Weekly 40 Hour Kit by Fabiano Abreu Ott

The journey of growing your business without grinding 24/7.

40 Hour Kit: Are You One Big Ask Away?

(Here for the subject line? Find it in the 🚀 Challenge section)

Hey Reader,

Last week, I had Daniele De Paolis as a guest on my podcast. He's a bootstrapped founder from Italy who built a 7-figure business selling hand grips for athletes.
When I asked him for the advice he would give his younger self, he was direct: he wouldn't listen to any advice. He’d only focus on one thing: perseverance. This is what he tells early-stage founders every time.

What's your anchor when things get hard in your business?

Talking about not taking advice, feel free to treat your 40 Hour Kit as inspiration instead:

​
💡 Entrepreneurial Insight

Sell people what they want, not what they need.​
Buyers mostly act based on emotions, not on curated facts about why they need your product.

Based on the marketing concepts explained by serial 8-figure bootstrapped founder Daniel Priestley in his book 'Oversubscribed'.

⚖️ Balance Hack

Work in cycles. Have clear, urgent goals for six to eight weeks followed by a cool-down phase of two weeks (to fix small issues and plan what's next).
​
This strategy does two things:

1. Intensity: Higher work quality in cycle #1.
2. Clarity: Cool-down phases to regain energy.

Based on a strategy suggested by entrepreneur and NYT bestselling author Cal Newport in 'Slow Productivity'.​

🚀 Challenge

Reach out to one 'dream' collaborator, client, or mentor this week and make a specific, bold ask (an interview, a referral, or a deal).

Maybe you're just one big ask away from doubling your business.

Inspired by successful, bootstrapped founder of AppSumo Noah Kagan and his rejection philosophy.

✨ Recommendation

Quick reminder from Netflix's co-founder Marc Randolph:

Stop following only your data.​
In a startup, optimization shouldn't be the goal, especially in the early stages.
​
Instead, the uncertainty of running experiments and making decisions in new terrain is the uncomfortable fun you signed up for as a founder.
Your next breakthrough probably won't come from optimizing something you already tried.
​
Follow your gut and skip the data for the next experiment.
​

Based on an article by the co-founder of Netflix, Marc Randolph.

❓ Question for you to ask another Entrepreneur

What is the single best reason a smart person should not buy from you?

Have a nice & productive week!

Best,

Fabiano

Grow together with other founders - without sacrificing your lifestyle.

​Join the Priority List for the 40 Hour Entrepreneur Club.​

​Read past 40 Hour Kits here.