#22 Birthday edition! The Myth of the Entrepreneur, What Young Women May Not Know, Are You Human?
It's my birthday! (And that of my twin sister - HBD, Julie!)
It is truly a gift to me that you are opening this silly newsletter. The list continues to grow week after week. Welcome to all my new subscribers, including MY MOM! HI MOM!
This is edition number 22, and in this edition of the World's Best Newsletter:
1. What B2B Marketers Need to Understand About the Power of Relevance in a World of More
2. The Myth of the Entrepreneur
3. What young women may not know
4. Are you human?
5. The Sad Truth About Milo Yiannopoulos
6. Why Facts Don't Change Our Minds
7. No Happy Ears
8. Quote of the Week: Lauren Landry
Let's get into it:
1. What B2B Marketers Need to Understand About the Power of Relevance in a World of More
I'm very fortunate to be with a wonderful partner who just gets me. I know, because the birthday gifts she gives are always thoughtful, creative and spot on.
In my guest post this week for Evergage, I relate the feeling of getting a really perfect gift to great marketing. Both require someone to know a lot about the other person. It's relevant. And it's this sense of relevance that makes it special.
2. The Myth of the Entrepreneur
In this excellent piece, Janessa Lantz tells the real story of what drives innovation. It's not the lone entrepreneur creating innovation (as charming as those stories may seem). It's funded academic research, entrepreneurial education, and a shift in VC funding.
Today, VCs invest $63 Billion in startups, the majority in late-stage internet companies. If we follow this model, Steve Blank says,
"We risk running out of new technology — 5 years, maybe 10 — then we’re buying from China. The next layer of innovation comes from basic research.”
Janessa implores us to continue to provide STEM PhDs with funding to conduct research.
It has "long been the unsung secret to the United State’s innovation edge. It might not be as exciting as the entrepreneur myth, it certainly doesn’t grab as many TechCrunch headlines, but it’s the real story of how we got to where we are today. And it’s a story that will shape how we invest in our future."
3. What young women may not know
"Many people are not aware that a select group of white men, a board of education in Texas, has been charged with the job of editing all of the history textbooks for decades. Their editing is final. That is the reason you probably didn’t know..."
Read the STORY of the real fights for women's rights in our not-so-distant past that lend important context to today's narratives. Then, go send it to everyone you know who is "completed satisfied with life" and does not understand why we need to be discussing such things in 2017.
4. Are you human?
Have you ever wondered: Am I a human being? Ze Frank suggests a series of simple questions that will determine this. Please relax and follow the prompts. Let's begin … (4:25 video)
5. The Sad Truth About Milo Yiannopoulos
He is an attention-seeking provocateur. He is the most boring person on the planet. He should have never been given an iota of opportunity to SPEAK ON BEHALF OF anyone: he does not represent conservatives, he does not represent the gay community. He represents the worst of human nature. Shame on anyone who fell into his trap of media-manipulation. (Read Ryan Holiday's writing for a playbook.) Enough.
6. Why Facts Don't Change Our Minds
New discoveries about the human mind show the limitations of reason. Facts don't persuade like we think they ought to.
7. No Happy Ears
On the other extreme, a lack of the truth does not help when facing tough choices. Actually, facts are necessary when making difficult decisions.
Quoting friend and colleague Denice Sakakeeny "optimism is not a proxy for facts. Facts pretty much always help make difficult decisions easier."
8. Quote of the Week: Lauren Landry
Lauren Landry is a friend, a writer, a teacher, and a whip-smart ball of intelligence and optimism. I had to share her recent Facebook update:
"Think of the last time you were truly excited about something or someone. Maybe it was a project that motivated you, and you couldn't fall sleep until it was finished. Or maybe it was a person who made your stomach flip; whenever you were with him or her, you didn't want the night to end.
If you don't feel that same level of excitement, that passion, ask yourself if you're settling. If you're forcing something. If you're making decisions out of comfort rather than love. Just some food for thought."
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Thanks for reading. Have a great weekend!
Best,
Katie