Starting businesses is my business. Current Passion Project: explaining why 500+ great companies failed (100 videos so far).
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Bush sat for 7 minutes after hearing about the 9/11 attacks.
Lot of hot takes out there on why.
What's yours?
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Generation X is weird.
These 42-57 year-olds are so strange it presents golden opportunities.
Here are 10 mind hacks to use with Gen X:
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I swear I was thinking yesterday: “What if we started selling citizenship to retire the national debt?”
At 5 million a pop, we need to sell 7 million of them to zero out the debt.
I love the idea.
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I asked my lawyer once why he liked me as a client.
He said, “Because you pay your bills.”
Me: “But I pay late sometimes!”
He said, “Dude, 40% of my bills never get paid.”
Me: “Whoa.”
Lesson:
Don't pay your lawyers.
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1) Go to VRBO / Airbnb
2) Find a rental you like.
3) Identify the property manager firm in listing
4) Google firm name
5) Book property on their website
6) Save $400
Every. Single. Time.
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1) Go to VRBO / Airbnb
2) Find a rental you like.
3) Identify the property manager firm in listing
4) Google firm name
5) Book property on their website
6) Save $400
Every. Single. Time.
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1) Go to VRBO / Airbnb
2) Find a rental you like.
3) Identify the property manager firm in listing
4) Google firm name
5) Book property on their website
6) Save $400
Every. Single. Time.
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I’ve interviewed and managed over 2,000 people.
Here are my 55 contrarian observations about humans.
A thread...
(1/x)
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Something still blows my mind is the Dutch East India Company became the biggest business in human history communicating solely via letters that took 4 months to deliver (if the ship didn’t sink).
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An old timer at my first job told me:
“Never take 2-week vacations. Everyone just saves work for your return. Make it 3 weeks or more so they just take care of things without you.”
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2: Send your Gen X colleagues well-written emails.
Gen X grew up with email -- but before SMS or apps.
Their teachers stressed correct writing, too.
Poor grammar drives Gen X nuts.
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I asked my lawyer once why he liked me as a client.
He said, “Because you pay your bills.”
Me: “But I pay late sometimes!”
He said, “Dude, 40% of my bills never get paid.”
Me: “Whoa.”
Lesson:
Don't pay your lawyers.
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I considered moving out of the USA.
After some research, I realized leaving is stupid.
There is no chance the USA will stop being the global superpower.
And the best country for opportunity.
The reason surprised me:
⬇️
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I considered moving out of the USA.
After some research, I realized leaving is stupid.
There is no chance the USA will stop being the global superpower.
And the best country for opportunity.
The reason surprised me:
⬇️
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I know people hate this fact but:
There's a strong correlation between accomplished people and how quickly they respond to email.
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I considered moving out of the USA.
After some research, I realized leaving is stupid.
There is no chance the USA will stop being the global superpower.
And the best country for opportunity.
The reason surprised me:
⬇️
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What is your favorite unwritten rule in the US?
Mine: speeding is illegal but as long as you stay under 10mph over the limit, you won’t get a ticket.
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My favorite pet economy theory is that the best companies are built in places with bad weather because there's nothing else to do except work.
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An old timer at my first job told me:
“Never take 2 week vacations. Everyone just saves work for your return. Make it 3 weeks or more so they just take care of things without you.”
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We hired a private chef to cook for our family.
Call me an elitist, but I was shocked how affordable it was.
Here’s the breakdown:
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From the Mr Beast "how to work here" guide.
Interesting how this mindset towards consultants is radically different than how Gen X/Boomers see them.
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tl;dr:
Win by doing these things with Gen X:
1) Say "Do it your way"
2) Use well-written emails
3) Say "I got it!"
4) Focus on the mission w/ them
5) Allow life balance
6) Bond as people
7) Be direct
8) Acknowledge they exist
9) Expect pessimism
10) Expect work-life separation
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8: Just acknowledge Gen X exists.
Gen X feels forgotten.
Only 20% of the population.
They’re also the people in your org with their heads down, getting stuff done.
But, take them for granted and they can bolt.
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The greatest mystery in life:
Why Venmo has a “social feed” of your friends making payments.
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"It's not a crime unless someone records it and puts it on TikTok."
-- America, 2024
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10: Expect Gen X to want work-life separation.
Expect them to be friendly but not “friends” at work.
Unlike recent generations who bring their personal life to work.
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5: Allow Gen X a balanced life.
Gen X grew up with workaholic Boomer parents.
Seeing that, Gen X thinks work is part of life but not why they live.
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Only one investor in Silicon Valley has the maturity required to level up the OpenAI board.
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Just spent a month in Kansas City. The 3 weirdest things:
1) Everyone is super nice—almost to the point of feeling off.
