SG #11 - Investing in Tech's Next Big Thing
Welcome to another week!
I'd like to welcome new subscribers. Let me know what you like and share this newsletter with someone if you think they'd enjoy it!
One thing I'm Listening to
The Brains Podcast by Courtland Allen and Julian Shapiro
I am always on the lookout for great podcasts and this is one that was recommended by the My First Million Pod which I am an avid listener
No subject is left unturned as Courtland and Julian reverse engineer the process and products of the best in their business and how they became as big as they are.
The common thread between all of them is not what you want to hear - it usually takes a lot of consistent work and a little bit of luck after putting in the reps. Much like any sports phenom or 'overnight success' it doesn't work until it does. When it does though, you capitalize on it and double down.
The suite of guests Brains has is top notch, with Shaan and Sam of MFM along with Onlyfans creators and chess masters, VCs and top scientists.
One thing I'm building
I was inspired by a newsletter I read that I decided to act upon the ideas that they outlined.
I'm making a Product Hunt for Crypto projects.
To start, I built a clone with Bubble based on a tutorial from Udemy
Here's how it's looking now:
Costs - $10 for the course, about $12 for the domain name
Revenue - None, but can build the database very quickly
This is my first venture in implementing and putting some skin in the game - can't wait to see how involved it will get!
Next steps: Adding projects to the database using Cryptomoonshots for the base
One thing I'm thinking about
How can I help athletes make content to appeal to brands?
Blake Lawrence of Opendorse got my juices flowing with this tweet
Blake Lawrence 🚪 @Blake_LawrenceHow are brands picking student-athletes in the NIL era? Locally 1. Sport/position 2. Story/personality 3. Social presence (whoever drives revenue for their partner schools) Nationally 1. Social 2. Story 3. Sport (whoever drives revenue for their product/service) 🧵
August 22nd 20211 Retweet15 Likes
The thread goes into further detail about the disparity of male and female athletes - NIL deals are skewed toward football (no surprise) and male performance in sports while deals with female athletes are based more on sex appeal.
I don't agree 100% with this - as there are stories of non football female athletes inking deals wearing the same level of clothing as everyday life.
The questions we should ask (and that I plan on making solutions for) is:
How can we help athletes craft their stories and social in a fast, easy, and authentic way?
This could mean creating a podcast for interviews with these athletes, creating a small studio to help them create content on Youtube, Instagram, and Twitter. It could also mean looking at what ideas they already have and what products they already use. Showcase those first as the relationship is there.
I plan to go through more of these ideas in my other newsletter NIL Deal Flow. You can subscribe here
One thing I'm watching
I'm a sucker for overthinking and noticing the small details.
I'm also a sucker for anime and cartoons that are done well - both in animation and storytelling.
This is my unicorn for content.
If you like Avatar the Last Airbender, as many people my age grew up with, then listening to someone point out the things that you might have seen (and some that you haven't, like moon continuity!) is the right youtube series to watch this week.
They are just now starting it up, and just finished Book 1
I imagine with the traction this channel is getting, you might see a lot of shows 'Overanalyzed' soon
One thing I'm using
We're getting to the end of summer, and mosquitoes are out and about in the South US. Before I got this tool, I was DEVOURED by them every time I opened my door. Never invited these bugs in but they loved to make me wake up with a new scratchy spot that would continue to bug me well after they left.
I was able to use this bug vacuum to be able to capture these pests before they could bite me. In two weeks I haven't gotten a bug bite since! Highly recommend this tool for mosquitoes, flies, and fruit gnats.
Alternatively, invest in a good fly swatter if you want to get some exercise!
One thing I'm learning
Where to double down on my investments
I pride myself on being diversified in my investment portfolio - I have holdings in the usual retirement accounts and savings as well as more risky pursuits like crypto or Gamestop stocks.
However I'm looking are opportunities where these investments compound. Compounding assets don't have to be flashy or obvious, they can be something like a small business that I can optimize to gain profits or licenses that I can market and make more.
I'm studying deals and the people that make them. These include Codie Sanchez and Nick Huber on Twitter.
The takeaway from their accounts is that you don't have to be a VC to make a ton of money on an 'exit'. You can look at 'boring businesses' as well as optimization opportunities that immediately increase the revenue for the business. Where I live, there seems to be opportunities to do so, it's just a matter of asking.
Fingers crossed some of those answers are yes.
That's it for this newsletter. Hope you enjoyed it!
Let me know what you think of this newsletter. What would you like to see me expand upon or explore? See you next week!