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Every two weeks, I share my writing about investing, career transitions, parenting, and other topics that engage me. I'm just trying to figure stuff out.

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Stormy Inspiration

Last Sunday was a great day to read.

Not that you should ever need an excuse to read more, but there wasn’t much more we could do.

On Saturday night, a massive spring storm battered the Maine Coast. First, some light snow set the mood, then heavy rain kicked in before a final burst of wind and ice arrived to seal the deal.

As you might expect, we lost power and internet. But it was worse than that. Even the cell towers fell silent. On late Sunday morning, we had to drive more than 20 minutes to land more than one bar of LTE.

Normally, I’d gladly drive several hours or pay good money to escape the internet or cell coverage. This time, Mother Nature was calling the shots, and she was ticked off.

By late Sunday morning, the town remained sealed in a stunning coating of solid ice. It was clear we weren’t going anywhere.

So, I settled onto the couch under a few blankets and cruised through Noah Kagan’s new book, Million Dollar Weekend.

Noah is having a moment. You may have seen him recently as a guest on your favorite podcast. He’s seemingly everywhere online, which is what one does to promote a book in 2024.

Yes, it’s a cheesy title, which Noah readily admits. But don’t let that fool you.

In this quick read, Noah shares the process he used to build seven million-dollar businesses. In terms of street cred, he happened to be employee number 30 at Facebook and number 4 at Mint, so he knows a thing or two about building businesses.

I’ve been a fan of Noah’s for over a decade. He always offers specific, actionable advice. He’s down to Earth, has a great sense of humor, and he loves tacos.

I genuinely looked forward to reading his book.

While the book is ostensibly about starting a business—the brash title helps make that point—there’s more to it.

Million Dollar Weekend includes 34 specific challenges designed to inspire action and conquer fear. As Noah explains, the biggest obstacle to getting started is usually in our heads, so he presents a series of challenges designed to develop your resistance to rejection. Noah calls it developing your “ask muscle.”

For example, there’s “The Coffee Challenge.”

The Coffee Challenge sounds easy enough. You simply ask for a 10% discount at your local coffee shop, and then… silence. Awkward, right? Embarrassing? Yep. Will you get a discount? Probably not. But that’s not the point.

One of Noah’s other ideas that stuck with me is “The Law of 100,” an approach that helps grow the business you built over a weekend. It's simple but not easy. You pick any activity that supports growth and do it 100 times without worrying about results. It can be 100 days, 100 posts, or 100 networking contacts.

Whatever you choose, you just do it and don’t even think about quitting until you reach 100.

This challenge is all about discipline and consistency. Like deliberate practice, it demonstrates the power of compounding in skill acquisition. Plus, fast cycles generate more feedback, so you can iterate faster. You have to trust you’ll be much happier with your results after 100 days.

As I read more and more, I realized how broadly these lessons could be applied to life. And that I should be sharing these lessons with my kids even if they have zero interest in starting a business. Note for the record, they currently have less than zero interest in starting a business.

Still, somehow I convinced my son to join me. Together, we’ll follow the plan Noah outlined in his book. I’m willing to bet he’s not as excited as I am, but that’s ok.

Million-dollar business or not, I can’t wait to get started.

That is, once our power and internet are back online!

Cove Community Update

Thank you to those who responded to the survey to help me evaluate launching a Cove Community. The feedback was super helpful.

The idea clearly resonated with enough people to form a critical mass.

My plan is coming together, and I promise to share more soon.

Stay tuned.

Other Stuff

Rents rise slightly, ending 7-month decline Rent growth has stagnated or declined in many markets. But the latest readings look more encouraging for multifamily investors. Yardi and other indicators show slowing declines, stabilization, and even markets with outright rent growth.

​Read the article (3 mins)

Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper Economist Noah Smith challenges the idea that more market-based housing is somehow negative for affordable housing. To oversimplify his argument, more housing at any price does not increase the price of existing housing unless the new units replace more affordable units. He thoughtfully supports his points with logic, analogies, and empirical research. Read why more Lambos won't increase the price of a Civic.

​Read the post (7 mins)

How I Learned to Concentrate Cal Newport's recent New Yorker article doubles as a promo for his new book, Slow Productivity. The article is still a good read. It's also a reminder that Cal walks the walk when it comes to Deep Work, a term he coined. Cal first learned the difference between busyness and productivity as a grad student and part of the Theory of Computation Grup at MIT.

​Read the article (6 mins)

Speaking of Jung - James Hollis This episode is one of several interviews featuring Dr. Hollis. Readers navigating a certain stage of life will appreciate Hollis's insights. One of his key points is the importance of self-analysis and self-exploration to find a greater sense of purpose and ownership of one's life journey. If you like the interview, I'd encourage you to explore one of his many books exploring similar themes. In addition to Living an Examined Life, I also recommend Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life.

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​Listen to the podcast (1 hour)

And a Farewell Photo...