Em Toshack

@Harvard MBA. Founder @nomadicawine & @startuplockdown Prev @snapchat @musically

[Oneway @OneWayMusicX]

Pink Floyd - Comfortably Numb (2005)

[charo f. @notcharo__]

Siento que como seres humanos naturalizamos demasiado el hecho de que Pink Floyd haya tocado literalmente en las ruinas del anfiteatro romano de Pompeya; no abundan los eventos que alcanzan semejante nivel de mística eh, es menester volver a las bases urgente.

[Seth Abramson @SethAbramson]

This video is incredible.

Everyone should RETWEET it so the whole *world* sees it.

[Em Toshack @emtoshack]

@ReillyRick She deserves better than Korbel, no?

[Dada @marvy_101]

Introducing Swype. Tinder for Jobs.

Download now: https://t.co/vTj5DRIryy

[Billy Gallagher @GallagherBilly]

Best advice I ever got: think like a VC when looking for tech job.

It led me to joining Rippling ($11B+) before its Series A. It changed my life, so I built a free tool to help others.

We expect that each company listed on Prospect will grow at least 2X over the next 4 years:

[Nat Friedman @natfriedman]

Ten months ago, we launched the Vesuvius Challenge to solve the ancient problem of the Herculaneum Papyri, a library of scrolls that were flash-fried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.

Today we are overjoyed to announce that our crazy project has succeeded. After 2000 years, we can finally read the scrolls:
This image was produced by @Youssef_M_Nader, @LukeFarritor, and @JuliSchillij, who have now won the Vesuvius Challenge Grand Prize of $700,000. Congratulations!!

These fifteen columns come from the very end of the first scroll we have been able to read and contain new text from the ancient world that has never been seen before. The author – probably Epicurean philosopher Philodemus – writes here about music, food, and how to enjoy life's pleasures. In the closing section, he throws shade at unnamed ideological adversaries – perhaps the stoics? – who "have nothing to say about pleasure, either in general or in particular."

This year, the Vesuvius Challenge continues. The text that we revealed so far represents just 5% of one scroll.

In 2024, our goal is to from reading a few passages of text to entire scrolls, and we're announcing a new $100,000 grand prize for the first team that is able to read at least 90% of all four scrolls that we have scanned.

The scrolls stored in Naples that remain to be read represent more than 16 megabytes of ancient text. But the villa where the scrolls were found was only partially excavated, and scholars tell us that there may be thousands more scrolls underground. Our hope is that the success of the Vesuvius Challenge catalyzes the excavation of the villa, that the main library is discovered, and that whatever we find there rewrites history and inspires all of us.

It's been a great joy to work on this strange and amazing project. Thanks to Brent Seales for laying the foundation for this work over so many years, thanks to the friends and Twitter users whose donations powered our effort, and thanks to the many contestants whose contributions have made the Vesuvius Challenge successful!

Read more in our announcement: https://t.co/rUlrdGXBMs

[Virgil Brewster @thevirgilbrew]

How to explode your email list.
Tales of an experimenting shirtless entrepreneur.

My results:

From 0 - 1000 subscribers - 4 months
From 1000 to 2000 subs - 2,5 months
From 2000 to 3000 subs - 3 weeks.

I grew my email list from 0 to 3500 in 6 months.
In this post, I'll show you how you can do the same.

The power of compounding.

My hands were bleeding.
My shoulders were burning.

I was on day two of the 10.000 kettlebell swing challenge. The goal is 500 swings a day for a month.

I can't do it anymore.
I screamed at my instructor.

He looked at me and said:

"What are you, a crybaby who needs a tissue to wipe your tears? You can always stop and cry in the corner.' He said.

Or...

"You can trust the compound effect." He screamed.
Pick up that damn bell.

With pure resentment, I picked up the bell and started swinging. My instructor stood next to me and spoke these words:

The more you practice, the more efficient you'll become.

In a month from now, you'll see how your effort compounded in results. Focus on the bigger picture.

My email growth resulted from the compounded effort that refined over time.

Every course creator needs an email list.

Before I dive into the email growth system, you need to understand why you need an email list in the first place.

Many course creators rush to launch their courses.
Often with average results. Because of:

1. Poor preparation.
2. No validation process.
3. No product market fit.
4. A poor landing page.

Just to name a few...

But the biggest mistake I see entrepreneurs make is the absence of an email list.

You see, X is not a platform to sell.
Write this mantra on the wall:

Social media is to make noise.
And your email list is to sell.

Now we got that out of the way.
Let's build your email list.

This is the Virg Growth System.
(For lack of a better name).

1. Create great content.

2. Always plug your email list under your content.
(Hypefury is my favourite platform to do that.)

3. When people follow you, set an automated message.

4. I use https://t.co/dWusAQNw3j to do so.

5. In your message, end with a CTA to your email list.

6. 40% converts into a subscriber.

