Tag: Marketing

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Tools of Titans

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Author: Timothy Ferris

My recommendation: 5/5

Summary

Insightful book that deconstructs how world-class performers across different industries and professions are able to achieve success. I skipped around this book and read the chapters that seemed most interesting to me.

My Takeaways

  • Raise prices. (Marc Andressen)
  • Stress test ideas with a red team. Bash the sh*t out of an idea and if you still believe it, then commit to that idea. (Marc Andressen)
  • “Be so good, they can’t ignore you.” (Marc Andressen)
  • Wear something unique so people remember you. (Chris Sacca)
  • Try to trade the short term gain for the long term upside. (Arnold Schwarzenegger)
  • It’s often the tiny detailed things that grow your business rather than the large things. (i.e. Derek Sivers’ funny CDbaby email.)
  • Give lots of damns. (i.e. Alexis Ohanian’s example of making the copy on Reddit’s error page funny.)
  • Being busy is a form of laziness and often used as a guise for avoiding the few critical important but uncomfortable actions. (Tim Ferris)
  • On commonalities of famous investors interviewed by Tony Robbins:
    • Always cap the downside.
    • Find investing opportunities that have asymmetric risk and reward. 
  • Daily vlogging leads to massive growth. (Casey Neistat)
  • “Tell me something that’s true that few people agree with you on.“ (Peter Theil)
  • First Ten Principal:. Tell ten people, show ten people and share with ten people who already trust and like you. (Seth Godin)
  • Generate a list of 10 bad ideas as a daily exercise to refine the creativity muscle. (James Altucher)
  • If you can’t be first in a category, set up a new category you can be first in when launching products. 
  • Think categories, not brands when marketing a product or service. 
  • Everyone wants what’s new, not better. 
  • When you’re first in a new category, promote the category. In essence you have no competition. Tim applied this concept by coining the term “Lifestyle Design” in his book ‘The 4 Hour Workweek’. 
  • Don’t be afraid to do something you’re not qualified to do. 
  • Rainy Sethi sends simple text emails to make a more personal connection. 
  • Focus on acquiring 1,000 true fans (super fans) who will pay you directly for anything and everything you sell. 1,000 true fans are your direct source of income and chief marketing force for ordinary fans. 
  • Take “the coffee challenge” by asking for 10% off your cup of coffee at a coffee shop. This gets you in the habit of asking for what you want in life. 
  • Have a backup plan. (Jocko Willink)
Categories
Books Business Marketing Technology

Insanely Simple: The Obsession That Drives Apple’s Success

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Author: Ken Segall

My recommendation: 5/5

Summary

Fascinating book about how Steve Job’s was obsessed with applying simplicity into all products Apple created.

My Takeaways

  • Steve Jobs preferred straight talk and to cut to the chase. 
  • Small groups of smart people. 
  • Think small.
  • Be brutally honest as it is the simplest form of getting things done. 
  • It’s hard to instill simplicity within organizations.
  • Complexity is the easy way out.
  • Apple puts creativity and the best idea before process.
  • The more layered the process, the more watered down the final product becomes. 
  • Those who believe in simplicity, believe that good ideas need to be protected from those who would damage them. The best way to do this is to minimize the process from which these ideas must travel. 
  • People will always respond better to a single idea expressed clearly, and tune out when complexity speaks. 
  • Apple makes a more meaningful connection with customers by highlighting the benefits in a human-centric way, not highlighting the technical specs like its competitors. 
  • Unlike many CEOs of big companies, Steve jobs was involved in every aspect of marketing and branding at Apple. 
  • Steve was very clear in his marketing – focusing on a single point and/or value rather than multiple points.
  • Apple conveyed human emotion and iconic imagery in its ad, not the product. 
  • Steve jobs used every weapon he had to get his ideas through.
  • Apple keeps product names simple for the sake of brand building.
  • Apple keeps the “Mac” name in all its product names because consistency is simple for people to remember. 
  • Apple would prove that the most powerful form of simplicity is that which directly connects to our humanity.
  • Apple constantly challenged the status quo.
  • Apple’s products had to improve customer lives by an order of magnitude over what was already available or invent a new category altogether.
  • Steve Jobs evaluated advice in context, oftentimes ignoring it in favor of his own beliefs and intuition.