Read like the man who built New York

The man who built New York

Robert Moses is a well-known urban planner who shaped the New York that we know today.

When Robert was in college at Yale, he was known for his voracious reading habit.

His books varied in subject matter, making his library very eclectic.

It was said that Robert spent nights behind closed doors reading. Not for grades, but for play.

What am I getting at? 🤔

One of the most significant growth hacks (in a world obsessed with growth hacking), is reading.

But as much as we aspire to, we don’t read enough.

Founders have busy schedules but finding the time to read is a must.

“People don’t read as much as they say they do”. - David Perell.

The above statement struck me when I first read it. Because I felt so guilty.

I claim to be an avid reader but if I’m being honest, I probably read about 30 minutes a week.

Reading sparks ideas.

It creates connections between the past and presents that we otherwise would not make.

As a founder, those connections could mean a breakthrough to a complex business problem.

The wisdom hidden between pages is unmatched.

How to read more..📚

• Time block. Take about 30 minutes a day and set it aside for focused reading. You’ll be surprised by the ground you cover in those 30 minutes.

• Read based on where your interest is at the moment. We often think that if we start a book we must commit to it. I don’t. One day my interest may be in physics, so I’ll pick up “6 easy pieces” and the next I’ll take a delight in business, so I’ll pick up “Zero to one”. The only thing that has to stay consistent in reading is making sure that we do it every day.

• Don’t feel like you have to read the entire book. This is one of the biggest challenges for most people. I don’t know where we got the notion that we have to read an entire book to say that we “read” it, but it is completely false. Especially given the fact that some books could’ve just been blog posts instead of actual books. Take what you need from the book and move on.

The wrap-up 🎁

Reading should be a part of our daily habits.

The gateway to the ideas that bring about new businesses and business models that we adopt can be found in books.

It all starts with making the commitment to becoming a lifelong learner (I know, a bit cliche).

One☝🏾last thing

I have a huge opportunity in front of me and I won’t be publishing for the next week (maybe two).

I have to give this opportunity my full attention to produce the best outcome!

Thank you to everyone who reads and enjoys these stories as I share them.

Once I get the confirmation on which way this opportunity will go, I will be back with further details and where we go from there!

Recommendations 🎤

👉🏾 If you’re following this newsletter you probably love entrepreneurial stories and the lessons they can teach you. Well, my buddy Mac sends out a newsletter where he gives actionable advice to help you bootstrap your company to 20k+ MRR!

Check out The SaaS Bootstrapper

👉🏾 Continuing on the founders trail, my buddy Virgil Built an education company from $0 to $10M in 4 years. Now, he shares lessons of his journey and how you can monetize your mind and grow your business.

Check out The Building Block

👉🏾 The creator economy is BOOMING and it’s showing no signs of slowing down. What better way to keep up with the trends of the creator boom than having in-depth analysis of what’s catching fire sent straight to your inbox? That’s what my friends over at Thousand Faces Club are doing! You’ll get in-depth analysis to the current trends happening in the creator world. As well as the new faces that are popping up on the creator scene.

Check out Thousand Faces Club