It’s been an eventful week once again – and it looks like the economy is restoring back to pre-2020 levels.
But before we dive into the macro details… I’ve opened up 10 seats for my individual coaching program starting in 2024 (already 2 seats booked).
It’s a long-term advisory proposition for businesses generating $1M to $20M a year, with quarterly planning, goal-setting, a monthly call and email/voice/DM exchanges throughout the month.
After 400+ consulted clients over the past ten years (15 if we count the technical consultancies in 2008-2011 + thousands of training hours), I’m a strong believer of mentoring, consulting, advisory, and coaching. And the best coaches out there keep running businesses to stay up to speed – which is my own philosophy as well.
So the new program is a bit different. It limits to a single call a month but navigates the process via proven frameworks and business processes, staying aligned with business objectives and individual goals for executives, training up leadership teams, and developing strong and sustainable companies even in times of recession.
You can sign up through my Community hub if you want to conquer 2024 like a champ. There are starter subscriptions available – and the Accelerator opportunity is priced at $1,800/mo. And here’s a longer tweet going through the program premise.
P.S. Unlike other coaching programs, this involves my 7-person team and their business and marketing analysis we conduct for our portfolio. It’s a comprehensive solution based on the Growth Shuttle advisory frameworks and not a one man show operation.
What else is going on in the macroverse?
- The Fed is still firm on keeping interest rates in place – but the CPI is as low as 3.1% for November (despite the shopping spree).
- Black Friday and Cyber Monday were better than last year, but not a ton. Considering the inflation levels, the pre-Christmas shopping now is still elevated – but not extraordinary either
- Layoffs are ongoing. December also reported several companies slashing manpower. Definitely painful for individuals, but the hiring spree during the pandemic was excessive and now slowly getting normalized.
- Return to the office is still moving back to where it was. One of the largest tech acquisitions of VMware ($69 billion merger) was confirmed, and the new owner Broadcom clearly announced return to office for one of the leading tech companies. Even if 5 days a week isn’t going to remain steady for everyone, digital nomads and people who moved to the countryside will need to get back to the major metropolitan hubs in the new year.
On a personal note, I’m fully focused on roadmap development for Q1 for our businesses and our long-term accounts. We hired a couple of great troops here and still have a couple of open jobs – ramping up for what’s coming next!
Yours,
Mario
My Take
Cultivating Your Company’s Emerging Leaders – Being prepared for challenges in a changing business world is only possible with a strong leadership team. This week we look at cultivating your company’s most promising leaders. We’ll be doing this through the SEED approach:
20 Common Challenges When Introducing Agile – Agile methodology offers faster progress and flexibility for software development teams, fostering a continuous, measurable delivery of value. However, its successful implementation can be challenging, with common obstacles like resistance to change, lack of understanding, and difficulty in fostering team empowerment and communication. Read on how to overcome such challenges.
Newsletter Recommendations
Stacked Marketer – One of my go-to newsletters and a business that we’ve worked with a while ago on the DevriX front. It is loved by marketers who get hands-on with campaigns, who need to stay up-to-date with frequently changing platforms., who need to get an edge, and who need to achieve outsized results with limited resources, aka performance-focused marketers.
The Average Joe – Market trends & insights that are simple, concise, and impactful. This newsletter stands out to me due to the 200,000+ audience that go through market trends and ideas together.
Boldpush – А special newsletter for those interested in marketing intelligence and strategy to the most ambitious brands. Props to Julius Solaris for creating one of my top newsletter reads for GTM strategies and actionable content.
Morning Brew – Аn absolute classic, the Morning Brew delivers top news from a business-minded angle, and deliver it in a short, easy-to-read, actionable, and entertaining way.
Business Strategy
Oracle Shares Slide – Oracle experienced a decline in its stock value, dropping over 9% in after-hours trading, following a fiscal second-quarter report that showed revenue and revenue guidance below Wall Street expectations. Despite a 5% year-over-year revenue increase and a 44% rise in net income, the company’s earnings in three key segments – cloud services and license support, cloud and on-premises licenses, and services – fell short of consensus estimates.
Meta Verified to Business– Meta is expanding its Meta Verified subscription service to businesses on Instagram and Facebook, with plans to include WhatsApp, offering features like a verified badge, impersonation protection, and enhanced visibility. The service, currently testing in select countries, requires businesses to meet eligibility criteria and offers subscriptions starting at $21.99 USD/month per platform.
Jury Rules Against Google – A jury found Google guilty of operating an illegal monopoly with its Google Play app store and billing service, a decision that Epic Games hailed as a victory for app developers and consumers. The verdict, which Google plans to appeal, challenges Google’s practices in app distribution and in-app billing, with potential implications for its app store’s future and Android’s competitive landscape.
