How to craft a compelling story
It's time to take a moment to refresh your perspective with this week’s handpicked insights and stories. From breakthrough trends to actionable ideas, this edition is designed to fuel your business thinking and inspire new directions. Ready to dive in?
Enjoy!
The key to instant audience engagement
What are the essential qualities of great storytelling? Filmmaker Andrew Stanton (Toy Story, Finding Nemo and many more) outlines the key elements of a compelling story in this TED Talk. It’s something to consider when telling your company story – or even trying to create a deck which has a storyline running through it. Be aware that there’s a bit of graphic language near the beginning of his video.
New TikTok report just dropped
When it comes to marketing spend, the age-old ‘brand vs performance’ debate rages on. Now TikTok has stepped in to the discussion with its just-released Awareness Advantage report that illustrates how one drives the other. Experts are increasingly questioning some of the received wisdom around this topic and it’s one that I intend to address in a forthcoming blog, so stay tuned for that.
Take a look at Elon’s texts
As tech acolytes are still reeling from Elon’s latest SpaceX milestone, it feels like a good time to remind everyone that he’s also a hard-headed businessman, as the always-excellent Internal Tech Emails website reveals. Scroll down on this page to see an exchange between Musk and a representative from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF). Regardless of what you think of his leadership style (or his approach to investors), it’s a fascinating sneak peek into high-level negotiation.
Where is the next $100bn+ AI consumer company coming from?
Rex Woodbury, founder of Daybreak – an early stage VC firm – reveals his overview on AI’s opportunity in the consumer market. OpenAI recently raised at a $157B valuation and is projecting $11B in revenue for 2024, although it’s still not clear if its current business model can be profitable. Woodbury speculates on where the other opportunities for AI might be, particularly where it can improve the experience for existing consumer services – from dating to travel to music. He believes there may also be massive TAMs that are ripe for AI-powered alternatives including online shopping ($16tn) and games ($250bn).
How LinkedIn went TikTok
I’m hearing and seeing a lot of insights about the growth of influencers in B2B marketing. Arguably this is because the B2B buyer is changing. B2B decision makers from younger demographic cohorts are social media natives and are more likely to use LinkedIn in a way that resembles their use of platforms like TikTok and Instagram – sharing personal stories, advice and insights and creating an environment for creator-led content to thrive. This piece is a good starting point for the trend.
Are we about to enter the era of the nine-hour podcast?
Creators are calling them ‘conversational audiobooks’, I’m wondering if these are strictly for the superfans and whether more abridged versions should remain an option for listeners. Either way, it’s a refreshing response to those who claim that our attention spans are shortening. More on the story from Bloomberg here.
Straight-talking from a renowned entrepreneur
On my bedside table this week is a fascinating read – The Hard Thing About Hard Things – written by Ben Horowitz, cofounder of Andreessen Horowitz. It’s a refreshingly honest and detailed account of building, re-imagining and transforming a technology start-up into a $1.6bn dollar business. Anyone who’s overseen a company that’s weeks away from running out of cash will relate to this warts-and-all page-turner.
Building the perfect board
My latest blog dives into the essentials of assembling the perfect board, from selecting members with complementary skills to fostering a dynamic that sparks growth and innovation. Whether you're forming your first board or refining an existing one, this guide offers practical advice to ensure your board becomes a strategic powerhouse.
Essential resources for every entrepreneur
Here are the resources that have done some heavy lifting for me as I’ve built up businesses over the years. Am I missing any? Let me know and I’ll share your updates in a future newsletter.
Drop me a line
As always, I’d love to get your thoughts on this newsletter to make it even bigger and better. Are there trends or topic areas you think I should focus on? Think about what would benefit you and send me a suggestion or two and I’ll look to cover it in the weeks and months ahead.
Look out for more great insights and inspiration in your inbox next Sunday.
Cheers!
Adam
Founder & CEO, JustFix