Forget About Time /  by Alexander Lyadov

 

Manage your energy, not your time.

I came across this idea about 10 years ago, and since then, I can't forget it.

Energy is vitality, health, clarity of thinking, and so on.

If your work is routine, then a cold or lack of sleep is not scary.

But it's different when your decisions are in the super-reward, super-risk zone.

With 80% of your attention, you won't win the Dakar rally or sell your business.

And what about time? It's a secondary factor, and there's no point in counting it.

When you're exhausted, a trivial task can stretch into a whole day.

But when you're at your peak, all problems seem to solve themselves.

So, on a scale of 1 to 10, what is your energy level right now?

Yours sincerely,

-Alexander

You can help Ukraine defend itself and the World from Russian aggression here.

”Who are you and what do you do?"
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Entrepreneur in Flames /  by Alexander Lyadov

 

"I woke up in a clean room, my face touched by the sun's rays. Outside the window, lush trees swayed. I felt an indescribable calmness in my soul". So the founder began the story of his burn-out.

Burnout is akin to a company going bankrupt, when the debtor is unable to fulfill his (or her) obligations to the creditor.

The founder borrows energy from nature and "forgets" to return it. Alcohol, nicotine, amphetamines, and of course, the whip of willpower come into play.

A entrepreneur I know would fuel himself with excess coffee every morning and couldn't slow down without a glass of whisky to help him fall asleep at night.

Artificial stimulation is somewhat understandable when it comes to one-off stress, such as attracting an investment round or a shareholder conflict.

But "revving up" for years is like eating one's own flesh. One day, the body will rebel and stage a palace coup.

This is how the founder loses willpower, adaptability, and interest in business.

Sometimes wise Nature silences the mind by having the body hospitalized.

What is the way out? Reassessment of values, disciplining and building habits.

Just like filling the gas tank halfway in a car instead of waiting until it hits empty.

Yours sincerely,

-Alexander

You can help Ukraine defend itself and the World from Russian aggression here.

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Creativity in negotiation. Part 8: A dangerous partner /  by Alexander Lyadov

Want to master the art of negotiation?

It all begins with selecting the right puppy.

Puzzled? I will explain.

An instructor with 40 years of experience once told me: "No subsequent efforts can turn a coward into a hero. Start with the right puppy and the rest will fall into place."

The same approach applies to business negotiations. You may think that the most important thing is to have tactical skills in this mental battle. But if your counterpart is a fraud, psychopath, or liar, then any attempts to reach an agreement will be futile. While you are pondering whether to move your knight or pawn, he (or she) is stealing your queen from the board. Like melting snow on a mountain, he is just waiting for a good opportunity to unleash an avalanche on you. In his imagination, the predator has already eaten you. For him, the subject of negotiations is to devour you in pieces or all at once.

You may argue that one needs to be able to defend oneself against evil intentions. Yes, but I remember cases where even very smart people were deceived by a professional liar. The society of Alcoholics Anonymous has a valuable rule: "If you don't want to slip, stay away from slippery places." It is much more effective to develop in yourself the ability to distinguish dangerous partners, so as not to enter negotiations at all or to timely catapult yourself out of them.

This is true even for one-time transactions. Therefore, for example, experienced founders choose not the buyer who offered the highest price for their company at auction, but the one who has a reputation for fulfilling promises. I remember "miraculous" deals that were rolled back or stuck in courts for many years.

But the entrance control becomes especially critical for relationships with a long horizon. We are talking about choosing an investor, co-founder, long-term landlord, or even a client. No matter how good the contract is, if your partner is toxic by nature, it's like going into the mountains with a coward or getting stuck in an elevator with a jerk. By definition, nothing good can happen to you there.

All successful, that is, surviving entrepreneurs have had negative experiences in the past. As a result, each one developed their own lie detector and litmus paper to test the partner's acidity level. Of course, no one wants to immediately clarify suspicions or exacerbate the first contradictions, risking spoiling a tempting partnership. However, experienced entrepreneurs know for sure that a small diagnosis at the beginning eliminates the need for major surgery in the future.

You can help Ukraine defend itself and the World from Russian aggression here.

