoughts, makes clear plans, and acts on them.

• StockImg - Generate stock images with AI.

• LinkedIn Post Formatter GPT - Format LinkedIn posts for maximum engagement.

In partnership with Figma

Brainstorm, design, and build better products – from start to finish with Figma

Whether it’s consolidating tools, simplifying workflows, or collaborating across teams and time zones, Figma makes the design process faster, more efficient, and fun—all while keeping everyone on the same page.

Personally I used Figma daily to create my creatives and prototypes, and has been a game changer in my design process. Figma's intuitive interface and collaborative features have significantly streamlined my workflow. Try it out if you haven't.

Top Learnings of the Week

1. Adobe Acrobat released an AI assistant that can analyze, summarize, and allow you to ask questions about PDFs: Adobe has introduced a new GenAI Assistant in its Reader and Acrobat applications, which allows users to interact with PDF documents through a chatbot interface (link)

2. Groq introduces a new AI chip and claims to offer the world’s fastest LLM: A company specializing in AI chips and systems for accelerating real-time AI solutions, particularly in the field of large language models (LLMs) and beyond. It offers ultra-fast Language Processing Units (LPUs) and a simplified software ecosystem to enhance inference capabilities (link)

3. Google is becoming more 'open' than OpenAI: They just released Gemma, a new set of AI models that are positioned as a more accessible alternative to its larger Gemini models. It comes in two sizes: Gemma 2B & Gemma 7B, designed to be lightweight enough to run on your PC (link)

4. Stability AI launched Stable Diffusion 3: The latest AI image generator by Stability AI, introduces a new diffusion transformer architecture with flow matching. It offers models with parameter sizes ranging from 800 million to 8 billion, providing scalability options for users. Safety measures are a priority, with safeguards in place to prevent misuse. Compared to its predecessors, Stable Diffusion 3 is smaller in parameter size, features a different architecture, and emphasizes safety and responsible AI practices (link)

Back then, I met one of my teammates in Ngee Ann Polytechnic's Personalized Learning Pathway "Startup Immersion Project (SIP)".

When two visionary people were on the same team and constantly pushed each other to be at our best, we knew we could make great things happen. Therefore, we formed an interdisciplinary team to join the hackathon.

We expected nothing much – we just wanted to gain experience in the Fintech world.

That initial goal, simple as it was, led us to winning the grand champion title.

This year, it happened all over again – except this time, I flew back to Singapore from Shanghai (currently having my internship there) for three days to attend the demo day.

As a two-time grand champion of the PolyFintech100 API Hackathon (in 2022 and 2023), I felt I had the responsibility to share what I've learned throughout these two years. My journey wasn't just about developing a Proof-of-Concept, prototyping, or preparing for the pitch. It was also about teamwork, learning from mistakes, and adapting to new challenges along the way.

This might sound cliché but it's the truth.

The grand stage at the Singapore Fintech Festival wasn't just a platform for competition, it was where ideas were forged and visions came to life.

Standing on that very stage again, I felt a literal sense of déjà vu, coupled with the excitement of pitching our idea and the possibility of creating something truly remarkable.

In this letter, I'll share some tips and advice based on what I've tried and tested – strategies that have worked well for me. I'll try to keep this as short as possible, but every word is a distillation of my experiences, a blend of hard-earned wisdom and insights gained from both victories and setbacks.

I believe it's not just about winning; it's about the journey, the lessons learned, and the stories we create along the way. With that in mind, let's dive in.

You must have a deep understanding of the rules of the game

At the start, it's all about understanding the rules of the hackathon.

Familiarize yourself with the requirements and judging criteria, and take note of the timeline you have to prepare for your prototype and pitch.

Also, study the sponsors, and understand why they came up with the problem statements. This will help you come up with creative and innovative ideas much more easily.

It Is crucial who you're working with – pick a committed team

When building a team, I've learned the immense value of diversity. It's not just about gathering people with different skills, but also about bringing together individuals with varied backgrounds and interests – for this hackathon, any interests related to Fintech would be helpful.

This approach has been a game-changer, particularly in tackling complex challenges like the problem statements given in the hackathon. Each unique perspective will add depth to your problem-solving strategies, significantly increasing your chances of winning.

