To the obsessed,

Here are your weekly Ten Bullets. A list of ideas I can't stop thinking about- to help you build companies, make art, and find your obsession.

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1. On obsession-market fit:

"Work on startup ideas that require you to be the way you already are. Then what would in ordinary life be a mere idiosyncrasy can become a unique advantage."

- Paul Graham​

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2. On exceptional talent:

Below are a few bullets from 'Omens of exceptional talent' [blog] by Alexey Guzey:

- drop everything and work non-stop on a single thing if decide on the right thing to do
- exceptionally clear writing
- fast when it matters, slow when it doesn’t
- really get “if you’re not sure what to do, just do the right thing”
- figure out assignments from people they respect on their own and deliver way above expectations on them
- impatient yet patient; brilliant yet dumb
- ask questions that make people they talk to smarter and more specific
- have specific, correct hot takes (if young, on the path there)​
- do what’s required to get where they want to get (rather than only doing what they’re good at)

Also recommend 'lifehacks' by Alexey.​
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3. On training as art:

"My philosophy is that I'm an artist. A race is a work of art that people can look at and be affected in as many ways as they're capable of understanding. Some people create with words or with music or with a brush and paints. I like to make something beautiful when I run." - Steve Prefontaine

I'm reading Pre: The Story of America's Greatest Running Legend. Incredible force-of-nature athlete. Tragic early death.

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4. On finding your niche:

"You don’t need to persuade everyone of everything to have a good life. In fact you can have a great life persuading <1% of people about <1% of things. This is unintuitive, imo because when you’re a child, your world is small, and yet the adults and peers in your life loom large."

- Visakan Veerasamy [Twitter/X]

Never a better time to be weird and find your weirdos.

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5. On 'cult'ure:

"Sachs has said the studio culture he created is 'his greatest work of art.'

Employees have been known to work out in a program called Space Camp three times a week at 7 a.m., wearing uniforms printed with their first initial, last name, and the serial numbers Sachs assigned them. 'We’d go out jogging in Soho, and people would take pictures of us. It’s not like they knew who Tom was; they just thought they were a regular cult,' says a former studio assistant. Some got their serial numbers tattooed on their bodies. Plus, Sachs called it a cult. Constantly. 'This place is a cult, and I mean that in the scariest, most Manson-family kind of way, in that we’re totally committed to this way of life, he said in a GQ interview."

- Curbed.com - Tom Sachs Promises a Fun Cult​

Recently, he's been under some scrutiny for how he treated employees. But, regardless, his 'culture as art' fascinates me. He actually inspired the name of this newsletter, with his video '10 Bullets' outlining the 10 studio rules. Highly recommend.

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6. On content:

"Video tip: talk to the camera like you’re talking to a close friend. View it as a conversation with one person."

- Solbrah

Applies to every medium. Speak, write, and record, like you're talking to a friend.

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7. On making what you wish existed:

"Apple made him a multi-millionaire, Pixar made him a billionaire. [...] And despite all that, he still can't choose a mobile phone. [...] His problem, he says, is that he can't find things that satisfy him."

— The Independent on Steve Jobs, 2005​

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8. On market research:

“The world’s most deadly fluff is: 'I would definitely buy that.' It just sounds so concrete. As a founder, you desperately want to believe it’s money in the bank. But folks are wildly optimistic about what they would do in the future. They’re always more positive, excited, and willing to pay in the imagined future than they are once it arrives.”

“Rule of thumb: People stop lying when you ask them for money.”

- Rob Fitzpatrick, The Mom Test
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9. On networking:

A great way to network is- when you like someone's work- DM them and tell them. Immediately. Don't elaborate. Don't ask for anything. Just tell them you like their stuff.

Over time, done authentically, this compounds in a really special way.

The best way to network is to do something incredible, and have great people come to you. But while you figure that out, the first step can help​
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[Share on Twitter/X]

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10. On beautiful suffering:

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obsessioncore [01]

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If you enjoyed this, forward it to an obsessed friend. 🏴

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To read the Ten Bullets archive, click here.

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I'd love to hear what you thought of this edition. Feel free to reply here. Also, feel free to send any obsession quotes/inspiration you find yourself. I'd love to share them.

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Stay obsessed,

Zach 🏴

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