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Midweek greetings to all, as we unveil the 263rd chapter of Weekly Olio—a delightful concoction of laughter, insight, and a sprinkle of mystery. Within these pages, you'll discover a handpicked selection of fascinating finds from the vast realms of the internet.
Keep your eyes peeled for this week’s Publisher’s Parmesan, arriving this Sunday!
A word from our Sponsors…
The GTM bets that shouldn't have worked, and did
One grew revenue 50x after half his team quit over the strategy. One brought in 50K signups in a single day with no paid budget. One generated 100M+ views from a stunt that took 50 hours to conceive. One asked every prospect to demo the product themselves instead of demoing it for them.
None of them followed the safe playbook. They treated GTM like an experiment, moved before they had proof, and made bets most founders would never get approved.
HubSpot for Startups documented all 6 stories in the free Bold Bets Playbook. The risks they took, why it was risky, and what it returned.
The Quote 💭
“The greatest risk is not taking one. Move with conviction and money will chase you.”
The Tweet 🐦
China's EV success isn't a top-down planning triumph you can replicate with "industrial policy." It's the emergent product of decentralized competition, regulatory arbitrage, and local-private alliances—messy, risky, and very hard to copy.
The Infographic 💹
People claim that China is less corrupt than India. Or at least that their corruption is more efficient and well-managed. How true is this?
Real-World Ads, Simple to Run
With AdQuick, executing Out Of Home campaigns is as easy as running digital ads. Plan, deploy, and measure your real-world advertising effortlessly — so your team can scale campaigns and maximize impact without the headaches.
The Short Read 📝
Best Ideas have an Expiry Date - by TheGreySwan
Knowledge is like radioactivity. If you look at a single atom of uranium, whether it’s going to decay breaking down and unleashing its energy is highly unpredictable. It might decay in the next second, or you might have to sit and stare at it for thousands, or perhaps even millions, of years before it breaks apart.
Do not only ask whether a view is right. Ask whether it is becoming more right or less right. That question does not let you hide behind your last correct answer. It forces you to separate the usefulness of a belief from the nostalgia attached to it. Read more…
The Long Read 📜
Getting Even - by Tigerfeathers
"Two Italians and an Indian without medical training start a healthcare company in India" might sound like the start of a joke, but for Even, it turned out to be a great idea for a successful business.
Imagine a company that insures you, employs your doctors, runs diagnostics, and owns your hospital, aiming to keep you healthy and out of the hospital. This model, like a 'Spotify for healthcare,' offers a monthly subscription for unlimited consultations, check-ups, and diagnostics, benefiting financially from your good health. Spending on health and wellness, such as teleconsults and preventive screenings, is cost-effective compared to future hospitalizations or surgeries. Read more…
50 Excel Hacks That Make Spreadsheets Work For You
Most Excel users waste hours on tasks that take experts minutes. The difference is not talent. It is knowing the right shortcuts.
These 50 Excel hacks from Kenji Explains cover the functions, formulas, and workflows that make spreadsheets work for you instead of against you.
Each one comes with step-by-step instructions and ready-to-use templates. Subscribe to Marketing Against the Grain and get all 50 free.
Here's what you'll get:
Time-saving shortcuts that eliminate the most common formula frustrations
Interface essentials most users never discover on their own
Game-changing functions for data analysis, automation, and visualization
Guided practice template so you can apply every hack immediately
The people who are fast in Excel are not smarter. They just stopped fighting the tool.
Get 50 Excel Hacks free when you subscribe to Marketing Against the Grain today.
That’s all for this week. If you enjoyed this edition, we’d really appreciate if you shared it with a friend, family member or colleague.
We’ll be back in your inbox 2 PM IST next Wednesday. Till then, have a productive week!
Disclaimer: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author, and not necessarily to the author's employer, organization, committee or other group or individual.