WE is born, AI is on fire, Discover Your Peak Performance Index and more.
Happy holidays. Love your family and friends like there is no tomorrow.
I'm officially open for business.
In the final days of 2023, We Heart Impact, my latest venture, is born and I couldn't be more excited about the future that lies ahead.
“WE” combines many parts of my professional track record - the hustler mentality, the drive to find new ways of doing things, the never-quit mindset - but it's also a combination of all the things I'm most curious about in the future, like how we humans will challenge AI and its superpower, and how the future generation will organize themselves around work and their productive years.
Have I put all the pieces together? Hello no! But I can no longer try to connect the dots in my head, and there is no better way to build things than to get out there and do the work.
"Being fearless when you are most scared is the best hack."
I approach everything as an experiment and I think that's a big part of what "WE" stands for and how we come together to tackle the challenges we face. And we will experiment with the many ideas we have gathered and organized with the sole purpose of reinventing how people come together and do the best work of their lives.
My main goal with “WE” is to create an environment where people can be part of something amazing and be motivated to do the best work of their lives alongside amazing people. If I can achieve this on any scale, I will be the happiest entrepreneur in the world.
Where do “WE” stand?
I have decided to bootstrap "WE" - 9/10 businesses I have started I have bootstrapped to the end and I have managed to sell two of them to my co-founders at a profit - I have also decided that I will grow the business with the cash it generates, so the first few customers will be keen to provide oxygen to the business and get us rolling!
I'm inviting friends and people I admire most to form a kind of "Justice League", a superpower group from whom entrepreneurs can learn and ask for support in tackling the challenges they're working on.
My business partner in this project is selecting and connecting the technology tools we will use so that we can better apply our methodology to each project - at the moment we are building zero tech but I think by the end of the year 2024 "WE" will have its own proprietary technology.
I see us building and shipping our own Slack app that outlines our methodology and gives our people a framework that gives them guidance and direction, but also the freedom to do their best work.
We will work with universities and involve students in our projects so that we can introduce the next generation to the way we build things. It's something I'm personally excited about doing on a large scale. Through my work as a mentor and early-stage investor, I've worked with dozens of young founders and I get so much motivation and inspiration from them - their youth keeps me hopeful for a better future and they always expose you to what's next.
Thiago, a friend of the “Justice League” and one of the smartest people I know when it comes to branding, has been helping me understand how to pitch "WE" to the world and he sent me this and I couldn't agree more:
Legacy of Impact: We're here to leave a lasting impact on the world. When you join us, you'll be part of a legacy of positive social impact and meaningful change.
What’s next?
Work hard to get things done and start 2024 ready to deliver.
The first action of 2024: A study and deep dive into Gen Z's behaviors and expectations for work and work-related relationships.
We will begin 2024 by recruiting 10 university students to work on a project to better understand what-how-where-why their peers want to do at work.
More details coming soon, but if you would like to work with me, please email me: daniel@weheartimpact.com
Let's dive into the best content of the last three weeks:
Almost 75% of millennials and 67% of Gen Z say money can buy happiness — what are the younger generations thinking when it comes to their finances?
The Playbook for Building SaaS-Enabled Marketplaces, Part I
I've been inspired by Fabrice Grinda's work for some time now and it's always a privilege to listen to him and see how he approaches things (I'm currently working with a founder and I think FJLabs would be the best investor he could find at his stage).
[From Greylock] Why a Vertical Approach is Key to Building Enduring AI Applications
Two of the world's best investors, Marc and Ben from A16Z, now have their own show on YouTube. It's always smart to listen to very smart people.
[Great for investors and VC dudes!] It’s no secret that venture capital (VC) has historically delivered outsized returns. Once an “access class” whereby only the most well-connected Ivy League endowments could secure a place in the top-performing funds of Silicon Valley, VC is now a category to which most sophisticated institutions realize they must be allocated. It’s still considered risky—but thoughtfully constructed portfolios stand to benefit from the asset class’s historical outperformance.
[McKinsey delivers work on AI] From automating processes and powering hyperpersonalization to permanently altering the idea generation process, generative AI is poised to be a catalyst for a new age of marketing capabilities.
[A16Z] Marketplaces in the Age of AI - While the marketplace business model is evergreen, every new platform changes how and where transactions happen. The Internet took us from classifieds and poster boards to sites like Amazon, eBay, and Craigslist, while mobile enabled apps like DoorDash, Uber, and Instacart.
Now, we believe generative AI promises to revolutionize marketplaces again. It will not only transform how products and services are sold — but also how they are made.
[It’s not what you are thinking] Jared Diamond: How to Get Rich
I highly recommend this one. [LINK IS HERE]
[From Professor Scott Galloway] Between 2002 and 2018, the share of college students who don’t drink alcohol jumped from 20% to 28%, and, overall, Gen Z drinks 20% less alcohol per capita than millennials did at the same age — which was, in turn, 20% less than Gen X consumed. Among high school students, 39% drank alcohol in 2011; just 23% drink today.
Two good articles on Startup Growth!
[Bessemer Ventures] Scaling from $1 to $10 million ARR
Bessemer Growth’s early-stage playbook on how to make effective scaling decisions to become a strong Series B+ company
[From Brian Balfour, founder of Reforge] I’ve been lucky to have been part of building, advising, or investing in 40+ tech companies in the past 10 years. Some $100M+ wins. Some, complete losses. Most end up in the middle.
One of my main observations is that there are certain companies where growth seems to come easily, like guiding a boulder down hill. These companies grow despite having organizational chaos, not executing the “best” growth practices, and missing low hanging fruit. I refer to these companies as Smooth Sailers - a little effort for lots of speed.
Last one but it’s just as good as everything in this list today.
Happy holidays, folks.
Stay healthy and show love to your loved ones.
Daniel Silva