Hi Reader Read time: 4 mins This week’s stories share a sense of optimism – not the wishful kind, but the kind that comes from data, design and doing the work. From the return of smart dealmaking to new evidence on what makes creators valuable and leaders effective, it’s clear that progress is still being made, even if the headlines don’t always show it. Let’s get into it. Enjoy! Reasons to feel cheerful Amid headlines about tech layoffs and political gridlock, Bloomberg’s editors have pulled...
11 days ago • 4 min read
Hi Reader Read time: 4 mins This week’s stories made me smile for the same reason they made me wince – they all show how easily good intentions trip over themselves. AI meant to save time creates fake quotes. Earn-outs designed to align incentives end in arguments. Micromanagement masquerades as care. Business, it seems, is just people doing their best not to make the same mistake twice. Enjoy! When the audit needs an audit Not checking the accuracy of generative AI outputs can be costly –...
18 days ago • 4 min read
Hi Reader Read Time: 4 mins In business, it’s easy to get distracted by the latest shiny thing – new AI tools, fresh formats, the itch to launch one more product. But momentum without judgement is just motion. This week is a reminder to balance future focus with discipline: protect the core, innovate with intent and use AI to enhance decisions rather than drown them in noise. Enjoy! Half of new products vanish within two years – here’s why According to new research from the Ehrenberg-Bass...
25 days ago • 4 min read
Hi Reader Read time: 4 mins Markets may be lurching between extremes – from OpenAI’s half-trillion valuation pitch to mid-market founders betting on people and tech – but the through-line is clear: conviction matters more than ever. Whether it’s an entrepreneur choosing growth over cuts, a CEO stepping up as storyteller-in-chief or a brand turning TikTok into a £1.5mn sales engine, the winners are those who set the narrative, design the system and back it with action. This week’s edition...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
Hi Reader Read time: 4 mins From stress-induced “sanity days” to Reddit quickly becoming the oracle of AI answers, business life has rarely been so strange. This week’s round-up looks at the unexpected ways work, money and technology are colliding – and what leaders can learn from the chaos. Enjoy! B2B content has hit saturation point – here’s the solution In B2B marketing, the easy wins are gone. What once worked – educational posts, frameworks and checklists – has been commoditised by AI...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
Hi Reader Read time: 4 mins Scaling a business is only progress if it doesn’t come at the expense of discipline and resilience. That’s the focus of the second book in my Three Secrets series, which I’ve recently reduced in price for newsletter subscribers – details below. The same thread runs through this week’s edition: AI that delivers real returns, advertising that targets so precisely it stops feeling shared, and strategy that works when attention, energy and budgets are finite. It’s all...
about 2 months ago • 4 min read
Hi Reader Building a company brings plenty of milestones but turning it into an asset that others want to buy is another challenge entirely. That’s the focus of my first book – now available to newsletter readers for 77p for a limited time – and it sets the tone for this week’s edition. Whether it’s high-risk wagers, shifting investor appetites or the small habits that define culture, the question is the same: how is lasting value built and defended? Enjoy! A special subscriber offer My first...
about 2 months ago • 5 min read
Hi Reader Read Time: 4 mins In business, drama usually means bad news. But the right kind of drama – a story with emotion, surprise and bite – is exactly what persuades customers, investors and employees. This week we’re looking at the power of story, the pace of decisions and the pitfalls of saying the wrong thing at work. Enjoy! The business case for drama In his latest ‘Prof G’ post, Scott Galloway argues that storytelling, not STEM or even AI mastery, is the defining skill for the modern...
about 2 months ago • 4 min read
Hi Reader Read Time: 4 mins As the summer winds down, the tempo shifts. September brings back structure – school runs, board meetings, investor updates – and with it a reminder that growth isn’t won in weeks, but in seasons and cycles. This week’s dispatch explores the ideas and strategies that are built to last, even as the pace of change quickens. Enjoy! Family-owned businesses prove the value of going long Family-owned brands have dominated the IPA Effectiveness Awards recently, with...
2 months ago • 5 min read