Example: I'm in a gas station on the wrong side of town. Another customer who is 6'6", 250 lbs, and has face tattoos walks over and says, "Hi sir, they have a sale on Gatorade you might want to check out."
2) Nobody has a favorite BBQ place.
They like them all equally but have favorite items at each one. "Oh, I like the fries at KC Joe's and the brisket at..."
3) Everyone dresses like a tourist.
Go out on a random Tuesday, and everyone will have a "Kansas City" t-shirt on it. Entire stores are devoted to city merchandise. It's nuts.
Overall, great place. What did I miss?
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7: Be direct with Gen X.
Give them data.
Gen X says “Tell me how it is!” and cuts out the fluff.
For generations like Millennials, this is hard.
Millennials want the “shit sandwich” for feedback.
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4: Focus with Gen X on mission and results.
Not seniority, effort, or hours worked.
You’ll often hear Gen X say, “If someone gets the job done in half the time, that’s fine.”
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3: Acknowledge Gen X's emails quickly.
They will love you.
Gen X wants to know who is responsible at all times.
They grew up when institutions weren’t to be trusted.
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9: Expect Gen X to be pessimistic.
Boomers/Millenials grew up in ages of abundance.
Gen X is the first generation to NOT do as well financially as their parents or kids did.
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What happens in the days after you die?
It will be horrible for your loved ones.
I just learned about something you can do to make that easier for them:
The Green Box Exercise.
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1: Motivate Gen X with two phrases, “Do it your way” and “Don’t sweat the rules”
Many Gen X grew up in divorced single-parent homes.
So were forced to be self-reliant and unsupervised early on.
They want independence to get it done their way.
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Here is my plan to repurpose obsolete malls:
Bulldoze them and build high-density housing.
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I’ve started 8 companies that employ >1,000 people.
But… I don’t build startups like everyone else.
I use a system called “Effectuation”
It will change how you build innovative businesses.
(1/x)
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I can tell you quickly why Southwest Airlines is struggling.
Nonstop from San Antonio to Phoenix in August.
Southwest: $278 a person.
American: $276 a person.
If you're going to be discount airline, you have to offer a discount.
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6: Bond with Gen X as individuals.
Not as part of a tribe (Millennials) or institution (Boomers).
Institutions from Gov’t to marriage showed they couldn't be trusted during Gen X's youth.
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Private equity bought beloved Texas burger chain Whataburger in 2019.
Customers have complained about a decline in burger/fry/drink quality and service since.
PEs answer?
Franchising and menu expansion.
You see this pattern across business.
“We aren’t growing? Let’s add a frappuccino machine!”
—
Makes me think of Domino’s and their turnaround last decade.
They focused on fixing their pizza (it was bad) and ease of ordering (online/app).
I have snobby friends that say “Dominos is good pizza” now.
—
It’s easy to dance around the core problems facing a business.
And kid ourselves about what’s really wrong.
It’s often that a business has lost
sight of what made it successful in the first place.
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I considered moving out of the USA.
After some research, I realized leaving is stupid.
There is no chance the USA will stop being the global superpower.
And the best country for opportunity.
The reason surprised me:
⬇️
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We hired a private chef to cook for our family.
It was an amazing decision.
What we learned was surprising:
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Now is a turbulent time in our economy.
My eldest son is about to go to college.
He asked me what careers to pursue, and what to avoid.
Here’s what I told him:
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This video is insane.
And a great teaching moment.
Reporter asks Bill Belichick (6x Super Bowl coach):
"Why have a long-snapper on the roster?"
Bill gives a 10-minute speech on it on the spot.
The greatest CEOs think so deeply about their craft it's almost weird.
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Startup idea: Unicorn-as-a-service
You pay me $1,000.
I invest $1 in your startup at a $1bn pre-money valuation.
You go around telling everyone your company is a unicorn.
I confirm this to anyone that calls.
Who's in?
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Here are my 16 biggest life mistakes.
I am 46 years old.
I still feel young, but old enough to have real regrets.
To celebrate reaching 16,000 followers.. .a thread:
(1/n)
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Is it time to resurrect Traditional Men's Clubs?
Seating area. Quiet. Newspapers. Waiters. Dress code. No electronics. Bar.
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In France this week for vacation.
Based on my data so far, fighting obesity involves smoking more cigarettes, eating lots of fatty foods, and dressing unnecessarily formally.
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The huge shift in “business” attire is fascinating.
Just two generations ago, formal dress was required to be taken seriously.
Now, wear a suit to work and there’s a 50/50 chance people mistake you for a waiter.
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Over 25 years and 1,000s of employees, I've learned:
Good bosses use some uncommon tricks.
Here are the 9 of them you should use:
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This Tom Brady video is gold.
