A blueprint for aspiring creators, mental models for career changes, how to write excellent email introductions and examples of great color combinations.
View in browser
The Long Game

Hi everyone!

Happy December. It's the final month of 2020. How're you planning to spend it?

Fun question this week: "What's the primary trait you look for when hiring?" Click here to see what people said

This week I'm sharing a blueprint for aspiring creators, mental models for career changes, an guide to writing excellent email introductions and examples of great color combinations. Let's jump right in!

As always, feel free to hit reply and share what you liked, or disliked. Thanks for reading every week.

With gratitude,
Janel

Interesting Reads

Mental Models For Career Changes
Career changes are big decisions. Using mental models helps us find both the direction we want to go and find a clear path forward.

  • It's easier to play the long game when you know that everything you're doing is leading to somewhere you want to be.
  • Build a comprehensive map of your dream job by doing research on a large sample size. Talk to many people. Few jobs are one-dimensional.

The Ultimate Annual Review
It's time to start reflecting on 2020 and be intentional about how you spend 2021. Use this actionable blueprint to conduct your own self-paced review.

Stages of the Builder’s Journey — a Blueprint for Aspiring Creators
This piece on becoming a creator really resonated with me.

  • Create without a plan (i.e. just be creative)
  • Repeatedly help others (i.e. add value)
  • Feel the heat in the market (i.e. notice imbalances)
  • Pick a niche

Lessons from building 20+ startups in 5 years

  • You just need two skills. Learn to build & learn to sell
  • Validate everything. Talk to customers.
  • Distribution is often overlooked
  • Recruit for resourcefulness

    Learning

    Making An Excellent Introduction Via Email

    A masterclass in how to make amazing introductions via email. 

    How To Change Someone's Mind
    Be a partner, not an adversary. Conversations are not a zero-sum game. Listen & be nice. And perhaps consider that you're the one who needs to broaden your perspective. (h/t For The Interested)

    The Simple & Quickest Guide To Learn Anything

    How do you learn anything? A gem from BrainPint community member Eytan.

    • Understand what learning is
    • Understand what sources you can draw from
    • Practice to channel your knowledge into actual skills. There are no shortcuts. You need skin in the game.
          Resources & Tools

          Good Email Copy - Email copy from great companies.

          Two Color Combinations - I struggle with choosing colors for websites and sometimes palettes don't cut it. This site helps you see color combinations in the wild.

          50 of the best Google Fonts - There are 1000+ Google Fonts but Mackenzie has picked out 50 that he really likes. My recent favorites are IBM Plex Sans, Inter, Open Sans & Roboto.

          Data on 435 of the Best Ecommerce Holiday Campaigns - 2.67GB of raw holiday inspiration from DTC brands. No sign-up required. Get 745 examples with downloadable screenshots. What a treasure.

            Take A Brain Break

            Underrated Websites - An interesting r/AskReddit thread on underrating websites and what people use them for.

            Wayback Machine - Find archived sites from years ago. 

            Timelapse videos of houseplants - Shows how much plants move in a day.

              Quote Of The Week

              "The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any"
              — Alice Walker
              (Share On Twitter)

              Know any friends who would enjoy this? Please forward this!
              Was this email forwarded to you? Get your own subscription here!
              If you like BrainPint and want to show your support, you could buy me a coffee! ☕

              BrainPint

              Written with love in Spain by @JanelSGM
              Sent with MailerLite

              twitter

              You received this email because you signed up on BrainPint

              Unsubscribe