What You Need to Know Today: January 20
Good afternoon, Early Risers!
Here’s what you need to know
TECH
Who’s losing: Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook, or Google? If you follow the news, you’d be right to guess Apple is in trouble. iPhone sales have been anything but spectacular. But losing, in this case, is all relative — especially for these five companies. So who’s really losing then? Startups and new entrepreneurs — here’s why.
For your friend who doesn’t want to miss previews. Dan Kennedy says one of the fastest ways to get rich is to position yourself in the path of money. In two days, the 2016 Sundance Film Festival kicks off in Utah. Salt Lake City, Park City, and Ogden will be littered with rich celebrities looking to hop from one premiere to the next. While Uber X drivers will get theirs, one startup is thinking BIGGER. Meet the Uber for Helicopters.
Cloud charity. If you read the ‘Frightful Five’ article I shared above, this news will either scare you or warm your heart. Microsoft has pledged to distribute $1 billion worth of cloud computing resources over the next three years to about 70,000 non-profits and 900 university research projects.
CAREER
10-year study reveals what great executives know and do. First, let’s look at what not-so great executives do. Look no further than Zappos’ Tony Hsieh’s “no-boss policy” — in case you’re wondering, it’s working like a gem; and Yahoo’s Marissa Mayer is already looking for work outside her day job — SNL is on standby. But enough with these bad examples, Harvard Business Review ran a 10 year study that identified four things not just ALL good executives do, but “the best of the best.”
The sleazier the sales trick, the better. Jim is a personal trainer. Jim wants to sell his service to a friend looking to lose weight. Jim starts his sales pitch by telling his friend all about his qualifications (PT, ACE, etc.). STOP, Jim. Stop right there. You probably know where Jim went wrong. Instead of selling his friend on the benefits (weight loss, sexy bod, etc.), Jim is pumping his own tires. This idea — selling the benefits vs. features — is not new to many of you. But I love reading stories about companies who have learned this sleazy little psychological trick and are using it to help others. The charity: water is one example. They found a way to leverage this strategy in their sales pitch. “I think a lot of organizations, companies, and nonprofits make themselves the hero: ‘We are feeding the world. Look how great we are,’ says founder Scott Harrison, “And I think charity: water has always said, ‘Look how great you are. You care; you’re giving money. You’re giving time and you’re making this possible.” Read the full story here.
LIFESTYLE
10 best cities for millennial entrepreneurs to live. Hint, hint, New York did not make the list.
3 books you should buy and read this week. There are three books that were recently released, which I think everyone should read: Deep Work, released on January 5 by Cal Newport — Scott Young wrote a detailed review here. Viralnomics, officially released yesterday by Jon Goodman — Jon followed up his book release with this post on how to write short books. And finally, The Perfect Day Formula, officially released January 11 by Craig Ballantyne — Craig’s giving away 10 FREE copies of the audiobook version of The Perfect Day Formula. Here’s how you can enter.
Pop Quiz: Name the first CEO that comes to mind.
If you answered “umm…” or “what’s a CEO?,” don’t fret—you are far from alone, says Quartz. Sixty percent of people aged 18 or older cannot actually name a CEO, past or present. Since I’m guessing you could name a CEO, you’re in the minority. This is a good reminder to constantly be checking your customer, reader, friends, and family’s state of awareness.
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