The hottest Entrepreneurship Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Business Topics

A Conversation

The Trick Revealed • 660 implied HN points • 22 Mar 26
đź’Ľ Business Entrepreneurship
  1. Telling a real, vulnerable personal story made people finally understand what we were building.
  2. The core problem was emotional — helping people reconnect with loved ones — so solving that human need matters more than listing features.
  3. Admitting you don’t have all the answers can open doors; honest conversation and mentorship can be more valuable than chasing funding.

Why We Make the Exeter Hammer

The American Peasant • 2715 implied HN points • 27 Oct 24
đź’Ľ Business Entrepreneurship
  1. The Exeter Hammer was developed over three years to create a lightweight, balanced tool ideal for furniture makers. It combines good design and functionality to improve woodworking tasks.
  2. The hammer's design process involved scrapping an earlier project that felt too similar to common hammers on the market. This led to creating a unique hammer that meets specific needs of woodworkers.
  3. The first 400 hammers sold quickly, showing a strong demand and approval from users. This success suggests that thoughtful design can resonate well with the target audience.

Earlywood: Take My Advice, I’m Not Using It

The American Peasant • 2555 implied HN points • 26 Oct 24
đź’Ľ Business Entrepreneurship
  1. Keep your day job until you are financially secure. It’s smart to build your business while you still have a steady income.
  2. Network with other creative people. Making friends in your field can lead to new opportunities and support when you need it.
  3. Learn a bit of everything. Knowing skills like photography and website design can save you money and help your business thrive.

The Anarchist’s Compass No. 1

The American Peasant • 2535 implied HN points • 23 Oct 24
đź’Ľ Business Entrepreneurship
  1. A businessman shared a wild story about buying a small publishing company. He revealed that the owner didn't know he was supposed to keep the cash in the company, and the buyer ended up getting the business almost for free.
  2. The room erupted in laughter when he shared how the situation turned out. It showed how sometimes, deals can have unexpected and surprising outcomes.
  3. This story highlights how important it is to understand business transactions and financial details. Misunderstandings can lead to big surprises for both buyers and sellers.

Two Drinks with . . . Bridgit Mendler, the Disney Star Turned Space Founder

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 171 implied HN points • 21 Mar 26
đź•ą Technology Entrepreneurship
  1. A former Disney actor has reinvented herself as the founder and CEO of a space-satellite company, showing that career pivots can link pop culture with cutting-edge tech.
  2. She credits relentless determination rather than innate genius for her success, saying that if she wants something she will find a way to make it happen.
  3. Her celebrity background and clear mission drew strong public interest and venture backing, helping the company secure major funding for antenna technology aimed at strengthening American capabilities.
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Against Introspection

The Ruffian • 589 implied HN points • 21 Mar 26
🎭️ Culture Entrepreneurship
  1. Many high achievers deliberately avoid deep introspection because action, speed, and focusing on the next task often produce better results and help them reach a flow state.
  2. Modern, self-obsessive forms of introspection are historically and culturally shaped—rooted in European religious and intellectual movements—so intense self-scrutiny isn’t a universal human trait.
  3. There’s a difference between useful self-improvement and prolonged self-laceration: modest reflection or channeling inner life into work can help, but excessive inward dwelling often harms happiness and performance.

One Product, Three Revenue Streams

Tiny Empires • 61 implied HN points • 13 Mar 26
đź’Ľ Business Entrepreneurship
  1. A single product can support three revenue streams: the core sale, audience monetization via sponsors or affiliates, and productized knowledge like guides, workshops, or consulting.
  2. For solo founders, three streams hit the sweet spot—diversify enough to cushion revenue shocks but avoid the extra maintenance that four or more streams create.
  3. Start with your existing customers: spot common needs, run cheap tests (an affiliate link, a short guide, or a consulting session), and scale whatever shows real demand to stabilize income.

Networked Conviction 005

Investing 101 • 55 implied HN points • 11 Mar 26
đź’Ľ Business Entrepreneurship
  1. Multidisciplinary skunkworks like Imagineering bring artists, engineers, storytellers, and others together to turn creative uncertainty into tangible products. They act as permanent studios that translate ideas into real experiences.
  2. Flagship Pioneering is a repeatable biotech incubator model that has spawned huge winners like Moderna and demonstrates how a discovery mechanism can generate major portfolio value. It shows the power of intentionally building companies from uncertainty.
  3. With AI creating exponentially more uncertainty, there’s a clear opportunity to adapt the Flagship model to systematically find and build AI deployment businesses. Replicating that incubator approach could turn AI-driven uncertainty into productive, investable companies.

