7 February 2022
This week's additions focus on founder stories, sales, and leadership, with new digests from TK Kader, Dr. Grace Lee, and Founders. Highlights include Productivity tactics fail without a clear, durable personal why. Articulate the problem better than your audience and they trust you instantly
Showing 17 digests for 7 February 2022.
Contracts & agreements
YouTube
Three principles for getting more done as a startup CEO
TK Kader
February 13, 2022
Contracts & agreements
10
AI tools & automation
10
Deep work & focus
10
Productivity tactics fail without a clear, durable personal why.
Give people what they want first — that wealth funds what they need.
Strategy for your life must precede tactics, just like in business.
Prospecting & outreach
YouTube
Five steps to articulating any problem clearly
Dr. Grace Lee
February 12, 2022
Prospecting & outreach
9
Communication
6
Articulate the problem better than your audience and they trust you instantly
The FOCUS acronym turns vague pain into a precise X/Y/Z problem statement
Contextualising past failed attempts creates urgency and emotional buy-in
How William Rosenberg built Dunkin' Donuts from nothing
Founders
February 12, 2022
Origin stories
10
Business models
6
Bootstrapping
5
An eighth-grade dropout built one of America's most successful franchise chains.
Handing the business to his son cost Rosenberg $27 million in personal wealth.
Franchising's early reputation was so toxic you couldn't advertise it in the New York Times.
Peloton's rise, collapse, and the Barry McCarthy turnaround
Acquired
February 10, 2022
Case studies
9
Business models
8
Unit economics
7
Peloton's pandemic boom masked fatal demand forecasting failures.
Raising bike price by $1,000 unlocked ultra-low churn and strong LTV.
Barry McCarthy — Netflix CFO, Spotify CFO — takes over as wartime CEO.
Productivity & habits
Podcast
Cal Newport's January 2022 reading list and listener Q&A
Deep Questions with Cal Newport
February 10, 2022
Productivity & habits
7
Deep work & focus
6
Reading five books a month requires making books your default activity.
The smartest MIT minds asked the most questions — confidence, not weakness.
Two toddlers under two is a season; expect less output, not failure.
AI tools & automation
YouTube
How to complete OSHA Form 300A and the injury reporting process
HR Party of One
February 10, 2022
AI tools & automation
10
Contracts & agreements
10
Physical health & longevity
7
Non-compliance penalties reach $145,027 per willful violation.
Three forms must be completed in sequence before the annual summary.
Even employers with zero injuries must submit Form 300A.
Google Keyword Planner Search Volumes Are Mostly Overestimates
Ahrefs
February 9, 2022
SEO
9
Content marketing
6
Keyword Planner overestimates search volume 54% of the time.
Keyword grouping inflates volumes by merging different-intent queries.
Traffic potential beats raw search volume for content planning.
UPS: How the world's largest parcel network is rebuilding its margins
Business Breakdowns
February 9, 2022
Case studies
9
Unit economics
8
Automation & tools
6
Why e-commerce tripled UPS volume but decimated its margins
Carol Tomé's 'better, not bigger' playbook mirrors the railroad turnaround
Cross-border logistics: a near-monopoly generating 25% operating margins
Asking questions, not talking more, controls any conversation
Dr. Grace Lee
February 9, 2022
Communication
9
Identity & self-belief
6
Prospecting & outreach
5
Loudness and loquacity are insecurity performances, not real control.
The questioner directs any conversation more than the loudest speaker.
Self-knowledge is the prerequisite — without it, the strategy won't hold.
Customer discovery
Podcast
How Jason Buckingham found a SaaS idea through 70 cold calls
Startups For the Rest of Us
February 8, 2022
Customer discovery
9
Founder interviews
8
Prospecting & outreach
6
70 cold calls — not a network — uncovered an unserved niche.
Pre-selling mock-ups before writing code proved real commitment.
Near-zero churn: not one customer lost to a competitor in years.
MVP & prototyping
YouTube
How to validate and launch an online course in 30 days
Sunny Lenarduzzi
February 8, 2022
MVP & prototyping
9
Content marketing
7
Prospecting & outreach
6
Sell a live prototype to real buyers before recording anything
Your ideal client is a mirror of your own past struggle
30-day launches generating $12k–$50k before the course exists
HSA eligibility when a spouse has an FSA
HR Party of One
February 8, 2022
A spouse's traditional FSA blocks your HSA eligibility entirely.
Limited-purpose and post-deductible FSAs are the two exceptions.
HDHP enrollment is the baseline requirement for any HSA.
How to find your business purpose through conversation
Bill Gallagher
February 7, 2022
Vision & mission
8
Culture building
5
Your business already has a purpose — the right questions reveal it.
Pair walks outside unlock deeper answers than boardroom exercises.
Distilling shared themes turns personal conviction into a company purpose.
Seven social media content ideas for more likes and organic reach
Neil Patel
February 7, 2022
Social media
9
Content marketing
7
Growth hacking
6
Carousels keep audiences swiping and drive outsized view counts
Platforms algorithmically boost live video to compete with TV
Polls generate comments that signal engagement to the algorithm
Testimonials & social proof
YouTube
How to create compelling customer case studies
Dan Martell
February 7, 2022
Testimonials & social proof
9
Testimonials & social proof
8
Prospecting & outreach
6
Fluffy testimonials fail — buyers need concrete before/after results.
Seed case study participation in the contract before work begins.
One video interview yields blog posts, social clips, and a micro-doc.