On Awakening Your Genius, Self-Discovery, and The Automatic Customer
Books that changed my thinking, my behaviors, and my life
Hello all!
Here is your weekly dose of knowledge goodness.
1. Personal development
Awaken Your Genius: Escape Conformity, Ignite Creativity, and Become Extraordinary
Summary
Awaken Your Genius is a guide to unlocking the creative potential that lies within you. You may recognize the author, Varol, from an earlier 3BT, Think Like a Rocket Scientist (which I also loved). Varol argues that genius is not a rare trait found in a select few, but a quality that can be awakened and cultivated in everyone. The book explores how societal norms and conventional education often suppress creative thinking and offers strategies to escape this conformity. He also combines insights from his background in astrophysics with practical advice, encouraging readers to think differently, embrace curiosity, and challenge the status quo to ignite their creativity.
Insight: We become a supporting actor in our own life.
Living arithmetic: A product of two numbers could be less than each number (0.8 * 0.2 = 0.16). When we operate at a fraction, we compromise the output. When we operate at max, we double the output.
Quote: I have already lost touch with a couple of people I used to be. -Joan Didion
Quote: Children enter school as question marks, and leave as periods. -Neil Postman
Quote: What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. -Henry Stanley Haskins
Author: Ozan Varol
Themes: Personal development, Entrepreneurship, Living a full life, Career advancement
My personal notes from the book
2. Personal development
Siddhartha: A Novel
Summary
This is a timeless spiritual work that explores the quest for wisdom and self-discovery. Set in ancient India during the time of the Buddha, it tells the story of Siddhartha, a young man who embarks on a journey seeking spiritual enlightenment. It is a profound exploration of the human desire for a deeper understanding of life and oneself. It resonates with anyone on a path of self-discovery, spiritual seeking, or those questioning the materialistic and conventional beliefs of society.
Insight: Wisdom cannot be imparted. Wisdom that a wise man attempts to impart always sounds like foolishness to someone else . Knowledge can be communicated, but not wisdom. One can find it, live it, do wonders through it, but one cannot communicate and teach it.
Insight: I have always believed, and I still believe, that whatever good or bad fortune may come our way we can always give it meaning and transform it into something of value.
Insight: We are not going in circles, we are going upwards. The path is a spiral; we have already climbed many steps.
Author: Herman Hesse
Themes: Personal development, Living a full life, Fiction
My personal notes from the book
3. Entrepreneurship
The Automatic Customer: Creating a Subscription Business in Any Industry
Summary
Warrillow is an extremely valuable author for entrepreneurs. Read everything he writes. The Automatic Customer focuses on the importance of subscription models in business. The idea can be transformative for your business–whether you are years into it or just starting out.
The book covers different types of subscription models, from membership websites to subscription boxes, and includes real-world examples from small startups to large corporations. Warrillow provides detailed strategies and advice on how to build, market, and maintain a subscription business, emphasizing the importance of customer retention and value. He also addresses common challenges and pitfalls in transitioning to or starting a subscription-based business.
This book is essential for anyone in business seeking to create a more predictable and sustainable revenue stream. And this model applies to any type of business.
Insight: Recurring revenue makes your business a lot more valuable, and it also makes your company less stressful to run.
Insight: The most obvious benefit of the subscription model is that it increases the lifetime value of a customer. When you sell a customer a subscription, that one sale can create a long-term relationship thanks to the magic of recurring revenue.
Insight: A consumer with an acute case of subscription fatigue is unlikely to subscribe just to save 10%, but she might be convinced to subscribe if you could make a case that she will enjoy 10 times the value of the alternative.
Author: John Warrillow
Themes: Starting a business, Entrepreneurship, Growing a business
My personal notes from the book
That’s a wrap. Thanks for reading! And thank you for being a part of the 3BT community.
Please continue to share with me the books that changed your life! And let your friends, colleagues, and the strangers you meet at Dunkin’ know about 3BT.
Best,
Adam
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