I've heard Google Cloud or AWS will provide up to $100K in credits for new products/startups.

Anyone know about/done this? Where can I learn more?

“Targeting” doesn't mean what it used to in the marketing world - the days of targeting different ages etc are GONE - algorithms do that now.

“Targeting” means crafting messages that resonate with your customer.

The question I get most often in my DMs is: "Will you invest in my company?"

But a close #2 is for book recommendations...

Here are 11 of my favorite business books, each one is worth reading twice👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽

1/ The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership: A New Paradigm for Sustainable Success

This book changed my life.

2/ Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion

A must read for anyone who's job depends on persuasion. That's everyone BTW.

3/ Founders at Work: Stories of Startups' Early Days

@jesslivingston wrote this book and founded Y Combinator. It's a case study in high growth startups.

4/ The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers

One of my favorite memoirs, documenting a startup rollercoaster from beginning to end.

1 Year Ago Today, I co-founded a business. Totally bootstrapped.

Today, it’s doing >$3 MILLION in ARR growing 20% per month.

Here’s the story...

I keep a long list of biz ideas that I've come up with over the years

Last Jan, I decided to stop trying to find the “perfect” biz

Instead, I’ll start a few!

If there is a big mkt, a clear value prop, I can build the right team and I have an “unfair advantage” I will start it

Worst case, I shut it down.

But I wanted more shots on goal...

So here’s the story: I’ve invested in 10+ DTC brands. I meet with their marketing teams regularly.

I am consistently surprised by how UNproductive the “in-house” teams are. What they get done in a quarter takes an @ampush team <1 month.

I started to ask why…

It turns out in-house marketing teams don’t typically leverage “off-shore” talent.

Both McKinsey and Goldman had huge teams overseas to do all the “rote” work of consulting/finance.

Formatting slides, reporting data, reach outs, simple research, etc.

Startups are hard!

One of the hardest parts is managing your team.

How much guidance do you give? Do you do it yourself? When to track others to-dos?

Starting out, I wish I had a cheat sheet for management.

So I wrote one.

23 Hard Won Lessons In Startup Management 👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽

1/ Feedback is a gift.

Don't just give it frequently but seek it all the time, in multiple different ways.

Create a culture where feedback is viewed as a gift and given frequently.

2/ Almost without fail, if at any point you think in your head, "this person is not good, we should let them go," then you are probably right.

Try to do it as soon as possible but compassionately.

3/ Leading and managing people well is NOT an innate talent.

Get a coach and a mentor and learn as much as you can.

You will improve continually over time.

4/ Bring on an "HR" person earlier than you think you should.

Let's face it - most folks want to complain/vent to someone.

Without an HR person, you are that person.

As a founder, you take this complaining too personally and too seriously.

Bootstrapped entrepreneurs always have the last laugh.

A son of Iranian immigrants turned a single LA retail store into a $1,000,000,000+ ecommerce giant.

All with $0.00 in funding

Here’s the story 👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽

1/ Richard Saghian was born in 1982.

His family was a minority group of Jewish-Iranians who fled during the revolution.

After moving to America, they got into women’s fashion retail.

In 2006, Richard followed in their footsteps…

2/ He started his own store. His idea was simple: affordable, unique clothes to wear to the club.

His goal was to open 100, but he stopped at 5.

Early on, he had the idea of opening up an internet store...

3/ The web dev he hired quickly talked him out of it, “where will you get traffic?” was a question Richard couldn’t answer.

After a few years, the retail stores were going nowhere…

4/ In 2013, Richard noticed several stores online selling the same clothes for over twice what he charged.

He created an Instagram account, took some of his best selling styles and started posting them every day.

At first, crickets.

But then, something magical happened…

RANI NAIKI DEVI AND THE BATTLE OF KASAHRADA

Mohammad Ghori, the young Ghurid Prince conquered Ghaznavids in Afghanistan in the year 1173 CE. He conducted some successful raids into the Indian territory, which even Mahmud Ghazni & the Persians couldn't do.

First&foremost,Ghori invaded states of Multan &Uch in India.After this he turned to southern states of Gujarat &Rajputana.Everybody knows this about Ghori,but what most pple r unaware of is the defeat he suffered at hands of Chalukyan Queen Naiki Devi in 1178 Battle of Kasahrada.

When he marched southwards, his first target was the prosperous fortified town of Anhilwara Patan.
It was the capital of Chalukyas(also known as Solankis of Gujarat) which was established by Vanraj of Chapotkata Dynasty in 8th century.

American historian Tertius Chandler states that it was the 10th largest city in the world at that time. The history of Chalukyas has been written by many historians, but the valour of the Great Queen Naiki Devi remains unsung.

Born to the Kadamba King Paramardin of Goa,Naiki Devi was well trained in sword fighting, horse riding, strategy & every other subject of Statesmanship. She was married to King Ajaypala of Gujarat who sat on throne in 1171CE. Unfortunately,the King died within 4 yrs of his rule.

Did you know?
Ahilyabai Holkar was one of India's
greatest women rulers of all time.

Ahilyabai was Born on May 31,1725 in the village of Chondi,Jamkhed distt,Maharashtra to a man named Mankoji Shinde,who was the Patil(Chief) of a village and a member of proud Dhangar Community.

Despite the fact that girls' education was a farther dream in those days, Ahilyabai was homeschooled by her father.
Ahilya didn't belong to any royal family but in a twist of fate she is still remembered as one of the most revered Queen in the history.

While they were living their humdrum lives, one day Malhar Rao Holkar, commander of the Peshwa Bajirao & Lord of the Malwa stopped in Chondi on his way to Pune, where he couldn't help but notice a young 8yrs old Ahilyabai in the temple service feeding the poor & hungry.

He was so impressed by the sheer innocence&beauty with simplicity character of Ahilyabai dat he asked her hand in marriage for his son Khanderao Holkar.Just like that she got married to Khanderao in 1733 at a tender age of 8&became a bride of esteemed Maratha community of Holkars

But destiny had something else in store for her as her husband died in the Battle of Kumbher in 1754 leaving her widow at 29.Distressed Ahilyabai was to commit Sati when her father-in-law Malhar Rao refused to let it happen.

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