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    Latest Posts

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    Businesses as Ecosystem Organisms

    What we can learn from seeing businesses as organisms in an ecosystem ... using the particularly odd example of HEICO as the barnacle to TransDigm’s whale.

    Feature image for The Hospitality Solution in Your Business

    The Hospitality Solution in Your Business

    A look at the main provocation of Will Guidara’s Unreasonable Hospitality: that you can solve (certain) business problems with hospitality, and that it only takes a little thoughtfulness to do so.

    The Commoncog Case Library

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    The Idea Maze is a Useless Idea

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    Getting Burnt by Business Expansion

    A recurring pattern that seems to show up again and again in business: expansion is dangerous, and everyone really only learns this through pain.

     Members only
    Feature image for Data is Just an Added Sense

    Data is Just an Added Sense

    A useful operating principle to sidestep the biggest misconception around becoming data driven in business.

    Feature image for Danny Meyer’s Business Expertise

    Danny Meyer’s Business Expertise

    Let's break down Danny Meyer's business expertise as an exercise in biography reading.

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    Feature image for Running a Fine Dining Restaurant in a Recession

    Running a Fine Dining Restaurant in a Recession

    How Eleven Madison Park survived the 2008 Global Recession ... and what this tells us about operating through the capital cycle.

    Feature image for A Big Part of Being Data Driven is Will Not Skill

    A Big Part of Being Data Driven is Will Not Skill

    What it's like being data driven in the restaurant business ... and what it tells us about becoming data driven in business more broadly.

     Members only
    Feature image for The Amazon Weekly Business Review (WBR)

    The Amazon Weekly Business Review (WBR)

    The authoritative guide on how Amazon does WBRs (from former exec Colin Bryar): how it works, how to do it, and how Amazon uses it to win.

    Book Summaries

    Feature image for Accelerated Expertise

    Accelerated Expertise

    Accelerated Expertise is the best book we have on creating accelerated training programs today.

    Feature image for 7 Powers

    7 Powers

    7 Powers is arguably the best book on business strategy currently available today.

    Feature image for Working Backwards

    Working Backwards

    Working Backwards is the first book that explains how Amazon really works.

    Feature image for Range

    Range

    David Epstein's mediocre book argues the merits of being a generalist. Instead of reading it, read this and subscribe to Epstein's newsletter.

    Burnout

    What do we actually know about burnout? What does the research say? Is burnout preventable? All the research, in one free, updated place.

    The Starter Manager Guide

    The bare minimum you need to know to be an adequate manager. Short enough to finish in three hours. Meaty enough to take 6-8 months to master.

    Career Moats

    The soup-to-nuts guide to building a career moat. We start from understanding your job market, executing a skills audit, all the way to building and then maintaining a moat.

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