”Who are you and what do you do?"
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Escaping the Spider's Web /  by Alexander Lyadov

Why is it so difficult to solve some of your business problems?

They're like spider webs - attempts to break free only tangle you up even more.

The catch isn't the trap, or even the spider who spun it.

The point is that your mind feels like a paralyzed bumblebee.

In jiu-jitsu, there's a phrase: "The opponent has imposed his game on you."

When I was almost choked out at the championship, I had an insight:

"It wasn't his fingers squeezing my throat, it was my throat that captured them!"

I threw my enthusiastic opponent over myself and took gold home.

A paradoxical thought swapped victim and hunter.

The same reversal needs to be done when you're stuck.

All traps and ways out of them are very similar, ultimately.

Of course, it would be great to detect any ambush in advance.

But it's much more practical to have the skill to turn any situation from "-" to "+".

Yours sincerely,

-Alexander

You can help Ukraine defend itself and the World from Russian aggression here.

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There Are No Accidents? /  by Alexander Lyadov

You weren't late to the meeting because of traffic.

Internally, you resisted the meeting, but couldn't refuse.

There are no accidents — they are caused by secret desires.

But not everyone is ready to admit this to themselves.

It's easier, and above all, safer to blame circumstances or people.

Otherwise, you'll have to answer, "Why couldn't I say no?"

It could be anything – guilt, temptation, fear, pity, etc.

This created an unconscious dilemma – to go or not to go.

You can't choose because each option is flawed in its own way.

Your mind races like a dragonfly in a spider's web, wasting energy in vain.

Now imagine that there is not just one dilemma, but dozens in your mind.

The bad news is: There's not enough energy for the really worthwhile stuff.

The good news is: All your dilemmas are similar, like a fractal.

Yours sincerely,

-Alexander

You can help Ukraine defend itself and the World from Russian aggression here.

”Who are you and what do you do?"
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A Fertile Void /  by Alexander Lyadov

 

One extreme is not noticing the value of what you have always had.

The other extreme is not letting go of what drags you down.

The misconception that there is nothing in emptiness causes the fear of letting go.

In reality, it is as fertile as soil rested over the winter.

Moreover, it is in the black soil of emptiness that the True You sprouts.

It is better not to rush and to frolic in the ocean of possibilities.

Consider it a stage of scientific research - the process of R&D.

All that is required is openness, patience, and iterations.

You are bound to find something important, or rather, it will find you.

Yours sincerely,

-Alexander

You can help Ukraine defend itself and the World from Russian aggression here.

”Who are you and what do you do?"
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A Ripe Question /  by Alexander Lyadov

Eagerly searching for new opportunities is a futile effort...

...if you easily let go of what you already have.

When resources are abundant, no one counts the return on investment.

But eventually, the absurdity of this race will exhaust and horrify you.

The right question will finally ripen and arise within you:

"How can I multiply what I have without losing anything?"

Yours sincerely,

-Alexander

You can help Ukraine defend itself and the World from Russian aggression here.

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The Secret Source of All Opportunities /  by Alexander Lyadov

 

If you are in a resourceful state, opportunities will find you.

But in depression, you will stumble over a gold ingot and pass it by.

Opportunity is like a joke, it requires being in the here and now.

Such openness presupposes not a shortage, but an excess of resources.

Where did the energy go? Often into stress due to an unresolved dilemma.

Lifting a weight is not a problem, but try carrying it for half an hour.

We carry the weight of dilemmas constantly, not resting even at night.

Therefore, it is sad and strange to hear complaints that there are no opportunities.

The mistake people make is that they look outward instead of inward.

It is enough to free oneself from at least some of the dilemmas, and immediately the sails are filled with strong wind.

So the most important task is to take full charge of yourself.

And what about opportunities? Oh, they have always been, are, and will be.

Yours sincerely,

-Alexander

You can help Ukraine defend itself and the World from Russian aggression here.

”Who are you and what do you do?"
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Where Confidence Comes From? /  by Alexander Lyadov

If you don't feel confidence in yourself, it means you're lost.

You can either scold yourself for it or acknowledge it as a useful signal.

When your life is predictable and understandable, there are no doubts.

It's different when you're surrounded by an unfamiliar landscape.