Marissa Mayer: I Am a Software Girl

Magic + Loss • 238 implied HN points • 23 Oct 24
đź•ą Technology Entrepreneurship
  1. Marissa Mayer sees AI as a bright and helpful force in our lives, rather than something dangerous or negative. She believes it can enhance family and social experiences.
  2. She has a strong opinion against feminism, feeling it is too militant and not focused on merit. She thinks being a geek is more important than gender roles.
  3. Mayer enjoys various topics like fashion and art, showing that she has a diverse range of interests outside her tech career.

The Profile: The Spanx billionaire’s new invention & the DNA testing company running out of options

The Profile • 356 implied HN points • 20 Oct 24
đź’Ľ Business Entrepreneurship
  1. Telling stories from unexpected perspectives can make them more interesting. For example, focusing on a gravedigger during a famous event reveals a unique viewpoint.
  2. Sara Blakely created a new shoe that mixes style and comfort, but it has received mixed reactions. She sees this as a sign of innovation, even if some people think it's odd.
  3. 23andMe, a DNA testing company, is facing big challenges after a data breach and struggles to make a profit. Their future is uncertain as they try to stay relevant in the market.

five links for March 2026

Five Links (and three graphs) by Auren Hoffman • 689 implied HN points • 26 Feb 26
đź’Ľ Business Entrepreneurship
  1. People who take control and pursue unconventional, persistent approaches can dramatically change outcomes. Examples include self-directed medical choices, career comebacks, and relentless competitive training.
  2. Deep strategic thinking and a focus on endgames create an edge across fields like investing, chess, war, and technology. When openings and middles get standardized, late-stage planning and execution decide winners.
  3. Practical resources and vigilance matter: curated readings and conversations broaden perspective, while founders must watch for hidden term-sheet clauses that can strip control. Staying informed helps avoid traps and leverage new ideas.

My Book "The Origins of Efficiency" is Now Available for Preorder

Construction Physics • 43009 implied HN points • 12 Aug 25
đź’Ľ Business Entrepreneurship
  1. The book explores why the construction industry struggles with efficiency, despite efforts to modernize through factory-built methods.
  2. It highlights the failure of companies like Katerra to improve construction costs and productivity, revealing a lack of understanding about efficient processes.
  3. The author examines various production strategies used in other industries to identify what can genuinely lead to efficiency improvements in construction.

Management as AI superpower

One Useful Thing • 2598 implied HN points • 27 Jan 26
đź’Ľ Business Entrepreneurship
  1. Agentic AI lets people build working prototypes and explore multiple startup ideas far faster and much cheaper than before, cutting months and big costs out of early-stage work.
  2. Decide when to delegate by weighing how long the task would take you, how likely the AI is to succeed, and how much time it takes to prompt and review outputs. Improving the AI's success probability or lowering review overhead makes delegation more worthwhile.
  3. Traditional management skills—clear goals, specific deliverables, limits of authority, and good feedback—are now the key to getting useful work from AI agents, and common documents like PRDs or orders make excellent prompts.

SpaceX Evolution (Appendix C: Why SpaceX Not NASA)

Chris’s Substack • 79 implied HN points • 25 Oct 24
đź•ą Technology Entrepreneurship
  1. NASA has become more inefficient over time, losing its ability to innovate and push space technology as its bureaucracy has grown.
  2. In contrast, SpaceX is agile and focused, quickly developing new technology without the red tape that hampers NASA's progress.
  3. NASA's current projects may be less ambitious than what SpaceX could achieve, highlighting SpaceX's crucial role in future space exploration.

A Wave Is Coming

Midwest Humble • 65 implied HN points • 17 Mar 26
đź’Ľ Business Entrepreneurship
  1. Entrepreneurship through acquisition (ETA) is a practical way to preserve local businesses as baby‑boomer owners retire, and it can prevent job losses by keeping companies open.
  2. Targeted programs and investment that help women, POC, and Black leaders buy Main Street businesses can shift regional wealth and ownership with just a few acquisitions each year.
  3. Community and nonprofit leadership skills translate well to business ownership, and buying established companies often offers a higher chance of success than launching risky new startups.

The $1000 side-project

Tiny Empires • 306 implied HN points • 21 Feb 26
đź’Ľ Business Entrepreneurship
  1. Pick a tiny, focused product you can build and sell quickly so you learn what customers actually want instead of spending months on something no one buys.
  2. Solve problems you personally understand and validate early by selling manually to your first customers; direct feedback from those first sales beats fancy marketing funnels at the start.
  3. Price your product properly, keep costs minimal, and commit to one compounding marketing channel so revenue can grow sustainably — higher prices and low expenses make $1k/month actually useful.

How Do VCs Really Make Decisions?đź’ˇ

The VC Corner • 459 implied HN points • 10 Sep 24
đź’Ľ Business Entrepreneurship
  1. VCs find deals through strong networks and relationships, not just random pitches. They carefully prune their opportunities, meaning a standout startup has a better chance of getting noticed.
  2. When it comes to choosing which startups to invest in, VCs place a big emphasis on the management team and the market potential. A great team can adapt and succeed, no matter how the market changes.
  3. Valuation is a delicate balance where VCs analyze exit opportunities and compare with similar companies. They aim for high returns, especially on early-stage investments, which comes with a lot of risk.

Why You Should Focus On Making Your Decisions Right

Remarkable People • 639 implied HN points • 04 Sep 24
đź’Ľ Business Entrepreneurship
  1. Striving for a perfect decision can hold you back. It's better to focus on making your decision work instead of aiming for perfection.
  2. Committing to your decision is key. Once you make a choice, throw yourself into it and make the best of the situation.
  3. Be open to change and learn from each decision. Adapting and understanding what works can help you improve next time.

🎯 The Ultimate Pitch Deck Collection

The VC Corner • 739 implied HN points • 31 Aug 24
đź’Ľ Business Entrepreneurship
  1. A good pitch deck should include essential slides that clearly outline your business, like the problem you're solving and your market opportunity. This structure helps investors understand your idea quickly.
  2. Telling a compelling story around your startup's journey is crucial. It helps investors connect emotionally and see the value of what you're doing.
  3. Design matters a lot in a pitch deck. A clean and modern design can make your presentation look professional and helps communicate that you are serious about your business.

Morris Chang and the Origins of TSMC

Construction Physics • 46767 implied HN points • 31 Dec 24
đź•ą Technology Entrepreneurship
  1. Morris Chang founded TSMC in 1985, turning it into a key player in the semiconductor industry. He saw the need for a company that could manufacture chips for others, which allowed many new companies to emerge.
  2. Chang's journey was not smooth; he faced many challenges and failures before achieving success with TSMC. Much of his early career included tough breaks, but he persevered and created something significant.
  3. TSMC's unique business model changed how semiconductor companies operated by providing manufacturing services without competing directly with clients. This innovation helped TSMC grow quickly and become vital for tech giants like Apple and Intel.

Why True Friendship is Built on Unconditional Kindness

The Profile • 277 implied HN points • 06 Oct 24
đź’Ľ Business Entrepreneurship
  1. Kindness can make a big difference in someone's life. Small acts of kindness can create lasting memories and connections.
  2. People often remember those who showed them genuine kindness over time. It's those warm moments that stand out in our hearts.
  3. Choosing kindness in tough situations is rare but important. It can help people feel seen and supported when they need it the most.

Market Sizing 101

The VC Corner • 759 implied HN points • 23 Aug 24
đź’Ľ Business Entrepreneurship
  1. Understanding the size of your market is crucial for attracting investors and growing your business. A clear market size can make your pitch stand out.
  2. Market sizing involves knowing categories like Total Addressable Market (TAM) and Serviceable Available Market (SAM). These help you understand how big your market really is and how much of it you can reach.
  3. Many founders get stuck on the idea of a 'billion-dollar market'. It's important to look at market size more deeply, rather than just chasing big numbers. This helps avoid bad assumptions and discover real opportunities.

Behind $800M in Funding: 25+ Successful Startup Pitch Decks đź’°

The VC Corner • 699 implied HN points • 24 Aug 24
đź’Ľ Business Entrepreneurship
  1. A good pitch deck shows what your business is about and why it's valuable. It helps convince investors to trust your project and consider investing.
  2. Successful pitch decks make complicated ideas easy to understand. This is important so investors know what you're offering, even if they aren't experts in your field.
  3. To stand out, you need to show what makes your business special. Highlighting your unique approach helps attract interest in a competitive market.

Living beyond the edge

The Leap • 919 implied HN points • 15 Aug 24
đź’Ľ Business Entrepreneurship
  1. Skill and luck both play important roles in success, and understanding their balance can help us navigate challenges better.
  2. Nate Silver's new book dives into how to make decisions when facing uncertainty, which is relevant in today's world.
  3. Historically significant moments in tech, like the founding of PayPal, highlight the importance of timing and opportunity in achieving greatness.

"There is no room for small dreams"

The Future Does Not Fit In The Containers Of The Past • 72 implied HN points • 01 Mar 26
đź’Ľ Business Entrepreneurship
  1. Break down silos and work as teams across functions; collaborate, orchestrate efforts, and hold everyone accountable so no one acts above the group.
  2. Keep a start-up mindset and stay forever young by continually reinventing, launching new ideas, and treating failure as a learning step.
  3. Trust quickly and be optimistic; trust is binary and enables speed and high performance, and bold optimism pushes you to aim high rather than settle for small dreams.

An Unforced Error; Try Not to Make Em

Points And Figures • 772 implied HN points • 29 Jan 26
đź’Ľ Business Entrepreneurship
  1. Don’t mix politics into your product or use customer data for political causes, because it easily alienates users and can sink a startup.
  2. Keep your ego in check; overconfidence and not listening lead to avoidable mistakes and failure.
  3. Lead by serving others: take responsibility, lift your team, pay attention to details, and learn by following before trying to lead.

Legible To Yourself

Investing 101 • 124 implied HN points • 22 Feb 26
đź’Ľ Business Entrepreneurship
  1. Knowing yourself clearly is a superpower: it makes your choices, work, and relationships line up and attracts the right opportunities.
  2. There should be no divide between work and play — a unified life means you’re building toward the truest version of yourself instead of living in separate roles.
  3. If you can state your personal "equation" (your core inputs and priorities), everyone understands what to expect; that shared clarity cuts conflict, helps others support you, and lets your influence scale.

You Shouldn't Start a Newsletter in 2024

Kristina God's Online Writing Club • 3776 implied HN points • 24 May 24
đź’Ľ Business Entrepreneurship
  1. You don't need a big following to start a newsletter. You can grow your email list right from the beginning, and it's more valuable than just chasing followers.
  2. You can write about broad topics and narrow down later. Starting vague is okay, and you can figure out your niche as you go along.
  3. Having a small, engaged audience can be more profitable than a large one. Even with just a few subscribers, you can still earn good money if they truly care about your content.

The Ultimate Investors List of Lists (Extended) 🚀

The VC Corner • 199 implied HN points • 13 Sep 24
đź’Ľ Business Entrepreneurship
  1. Finding the right investors is super important for startup success. Connecting with the right people can really help your business grow.
  2. Using curated lists of investors saves you time. Instead of searching for hours, you can quickly find potential investors interested in your startup.
  3. Having access to a variety of potential investors increases your chances of success. The more options you have, the better your chances to find the right match.

Expanding Ecosystems

Midwest Humble • 58 implied HN points • 12 Mar 26
đź’Ľ Business Entrepreneurship
  1. Michigan has a large, talented pool of women in tech who aren’t becoming founders at the same rate as men, and activating that talent could create more local founders and jobs.
  2. Joining high-growth startups accelerates learning and gives broad exposure, plus equity that can translate into long-term ownership and wealth.
  3. The state needs more structured supports—clear talent propositions, relocation/stipend options, and stronger networks and job pathways—to attract, retain, and grow more women founders locally.

The Fastest Way to Make Money with Your Newsletter in 2024 📧

Kristina God's Online Writing Club • 1878 implied HN points • 06 Jul 24
đź’Ľ Business Entrepreneurship
  1. Short newsletters are becoming more popular. People prefer quick reads over long articles.
  2. Atomic newsletters focus on one idea and are usually around 250 words. This makes it easier to create content and determine what your audience likes.
  3. To make money from newsletters, use methods like affiliate links or sponsorships. This can help you earn income without much extra effort.

The confidential YouTube Investment Memo by Sequoia you were never meant to see

The VC Corner • 519 implied HN points • 21 Aug 24
đź’Ľ Business Entrepreneurship
  1. Sequoia Capital's investment memo shows how they viewed YouTube as a potential leader in user-generated video. They spotted emerging trends like cheaper video equipment and better internet access that would help YouTube grow.
  2. The memo highlights the importance of a clear, simple investment thesis. The way Roelof Botha presented his ideas was straightforward and confident, making it easier for others to understand his vision.
  3. By analyzing both risks and opportunities, the memo provides a valuable lesson in balanced investing. Recognizing what could go wrong while staying focused on the potential for success is key in venture capital.

