Peter Giordano III

I write about how to make more money in business with strategy (not endless effort)

[Peter Giordano III @pgthethird]

I quit my highly-regarded career at Harvard to become a full-time solopreneur.

In a flash, things changed.

I went from earning an income to generating revenue.

I didn’t realize it, but those two activities are very different.

Here's what happened next:

👇

[Peter Giordano III @pgthethird]

Demystifying Finance For Non-Finance Brains (And Reminding Finance-Brains Too)

https://t.co/SmEROeziDC

[Peter Giordano III @pgthethird]

If you don’t have a finance brain, I apologize on behalf of all finance professionals out there.

Finance is depicted as a complicated juggernaut of a topic.

I promise it’s much simpler than it's been sold to you.

Let's make it make sense, so you use it to drive progress.

↓

[Peter Giordano III @pgthethird]

Just a reminder for analytical types:

The purpose of any analysis is to reduce complexity to its simplest terms.

The simpler the output, the smarter it is.

[Peter Giordano III @pgthethird]

Business is simply the combination of philosophy, psychology, and economics glued together by a measurable, valued, and transferable commodity:

Money.

[Peter Giordano III @pgthethird]

Good advice comes from engaged listeners, not confident talkers.

[Peter Giordano III @pgthethird]

Choosing one option from many can be mentally taxing.

You get stuck because you look for the right one.

Your brain doesn't know where to start.

Try the inverse approach.

Remove options first.

[Peter Giordano III @pgthethird]

There are 2 types of problems.

1. Problems that you need to fix.
2. Problems that you can prevent.

Preventing problems is much less expensive.

[Peter Giordano III @pgthethird]

The 4 pillars of entrepreneurship:

• Think like a strategist
• Operate like a machine
• Create like an artist
• Connect like a human

Follow them and you'll keep the business standing upright.

[Peter Giordano III @pgthethird]

Do this one thing to make the person you're talking to feel heard:

Repeat back what they said in your own words.

Whether it's a:

• sales call
• client meeting
• customer service call

It's a simple action that creates clarity, certainty, and confidence.

[Peter Giordano III @pgthethird]

The real challenge in business isn't finding the solution to your problem.

It's figuring out what the problem is.

[Peter Giordano III @pgthethird]

The best decision-makers don’t choose between intuition or rationality.

They rely on both:

• One as the primary driver of the decision
• The other as an indicator to poke holes & keep the driver in check

It’s a “AND” system, not “OR”.

It’s how to make great decisions.

[Peter Giordano III @pgthethird]

If the "entrepreneur" had a mascot, it would be a duck.

Methodic and confident above the water with feet moving chaotically below.

...and always on the hunt for “bread.”

[Peter Giordano III @pgthethird]

We’re told to do the most important task in the morning.

But an unproductive afternoon can kill a fantastic morning.

Make halftime adjustments to set you up for daily progress.

Otherwise, you’ll constantly think about 'what you should have been doing' instead of recharging.

[Peter Giordano III @pgthethird]

Solving hard problems requires deep thinking.

Despite the best focus, you can make poor assumptions.

Poor assumptions = poor conclusions.

Adopt a "minimum viable assumptions" strategy.

Partner w/ others to test your assumptions to use a feedback loop to solve hard problems.

[Peter Giordano III @pgthethird]

Everything starts with strategy.

It’s the string of decisions from where you are right now to where you want to go.

People talk about taking action.

And that’s true, but if you act without thinking, you’re setting yourself up for unnecessary mistakes.

[Peter Giordano III @pgthethird]

Random insight of a person with good character:

They tell you when you have something in your teeth.

[Peter Giordano III @pgthethird]

You aren't competing with others in your niche.

There is enough to go around.

Your real competition is the status quo.

It means your customers will keep doing what they are already doing unless you can get them to move.

You are the alternative, not the default option.

[Peter Giordano III @pgthethird]

We live in a world full of trade-offs.

Some are easy. Some are hard. Some you don’t even notice.

But you must make a choice.

Your job is to just figure out what the trade-off is.

[Peter Giordano III @pgthethird]

Operate like a barbell.

Because everything in the middle is boring, similar, or over-optimized.

[Peter Giordano III @pgthethird]

First, find your different.

Then, aim to get better at your different.