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This past summer, I read 10 books on thinking like a business and becoming more intentional with time and resources. Here are a few takeaways:
Built to Sell and The Business of Expertise challenged me to focus on specialization instead of trying to be everything to everyone.
Win Without Pitching's main point is we shouldn’t have to convince everyone to work with us. The goal is to become valuable enough to attract the right clients on the right terms.
Never Split the Difference drove home that the skill of negotiation is understanding what someone actually needs to get what you want in return.
The Greatest Salesman in the World Parts 1 & 2 both explore the mindset and personal responsibility behind lasting success.
Matisse in Nice and The Matisse Stories were personal reads because I love his art.
Die With Zero asks how we can use our money and time to create meaningful experiences while we're alive. Die Empty challenges us to stop sitting on our ideas and put our potential into the world.
If you're a reader, what books have improved the way you approach your work?
"The Artist's Way" (haven't finished it yet hehe) helped me to have a more consistent creative practice!
The network for creativity
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Creatives on Contra have earned over $150M and we are just getting started
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Great reminder for every freelancer.
Keep building, keep sharing, and let the opportunities follow. 🚀
#Freelancing #BuildInPublic #Contra #FreelancerLife
I Built "North OS", a business operating system for entrepreneurs.
North OS combines CRM, business planning, AI coaching, goals, tasks, achievements, community and business progression into one platform. Each business gets its own evolving business tower, which grows as the user makes real progress, turning otherwise abstract business milestones into something visual and motivating.
The platform addresses a key challenge for entrepreneurs: managing the many moving parts of building a business while staying focused on what actually matters. Instead of simply storing leads and tasks, North is designed to help users understand what they need to do next, track their progress, learn, connect with other entrepreneurs, and actually see their business develop over time — all within a beautifully designed, responsive experience.
Over the past few weeks, I've been researching the real estate business as part of my learning and upskilling journey.
And one thing has become increasingly clear to me:
Understanding a business is just as important as understanding the technology used to improve it.
Its easy to get excited about AI, automation, and new technologies. But before thinking about solutions, I believe we need to understand the actual challenges businesses face every day.
For real estate businesses, I'm particularly interested in understanding how they manage customer inquiries, follow up with potential buyers, organize their daily operations, and avoid losing opportunities along the way.
Where are businesses losing valuable time?
What processes create unnecessary work?
And what problems could be solved with simple, practical solutions?
I dont believe every business needs complicated technology. Sometimes, the biggest improvement starts with understanding a problem that has been overlooked for too long.
That's the perspective I want to keep developing: understand the problem first, then build a solution that makes business easier.
I'd love to learn from people who are already in the industry.
If you work in real estate, own an agency, or understand the property business, what's one challenge you think deserves more attention?
I'm interested in hearing your experiences and learning from your perspective.
