Eric Haupt

Happy Holidays and welcome to another Sunday Friends! I’m glad you’re here. I don’t know if anyone has told you, but you’re looking especially festive today!

Here is your Sunday Musings, a quick dose of what I’m exploring and thinking about. Please feel free to forward this along to friends.

What “Tool” Do You Use?

To ensure I’m being a good co-founder to my startup, I’ve been doing a lot of research and reading on business, marketing, sales, funding, vision, and the like. On top of the endless stacks of books from successful businesspeople, I watch and listen to podcasts and vlogs from these same people at events. There’s a trend amongst us well-intentioned novices when we have the opportunity to ask questions of the ultra-successful. “What [insert tool here] do you use?”

“Thanks, Eric” you might say, that wasn’t helpful. You’re right. Here’s my point!

As a cyber mission manager, capabilities developer for a sizeable cyber portfolio, and now a startup co-founder, I find myself at least weekly looking for the next product, app, or TOOL that will be a game-changer, increasing my productivity and effectiveness by a huge factor. I can’t help my technologist and futurist self as I look ahead.

Examples: I paid for an AI-enabled note-taking software (Mem) when I was trying to find the right system for me. I have an expensive fountain pen that a great friend of mine gifted me. Here’s the secret: in most cases, the equipment doesn’t matter. My quality of thought put to paper (digital or physical) was exactly the same as when I used Apple Notes and the basic government-issued ballpoint pen.

There’s a place for new tools, obviously. My new camera and microphone make for higher image and sound quality over the cheap and aging ones I had. But they haven’t made my YouTube Channel pop up; and they haven’t let me deliver my thoughts any better.

Here’s what I have learned: The last couple months of this newsletter has made me better than any tool could.

We should care a lot more about just getting going than finding the perfect equipment. The experience of doing has been so much more educational, motivating, and productive.

That being said, what hacks/tools/methods have you found this year?

Have an amazing week!

-e

What I’m Reading This Week

$100 Million Dollar Offers by Alex Hormozi

In short, it’s a marketing and copywriting book that articulates Alex’s concepts on how to design the best types of offers in order to sell as much as possible for as much as possible.

Overall, it’s a great read; his down to earth style is very approachable.

My one-sentence summary: Provide as much value as you can for as high of a price as you can by delivering whatever it is you do in a way that your target market perceives you as a faster, easier, and more achievable solution than anything else.

Alex has a great hook from the jump. If you’re making less than $3 million a year, I have nothing to sell you; I just want to give you what I know for free. When you’re over $10 million, I want to do business with you. Should you read the book? If you own a business or are starting one, definitely.

The Kindle book is only $0.99, so it’s pretty attainable.

Technology I’m Looking At

Analog - By UGMONK

Anything you can imagine that you want, someone has made something that’s a near solution. I have been talking with Solana for a couple weeks now on my desire to have nice storage for the index cards next to my computer. I hand write a lot of notes and tasks to take with me for things I just need to get done. This looks almost exactly like what I described.

I’m not sold on the cards “Next & Someday”; I feel like that’s for my digital to do list (miles long). I would probably just toss those along with the magnetic separator. My daily “To-Do” is a bit more nuanced. But I love the simple design and want it on my desk.

Quote I’m Musing (again)

“The fool, with all his other faults, has this also, he is always getting ready to live”

-Seneca

I tend to use this quote self-flagellation when I come back to it. However, my current view is more of a springboard into 2023. I set out a goal of starting this whole content creation thing in October and I started, but I haven’t gotten all the things done I want to. For example, I have the vlog to start. but I keep thinking and saying “once I finish X, I’ll start it”.

I think it's a combination of things that have let me procrastinate. It's not that I'm too busy or don't have time; I just haven't made the time.

Ryan Holiday’s favorite quote is a Roman and Stoic phrase: “Memento Mori” - Remember you must die. The Romans used it as a way to stay humble. When a great success was celebrated, they would have a servant follow behind to whisper the phrase in your ear.

I think it not only reminds us to stay humble, but also serves as a call to action. Leap to the great undertaking; Start Doing. We don’t know if we will have the tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow we think will come.

Which musing is your favorite? What else do you want to see or what should I eliminate? Any other suggestions? Just send a tweet to @erichaupt on Twitter and put #SundayMusings at the end so I can find it. Or, eric@erichaupt.com for long form email.

Have a wonderful week, I’ll see you Sunday.
-e