The hottest Business Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Business Topics

A new strategy doesn't always have a happy ending

Ruben Ugarte's Growth Needle™ • 39 implied HN points • 07 May 24
💼 Business Strategy Leadership Decision-making Emotional Intelligence Organizational Change
  1. Starting a new strategy can be hard because it involves making tough emotional choices, not just doing more work.
  2. Leaders may need to make difficult decisions, like letting people go or stopping projects that aren't working, which can be challenging.
  3. Being honest among team members is really important to deal with these emotional decisions effectively.

How Leaders Can Make the Open Door Policy, Inclusive

Thinking Through • 750 implied HN points • 09 Jan 24
💼 Business Leadership Diversity Inclusion Teamwork Psychological safety
  1. Two things must be true for someone to take advantage of an open-door policy: self-confidence and psychological safety.
  2. Psychological safety in a team means feeling okay to take risks, express ideas, ask questions, and admit mistakes without fear of negative consequences.
  3. To build a psychologically safe environment, leaders can practice candidness, sharing mistakes, inclusive language, encouraging team input, and teaching team members to grow.

From Google Blogger to Substack: Coming Soon!

Musings on Markets • 899 implied HN points • 25 Mar 22
💼 Business Finance Investing Economics Publishing Blogging
  1. The author started blogging in 2008 and has written over 600 posts on finance topics since then. This blogging experience has helped him rethink his views and develop new ideas.
  2. He is moving his blog from Google Blogger to Substack because it allows him to easily transfer his old posts and offers a better format for readers.
  3. Both platforms will continue to host his posts, and he encourages readers to choose between them while assuring that the experience will remain similar.

Ambiq’s IPO is good fun, and 7 Q2 '25 VC data points

Alex's Personal Blog • 98 implied HN points • 08 Jul 25
💼 Business Venture Capital Startups IPO Market Trends Tech industry
  1. Ambiq is going public earlier than usual, which is exciting. They make chips for AI devices, and by leaving China, they are boosting their profits.
  2. Core Scientific's shareholders are unhappy about a deal with CoreWeave because the deal is risky. If CoreWeave's stock drops before the deal closes, it could be worth less than expected.
  3. In Q2 2025, US startups saw a lot of investment, especially in AI. Early-stage startup valuations are at record highs, showing a strong interest in new ventures.
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Why Did the Tesla Board Attempt to 'Ratify' Musk's Obscene Options Package Instead of Granting a New One?

lawrence’s Substack • 36 HN points • 13 May 24
💼 Business Finance Law Tax Compensation Corporate Governance
  1. The Tesla board attempted to 'ratify' Musk's 2018 options package instead of granting a new one due to legal challenges and potential losses for the company.
  2. Creating a new stock options grant for Musk would lead to massive expenses for Tesla and put the company in financial jeopardy.
  3. Musk does not want a new package as the prospects for Tesla's stock price growth have diminished, making a new reward less appealing, and also resulting in potential tax issues for him.

Why It's Time To Channel Your Inner 5-Year-Old

Surfing the Future • 59 implied HN points • 27 Mar 24
💼 Business Innovation Entrepreneurship Events Networking Leadership
  1. Revisit your childhood curiosity - Keep asking 'why?' like a 5-year-old to drive deep change.
  2. Explore new environments - Travel to different places and meet people with diverse perspectives to spark fresh ideas.
  3. Embrace innovative thinking - Take time to rethink and approach things from a new perspective every year to spur creativity.

7 proven mental models for engineering managers

Leading Developers • 218 implied HN points • 04 Feb 25
💼 Business Management Leadership Decision-making Team Dynamics Productivity
  1. Use mental models to help make better decisions as a manager. They can guide you to avoid mistakes and think more clearly.
  2. Consider the opposite of what you want to achieve. This helps in identifying what to avoid and improves decision-making.
  3. Always think about the long-term effects of your choices. It's important to consider not just what happens now, but what could happen later.

Google, Amazon, and Booking: anti-monopoly gathers pace

The Counterbalance • 176 implied HN points • 10 Oct 23
💼 Business Antitrust Monopoly Market Power Regulation
  1. Regulators are taking more action against tech giants like Google, Amazon, and Booking to prevent monopolistic behavior.
  2. The European Commission blocked Booking's acquisition of eTraveli, highlighting concerns about increasing dominance and its impact on competition.
  3. Antitrust cases are evolving to focus on broader systemic power issues within ecosystems, challenging traditional narrow views of harm in mergers.

