It's been an overall good week for business (considering the gloomy economy over the past 10 months).

My stock portfolio reached its valuation from 11 months ago and moving in the right direction. Granted, while S&P and Nasdaq are risky classes, one is never thrilled when the entire economy tanks for a year.

This is a lesson on long-term investments and the importance of staying true to your values and paradigms.

In other news, Binance is now sued by the SEC. The crypto world was in a terrible spot a year ago - after FTX and several other exchanges went under, Crypto.com had massive layoffs, and the valuation of digital coins went down. After several calmer months once SVB went out of business, now Binance is a key target.

Layoffs aren't gone yet - but capital is still flowing in the economy. Plenty of businesses run a healthy balance in the bank, and while retail brands have struggled immensely, eCommerce brands are taking a lower hit for now. Some are even thriving in their corresponding economies. 

Special credits to:

• doola and my friend Arjun for launching their Books service - making the lives of international founders that much easier

• Chenell Basilio and her Growth in Reverse write up of Sahil - planning to test out some of his frameworks

• Sahil Bloom and Michael Girdley for growing active social ecosystems (each over 170K followers) while running businesses and targeting B2B founders and C-levels. While targeting creators, indies, freelancers on social is fairly straightforward, growing an audience while targeting fairly secretive and not as engaged individuals is a spectacular skill.

You are statistically in that same circle - so if you want to hit Reply and let me know if that feature - or the new newsletter format - works for you, that would be great.

Stay tuned for the next one,

Mario

 ✍️ My Take 

How B2Bs Can Prepare for Resilience During Uncertain Times

Business leaders seeking a return to normalcy after a global pandemic are faced with new obstacles, requiring companies to adapt once again. These multifaceted challenges encompass concerns about the economy, with 90 percent of executives expressing worry and 81 percent anticipating a recession in the next six months, alongside the impact of inflation and interest rate hikes on spending power. 

LinkedIn: Top Business Tips for June 2023My monthly business tips deck is out! Here's what I'm focusing on in June. How about you?

Podcast: Why Compliance is the Achilles Heel that Could Kill Growing BusinessesGlad to guest in Osom to Know so we can discuss the current financial crisis at SVB and how important it is to diversify. We also discuss an array of other topics like recurring income through retainers, popular website-building solutions, and branding strategies. What do you think is the best strategy to weather the recession storm? 

Data-Driven Strategies for Effective Content DevelopmentNew Blog post alert! In the digital era, dynamic content creation is key for brand growth. Traditional one-way communication methods are being replaced by interactive strategies to meet changing consumer needs and technological advances.To stay relevant, content creators must adapt to these shifts, influenced by social media, mobile usage, and demand for personalized experiences. Today, audiences control their content preferences, seeking information that aligns with their needs and interests.

Small Business Trends: 19 Inspiring Podcasts to Boost Your Entrepreneurial CreativityHave a look at this helpful list of amazing Entrepreneurial podcasts. Honoured to be ranked in it as well, with my guest appearance in Alex Hormozi's "The Game". 

📄 Business Strategy 

Future-Proof Your Career: 10 Essential Steps For Thriving In An AI-Dominated Workforce

As artificial intelligence continues to revolutionize industries across the globe, it is crucial for young professionals entering the workforce to develop skills that will keep them relevant and adaptable in the face of rapid technological advancements. While the integration of AI may raise concerns about job displacement, it also presents abundant opportunities for those equipped with the right skill sets.*article by Forbes*

Cut Wasteful Meetings and Unlock Faster and Better Collaboration

In a leadership meeting, the CIO presents a cost-cutting proposal to centralize IT resources, prepared with the CEO and CFO. Despite anticipating resistance from business unit leaders, the CIO pushes forward with the plan. Many leaders, sensing the proposal has been pre-approved by the CEO and CFO, choose to remain silent rather than voice their concerns or suggest alternatives. Among the 12 attendees, only four participate in the discussion, and the lack of candid feedback is palpable. The meeting quickly moves on to the next item, with unresolved issues left to be handled outside the room. This scenario is a common occurrence in corporate meetings worldwide.*article by Forbes*

How to Use Angel Investor Funding for Your Business

Angel funding, while seeming divine, is actually accessible with strategic thinking and networking. Whether your business requires a small or large investment, angel investors can provide the needed capital. By utilizing your network and thinking analytically, you can identify suitable investors for your venture, bypassing traditional banking methods.*article by Business News Daily*

Generative AI for SMB

Generative AI, widely used for digital content, is poised to transform various industries. Accenture's study indicates that a vast majority of executives foresee AI foundational models significantly influencing their organizations in the near future. There's also potential for generative AI to bridge the disparity between small- to mid-size businesses and large enterprises, addressing an existing relationship mismatch.*article by Forbes*

Inflation to stay high. Good news for stocks

Expectations suggest a 3.1% annual inflation rate over the next five years, the highest since 2008. This rise concerns many as high inflation expectations can lead to behaviors that fuel inflation. If the Federal Reserve raises interest rates, these expectations may be a factor. However, historically, these expectations often served as a contrary indicator, with actual inflation usually being lower when expectations were high, and vice versa.*article by Marketwatch*

Global News 🚨The layoff-verse is adding up - with companies like Twitter leading the chart. 

• 2023 Companies with layoffs: 749

• Employees were laid off in 2023: 202,399

• Q2 2023 Layoffs: 35,112

* Statistic was taken from layoffs.fyi as of June 7th *

The global economy is hovering.

• DOW: 33,573 (+0.03%)

• NASDAQ: 12,276 (+0.35%)

• S&P: 4,283 (+0.23%)

*Economy numbers as of June 6th close*

Some interesting statistics about meetings by airgram. Puts the need for time management into perspective: 

• 75% of Meetings last within 60 minutes

• Average Meeting length increased by 8-10% every year 2000 - 2020

• Meeting length differs between industries with Legal leading with 2 hours and Military sitting at less than 15 minutes

• Former VP Mike Pence launches his 2024 presidential bid.

• President Biden signs the bipartisan debt ceiling bill to avert a government default.

• Senate votes to block President Biden’s student loan relief program.

Investing Updates 📈 

Several angel investing opportunities listed on SeedBlink at the time:

• Ondato:  Aiming to secure funding of up to €4M in Pre-Series A, the goal is to establish itself as the primary compliance platform for businesses.

•  Doorway Seeks to secure a Series A funding of €3M, with the aim of providing promising startups and scaleups the opportunity to access crucial funding.

• FinloupSeeks to raise €650,000 to facilitate access to tech products through a subscription model.

Very excited about the secondary market (even though I couldn't purchase additional equity within SeedBlink itself at a lower multiplier).

Note: Got a round going that you want to feature - your own business or a portfolio company? Get in touch

.

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.

• Want to scale and optimize your business? Growth Shuttle offers personalized advisory plans starting at $350/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 for investment opportunities? Check out SeedBlink.

• 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!