Working alongside people from diverse backgrounds has introduced me to the power of diverse thinking. In Fintech, where trends shift rapidly and staying updated is non-negotiable, having a team that can swiftly adapt and bring fresh, innovative ideas to the table is invaluable.

The Preparation

I won't go into the specifics to bore you. But generally, here are some key tips to prepare for the hackathon:

1. Keeping up with the Fintech/Tech news

• Subscribe to specialized newsletters and podcasts that focus on Fintech and Tech trends – such as PYMNTS.com, Fintech News SG Bankless, The Rundown AI, The Information, etc.

• Follow key thought leaders in the industry on social media platforms like LinkedIn and X – such as @jason, @blader, etc.

• Attend webinars, online conferences, and workshops to stay abreast of the latest developments – you can find some on Eventbrite (I attended some during my internship in Shanghai)

2. The little details matter

• Pay close attention to the nuances in data and reports; sometimes, the smallest detail can have a significant impact

• Develop a habit of double-checking your work for accuracy and completeness – make sure there's font and color consistency, and no grammatical errors

3. Put in the hard work, understand complex theories and diagrams

• Dedicate time to study and dissect complex theories and diagrams. Break them down into smaller, more manageable parts – read whitepapers, news, articles, and anything that relates to the problem you're solving

• Practice explaining these concepts in simpler terms, as if teaching someone else, to deepen your understanding – crucial for Q&A

• Use tools like mind mapping or flowcharts to organize and comprehend complex information visually

• Iterate, iterate, iterate

• Rehearse, rehearse, and rehearse

4. Consult with industry experts and build connections along the way

• Be open with your ideas and seek help from experts in that field (decreasing your time to learn a concept)

5. Tell people your idea and let them critique it

• Share your ideas with colleagues, mentors, or a trusted group to get different perspectives (even if they don't know anything about the tech you're using, they are valuable sources of feedback – they might bring their expertise in other fields to complement your idea)

• Be open to constructive criticism and use it as a learning opportunity to refine your ideas

The Demo Day

1. Focus on yourself

• Don't worry about what the other teams have prepared, focus on yourself and your team

• Get the pitch done just like how you did in your rehearsals

2. Give handouts (Principle of Reciprocity)

• Prepare a set of documents that you think will be useful for the judges/audiences to have, print them out, and hand them to them before the pitch

• In 2022, my team handed a well-prepared FAQ to answer potential queries that came to mind during our pitch

• In 2023, we handed a deck of slides because some parts are quite technical and require time to look at them to understand

3. It's about how you sell it (Emphasize important words)

• Focus on the language and tone you use in your pitch; persuasive and confident language can significantly impact your audience – keep in mind the six persuasion techniques by Robert Cialdini

• Use storytelling techniques to make your presentation more engaging and memorable

• Be prepared to adapt your speaking style based on the audience's reactions and engagement during the presentation

That's not all. The thing that sets us apart from others is our storytelling. And here's what I know and implemented, and what you should do too.

The Power of Storytelling

Good stories surprise us. They make us think and feel. They stick in our minds and help us remember ideas and concepts in a way that a PowerPoint crammed with bar graphs never can. — Joe Lazauskas and Shane Snow, The Storytelling Edge

Telling compelling stories to sell products and ideas is nothing new.

But it's this incredible, timeless way we share messages, stir up emotions, and connect with others, all wrapped up in a neat little narrative package. It's pretty much how we, as humans, make sense of this wild world and bond with each other.

Apply the same concept to your pitch deck.

Here's how my team structure it:

The secrets

1. Start the Narrative by Painting a Big Problem: Share the problem you're tackling – setting the scene for what's coming

2. Agitate the Problem and Make it Real: Get into how widespread the problem is and how it can affect a large population (to tell them why they should care)

3. The Team: Next, introduce the team (add logos of established companies to increase credibility – make sure to seek permission first before putting them in your deck). It's to get the audiences' buy-in and convince them that you're a credible and reliable team – and that they can count on you to solve this problem.