Decoding Sequoia Capital: How Do They Dominate the VC Landscape?

Venture Curator • 199 implied HN points • 12 Jun 23
💼 Business Venture Capital Investing Entrepreneurship Startup Financial Strategies
  1. Sequoia Capital is a powerhouse in the VC landscape, known for remarkable strategies that have led to unprecedented success.
  2. Sequoia has an impressive track record of investing in one in five private unicorns globally, with a focus on disruptive products and founders with technical knowledge.
  3. Key figures at Sequoia, like Don Valentine and Doug Leone, have distinct investment philosophies highlighting the importance of market potential, strong founding teams, and learning from failures.

Top Links 585 Mexico's laborious economy. VW exits Xinjiang. Bibles are booming. Joan Robinson on time & history.

Chartbook • 271 implied HN points • 12 Dec 24
💼 Business Economics Labor Trade Globalization Industry
  1. Mexico works a lot, making it the second biggest economy in the OECD by total hours worked, surpassing countries like Germany.
  2. Volkswagen has decided to leave Xinjiang, reflecting changing business strategies in sensitive regions.
  3. There is a rising interest in Bibles, indicating a shift or demand in religious materials.

Why Do VC Firms Want an Option Pool Before the VC Round? | Lessons from the Dot-Com Era for Generative AI Hype| How Startups Use VC Funds to Invest in Other Startups? | VC Remote Jobs and More

Venture Curator • 179 implied HN points • 15 Sep 23
💼 Business Venture Capital Startup funding Investment Strategies Tech Trends Remote work
  1. VC firms prefer having an option pool before the funding round to ensure proper allocation of shares and ownership percentages among founders, investors, and future employees.
  2. Lessons from the Dot-Com era suggest parallels with the current Generative AI hype, highlighting potential trends in commoditization, emergence of innovative disruptors, and advice for startups to focus on long-term goals.
  3. Startups often reinvest VC funds into other startups, showcasing a trend seen during peak market craziness, where companies like Stripe and Coinbase made significant investments.

Temu: from $0 to $3 billion in 10 months

Tech Buzz China Insider • 179 implied HN points • 23 Jun 23
💼 Business E-commerce Marketing Logistics Expansion Business strategy
  1. Temu rapidly grew from $0 to $3 billion in 10 months, expanding to around 20 countries and focusing on aggressive social media campaigns and expensive Super Bowl advertising.
  2. Shifting its focus to household and personal care products substantially increased Temu's average order value, as about half of Temu's suppliers were manufacturers and the other half were traders.
  3. Temu is putting pressure on staff, logistics partners, and merchants, shifting costs to merchants and increasing pressure to lower prices, resulting in a current loss rate of 60% despite significant gross margins.

The Babe Ruth Effect in Venture Capital | When To Prioritize Growth Over Profitability? | VC Remote Jobs and More

Venture Curator • 179 implied HN points • 22 Sep 23
💼 Business Venture Capital Startups Investing Funding Remote Jobs
  1. The concept of the 'Babe Ruth Effect' in venture capital explains the importance of evaluating investments based on expected value analysis to achieve superior performance
  2. Deciding between prioritizing profitability or growth in startups depends on factors like market dynamics, access to funding, and business model, and it's crucial to understand where to focus at an early stage
  3. Successful venture capital funds exhibit a 'Babe Ruth Effect' by having more 'home run' investments of greater magnitude, even though they may also have a higher percentage of investments that lose money

What's Better Than Product Market Fit (PMF)? It's Product Market Distribution Fit (PMDF) | Tips For Negotiating Valuation With Investors | VC Remote Jobs and More

Venture Curator • 179 implied HN points • 25 Sep 23
💼 Business Startups Venture Capital Negotiation Investors Remote Jobs
  1. Achieving Product Market Distribution Fit (PMDF) is crucial for startup success, not just Product Market Fit (PMF). Channel selection plays a vital role in reaching target customers.
  2. Early investment in sales and marketing can lead to better business outcomes than solely focusing on product quality.
  3. Efficient distribution channels are essential for startup growth; understanding Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) and Lifetime Value (LTV) ratio is key in achieving success.

