The Far From Final Word

COVID 19 has hit us like a ton of bricks, but I’m grateful we have men and women on the front lines as nurses, doctors, grocery store clerks, and essential workers to save lives and keep us fed. So big shout out to those men and women.

I wanted to bring someone on to speak directly to our entrepreneurs and creatives, so I tapped my guy Ani Sanyal. Ani runs multiple businesses as you will hear in the audio, but the one most impacted is the closest to his heart, his restaurant Kolkota Chai co. We talk about how he was able to quickly pivot during this pandemic, and the lessons he’s learned because of that. Here’s a snapshot:

Chaos is a ladder - Instead of doing business as normal, the pandemic forced him to make moves that weren’t planned to launch for months, or even at all. The moment became a catalyst for new services and products that wouldn’t have come otherwise.

Premortems are key - Don’t dwell on bad times, but we should be better prepared for them. Create a plan for when things won’t go well, because in 2020 the likelihood of that happening is high.

Adapt the new normal - Things will never be the same again. So, it goes without saying but don’t abandon the lessons you learn at this moment.

It’s ok to not be productive - Breathe. Chill. Watch Netflix. But don’t stay down too long.

We also discussed how to make money while keeping yourself culturally authentic in the process. We dropped a few gems on the power of starting small. We also stress the importance of running marathons and not sprints. If you loved what you heard be sure to hit Ani up on the gram and show some love (@anihustles).

Peace & stay safe!

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I was always taught to be number one, but I recently read something that said I should aim to be number two. What gives? I talk about that on today’s note. Enjoy.

This week I had a conversation with my friend and entrepreneur Dwight Peters of OPN Phone Repair, we decided I could take part in that conversation and use it for the newsletter. The question I posed to Dwight was “Is it healthy for creators to fight quiet battles?” We kind of got sidetracked into another equal but just as important question about our self-worth. You can follow him on Instagram or visit OPN Phone Repair online.