Life Lessons From Big Wave Surfer Laird Hamilton

Laird Hamilton was one of the first surfers to go out deep into the ocean and get mechanically towed to surf 50+ foot-high waves. As if that’s not crazy enough, imagine what happens when he would wipe out. Picture it. One moment you’re in the sky getting pushed by a wall of water the size …

Podcast Of The Week: Toilet Paper Shortages! 3 Fascinating Podcasts About Supply Chains

I’ve got a fascination with supply chains and how stuff actually gets made. Here are three entry points to help think through how COVID-19 is messing with how the world makes stuff (and therefore how we all buy stuff!) at three different levels. We’ll start with novice, move to tell-me-more, and end on excited-nerd level. …

Having Confidence And Certainty (When The World Is In Short Supply)

It’s a terrible feeling to feel helpless when we’re supposed to be helping others. Anyone who has dealt with a sick kid knows the feeling all too well. It’s uniquely tough in our professional lives too, when something we can’t control is impacting things we’re in charge of taking care of. I look at the …

The Greatest Enemies Are Fear And Panic

In the wake of a world gone coronavirus crazy, Broyhill Asset Management shared this excerpt from the US Army Survival Manual. It applies to all of us, in all walks of life, dealing with all types of uncertain situations: The greatest enemies in a combat survival and evasion situation are fear and panic. If uncontrolled, …

Be A Learn-It-All, Not A Know-It-All

A little advice from Reid Hoffman: Be a learn-it-all, not a know-it-all. It pairs well with Mark Twain: It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so. The way things are supposed to work, the methods for guaranteed success, the trick to pulling …

It’s An Act Of Rebellion to…

It's an act of a rebellion to have a dream... It's an act of rebellion to invite someone to tell everyone about their dream... It's an act of rebellion to declare service for the people, in the name of the public good... It's an act of rebellion to raise hell, even if it stops at …

The Power Of Harnessing Networks (5 Takeaways From A Viral 2019 Story)

Alex Banayan was on a stage in front of thousands of Dutch Bros Coffee employees. He had given the keynote at their conference and was just wrapping up a Q&A session. His time was about to be up when he decided to take just one more question. Let’s press pause for a moment because what happens next …

Dolemite And The Three Rules Of Bootstrapping

Rudy Ray Moore’s career, particularly as depicted in Dolemite is my Name, is a masterclass in bootstrapping. Set the bawdy humor and general chaos aside, and this is a story of how a struggling, early-40s aged musician and comedian created a lasting legacy in both fields. Moore finds the keys to his success when he stops looking …

Podcast Of The Week: The Best Businesses Almost Spin Out Of Control

There was an abundance of great podcasts this week, but the top pick has to be Vaughn Tan on the Invest Like The Best Podcast (ep. 150) with Patrick O'Shaughnessy. It's a beautifully sprawling conversation. Tan's work on quality and innovation, particularly in the restaurant industry is like Clayton Christensen (disruptive innovation) meets Brunello Cucinelli …

Business Lessons From “The Biggest Little Farm”

What can studying a farm teach us about running a business, long-term planning, and investing in general? Quite a bit. The Biggest Little Farm is a documentary following a couple (and their dog) as they embark on a journey to create and maintain a self-sustaining farm in California. After sourcing funds, they buy a plot of …