7. Send Voice DMs to your ICP.

8. This converts another 8%.

9. Use https://t.co/qlj9E8Gs8j to get subs at 0.5 cents a lead.

10. Use Sparkloop to earn your investment back.

11. Get on podcasts and mention your newsletter.

Attention, shameless plug incoming.

Here you go. Follow these 11 steps, and you will see growth.

If you like seeing a newsletter in action, I invite you to look at mine. You can find the link in my bio.

Do you have an email list?

[jack mcclelland @jackmcclelland]

when a consumer startup idea is common - it's easy to dismiss, but also means no one has solved it at scale yet so still opportunity

examples
• splitting the check
• better dating app
• p2p clothing rental
• travel itinerary inspo
• group meal delivery
• podcast discovery

[Taylin John Simmonds @TaylinSimmonds]

How to build a $100,000+ personal brand in 6 to 12 months:

My 10 step creator system:

[andrew chen @andrewchen]

Excellent essay from @noam on “The real story of how Facebook almost acquired Waze, but we ended up with Google”

https://t.co/jK3f1nK51P

Lots of great learnings, summarized by chatGPT 😎

1. The co-founders of Waze established a valuation framework before entertaining acquisition offers. They decided to reject offers less than $750M and accept offers above $1B, but would consider proposals in the $750M-$1B range depending on the acquirer.
2. Waze approached potential strategic partners to help accelerate user acquisition, including Microsoft, Amazon, and Facebook, leading to potential acquisition discussions.
3. The founders established relationships with potential acquirers' product teams well in advance, providing a critical foundation for the acquisition process.
4. Initial negotiations with Google ended in a $450M offer which was rejected based on the pre-established valuation framework. This prompted backlash from the board but the founders remained firm.
5. Facebook offered to acquire Waze for $1B swiftly after being informed of a competing offer. Despite initial enthusiasm, the due diligence process revealed gaps and tension between the Waze and Facebook teams, leading to the deal falling through.
6. Following the leak of the Facebook deal, Google presented an unsolicited term sheet of $1.15B. Despite accusations of information leakage, Waze's fiduciary duty led them to consider the offer, leading to a fallout with Facebook.
7. With no counteroffer from Facebook, Waze accepted Google's offer and closed the transaction in eight days.
8. In hindsight, despite the potential financial benefits of a Facebook deal, the Waze co-founder believed Google was the right choice due to cultural fit, their commitment to Waze's independence, and Facebook's subsequent controversies.
9. The lessons learned included: building relationships with potential acquirers early, having a clear valuation framework, recognizing partnership discussions as catalysts for acquisition, understanding the personal nature of acquisitions, and being aware of the divergence in interests between founders and investors during an acquisition.
10. The final key lesson was understanding the power of negotiation, having a red line, and being willing to walk away to secure a better deal.

[Intro @intro]

Fundraising for your startup? 5 early-stage investors to start following right now:

1) https://t.co/GPIA7y6Zxa
2) https://t.co/355Ls6bSWO
3) https://t.co/28yElwDRpn
4) https://t.co/i53P3bneYK
5) https://t.co/b27cundk2U

Retweet = more founders get funded 🙌

[Adi Verma @adityatheverma]

The Slippery Slide

If there's a rule that'll change your writing forever it's this:

“The role of the first sentence is to get your reader to read the next”

To nail your 1st sentence make it:

• Intriguing
• Easy to read
• Short & snappy

Make your reader slide down the page

[Adi Verma @adityatheverma]

Sell The Sizzle, Not The Steak

Selling with words alone is hard.

Because online, trust is low and skepticism is high.

So here's something you can try:

Sell the concept, not your product.

Like Apple sells simplicity, not electronics.

[Justin Welsh @thejustinwelsh]

Something you can do with your eyes closed is worth $1M+

The catch is getting it to a small sliver of the global population that's looking for it.

If that's not a puzzle worth solving, I don't know what is.

[Nick Gray @nickgraynews]

If your CEO grew up in a household that stole the hotel soap and shampoos, you will survive this recession

[Dan Go @CoachDanGo]

If you lift weights, walk 8-10k steps a day, eat a diet comprised of whole foods, and get quality sleep at night...

You're in the 1%.

[Justin Welsh @thejustinwelsh]

With 4.95B internet users, consider these approaches in your portfolio to make $100,000:

- 215 subscription customers at $39/mo
- 40 students/quarter at $625 each
- 10 sales/day at $27 each
- 10 hrs/week at $195/hr
- 2 sales/day at $135

So many different ways to do this.

[Tibo @tibo_maker]

2 unemployed friends bootstrapped a SaaS & sold it for $10M+ in 18 months

Hustled to grow it from 0 to $1.2M in revenue

This is my story, how much money I made & everything I learned 👇

[Nathan Baugh @nathanbaugh27]

Weird habit:

I collect the best opening lines from books.

10 gems – and what you can learn from them: