The hottest Success Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Business Topics

Desire isn't a strategy

Sunday Letters • 139 implied HN points • 13 Mar 22
💼 Business Success
  1. Desire alone is not a strategy; it lacks specific actions and directions. A clear strategy needs to tell you what steps to take and what to avoid.
  2. Many people confuse goals with strategies. Goals like 'getting rich' are vague, while a strategy like 'specializing in field X' is more actionable.
  3. Successful companies have clear strategies that guide their actions and decisions. If a plan doesn’t outline specific tactics, it’s probably just a wish rather than a real strategy.

Work isn't what you think it is

Sunday Letters • 159 implied HN points • 17 Oct 21
💼 Business Success
  1. Your career path is unique, and it’s shaped by random events and choices, not just a clear plan. Don’t try to follow someone else’s journey; create your own.
  2. Having a lot of impact in what you do is key to long-term success. Focus on what matters to you and makes a difference.
  3. Passion for your work can lead to success and satisfaction. Enjoying what you do doesn’t mean it’s not valuable, so embrace what you love.

My Book, Get Funded!, Is 50% Off This Weekend!

Startup Strategies • 14 implied HN points • 13 Jun 25
💼 Business Success
  1. The book 'Get Funded!' offers essential tips on how to successfully secure funding for your startup or project. It's a helpful resource for anyone looking to raise money.
  2. Right now, the book is available at a 50% discount, making it a great time to buy if you're interested in learning about fundraising.
  3. Despite being published in 2020, the book has continued to be popular and relevant, showing that good advice lasts over time.
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Defining Your North Star

Mindset Mastery • 19 implied HN points • 10 Apr 23
💼 Business Success
  1. Defining Your North Star is about choosing a direction, not just a destination.
  2. Supporting newsletters financially helps access subscriber-only content.
  3. Consider sharing valuable content with others in your creative community.

5/19/2023: The Wonder Boy Tragedy

The Great Reset Diary 2022- • 19 implied HN points • 19 May 23
💼 Business Success
  1. Success can be detrimental, especially for extremely successful people who may struggle to cope with their situation.
  2. Extremely successful individuals are often treated as symbols and icons, leading to a disconnect in human interactions and judgment.
  3. Having honest friends who can provide accountability and keep individuals grounded may help prevent self-destructive behavior in the face of extreme success.

The Ladder of Prestige

David Reis on Software • 59 implied HN points • 10 Feb 24
💼 Business Success
  1. Understanding and cultivating prestige is crucial for career advancement.
  2. Prestige is granted by association and is easier to measure than competence.
  3. Climbing the ladder of prestige involves strategically associating with increasingly prestigious institutions.

The Price of Success

YouTopian Journey • 87 implied HN points • 23 Jul 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Success
  1. Success comes with a price that must be paid: time, commitment, sacrifice, setbacks, and isolation.
  2. To achieve success, one must be willing to go all the way, facing challenges, failures, and isolation with determination.
  3. The path to success involves pushing past doubts, prioritizing goals, embracing failures, and persevering through obstacles.

From Procrastination to Productivity: The Pre-Coding Checklist

Weekend Developer • 19 implied HN points • 12 May 23
🚌 Education Success
  1. Having a pre-coding routine can help you focus and get started on your tasks more effectively.
  2. Visualizing and planning your tasks the evening before can help your subconscious start working on solutions.
  3. Creating cues, like setting reminders and writing down intentions, can help you establish productive habits and reduce the need for constant motivation.

The Rise and Fall of Bernard Tapie

Integrity Talk • 66 implied HN points • 27 Oct 23
💾 History Success
  1. Bernard Tapie had a diverse career, from successful businessman to singer and TV host.
  2. Tapie's success in acquiring bankrupt companies was tainted by scandals like corruption and embezzlement.
  3. Despite controversies, Tapie's story is a mix of ambition and moral complexity, showing an unconventional path to success.

Now 5 years later on...

The ZIPster • 44 implied HN points • 01 Mar 24
💼 Business Success
  1. Selling a business can bring positive changes and open up new opportunities for simpler, more fulfilling pursuits.
  2. Lessons learned from past entrepreneurial failures can pave the way for eventual success.
  3. Retirement can offer the chance to explore new hobbies, learn new skills, and enjoy leisure time with loved ones.

Nick Saban Rejects the Gerontocracy

House of Strauss • 45 implied HN points • 12 Jan 24
🎾 Sports Success
  1. Nick Saban's retirement as a top coach at age 72 was a rare and thoughtful decision in sports.
  2. The concept of gerontocracy, where older individuals persist in power, is notable in both sports and politics.
  3. Recognizing one's limitations with age and gracefully passing responsibilities to the next generation is a wise and necessary practice.

What businesses, governments, and leaders should learn from Bell Labs [Storytime Saturdays]

Technology Made Simple • 19 implied HN points • 30 Oct 22
💼 Business Success
  1. Bell Labs was responsible for inventing remarkable technological advancements like the C programming language, Solar Cells, the Laser, and the UNIX operating system in just 10 years.
  2. Nine Nobel Prizes have been awarded for work done at Bell Labs, indicating the exceptional level of innovation and achievement within the organization.
  3. The special environment at Bell Labs fostered innovation and collaboration, setting a prime example for businesses, governments, and leaders looking to create successful and groundbreaking ideas.

How Phil Jackson Was Great While Being "Bad"

House of Strauss • 64 implied HN points • 27 Apr 23
🎾 Sports Success
  1. The media can sensationalize and distort complex stories into soundbites for quick, angry reactions.
  2. Successful coaching often involves individualized management strategies and balancing structure with freedom.
  3. Phil Jackson's coaching success was rooted in understanding and connecting with players as individuals, even amidst societal and personal contradictions.

Gilbert Arenas Shows Success is Built on Boring

House of Strauss • 33 implied HN points • 14 Mar 24
🎾 Sports Success
  1. Success often comes from mastering the basics and being consistent rather than seeking flashy shortcuts.
  2. Persistence and commitment to tedious tasks can lead to significant growth and improvement over time.
  3. Embracing boredom and putting in the repetitive work can be a key factor in achieving long-term success in various aspects of life.

How to Lose Money Quickly

Very Fine Day • 42 implied HN points • 19 Mar 23
💼 Business Success
  1. Success in media is not just about the idea or people, it's often about the money and big expectations
  2. Many large investments in media brands are more about power and influence than profit
  3. Creating a successful media brand requires starting small, being nimble, and not just throwing money at the problem

3 Pillars of Career Success | LSW#42

The Leading Sapiens Weekly • 20 implied HN points • 09 Feb 24
💼 Business Success
  1. Confident ignorance often wins out over conscientious intelligence in workplaces, limiting career growth and impact.
  2. Beyond self and technical competence, organizational competence is a critical pillar for long-term career success.
  3. Successful careers involve understanding the art of organizational savvy and navigating workplace dynamics effectively.

Start the week #84

Eclecticism: Reflections on literature, writing and life • 9 implied HN points • 29 Oct 24
🎭️ Culture Success
  1. Modesty isn't the same as being jealous of others' success. It’s okay to celebrate achievements without feeling bad about it.
  2. People often react differently when you share news of success, especially in different cultures. Americans can be more supportive, while some in England might be less encouraging.
  3. Feeling overwhelmed by constant bragging can make someone unsubscribe or mute others on social media. It's fine to want a balance and appreciate modesty in sharing achievements.

How to Get Lucky

polymathematics • 19 implied HN points • 10 Jun 22
📖 Philosophy Success
  1. To get lucky, you need to take more chances. The more you try, the better your odds of succeeding.
  2. Staying committed to your goals for a long time can increase your chances of luck.
  3. Being active and involved is better than just watching from the sidelines if you want to find success.

Luck and Leadership

Fish Food for Thought • 15 implied HN points • 06 Mar 24
💼 Business Success
  1. Successful leaders have a complex relationship with luck, involving factors like preparation, control, confidence, and opportunity.
  2. An excess of any element in the luck equation can lead to diminishing returns or negative outcomes.
  3. Effective leadership requires a delicate balance in managing preparation, control, confidence, seizing opportunities, and knowing when to say 'no.'

Hên

Thái | Hacker | Kỹ sư tin tặc • 99 implied HN points • 29 Nov 17
📖 Philosophy Success
  1. Success is often influenced by luck and fortunate circumstances.
  2. Comparing oneself to others based on success is not productive, as each person's journey is shaped by different levels of luck and misfortune.
  3. Embrace and make the most of the opportunities and luck that come your way, while also working hard to create positive impacts and share knowledge with others.

Jack Welch's Theory of Leadership: A Model for Failure in the 21st Century

The Geek Way • 1 HN point • 01 Apr 24
💼 Business Success
  1. Encouraging vulnerability in the workplace can lead to malingering, which can harm cooperation within a team.
  2. Model 1 leadership norms, like taking charge and minimizing losing, may not be suitable for running a modern company that requires adaptation to change.
  3. Defensiveness in Model 1 leadership can hinder innovation and prevent companies from thriving in a rapidly changing business landscape.

MOSIS

FreakTakes • 13 implied HN points • 05 Nov 23
🕹 Technology Success
  1. MOSIS project facilitated cheaper and faster access to computer chips for researchers in the 1980s.
  2. The program encouraged modularity, open interfaces, and coordination to enhance research feedback cycles.
  3. MOSIS played a key role in advancing semiconductor design by enabling unbundling of design and production tasks.

Humility

Fish Food for Thought • 15 implied HN points • 24 May 23
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Success
  1. Humility is essential for effective leaders and long-term success.
  2. Level 5 leaders combine deep personal humility with intense professional will.
  3. Leaders should practice humility by listening, sharing credit, and admitting mistakes.

Founder Fuck-ups #03: Quitting my job at idea stage and pouring all my savings

Founder Fuck-ups • 1 HN point • 21 Feb 24
💼 Business Success
  1. Consider working on your business idea part-time while keeping a full-time job to reduce risk.
  2. Validate your business idea by getting traction from early customers before taking major risks like quitting a job and investing all savings.
  3. Instead of investing all your savings, explore options like raising capital from various sources to validate your competence and business concept.

The Nature of Evil

We're Gonna Get Those Bastards • 9 implied HN points • 08 Jan 24
📖 Philosophy Success
  1. Evil is not just about extreme actions like murder or destruction, but can also be seen in subtle forms like character assassination.
  2. Hatred of the good for being good is a key aspect of evil - being envious or resentful of someone's success or virtues is a manifestation of this.
  3. Being able to genuinely celebrate and feel happy for someone else's achievements is a mark of goodness, while harboring resentment towards others for their success is a sign of evil.

The Diversity Paradox.

Trying to Understand the World • 8 implied HN points • 21 Feb 24
📖 Philosophy Success
  1. The Diversity Paradox signifies a situation where despite increased diversity in organizations, systems at all levels are failing to function effectively. More than just numerical diversity, organizations need to focus on excellence and purpose to thrive.
  2. In today's society, success is often measured by power, money, and formal status, but this focus on external markers can attract the wrong individuals and prioritize image over actual capabilities.
  3. To operate successfully, organizations and individuals should strive to fulfill their true purpose, ensure excellence, and avoid succumbing to a culture of ego-gratification and narcissism that can lead to dysfunction.