The Weekly Startup #12

Since last weeks changes turned out to create more sparks I'll continue to go down this path. I'll be writing about my past week and the insights I gained, lessons I learned, and great stuff I read.

In today's email:

• How to buy a business with $0 (and resources to master the skill)

• Mark Cuban on Motivation & Success (Spoiler: He didn't know what he wanted to do at 24 neither)

• Making $3,000 a month riding bikes: (Without owning a bike 🤡 )

• Learn how to become a better negotiator (From an ex FBI negotiator)

• The similarities between a billionaire and you (Fear, Insecurity, Shitty Jobs & more)

A special thank you

To Jason, Holly, Sara, and William.

You are the 4 people (out of 8232) who actually read last week's email all the way to the end and took the time to reach out to me. You may think it's a guesture that goes unnoticed, but in the end, it's you who motivate me to keep going. It's the little things that matter the most. And it means a lot to me. So again, thank you!

The Biggest Lesson learned from Jason, Holly, Sara, and William:

The whole world is just 1 message away from you. I've worked with people from all over the world, and it all started out by reaching out. A single DM or email connected me with people I never crossed paths with before. And many led to valuable contacts ever since. All it takes is a genuine approach or the right angle.

Earning $3,000 a month riding a bike...

In my quest after strange side hustles, I stumbled upon this one last week. As part of

Lyft’s “Bike Angel” program offers credit and prizes to riders willing to relocate bicycles across New York City’s bike-sharing system.

And Dennis makes around 3K a month doing so. So the next time you're considering a subscription to your local gym consider doing this instead and earn some money as well.

Now, this specific side hustle applies to New York, but that doesn't mean that a similar play couldn't be found near you.

Buying a business with 0$ down

In last week's mailing, I touched on the topic of buying a business with 0 dollars out of your own pocket and asked you to vote in the poll if you wanted more. It was unanimous.

Let me begin by stating that the topic is too complex to fully cover in just one article. Instead, I’ll briefly describe the basics and share the resources I found extremely valuable to learn about the topic. If you want to skip my summary you can just scroll to the bottom and get your hands on the book and courses right away. No hard feelings.

A summary of Mark Cuban's blog on Motivation and Success

I'm testing a new concept. Besides book summaries, I'm creating summaries of articles I've read and found valuable. The idea is to share key insights without the fluff. I'll share links to the original articles. If you like this approach and want me to expand on this let me know by voting below.

My first summary is from a blog post (actually 2) Mark Cuban recently shared on Twitter. It is packed with nuggets. Really valuable. I've managed to bring it back to 500 words. Meaning you can read the article in under 2:30 minutes.

What should you learn next?

When endlessly scrolling the web I noticed how many people commented on posts asking for advice on what to do next.

What do you recommend I learn next? What's a good skill to learn? And so on.

It made me think about the obvious. The first thing that usually comes to mind is looking at chances evolving. That said, everything related to Tech and Coding is worth spending your time on. But if you're like me, you're not a total nitwit if it comes to tech, but neither someone who has what it takes to go down the rabbit hole (and it's a deep deep hole if it comes to learning how to code).

So if you feel like the next big thing just isn't for you, does that mean that you're doomed to fail?

Of course not.

Just because you're not a coding expert and can't get through it doesn't mean that the future doesn't have a place for you.

So then what do you do?

I overheard a dad teaching his son the other day and it pretty much summarizes the approach perfectly.

To set the right context. I am currently in Spain and a family next to me was foreign as well. Their son wanted chocolate and asked his dad:

How do I ask it in English?

His dad answered:

How would you ask it?

His son then came up with pretty much the right answer.

Can I have some chocolate please, my dad pees.

Well, except for the "paying" part it was correct.

The lesson learned. If you think about it, before asking people for an answer. What do you think is the right approach? What do you think you should learn next?

There must be something that looks interesting to you. What would look fun to do? Would you like to write a book one day? Then maybe you should read a book on copywriting or attend a course on the topic. If you wonder how websites rank on Google, check out a blog on SEO. If you want to make your own website but don't know how to, check out a course Webdesign for beginners. If you struggle with your taxes every time again maybe you should buy a basic course on accounting. If you love cakes (like I do) maybe you should check out some tutorials on YouTube and learn how to bake them yourself.

It doesn't have to make sense or fit into some future narrative yet. Just do something, and build momentum. If you've read the summary of Mark Cuban's blog you know that even Mark struggled with this topic. He didn't know what he wanted to become when growing up either. He had many different jobs. It worked out for him. 🤷🏻‍♂️

So, take a minute and make a short list of things that seem fun to do. Then find a source to learn any of them and engage. And if you feel done and bored, drop the topic and learn the next. Eventually, you'll start connecting the dots.

Become a better negotiator

If you didn't read "Never Split The Difference" yet, then you're in for a treat. I've written a summary of the book for you to dive into. Find out in 7 minutes if you like the lessons, then if you're ready, get the book and master the full skill.

How You Can Help Me. (If you like this mailing)

First of all, thanks a lot for reading. It motivates me to create and find more content going forward.

I want this information to be free for everyone. The world will only be a better place if chances are distributed more evenly. Inequality is already growing too fast. It's up to us to tighten the gap.

You can help me grow this educational platform I'm building in 2 easy ways (that cost you nothing).

1. Share this newsletter with friends who could benefit.

2. Follow me on Medium (I need 100 followers to get paid by Medium for my writing)

Thank you!

You made it to the end. I hoped you liked the insights provided in this mailing. This email is brought to you by Startup Library, a brand of The Growing Investor. I intend to shift my cheezy quote game on Instagram to a more serious game where I share with you the resources I use to keep myself updated and motivated. If you got any suggestions feel free to reply to this mail or send me a DM on Instagram. If you found value for a friend I would appreciate it if you'd share this mail with them and have them sign up as well.

Thanks again and I'll see you next week with new resources to shake your professional world.