Another Excuse Newsletter

Welcome back to the Another Excuse Newsletter. It isn’t just another excuse, but a reason to start that thing you’ve been putting off.

What to expect this week:
👓Perspective - Paranoia vs Optimism
🔨 Tool - R1
🍿Consume - The State of the MBA
📖Concept - FUN Framework

Perspective

Paranoia vs Optimism

Recently I heard Chris Williamson say this, “ In the past, the paranoid survived, but now only the optimists thrive.”

It's such an interesting statement because it explains humans and the way we are.

We've developed so quickly that we're still in a paranoid mindset when we don't need to be.

Well, not as much.

It made sense when being eaten by a lion was a genuine threat, or the next village could possibly raid us and take our food for the winter.

We had to be this way, but this pessimism is still in us and engrained in the way we go about life.

The successful ones today are the ones who don't live like this.

They're the ones who believe in people, take risks, and have faith that everything will work out alright.

To get this way takes practice.

We see many successful people and aspire to achieve their success. This can even make us feel worse about ourselves.

But the way to get there isn't a huge leap, it's a combination of small steps.

Tool

R1

The Rabbit R1 is a new device.

It's an AI-powered alternative to a phone.

The creators’ theory is that the way we use phones and apps is complicated and unnecessarily time-consuming.

So they created a device with a mic, speaker, camera, and screen that you speak to to perform actions.

It can connect to all of your apps but you ask it to perform a task and it will use the apps on your behalf.

They've labeled the AI a Language Action Model (LAM) because it takes action rather than just using language to respond like an LLM.

You can also train the device to perform complicated tasks by filming the task first and then getting it to repeat it.

To fully understand its capabilities I'd suggest watching the video above.

At a price point of $200 this device could really disrupt the way we communicate and use phones forever.

Things are changing fast!

Consume (Read / Watch / Listen)

The State of the MBA

This is a funny video by the guys at Morning Brew.

The MBA is the ultimate degree in business.

By getting one it's perceived you're able to increase your income and even pivot careers.

Although the video is tongue-in-cheek, one thing I learned is that there are too many MBAs these days.

In order to benefit from the true value of one you have to go to a renowned school.

They explain why and the economics behind it, but overall, it’s an entertaining video.

Check it out.

Concept

FUN Framework

When starting a new business there are a few things to consider.

Shaan Puri refers to it as the FUN framework.

It's a process you go through when deciding whether a business opportunity is actually worth starting or not.

The framework:

Format - what kind of format will the business be? Are you going to run this on your own, or are you going into business with others?

Is this an online business or brick-and-mortar? The opportunity itself will lend itself to a particular format.

Utility - why would customers want this particular product or service? What do they get out of it and why is it better than competitors?

Niche - what niche are you going after? Is the market big enough that the economics work and is it specific enough that the target market feels like you’re addressing their needs?

If the answers to all of these questions are positive and genuinely seem worthwhile to pursue then you may be going into business.

Next time you have a business idea, sit down and run through this framework. If you think about it hard enough you either realise you’ve got something or it’s not worth your time.

Thanks for Reading

Now start something!

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