Quickly moving on autopilot is fraught with disaster.

At the very least, confusion arises; at most, paralysis and shock.

Should you freeze or run? Where to - south, north, east, or west?

A healthy mind should feel uncertainty in a new environment.

But you can't stay in a state of bewildered paralysis for long.

The person becomes highly vulnerable and expends a lot of energy in vain.

The solution is to transform the unfamiliar environment as quickly as possible.

You need to study the wildness, contain the fire, and domesticate the beast.

As the deep forest is transformed into a park, confusion disappears.

It's easy to guess which people are predominantly confident.

They have learned how to turn almost any chaos into a new order.

Yours sincerely,

-Alexander

You can help Ukraine defend itself and the World from Russian aggression here.

”Who are you and what do you do?"
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What Is the Price of Freedom? /  by Alexander Lyadov

Are nightingales, moles, or wild dingoes free? No, because none of them are aware of their freedom. Animals are controlled by their species’ instincts, not subjective will. In this sense, not every human being is truly free. We are constantly dragged into the rut of semi-conscious existence, where one plot stubbornly repeats itself like in the movie "Groundhog Day." If you get distracted for a moment, bam, you're already being carried away by the flow of events towards a roaring waterfall. And attempts to get to the shore take a lot of time and effort.

The cruel irony is that at first, you start to notice the pitfalls, but you cannot avoid them, which turns such knowledge into torture. You get frustrated, analyze, and "solve" the problem again and again. Over time, or rather, with experience, you learn to read the trap beforehand.

The world no longer looks as gentle and friendly as it once did. Therefore, you must make considerable effort to ensure that your microcosm maintains reason, agreement and order. This means that our freedom is never free. "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance," said Thomas Jefferson, one of the founding fathers of the United States.

Yours sincerely,

-Alexander

You can help Ukraine defend itself and the World from Russian aggression here.

”Who are you and what do you do?"
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The Secret Cipher: A Journey Inside Yourself /  by Alexander Lyadov

Author's photo, 2003

I wish I could have solved my grand dilemma 20 years ago.

My career would have been more straightforward and clear. But no, I spent many years searching for the key to a secret cipher.

I shifted industries, studied in Chicago and Harvard, read books on thermodynamics, philosophy, psychology, and religion, interviewed deep thinkers, and underwent a shamanic ritual in the jungles of Peru.

Even during wonderful vacations in France with my family, only a part of me was present, as the other part was occupied with solving the Problem.

No matter what I did, sooner or later, I always came up against a strange internal limit that caused me to lose almost everything I had built with great effort.

Without going into details, I can say that I eventually expanded my bottleneck.

Do I think that all those years were wasted? Not at all.

If solving complex dilemmas were a widely recognized art, I would have been awarded an honestly earned black belt.

When founders describe how they are stuck, I feel every nuance of their situation and intuitively understand what they have gone through and how close they have come to solving their problem.

Essentially, I have become the person I would have liked to meet 20 years ago.

I think it was worth it. Do you agree?"

Yours sincerely,

-Alexander

You can help Ukraine defend itself and the World from Russian aggression here.

”Who are you and what do you do?"
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"I have an important business decision to make. Can you help me?
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Conquer Giants with Tech /  by Alexander Lyadov

If your opponent is much bigger, stronger, and more powerful than you, what should you do? Increasing your mass and strength is important, but genetics have their limits. You cannot increase your height, and investments in strength will soon show diminishing returns.

The only thing that has no limit is technology. At first glance, it's a set of useful techniques and approaches. A system that combines techniques into a bush is even more effective. It's even better if you have a strategy that takes into account the context, the opponent's strengths and weaknesses, and of course your own.

The key element of the strategy is your Leverage or Edge, i.e., an advantage that makes your opponent fight the Invisible Man or King Kong. This can be an unnoticed kimono turn or, even better, counterintuitive mental models. The ideal scenario is when you consciously influence the quality and speed of your opponent's decision-making. Then your minimal impact will surprise the opponent, cause a stupor, and ultimately collapse.

Yours sincerely,

-Alexander

You can help Ukraine defend itself and the World from Russian aggression here.

