I saw Christopher Nolan at a coffee shop in Hollywood this week. He was wearing a T-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops while chatting up an acquaintance unknown. Christopher Nolan drinks his coffee just like a normal person. From a paper cup, outside in the sun with his fellow (wo)man. Christopher Nolan is just like you and me, except for one crucial difference. He’s got a hell of a lot more leverage than either of us.
Read MoreEveryone wants success. But most people aren’t willing to start down a path filled with unknowns unless they get a guarantee of success before they take that first step. The worst thing you can do is NOT start because you’re waiting for a guarantee your idea will work. The embarrassment of starting and failing is temporary. But the regret of not starting at all is forever.
Read MoreWe had just opened a second bottle of wine after dinner. The producer’s dining room was beautiful - a huge wooden table with an expansive bar collection covering the wall behind us. And the house was even nicer - newly renovated with a massive backyard in a wonderful Los Angeles neighborhood.
Read MoreAfter writing, shooting, and editing our first video sketch, I’ve learned something you can steal. Batch similar creative work together. Here’s why, using the steps of my process so it’s clear. For this first sketch, the writing process was very informal…
Read MoreThere’s an old saying in Hollywood: “Write the movie you want to see.” When I’m thinking about what to work on next, that’s where I start.
Read MoreAnyone can Google stuff. Not everyone can ask specific questions about their project to a partner who has shared upside in the outcome. That’s the power of apprenticeships - the better the apprentice, the more upside for the one sharing their specific knowledge.
Read More“The final form of leverage is brand new—the most democratic form. It is products with no marginal cost of replication. This includes books, media, movies, and code. Code is probably the most powerful form of permissionless leverage. All you need is a computer—you don’t need anyone’s permission.” - Naval Ravikant
Read MoreA common trap smart people fall into is to see something that works, but avoid “borrowing” it to use it themselves. Instead, they try to come up with something uniquely their own that could work even better. Don’t be one of those people. Don’t be too proud to take an execution you see working, and make it your own. Don’t be too smart to borrow what works.
Read MoreI just learned about this guy - Ramon van Meer - who started a website called SoapHub.com and sold it for just under $9 million USD. Not bad! He’s made even more money since then buying and scaling Alpha Paw - a company that creates breed-specific products for dogs. Here’s what I learned from listening to him talk about building his blog on the My First Million podcast.
Read MoreInternet real estate is valuable. Just like real estate in the real world has location value, internet real estate like domain names, websites, social media accounts, email lists, and online platforms has value based on visibility, traffic, and the potential to generate sales. If you haven’t started yet, it’s time to build digital real estate.
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