Friends of Dave #38: Every Day's The Weekend
Stay tuned: we may have to create a secret handshake soon....
As we all know, it is truly a small world. This week reminded me of that once again -- I was in Boston walking from the ferry to a FinTech Sandbox event near the Old State House and I took a slightly wrong turn down a street off the beaten path. Not hard to do in Boston, but it was beautiful weather, I had time, and all roads lead in the same direction so I thought nothing of it. As I looked ahead down the street, I recognized someone familiar walking toward me -- it was a business contact of mine (who also happened to go to my alma mater) that I had met a few times about three years ago and hadn't spoken to in a while. He is also a subscriber of this newsletter.
Surprised to bump into him at this location, I call out his name and stop to say hello. I am greeted with a smile and him pointing at me and exclaiming "Friends of Dave!" So cool -- it put a smile on my face. We chatted briefly, and agreed to put time on the calendar to get together in the coming weeks.
For me, the "Friends of Dave" newsletter essentially makes an already small world even smaller. It gives me the opportunity to connect with the people who open it weekly without bugging them. As I have told a number of you, it isn't very hard to execute, and I am finding that it is a really effective conversation starter -- more so than anything I do on LinkedIn or Twitter (Facebook, with it's high concentration of pictures, might be more effective for my personal connections). I highly recommend considering putting something similar together for yourself on a personal or professional level if you can. It doesn't have to be long, or done weekly. There are lots of benefits to making a small world smaller -- happy to discuss my experiences.
Finally, before we get on to the articles, I'd also like to recommend a documentary my family and I watched together around 9/11: it's called The Man in the Red Bandana. Now showing in select theaters and for rent on Amazon Video, it highlights the selfless heroics of Welles Crowther who lost his life helping other people exit the WTC on that fateful day. Poignant, gut wrenching, and inspiring -- very much worth your time.
On a much lighter note, I hope you are able enjoy your last official weekend of summer. Fall must be right around the corner --it is pumpkin spice time in just about every store where pumpkin spice things can be offered after all. Later!
XOXO
Dave
Think on This...
Dave's Pick of The Week
In our race to rival robots, we're forgetting how to be human — qz.com
While we learn to measure and manage data, we also must re-learn how to be human.
Fascinating look at how we are surrendering what makes us inherently human by trying to become too data driven. The keys to reverse this: read about the past, make something with your hands, learn to listen (really listen), and talk to someone.
The Ultimate Guide to Making Smart Decisions
A comprehensive guide (with dozens of embedded links) to making decisions covering how to intelligently prepare to improve your thinking, avoid stupidity, and make better, smarter, decisions. I could probably use this one post to fuel every newsletter for the next year. Click on it, browse it and bookmark the stuff you find interesting for later.
For Your Day Job...
No Commissions, No Quota: The Future Model for Sales — www.salesforlife.com
Sales quotas and commissions are completely at odds with customer success. Putting the customer and customer experience in the middle of the equation makes this more evident. Interesting, unconventional viewpoint shared here worth noodling. You may also find this counterpoint by VC Ben Horowitz interesting as well.
Why your brand should obsess over its customers, not its competitors — marketingland.com
By obsessing over its customers, not the competition, Amazon takes advantage of every bit of information consumers leave behind to come up with incredibly relevant, valuable and simply delightful offerings — including some that people don’t even know they want yet.
How can Instagram help hedge funds make better trades?
More validation that every business is a data business, and how structuring unstructured alternative data is increasingly becoming valuable to the institutional investment community (even when anonymized).
Your Weekly Dose of Randomness...
Guys: Stay Off Tinder Unless You Are Really Hot
SOLUTION: guys should just upload a picture of Lenny Kravitz to their profiles....duh...
Fancy Hipster Coffee Is Helping Africa’s Struggling Farmers — www.grubstreet.com
I swear I once heard someone on the subway say that Ethiopia will be "like Brooklyn in less than 10 years, totes ma goats."
Martin Shkreli’s $2 Million Wu-Tang Album Might Not Be a Wu-Tang Album — www.bloomberg.com
Rumor has it he's also buying the rights to the prison nickname "Big Ibuprofen" as an homage to his deep hip-hop roots.
And The Last Word....
Listen: Every Day's The Weekend
EARWORM ALERT: A little bar rock anthem + a little 80's new wave feel + a little modern alternative + easy to follow catchy chorus = it's nonsense, but trust me you'll swear you've heard it before, and you will be replaying this guilty pleasure in your head (or on your phone) all weekend. You're welcome.