EU Rules for AI – The European Union has reached an agreement on landmark rules for artificial intelligence, potentially establishing the first major AI regulation in the Western world. The new EU AI Act, originating from a 2021 proposal by the European Commission, categorizes AI technologies based on risk levels, from unacceptable to low-risk. However, Germany, France, and Italy have advocated for self-regulation for generative AI models like ChatGPT, fearing that excessive regulation could hinder European competitiveness in AI technology.
From Unicorns to Zombies – A wave of bankruptcies and shutdowns is hitting the tech start-up sector, with prominent companies like WeWork, Olive AI, Convoy, and Veev, which raised billions in funding, filing for bankruptcy or ceasing operations recently. This trend reflects a broader shift in investor sentiment, as venture capital firms are becoming more selective, focusing on sustainability over potential. The tech industry, despite facing challenges, continues to see interest in AI-focused companies, but the overall climate indicates a challenging period for start-ups, with many running out of time and funds.
Global News
Stock futures are inching up, with Treasury yields pulling back and the dollar slipping, as the yen recoups some of Monday’s losses.
- S&P: 4,643 (+0.45%)
The central bank decided to hold firm at its November meeting, indicating it expects rates to stay on the higher side for the foreseeable future. The slight decline in mortgage rates comes alongside appreciating home prices. Home values have now climbed for eight months in a row, according to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller index for September 2023.
- 30-year mortgage rate: 7.32%(-0.21)
- 15-year mortgage rate: 6.74%(-0.06)
The Fed is behind the curve when it comes to cutting rates.
- Fed to begin cutting rates in June, according to a majority of the respondents to the CNBC Fed Survey.
- Respondents see the probability of a soft landing at 47%, up 5 points from the October survey. They lowered the probability of a recession in the next year by 8 points to 41%.
- The 35 respondents to the survey include economists, strategists and analysts. The Fed decides on rates and gives its economic outlook Wednesday.
This week’s news are interesting, as they diversify into years long legal disputes and old political prisoners.
- Federal jury says Google’s app store violated antitrust law, settling a years-long battle between Epic Games and the tech giant.
- Texas Supreme Court rules against woman seeking to terminate high-risk pregnancy hours after her lawyers say she left the state to get an abortion.
- Harvard’s governing body issues a unanimous statement in support of president Claudine Gay following widely criticized testimony on antisemitism
Investing Updates
- Bright Spaces – PiLabs, Sparking Capital, Fortech Investments, Hellen’s Rock and Clearance Capital.
- Collabwriting– winner of How to Web, backed by Credo, Smok Ventures, Fiedler Capital, Startup Wise Guys, Underline Ventures, Fortech, V7 Capital.
- Blindspot– links over a million global digital billboards, simplifying advertising for diverse clients like TikTok, Netflix, and Rihanna.
Note: Got a round going that you want to feature – your own business or a portfolio company? Get in touch.
Forex Brokers Review Site– Showcasing a 35% YoY revenue growth, with over 79% organic traffic from the USA, and a TTM revenue of $811K.
- Monthly Profit: $62.1K
- Monthly Page Views: 92.7K
- Authority Score: 32
Digital Marketing Agency – A scalable business offering high-quality digital marketing services. With a strong client base and 1.2K email subscribers.
- Monthly Profit: $3.9K
- Average Order Value: $104
- Email Subscribers: 2.3K
Bathroom Products Ecom Store – Easy to run, complete with a strong SEO profile, and offering great opportunities for growth.
- Monthly Profit: $16.9K
- Annual Revenue: $308.3K
- Authority Score: 22
Need my Help?
I’m involved with a number of initiatives – here’s what I can do to help you:
Scalable and secure WordPress? DevriX provides WordPress retainers to SMEs, publishers, eCommerce, SaaS, and more. Our plans start from $1,200/mo to $40K/mo for anything from support through engineering, CRO, performance, security, to fractional CXO services and managing the data stacks of large corps.
Running on Shopify? Set up Rush now and increase your revenue with post-purchase orders automatically!
Want to scale and optimize your business? Growth Shuttle offers personalized advisory plans starting at $600/hr. Tap into my personal pool of business know-how and my data warehouse of industry data.
Want access to my blueprints/books and a weekly Slack planning session? Join my Community and grab my Entrepreneurship book.
Looking to start a US company? Check out doola and their “Business in a Box” model. Suitable for both foreigners and US citizens and both for residents and non-residents.
Have you tried buying and selling digital property? Have a look at Flippa’s marketplace. They offer a vast variety of online businesses for any buyer’s interests. Or if you’re ready for an exit, Flippa provides you with the necessary tools to list your business and close the deal.
Looking for investment opportunities? Check out SeedBlink and use Nimity to manage it.
Eager to incorporate my recommended solutions? Track my angel investments. Sharing, applying for open roles, or writing reviews helps a ton. And anything else I try to publish on my blog and my courses here!