🚀 2024 started with Books, Journal & Newsletter! - Sriram Selvan.
1% into 2024!
Hey friends,
As a podcaster, consuming content is one of my most crucial things. I spent almost a year building the Being Scenius Podcast and handling the entire process solo for half of the year. The rest of the time was dedicated to forming a team to automate the entire process (which is still ongoing). Unfortunately, in the midst of all this, I lost track of consuming content in any form
Randomly, during my last visit to Chennai, I bought this amazing book titled “Daily Coffee & Startup Fundraising“ by Sarthak Ahuja.
I finished the book exactly the day before the new year—making it my top priority. I used to go to the public library, specifically to the section for people preparing for competitive exams. With this book and a note, I wrapped up my reading there. (I hadn't taken a picture as I had no idea that I would start a newsletter at that point.)
Quick Update: We are in the process of incorporating our startup and planning for a launch soon. Seriously, this book was a savior! I learned a lot about the legal side of the startup, which is often overlooked. Now, I've come to the point of realizing that talking about someone raising this much looks cool, but the process and legal aspects behind it are not!
I bought a 2024 planner from TinyChanges; I had one for 2023, and it was incredibly helpful!
I've read quite often that journaling and reflecting on gratitude can be beneficial in many ways. Since last year, I've been writing, what I improve by 1% each day, and I've recently incorporated journaling into this routine
Additionally, a call with Shashank, the founder of Two Paise Club Newsletter, inspired me to start my own newsletter.
If you enjoy reading this, you know what to do!
📖 Other Reads!
Some books are designed for a one-page-per-day read, offering a daily snippet of content around a specific topic, marked with the month and day.
This tweet from Alex can help you choose one that interests you! Give it a try; we are only 1% into 2024.
I have 'The Daily Laws' by Robert Greene with me, which I bought last year but didn’t form a habit of reading it daily. However, this time I will. Until this morning, I've been reading it, and I've also added 'A Calendar of Wisdom' by Leo Tolstoy to my routine.
If I follow the book recommendations from our podcast guests, I might just become a millionaire by the end of this year (that’s a goal from 2024 too 😁, wish me luck!).
To kickstart 2024, I read 'Rework' by David Heinemeier Hansson and Jason Fried, a recommendation from Deepak Bro. He provided a valuable podcast episode and taught me a skill (community building*), making me a better person for my entire life
Halfway through the book, one thing I wished for was having read it before March 2023, when we started our startup. If I had, we might have had revenue from the first month itself. If you're a founder or planning to kickstart one, go buy this book now—period
Stay tuned for more about the book and my startup journey on Sriram Selvan.
P.S.: Deepak Bro talking about this book in a reel got 1 million+ plays on Instagram!
*Deepak’s 5th community-building workshop is just around the corner! Reach out to him on LinkedIn!
❤️My favourite things this week
Travel - Came to Chennai to meet a bunch of people! More about it next Saturday, 6 pm in your Inbox!
Podcast - The Indian Silicon Valley podcast with Avnish Anand, CaratLane CEO. I enjoyed his perspective on people both in the team and the consumers. From head of product in 2015 to CEO in 2023, there is more to learn from him.
Books - Halfway through “Rework”!
Blog - Inside the Mind of the Over-Pitched Investor. It talks about the importance of “The Customer Story” in the pitch deck.
💬Quote of the Week
Be wary lest by reading too many writers and too many different kinds of books your brain becomes confused and addled. If you wish to extract something useful from your reading, you should feed your mind only with those writers of undoubted worth. Read therefore only those books which have been recognized as unquestionably good. And if you should ever feel the urge to turn to any other sort of book, always remember to return to the first kind.
Seneca, MLL
If you find it helpful, email me your feedback at Sriramselvank@gmail.com. I am happy to learn from you! Similarly, I would love to hear about how your first 1% into 2024 went. Let's connect over email ☺️
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