Notion vs. Microsoft, Storytelling Tips, and more.
Here's everything we published this week.
November 28, 2021
Knowledge Partner: McKinsey & Company
Build new businesses, at scale. Did your last great idea fail to take off? You’re not alone—only 22 percent of new businesses launched in the past 10 years scaled up successfully. And that’s a problem in a world where two-thirds of the value created in new-business building comes from getting to scale. But certain practices can make a big difference.
Check out new research to see how focusing on scalability can help build a new business that actually gets off the ground.
Happy Sunday!
For our American readers, Happy Thanksgiving! We're keeping it brief this weekend—here are a few pieces to give you something to read while you're lounging around, snacking on those leftover turkey cranberry sandwiches.
How Do You Compete with Free?
Notion is the hottest productivity software on the planet, with an adoring community and a fresh $10B valuation. Will it be enough to beat Microsoft? In our top article this week, Evan tackles the eternal question: how does David beat Goliath? Notion is assembling a rebel alliance consisting of teenagers on TikTok, devs using their APIs, and novel automation partners. Will it work? Check out the article to see Evan's full prediction.
Becoming a Better Storyteller
Katie Parrott / Masterful Storytelling
Last month, Every hosted a live event on our Discord with Planet Money co-founder, book author, and New Yorker writer Adam Davidson. Adam chatted with us about the rise of storytelling and the importance of improving our own skills as storytellers. In this piece, Katie Parrott compiled our notes from the conversation and boiled them down to 4 actionable items that will help readers tell better stories. Adam is a master of his craft, and this piece is absolutely worth your time.
Reading Recs
A couple more things we've loved on the internet this week.
Dan Shipper Interview on The Proof
Adrian Alfieri / The Proof
Adrian Alfieri of The Proof interviewed our very own Dan Shipper! They chatted about daily routines, productivity tips, and protecting personal time for the activities that bring you joy.
The Proof is an interview series focused on modern work and high performance, featuring intimate conversations with the founders of Sweetgreen, Hims, Tonal, Madhappy, Gumroad, and many more.
Extra Focus: A Newsletter for Finding Focus with ADHD
Jesse J. Anderson writes about ADHD, creativity, and productivity and has a weekly ADHD newsletter called Extra Focus (extrafocus.io). In it you’ll find helpful information on how the ADHD brain works, and effective strategies for managing your time, energy, and motivation.
Jesse is also writing a book in public called Refocus: A Practical Guide to ADHD (refocusbook.com).
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Knowledge Partner: McKinsey & Company
Dan Shipper
Evan Armstrong
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