I send one action packed email a week called a 1x1x1 covering crazy cool businesses I spot, updates on what we're building and buying, and lessons from the journey of an entrepreneur.
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For those of you that are new here, every week I send what I call a 1x1x1.
One thought from my week.
One interesting find/tool from my week.
One image from my life.
Let's dive in 👇
I think going all-in on one thing is borderline magic.
Back against the wall.
Tunnel vision.
No plan B, C, or “maybe I’ll just check Twitter real quick.”
Just: get. it. done.
There are seasons where that level of focus is the move.
It compounds fast. It wins games. It pays the bills.
But then…
At some point…
You need fries with the burger.
Enter: the side project.
And I’d argue, done right, it’s just as valuable as the main thing.
Keyword: done right.
Because a side project without constraints isn’t a side project…
…it’s a full-blown identity crisis with a logo.
The rule:
👉 Main thing stays the main thing
👉 Side thing knows its place
No scope creep.
No “this might actually be bigger than my business???” at 11:48pm on a Tuesday.
Now, full transparency, I’ve always had a side project.
Most of them?
Useless.
Like… objectively questionable use of time, money, and remaining brain cells.
Examples include:
From the outside, it probably looks like distraction.
From the inside, it’s a sandbox.
No pressure.
No expectations.
No “this has to work or everything falls apart.”
Just space to:
And here’s the kicker:
Those “random” side projects quietly make the main thing better.
All the time.
They’re like a practice squad training your starting lineup.
Low stakes reps. High stakes performance.
It’s how you stay creative when you’re deep in operator mode.
It’s how you avoid becoming boring at your own job.
So if you’re in full grind mode…
and you miss the early days when everything felt scrappy and creative…
and you keep telling yourself “a side project would just be a distraction”…
This is your nudge.
Start something small.
Keep it contained.
Let it be a little dumb.
Just don’t let it take over the house.
And definitely…
Don’t tell your investors you got this idea from me.
We’re officially firing up the social media engine for Luna 🚀
Which means… I went back to an old friend: Buffer
Tried it.
Trusted it.
Still kicking.
Let’s see if we can still go viral or if the algorithm has officially decided my peak was 2018,
The evening routine.
