For those of you that are new here, every week I send what I call a 1x1x1.
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One thought from my week.
One interesting find/tool from my week.
One image from my life.

Let's dive in 👇

Thought from the week

Applying Constraints to Build the Right Business

Like many of you reading this silly little newsletter, I have a new business idea every week.
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And when I say “new business idea,” I mean mostly bad ideas. Think “Uber for parrots” bad.

But man, that rush of a fresh idea? I’ve been addicted for years.
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I’ll be brushing my teeth and suddenly BAM! This is the one that will change the world. (Narrator: It will not.)

A few times a year, I actually pull the trigger, investing time, money, or both, to see if the market cares.
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Most of the time? Nope. The rest? They get traction… and then I realize they’re miserable to run or impossible to scale.

So now I’m treating my ideas like a marketing funnel.
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Top of funnel: chaotic, messy, high-volume.
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Bottom of funnel: only the best, most-qualified ideas make it through.

Here’s my quick qualification checklist before I commit:
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1. Tailwind – Is this market growing faster than my toddler’s shoe size?
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2. Repeatability – Can I build it once and sell it over and over? (Translation: more product, less “selling my time for dollars.”)
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3. Fun/Story – Will I enjoy the ride, or at least get a killer story out of it? (See: my decision to launch a physical newspaper last month just because.)

4. Team Size – If it blows up, how many humans will I need to keep it running? (I’m not trying to manage 200 employees)
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5. Speed to Profitability – Can I get this thing profitable in 12 months or less?

There are a few more boxes, but you get the idea.

If all goes well, this should dramatically reduce the number of half-sunken ships in my “Business Idea Graveyard.”
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Or at least make the wrecks more… photogenic.

Interesting find/tool of the week

ChatGPT 5. Nuff said.

Image from my life

Summer nights.

See you all next week!