The Analytics Requirements Document

Sarah's Newsletter • 359 implied HN points • 27 Oct 22
💼 Business Analytics Product Launch Contracts Data Management Team Collaboration
  1. Analytics should be a first-class citizen in crafting product launches to avoid wasted time and ensure measurable success.
  2. Utilize detailed agreements like Product Requirements Documents (PRD) and Analytics Requirements Documents (ARD) to align teams, outline goals, data criteria, assumptions, and finalize expectations.
  3. Involving analytics early in the product evolution lifecycle is crucial for gathering and analyzing data effectively, helping in decision-making, and ensuring alignment across technical and business teams.

Don't hunt, set traps

Startup Real Talk • 291 implied HN points • 04 Dec 24
💼 Business Entrepreneurship Sales Marketing Customer Acquisition Growth Strategies
  1. It's better to set up systems for getting customers rather than just trying to close individual sales. This way, you can get more customers efficiently over time.
  2. Once your product fits the market, focus on creating repeatable ways to attract customers. This is more valuable than closing one deal at a time.
  3. Like setting traps for hunting, having a continuous lead system helps your business succeed without relying on just one person for sales.

How Did The Great Startups Like Airbnb or Instagram Make Pivot Decisions? | VC Remote Jobs & More

Venture Curator • 139 implied HN points • 27 Nov 23
💼 Business Startups Pivoting Entrepreneurship Venture Capital Innovation
  1. Pivoting in startups often involves changing direction when things aren't going as planned, but it should not be glorified as success.
  2. Successful startups approach pivoting as a learning experience rather than a badge of honor, with most effective pivots driven by passion or necessity.
  3. Not all pivots are equal; those driven by genuine passion or necessity tend to be more successful than those just brainstormed on a whiteboard.

The Holding Companies of Our Hearts

Investing 101 • 87 implied HN points • 12 Jul 25
💼 Business Investing Venture Capital Finance Startup Strategy Corporate Structure
  1. Everyone allocates resources, not just money, but also time and attention. People are basically investors in their own lives.
  2. Successful capital allocation is more about making smart, strategic decisions than just having money to spend. Great examples include companies like Berkshire Hathaway and Constellation Software.
  3. Venture capitalists often seek attention for their investing strategies, but it's the actual entrepreneurs and companies that are doing the hard work of building that are the real heroes.

Five Effective Marketing Strategies for Small Businesses on a Budget

The Small Business Corner • 39 implied HN points • 06 May 24
💼 Business Marketing Small businesses Social media Email Marketing Analytics
  1. Craft a targeted marketing plan to save time and effort by focusing on potential customers with a detailed strategy that aligns with your business goals.
  2. Create engaging content that resonates with your audience, providing value and building trust over time to attract and convert followers into customers.
  3. Utilize social media platforms to connect with your target audience cost-effectively, engaging with users, choosing the right platforms, and leveraging analytics for success.

How to align your values with your work

The Recovering Academic • 178 implied HN points • 13 Jun 23
💼 Business Career development Work-life balance Writing
  1. Self-exploration is important to align your values with your work. Take time to understand what truly matters to you.
  2. Transitioning from academia to industry can be challenging but rewarding. Soft skills and practical tools are valuable in various job fields.
  3. Embracing change and exploring different industries can lead to personal growth and fulfillment. There isn't just one path to a meaningful career.

When Insurance Admits AI is Safer Than People

Tippets by Taps • 6 implied HN points • 22 Jan 26
💼 Business Insurance AI Automotive Risk Data Regulation Market Trends
  1. Insurance companies are starting to price self-driving miles as much safer than human-driven miles, with some cutting per-mile premiums by about half when autonomous mode is engaged.
  2. Insurers that use onboard telemetry and AI to price risk get a strong first-mover advantage. If their lower loss rates hold, traditional underwriting based on age or ZIP will look obsolete and others will follow.
  3. As AI and robotics replace human tasks, adjacent industries, regulations, and pricing models will need to reprice reality. That shift could make cars without meaningful autonomy relatively more costly to own and be slowed by laws that restrict telemetry-based pricing.

Managing Inside Growing Companies

Lessons • 176 implied HN points • 21 Feb 23
💼 Business Management Leadership Startups Growth Teamwork
  1. Managers inside growing companies need to accept that change is constant, and it's important to focus on facilitating the process of finding solutions rather than having all the answers.
  2. It's okay for managers to acknowledge and accept the things they cannot control, and instead, focus on what they can control to set their team up for success.
  3. Helping people on your team grow and learn is a crucial aspect that managers can control and should prioritize in a growing company environment.