4. Introduce the Big Idea: Now, it's time to roll out the big solution to solve that problem

5. Show Off What Makes You Special: Talk about what's cool and different about your solution – what makes you stand out (remember the rule of 3, so share the top 3 USPs – make sure your audience can remember them easily)

6. Explain the Business Model: Here's where you dive into how you'll make money from this idea

7. Tell Them How You're Going To Do It: Share the roadmap of how you're going to make this happen

8. Share the Costs Needed to Get Your Project Off the Ground: Mention how much it'll cost, but keep it realistic – make sure it's a reasonable amount for an MVP

9. Close the Story: Finally, loop back to the problem and summarize how your solution is the answer everyone's been looking for

Finally, positioning is key

It really comes down to how you position yourself and connect with your audience.

For my team, we keep things simple, avoiding technical terms that might confuse them. A tip here is to have someone who knows nothing about your idea to listen to your pitch. If they can understand, it means the judges can understand.

Using clear, easy-to-understand language is what you should be aiming for. If the judges want more technical details, present your whitepaper beforehand, or dive in deeper during the Q&A session. This way, you make sure your message is clear and your audience is engaged throughout, and they are immersed in the story that you're telling.

Understand the difference between Central Route Processing Vs Peripheral Route Processing

A big point to remember is that people buy (get sold) with emotions and justify with logic. It has to do with something called “The Elaboration Likelihood Model”.

The Elaboration Likelihood Model taps into two routes of attitude change in humans:

The Central Route Processing: Using logic, reasoning, and deep thoughts/thinking

The Peripheral Route Processing: Using cues, imagery, and examples to elicit emotions

The central route encourages you to really think more critically about it – using your rational mind to consider the issues and arguments before reaching any decision.

Whereas the peripheral route encourages you to unconsciously focus on superficial images (or even examples that create an image in your mind) and “cues” in order to influence attitudes and decisions, without any serious consideration of the content.

Have a balance between the two for your pitch i.e. using imagery and examples, as well as useful data and tech jargons.

Ultimately, the key is to know who your audience is, and structure your pitch deck in a way that would allow them to understand. Some may be more technical (in this case you'll use more data and numbers), and some may not (in this case you'll use more imagery and analogy).

My Thoughts

It all builds up. And you'll know it if you've done it. At the grand finals or any pitches leading up to it, treat the pitches like normal conversations with the audience. The iterative rehearsals should already prepare you for them.

Most importantly, enjoy the moment, have fun with your teammates, and take this entire journey as a learning opportunity for you to grow.

Watch the PolyFintech100 API Hackathon 2023 Grand Finals and Category Finals video. Watch the PolyFintech100 API Hackathon 2022 Grand Finals and Category Finals video.

AI Tools to Boost Your Productivity

• Fathom - Free app that records, transcribes, and summarizes video calls from platforms such as Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams. Extremely useful for internal team and client meetings.

• Taskade - With built-in AI content writer, video chat, mood boarding, mindmaps, and many more, this tool is perfect for marketers.

• Tome AI - Save hours on design and never use default templates again. Build presentations simply via prompts.

• Cognosys AI - Create AI agents that optimize over time. It's able to provide personalized AI agent services, data analysis, trend predictions, and personalized recommendations.

• Superhuman AI - AI-powered email built for high-performing teams. It's compatible with Gmail and Outlook email accounts and is available for macOS, iPhone, iPad, and Chrome using a browser extension.acts as a search engine, providing accurate and informative answers in real-time.

In partnership with Figma

Brainstorm, design, and build better products – from start to finish with Figma

Whether it’s consolidating tools, simplifying workflows, or collaborating across teams and time zones, Figma makes the design process faster, more efficient, and fun—all while keeping everyone on the same page.

Personally I used Figma daily to create my creatives and prototypes, and has been a game changer in my design process. Figma's intuitive interface and collaborative features have significantly streamlined my workflow. Try it out if you haven't.

Top Learnings of the Week

1. AI and the Future of Law: The 10 Year ‘Overnight’ Success Story: This episode discusses the journey of Casetext, a company that started in 2013 as a crowdsourced law library. Over a decade, Casetext evolved into a significant player in AI, simplifying weeks of legal work into mere hours or minutes. Recently, it was acquired for $650 million. The episode features YC President Garry Tan and Casetext co-founder Jake Heller, who share insights into the company's origin, evolution, and the pivotal moments that led to its success (link)