”Who are you and what do you do?"
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"I have an important business decision to make. Can you help me?
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The Secret to Avoiding Burnout /  by Alexander Lyadov

Do you want to burn out doing your own thing?

Probably not, but in any company, the flame regularly flares up. Founders, CEOs, consultants, managers, and apprentices all burn out. It's like business bankruptcy when a previously taken large loan cannot be paid off. The source of living water has dried up. Not only the forest but also the root system has turned to ash.

One of the reasons for this is a lack of respect for Chaos. Even 23-time Olympic swimming champion Michael Phelps is no match for a stormy ocean. Michael's resources are limited, but the resources of the ocean are not. Professionals recognize and respect the Unknown. Novices are carefree because they haven't seen catastrophic consequences yet. Chaos burns novices like clay: those who are lucky will strengthen, and those who are not will fall apart. This is how experience is bought.

However, a professional can also burn out if he (or she) becomes arrogant and decide to take a lofty height alone, cutting off the safety rope. Knowing the limits of one's competence is a sign of a mature master. In this sense, it is hardest for entrepreneurs, as they cannot help but be on the tip of the spear. CEOs, managers, or consultants spend most of their time on familiar territory, while the founder mostly wanders in dense forests. Perhaps that's why serial entrepreneurs have a paradoxical combination of confidence: "How much I can already do" and humility: "How little I still know." Seeing the founders' reverence, Chaos does not burn them but blesses them beyond expectation.

Yours sincerely,

-Alexander

You can help Ukraine defend itself and the World from Russian aggression here.

”Who are you and what do you do?"
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Unchained: Break Free from False Beliefs /  by Alexander Lyadov

 

No one knows what you're capable of, and that includes you. The macrocosm outside of you is infinite and unknowable. But the microcosm within you is also limitless and inexhaustible. At any moment, each of us is capable of surprising others and ourselves.

This often happens under the pressure of circumstances, less often by a conscious decision to test ourselves. If there are any limitations, they exist only in the form of false beliefs that prevent us from seeing what already is or could potentially be. The peculiarity of any false belief is that we don't perceive it as such. On the contrary, we hold dear what we have long believed in. We see our chains as golden bracelets and the noose around our neck as an original tie that makes us stand out from the grey crowd.

It's no wonder that changing our belief, and therefore our business, and especially our life, can be so difficult. Even if our minds understand that change is necessary, our subconscious resists with all its might, evading and slipping away. Any system seeks to preserve itself at any cost. Therefore, the system will never voluntarily renew itself (read: kill itself). Radical change requires an external catalyst. Either an experienced person will gently but persistently fulfill this function, or reality like a steamroller will brutally roll over us.

Yours sincerely,

-Alexander

You can help Ukraine defend itself and the World from Russian aggression here.

”Who are you and what do you do?"
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"I have an important business decision to make. Can you help me?
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Why is the Business a Reflection of the Founder? /  by Alexander Lyadov

 

If a founders complains about their team, what does it say?

Essentially, they are looking in the mirror and describing themselves. Similarly, a tennis player angrily hits the racket on the court due to an awkward serve. It's no wonder that the samurai Miyamoto Musashi considered the sword an extension of the hand. The product of creativity may be worse than its creator, but it's never better. Company is built by people, but someone, after all, invited them, trained them, set goals, and gave them the necessary power and resources. Or they were not taught anything, were unaware of the company goals, were loaded with responsibility, but almost all the power was kept by someone else.

If inexperienced talented people end up in such an environment, what will happen? After a few unsuccessful attempts to change something, they will catapult out of there very soon. In other words, it's not easy to find the best people, it's hard to hire them, but it's absolutely impossible to retain them against their will. The founders are the origin, epicentre and centre of attraction of a business. In their micro-universe, they are God. Everything good and bad in the company happens at their will and desire, even if they don't admit it to themselves. Following the formation of vision, the study of customer needs, and the search for a business model, choosing the first employees is a decisive step.

Dan Rose held leadership positions at Amazon and Facebook for 20 years and now heads Coatue Ventures. He  said  that when he was considering leaving Amazon, he asked for advice from investor Peter Thiel: "Peter, I'm interviewing at these six companies. And by the way, four of them are companies you invested in. What do you think I should do?" And he replied, "You should go to Facebook." And I asked, "Why?" And he said, "Simply put, they have the best people. And companies with the best people ultimately win." Therefore, Dan concludes, "The best founders are able to attract the best people, period."