Japan Reality Check #4: In praise of the Salaryman CEO

Japan Optimist • 176 implied HN points • 25 Feb 23
💼 Business Leadership Corporate culture Performance Profitability
  1. Japanese Salaryman CEOs have shown extraordinary resilience and competence in delivering corporate economic value and profitability.
  2. Data shows that Japanese Salaryman CEOs have outperformed Wall Street Superstar CEOs in terms of profit increase without relying on rising sales.
  3. While Japanese Salaryman CEOs have significantly increased profits, their compensation has only risen modestly, maintaining a close link between performance and pay.

A 3-Year Roadmap For Starting a Consultancy

Michael’s Newsletter • 176 implied HN points • 11 Oct 23
💼 Business Entrepreneurship Consulting Skills Content creation
  1. Starting a consultancy is a 3-year journey with specific themes and success criteria for each year.
  2. In year 1, focus on experimentation to develop fundamental entrepreneurship skills and choose a business path.
  3. In year 2, build a foundation by mastering consulting skills and selecting a specialization; In year 3, focus deeply on that specialization.

METI's “2025 Digital Cliff,” Part II

Japan Economy Watch • 239 implied HN points • 10 Apr 23
💼 Business Technology Salaries
  1. Japan faces a significant shortage of ICT professionals due to a shortfall in STEM students and low pay for ICT professionals.
  2. Japan ranks below average in key areas of ICT training, which impacts the preparedness of students for ICT occupations.
  3. Low pay in Japan contributes to a lack of interest in STEM careers, resulting in fewer university students majoring in STEM subjects.

Marc Andreessen: 'Founders Can't Raised Fund Without Understanding Risk-Cash Relation'| Running Great User Interview Using Y-Combinator Strategy | VC Remote Jobs and More

Venture Curator • 159 implied HN points • 31 Oct 23
💼 Business Startup funding Venture Capital Entrepreneurship Remote Jobs
  1. Understanding the relationship between risk and cash flow is crucial for founders to successfully raise funding.
  2. Peeling away layers of risk with each funding round can help founders attract more investment.
  3. During user interviews, focus on understanding user problems rather than pushing product features.

The Rise of the Agentic Workforce

Tanay’s Newsletter • 220 implied HN points • 29 Jan 25
💼 Business Startups Automation Market Trends
  1. AI is becoming more common in workplaces, taking on roles similar to human coworkers. This means more companies are using AI to help with tasks that were once done by people.
  2. These AI workers are designed to do specific jobs, promising to make work easier and faster. They are often created to handle certain tasks well, rather than do everything a human does.
  3. AI workers can change how businesses spend money, as they focus on labor budgets instead of software budgets. This could lead to new pricing models based on actual work done, rather than just user licenses.

How AI startups are building moats - by paying for them

Enterprise AI Trends • 443 implied HN points • 19 Jul 24
💼 Business Startups Mergers Data Technology Finance
  1. AI startups need to spend a lot of money to build strong defenses, like buying data and companies, instead of just focusing on AI features.
  2. Having unique data is more valuable for AI startups than having great technology or user experience.
  3. Established companies have a big advantage because they already own important data. New AI startups may struggle to compete without something really special.

Letter #77: Mark Zuckerberg (2012)

A Letter a Day • 176 implied HN points • 29 Apr 23
💼 Business Technology Entrepreneurship Culture Innovation
  1. Mark Zuckerberg founded Facebook with a mission to make the world more open and connected.
  2. Facebook aims to help improve personal relationships, business connections, and interactions between people and governments.
  3. The company operates by important core values including focusing on impact, moving fast, being bold, being open, and building social value.

The Cure to Many Corporate Ills

The Digital Leader Newsletter -- By John Rossman • 176 implied HN points • 18 May 23
💼 Business Leadership Innovation Strategy Decision-making
  1. Customer centricity is vital for businesses to succeed by focusing on customers' needs and expectations.
  2. Amazon's example shows the power of customer-centricity in driving innovation and improving customer experience.
  3. To become more customer-centric, businesses can start by defining what it means for them, exploring current examples, envisioning future scenarios, and drafting guidelines.