Hello friends and subscribers,

Leadership is a skill, an industry, and an attitude, but what it means to be a great leader is always changing.

20 years ago, leaders were (mostly) finance people who created big profits without much care about how. The stories of firing hundreds of people to maximize profits are true. That's what it meant to be a good, smart leader. But times have changed (for the better).

This email is a collection of short statements I believe define leadership now and in the future.

Hello friends and subscribers,

Today's email is very practical. I want to share the mental models I use every day. Mental models are systems for thinking. It's a list of questions to ask when faced with a decision, and each model has its own separate list of questions.

I look at mental models as ways of creating the life I want. This post is not about magical equations and spreadsheet wizardry. The models I use are simple and optimize my quality of life.

Let's get into it.

Hello friends and subscribers,

I sent my previous letter weeks ago covering email marketing. It's the #1 channel for every side-hustler to build an audience and start making money. The ROI is 38x and it’s free to start.

Today, I'd like to share how I look at "professional growth" with a modern take on how to develop ourselves and our skills.

The Future Business Leader:

Hello friends,

It's been a few weeks since my last letter. We covered side-hustle 101 on how to get started, build an audience, and write amazing offers.

Today's letter is about one side-hustle tactic that's free and easy to start. This tactic has an average Return on Investment (ROI) of 38x → 42x (for real).

Read that again. For every $1 we spend, the average return is $38+.

The “Official Launch”

For the past few months, I’ve been planning and starting small online products/services. Things like email lists, simple services, and blogs (so far). As time goes on, the companies become more complex. You can find all the details on ship21in21.com.

So why would you care?

Hello Again,

It’s been a few months since my last letter. I’ve many updates to share with you, along with some exciting news.

First, I want to start with a few well wishes.

While much of the world is recovering but many hearts and minds are still in turmoil. It’s not easy to have life upend itself and then suddenly “go back to normal.” Normal’s not the same.

I'm the type of person who works the way an athlete trains. Periods of high-intensity practice are following by fierce competition and concluded with rest. This format is that of many knowledge workers.

Here are the relations:

High-intensity practice:

Training the skills to complete a job. Writing copy of all kinds, design, building, setting automations. The training period for knowledge work is "doing the things" and they're done with the knowledge that time is limited, and competitors are doing just the same. Building skills, applying knowledge, and creating assets of any kind are part of this high-intensity practice.

When self-talk defines your professional identity.

Wow. Email 1. Glad you're here. 😁

About a 18 months ago, I realized: so much talent gets wasted when we don't know what we want in a career. You know what I mean? We rarely set aside the time we need to answer the big questions like:

1. Where am I going with this?
2. Am I clear on my non-negotiables?
3. Is what I'm doing now making me happy?
4. What else out there might be better for me?

Instead, our time and attention is spent on the work we're doing now, instead of thinking about the work we actually want to do. Surprise surprise, we limit our career potential.

Here's the kicker: we eventually forget to ask the big questions altogether. "Just never got around to it." Has that happened to you before? It's happened to me. Instead, we cement the professional identity born from just "going with the flow."

Then the real trouble starts. Our inner belief and how we see ourselves gets shaped by the path we're on (the one we haven't thoughtfully mapped out).

I realized that making the most of my "talent" starts – and is pretty much based on – my self-talk.

Let's get into it.

Reflecting on professional identity.