Yours sincerely,

-Alexander

You can help Ukraine defend itself and the World from Russian aggression here.

”Who are you and what do you do?"
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Why Tech Genius Must Learn to Sell /  by Alexander Lyadov

 

Do the founders need to be able to sell their service or product themselves?

After all, there are sales departments, CMOs, and partnership channels for that.

This is a common problem among some talented engineers and creators. Subconsciously, they crave solving exciting problems that someone else regularly brings to them. As a result, they tend to delegate demand creation, lead generation, and the sales process to anyone who expresses a willingness to do so.

As a result, either there is no stable flow of customers, or there is a flow, but no profit, as it is taken by the person who brings them in. In addition, the founders develop a legitimate paranoia that they have become dangerously dependent on a "benefactor" and could lose the business they have built up over many years at any time.

In the 90s, the "father of advertising" David Ogilvy wrote: "In the modern world of business, it is useless to be a creative, original thinker unless you can also sell what you create." Today, this is even more true. If a creative or technical genius learns to generate and satisfy market demand himself, he will essentially acquire a superpower.

The key question is why some founders have an almost organic aversion to the idea of making sales themselves. I have encountered various reasons, one of which is a misconception about what it takes to make successful sales. They believe that they will need to develop qualities that are foreign to them - deceitfulness, hypocrisy, Machiavellianism, and cynicism. However, in reality, on the contrary, all that is needed is to focus their natural inventive and creative power in a different direction. This involves collaborating with customers to identify the root of their problems and unlock the hidden potential of solutions.

Yours sincerely,

-Alexander

You can help Ukraine defend itself and the World from Russian aggression here.

”Who are you and what do you do?"
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"I have an important business decision to make. Can you help me?
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Does Your Business Have Tokui-Waza? /  by Alexander Lyadov

 

A young athlete and an entrepreneur I know asked me almost simultaneously: "My head is spinning. What should be my focus as an athlete (CEO)?". I gave them both similar advice. In Brazilian jiu-jitsu, there are thousands of techniques that can make an opponent submit under threat of suffocation, fracture, or pain. A novice athlete is struggling with a dilemma: "Should I try to learn all techniques a little bit, or focus on one thing?"

Fortunately, there is a simple solution that no one talks about. Firstly, you need to learn various techniques, but only to the extent that you can recognize and neutralize them when your opponent tries to use them. You don't need to be able to set up all possible traps - it is enough to notice and avoid them in time. Secondly, the athlete needs to actively invest in the development of the so-called "tokui waza." This is a judo term that means the crown technique. It is the one that you can perform particularly easily and almost always leads to a successful outcome.

Why this technique is right for you doesn't matter. Most likely, you are predisposed to it due to the unique anatomy of your body or your specifics of mind. The key thing is that in a scramble, you can't help but try to apply this technique. More precisely, it will manifest itself at the right moment. You will enjoy practicing during training. And your crown technique will attract your attention like a magnet, inspiring you to study every possible nuance.

How do you know which technique will become your "tokui waza"? You need to observe yourself closely during scrambles. Sooner or later, you will notice that one of the techniques has come out of you almost by itself. That's it, now it is the zone of your attention and effort investment. Collect information about this technique and experiment with it.

Very soon all your training partners will know that you are no joke. Meanwhile, you should continue to diligently water what grows on its own. Typically, one crown technique leads to a second and a third. As a result, a whole bush of them grows, allowing a beginner athlete to win more often at competitions. This approach helped me to win two gold medals at the European Championships in 2018 and 2019, just three years after starting to practice Jiu-Jitsu.

Business and Jiu-Jitsu are similar. Your customers have certain hygienic factors that must be met, without which your company will not be allowed to play. As client requirements and market conditions change, you must constantly check and update this hygienic checklist. But for your company to win the "gold medal" against the competition, it must have its own "tokui waza". CEOs should see their companies like a coach sees a promising athlete — carefully studying their characteristics to determine what the athlete does best. And having discovered this organic advantage, they should strive to strengthen and develop it to the fullest extent.

