“In business, I look for economic castles protected by unbreachable ‘moats.’” That’s how Warren Buffett answered a question on what he looks for in a business to invest in. What did he mean by a moat? Let me explain with an example. Everybody can make a caffeinated soda. But for a new competitor, beating the…
Category: How Brands Win
How To Beat Bigger Competitors: Blitzkrieg
The German army shocked the world when they entered Paris in 1940. On paper, the French army was ready before the invasion. They expected an attack. So they bolstered their defenses for years. They even built the “impregnable” Maginot line, a 280-mile-long fortification. But the Germans defeated the French army in only 6 weeks. How was it possible?…
Mimetic Desires: Why We Copy Others (And Why It Matters)
Paul Graham wrote about cities and ambition 14 years ago. Each great city has a message. New York tells you to have more money. Silicon Valley whispers to you to get more power. Los Angeles shouts at you to become more famous. Other cities tell you to be smarter, become an insider, or have a better quality of life. And this message…
A Dinner With Elon Musk And The Power of Power Laws
Imagine a friend inviting you to dinner. He texts you: “I’m organizing a dinner with 8 people and the average net worth of attendees is $22 billion.” What would you think? Besides wondering when your friend met that many rich people, you’d expect to be the least wealthy among invitees. But you arrive at dinner and…
RICE Scores: A Simple Method For Project Prioritization
“This is done, what’s next?” That’s what you ask yourself after finishing a project. It seems trivial, but it’s the most important question that defines your results over the long term. Why? Well, most people believe productivity is doing a lot. But that’s an illusion. Real productivity comes from doing the work that brings you the best results. So it’s…
Force Field Analysis: Make Big Changes Easier (With Examples)
What is Force Field Analysis Force Field Analysis is a strategic analysis and decision-making method developed by Kurt Lewin. In this article, you’ll find two personal examples to see how you can use Force Field Analysis in your life. Every decision requires a change. Think about it. If you decide to gain muscle; you have…
Association Bias & A Phony Paradise Of An Assassin Master
Association bias is when your mind takes the emotion you feel as a cue to build an opinion about a person, brand, or event. In this article, you’ll see how it becomes a fallacy with a story and how to avoid it. Imagine falling asleep and waking up in a garden. A garden full of beautiful women, musicians playing…
Nassim Taleb’s Optionality: Unlimited Gains With Limited Costs
Optionality is a mental model to make decisions that create possible unlimited gains with limited costs. Nassim Taleb explains the importance of optionality in his book Antifragile. In this article, you’ll find a short story to see how optionality works and then three ways to increase optionality in your life. Is it possible to turn…
Think Laterally: Apple’s Ad Masterpiece and How to Think “Different”
Lateral thinking is a mental model to find creative solutions to complex problems. In 1997, Steve Jobs returned to Apple to revive the company from the ashes. And they wanted a new campaign to announce Apple was back. Apple’s competitor IBM’s slogan was “Think.” So as a response, the ad agency came up with the famous…
Luck Surface Area: How to Get Lucky In Life (Without Being Rich)
Luck surface area is a mental model that explains it’s possible to increase your chances to get lucky in life. If there was a magic potion that makes people lucky, it would be expensive. But people would still buy it. After all, everybody wants to get lucky. Now, since we don’t have such a potion, are there other…