What’s the Number One piece of advice that I give first-time founders?
Building a startup is a 24/7 job. So many CEOs and founders forget one very important habit.
📚Read, Read, Read
A disciplined and systematic reading of newspapers, magazines, trade publications, and blogs can both provide competitive intelligence and act as an early warning system.
Competitive intelligence:
📗 Client & partnership opportunities
📗 Trends and ideas
📗 How your competitors are doing
📗 Potential investors, advisors & influencers
Early warning system:
📕 Legal and regulatory threats
📕 Adverse global climate for your product
📕 Challenges to your survival (like COVID-19)
📕 Negative trends for your business
Remember, it’s not just what you read. You have to read between the lines to find the real intelligence.
So when reading, add this filter: How does this piece of news affect my bottom line, my core value proposition, my product, my brand, and market position?
Bill Gates and Warren Buffet both credit hours of daily reading for their success.
Subscribe to a customizable aggregator such as Apple News to focus on topics important to your business and bottom line.
How do you stay on top of trends and news? 📚