Sincerely yours,

-Alexander

You can help Ukraine defend itself and the World from Russian aggression here.

”Who are you and what do you do?"
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"I have an important business decision to make. Can you help me?
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The Unseen Value Of Imperfect Opportunity /  by Alexander Lyadov

Do you know what a new opportunity is similar to? It's like a bouquet of flowers. As soon as it appears in front of us, it immediately starts to become obsolete. Like an isotope with a half-life, the lifespan of an opportunity is very short. But many people are convinced that fortune will always be waiting for them. However, seeing such disrespect towards itself, fortune leaves them with nothing.

Yes, often an opportunity doesn't quite match our expectations of it. "It's not quite right. If only..." we grumble to it. But just like breast milk is only suitable for a helpless infant, an adult must find, prepare, and chew his (or her) own food. Imperfect opportunities are not a defect or insignificance on their part. On the contrary, they acknowledge our ability to evaluate and develop them.

The more experienced entrepreneurs are, the more grateful they are to fate. A dirty, strange, and ugly opportunity doesn't repel or scare them. And the fewer other applicants, the higher their status as a chosen one. In essence, the scale of success depends on the reaction to the wildest opportunity. And the speed of reaction depends on experience, knowledge, and the belief "I can do that."

Yours sincerely,

-Alexander

You can help Ukraine defend itself and the World from Russian aggression here.

”Who are you and what do you do?"
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The Myth of Scarce Opportunities /  by Alexander Lyadov

 

Do you have an abundance of favorable opportunities in your business, or are you facing a deficit? Many believe that some people just get lucky and end up in the right place at the right time, while others are doomed to watch the train leave the station, or worse, not even realize that there's a station. In other words, opportunity is seen as something that's intrinsic to the environment. A person can either stumble upon a gold nugget (the lucky one) or forcibly seize a gold mine for themselves (the oppressor). There's no third option.

My jiu-jitsu experience has convinced me that it's not like that - opportunities have always been, are and will always be there. But as a novice, I was preoccupied with survival and couldn't see anything else. With a blue belt, the number of favorable positions for rest, control, or submission increased. At the purple belt level, even if I can't always take advantage of them, I can see that opportunities are abundant all around me. Is the open lapel a mere form element or a rope that can easily strangle your opponent? Is the opponent who's grabbing your throat a dangerous predator or a naive prey that fell into your trap?

Living through sparring matches, analyzing mistakes, and methodical training for seven years has invisibly transformed me. Once I learned how profitable it is to upset the opponent's balance (kazushi), for instance, I can no longer unsee this insight. Now, if my success in jiu-jitsu is hampered by anything, it's only my impulsiveness, tiredness, or laziness.

Do you think it's any different in business? My own experience and working closely with entrepreneurs has convinced me that it's all the same - it's all about mindset.

Yours sincerely,

-Alexander

You can help Ukraine defend itself and the World from Russian aggression here.

”Who are you and what do you do?"
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.

"I have an important business decision to make. Can you help me?
Reserve a time on my calendar that is convenient for you to meet with me. We'll clarify your request and discuss options for how you can help.

The Forgotten Foundation of Advertising, Marketing and Sales /  by Alexander Lyadov

 

Some people disdain advertising, marketing, and sales.

They perceive it as a hellish concoction of violence, manipulation, and NLP.

They believe that a super service will sell itself.

But since there are no queues of eager customers, they get angry.

Fools allegedly surround them, unable to appreciate the service's genius.

This is a warm bath of narcissism, and one can soak in it for years.

Unfortunately, they have forgotten the foundation of advertising and sales.

For a customer to buy something, they must know about you and trust you.

To begin with, the founder should explicitly state the service.

After all, customers are immersed in routine and surrounded by noise.

But without the fertile soil of trust, the seed of information will not sprout.

How does trust arise? The sources of distrust provide a clue.

These are unfamiliarity, complexity, unpredictability, and confusion.

Yours sincerely,

-Alexander

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”Who are you and what do you do?"
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.

"I have an important business decision to make. Can you help me?
Reserve a time on my calendar that is convenient for you to meet with me. We'll clarify your request and discuss options for how you can help.