What Do You Invest in?

Pratyush’s Newsletter • 79 implied HN points • 16 Oct 24
đź’Ľ Business Entrepreneurship
  1. Investors should look for unique founders who stand out with exceptional traits, like intelligence and grit. A well-rounded person often doesn't lead to great investments.
  2. Successful companies often become the top choice in their category and have strong characteristics that help them stay ahead. These can include tricky competition or special technology.
  3. Timing is crucial; it's better to invest in companies before they become popular in the market. If everyone's already paying attention, it might be too late to find a winner.

Source Control

The Chip Letter • 6989 implied HN points • 06 Aug 25
đź•ą Technology Entrepreneurship
  1. Bill Gates wrote 'Source Code' to share his life story and his experiences leading up to Microsoft. He aims to help others understand his decisions and the people around him.
  2. Gates had many advantages growing up, like attending a good school and having a supportive father. These opportunities helped him immensely in his early business ventures.
  3. He has a strong desire for control, as seen in his business decisions and in how he relates to projects. This trait has shaped both Microsoft and his philanthropic work.

Founders - stop using AI to write your investor emails.

1517 Fund • 787 implied HN points • 15 Jan 26
đź’Ľ Business Entrepreneurship
  1. Investors can tell when emails are AI-generated, and that usually kills trust and makes them skip your message.
  2. How you write reveals how you think and make decisions, and polished AI copy hides those signals so investors can't judge your competence.
  3. Fundraising is about real relationships and your unique story, so outsourcing emails to AI looks lazy and flattens the personal edge that gets investors interested.

🌕 Occupy Luna: Elon Musk's gravity arbitrage

Faster, Please! • 365 implied HN points • 11 Feb 26
đź•ą Technology Entrepreneurship
  1. SpaceX’s new Moon focus shows private companies can lead human expansion off Earth and open commercial opportunities on the Moon.
  2. Promoting lunar colonization as public policy is being argued as a practical way to spur economic growth, technological progress, and long-term prosperity.
  3. The Moon push signals a convergence between entrepreneurial space ventures and pro-growth, capitalist ideas about humanity’s future in space.

What I Learned from Bob Cialdini

Remarkable People • 339 implied HN points • 28 Aug 24
đź’Ľ Business Entrepreneurship
  1. Reciprocity is powerful. When you do something nice for someone, they feel compelled to return the favor. This helps build trust and strong relationships.
  2. Cialdini's six principles of influence include social proof, authority, and scarcity. Using these ideas can make your messages more effective and persuasive.
  3. It's important to use persuasion ethically. The goal should be to create a win-win situation, where everyone feels good about the outcome.

Cadeau : une formation gratuite

L'Atelier Galita • 79 implied HN points • 13 Oct 24
đź’Ľ Business Entrepreneurship
  1. There's a free training available on how to sell if you don't like selling. It's a chance to learn useful skills without any cost.
  2. This training is available for a limited time of 24 hours, specifically for premium members. It's a special offer to appreciate loyal subscribers.
  3. The training focuses on the basics of copywriting, which can help improve selling techniques. Even if you're not a fan of sales, these tips can be valuable.

Stop Monitoring The Situation

Indian Bronson • 12 implied HN points • 09 Mar 26
đź’Ľ Business Entrepreneurship
  1. Stop obsessively monitoring crises and let events unfold; doing so lowers stress and frees your attention for productive work.
  2. AI models and cheap infrastructure create rare, low-cost opportunities to build useful, monetizable services or automations.
  3. While many people are distracted by politics and war, focus this week on creating or automating something useful to gain an edge.

A Season of Creative Partnerships

Tech and Tea • 164 implied HN points • 18 Feb 26
đź’Ľ Business Entrepreneurship
  1. Leaving full-time work opened up creative energy that’s now being poured into collaborative projects with friends, and building together feels energizing and leverages complementary strengths.
  2. Practical offerings have been launched—courses like DRI Your Career and EM Survival Guide plus a fractional leadership firm (Noodle Labs)—all designed to be accessible, hands-on support for early-stage teams and managers.
  3. Making space for creativity is still a priority through a journaling course and small local projects like a neighborhood trinket trade box, emphasizing meaningful, joyful work over things that must scale.