Tom and NFL coach Bill Belichick discuss handling Ed Reed in an upcoming game.
The highest-performing partnerships sound like this.
Each person doing their part perfectly:
• Being real about the situation
• Actively listening to the other (watch Bill!)
• Bill (senior person) visibly writing down solutions
If you have a partner and your chats don't sound like this, you need a new partner.
Or you need to fix yourself.
---
I'm trying to bring more unique=quality content to X. If you want to help in that mission, like/retweet/bookmark/reply to this post! What do you think?
Michael
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Never drink alcohol at work functions. The hack? A glass with club soda and a lime looks like a gin and tonic.
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Companies perform better when they have an enemy, real or imagined.
If your company doesn’t have one, you need to invent one.
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Gambling has changed pro sports forever. Here's how:
I was at a Spurs game. A stranger sitting next to us had bet big that the opposing team's star would score more than 25 points.
The star was at 21 points with 3 minutes to go. They were way up so he wasn't trying hard.
At a quiet moment, we yelled to him, "This guy needs you to get to 26 to win 10 large!"
He turned to us and calmly said, "I got you." Then he took the next four shots, finished with 27, and hit the bench for the night.
Is this bad or good? I don't know. But we cheered like hell.
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Your life can either be a German weather report or a Greek weather report.
Be the Greeks.
Brian Roemmele
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Most managers do regular 1-on-1 meetings with employees.
But few do them very well.
Here are 11 things I've seen good managers do that bad managers don’t in 1-on-1 meetings:
(1/x)
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My life advice is to avoid any job where you’re on your laptop in the lodge on a Saturday while your kids are skiing.
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Biggest mistakes you can make as a married adult:
1) Cheat
2) Decide to build your own custom home*
*Every couple I know that did this says it was the worst.
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The huge shift in “business” attire is fascinating.
Just two generations ago, formal dress was required to be taken seriously.
Now, wear a suit to work and there’s a 50/50 chance people mistake you for a waiter.
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You should be vigilant about cutting negative/stupid people out of your life.
No reason to feel bad about it.
Life is too short to deal with assholes or people that are frustrating.
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Here is my plan to repurpose obsolete malls:
Bulldoze them and build high-density housing.
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If you're in your 30-40s and your circle isn't talking about:
• Billionaire Fight Club
• Politics of Bud Lite
• Submarines
• Vaccine debates
And is talking about:
• Going outside
• Time with kids, family
• Good friends
• A happy life
It's time for a new circle.
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Have you heard about the Dunning-Kruger effect?
I've studied it deeply for 45 mins and am now an expert in how it works.
A thread on everything to know...
(1/128)
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I've hired and managed over 4,000 people.
And I've made every mistake along the way.
But I finally found a system that works.
Here's a way to hire that makes your life easier and business better:
(1/x)
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We hired a private chef to cook for our family.
It was an amazing decision.
BUT...
Before you cancel me, let me tell you my story.
And share what we learned:
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The business books mostly repeat the same ~50 ideas.
But, some lessons I only learned in the trenches over 25 years.
Here are 18 things about business the books are missing.
1/x
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I considered moving out of the USA.
After some research, I realized leaving is stupid.
There is no chance the USA will stop being the global superpower.
And the best country for opportunity.
The reason surprised me:
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Here is my plan to repurpose obsolete malls:
Bulldoze them and build high-density housing.
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Unethical and evil people also think they’re right and justified.
That’s what makes them so dangerous.
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This annual “track down your 1099/K1” ritual is so dumb.
Billions of hours of wasted time when the IRS should have a website where I enter my EIN/SSN and download them all.
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I quit drinking alcohol 10 days ago.
Biggest learnings:
• lost 15 lbs
• sleeping great
• happier
• smug sense of superiority
• huge urge to tweet about not drinking 15x a day
Highly recommended!
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Build more houses, but not near me.
Train more plumbers, but not my kids.
Reduce the debt, but not using my money.
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I built my ideal "look great on Zoom/podcasts" setup.
It cost some money -- but it’s worth it.
Here is how I did it (if you want to copy it): 🧵
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Worst ways to keep your top employees:
- Swag
- Retreats
- “Company values”
Best ways to keep your top employees 👇
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What's the weirdest way you've seen someone get rich?
I'll go first: a family friend owns a giant breakfast trailer. He makes a 50% margin when non-profits run pancake fundraisers. Makes >$1mm working 80 days/yr.
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Most people go through life sadly unaware they get to control their own thoughts and their reactions to them.
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Here is my plan to repurpose obsolete malls:
Bulldoze them and build high-density housing.
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Becoming a student of human nature is the highest ROI business activity you can do in business and life.
All starts with asking "why?" someone did something you don't understand.
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