This edition is brought to you by Athyna

Good morning to all new and old readers! Here is your Wednesday edition of Faster Than Normal, exploring one short story about a person, a company, a high-performance tool, a trend I’m watching closely, and curated media to help you build businesses, wealth, and the most important asset of all: yourself. 

If you enjoy this, feel free to forward it along to a friend or colleague who might too. First time reading? Sign up here.

Today’s edition:

Cheers,
Alex

P.S. Send me feedback on how we can improve. I respond to every email.

Stories of Excellence

Person: Enzo Ferrari

Enzo Ferrari, the iconic founder of the Ferrari automobile company, has left an indelible mark on the world of motorsports and luxury sports cars. Born in 1898, Ferrari's love for racing and engineering led him to establish Scuderia Ferrari in 1929, initially as a sponsor for amateur drivers. "The era of gentleman racing drivers is ended," Ferrari declared, as he transitioned to building his own racing cars in 1947. With a relentless pursuit of speed, innovation, and elegance, Ferrari created a brand synonymous with excellence and prestige. "The Ferrari is a dream - people dream of owning this special vehicle, and for most people it will remain a dream apart from for those lucky few," he acknowledged, recognizing the aspirational nature of his creations. Despite facing personal tragedies, including the loss of his son Dino, Ferrari's determination and passion never wavered. His legacy lives on through the iconic Prancing Horse logo, which continues to symbolize the pinnacle of automotive performance and design.

Key Lessons from Enzo Ferrari:

• On passion: "Racing is a great mania to which one must sacrifice everything, without reticence, without hesitation."

• On excellence: "The Ferrari is a dream - people dream of owning this special vehicle, and for most people it will remain a dream apart from for those lucky few."

• On determination: "I have never gone on a real trip, never taken a holiday. The best holiday for me is spent in my workshops when nearly everybody else is on vacation."

• On risk-taking: "The greatest risk is not taking one."

• On emotion: "I don't sell cars; I sell engines. The cars I throw in for free since something has to hold the engines in."

Read More.

Company: GitHub

GitHub, the popular web-based platform for version control and collaboration, was founded in 2008 by Tom Preston-Werner, Chris Wanstrath, and PJ Hyett. The trio - who previously worked together at CNET - bootstrapped the company with just a few thousand dollars. GitHub's mission was to make it easier for developers to share and collaborate on code, using the then relatively unknown Git version control system. The site quickly gained traction among the developer community and became profitable the same year it launched. By 2012, GitHub had raised $100 million from Andreessen Horowitz, making it one of the most valuable startups in the world at the time

Key Lessons from GitHub:

• On remote work: GitHub built a successful company with a distributed team, proving you don't need a physical office in the early days. "We're going to wait until we find the perfect office. Until then, we can invest the savings back into the company, or into our pockets." - Tom Preston-Werner

• On product development: In the early days, GitHub optimized for shipping quickly and iterating based on user feedback. They deployed new code up to 10 times per day.

• On creating a market: "I vividly remember telling people, 'I don't expect GitHub to succeed right away. Git adoption will take a while, but we'll be ready when it happens.'" - Tom Preston-Werner. Be patient if you're creating a new market.

Read More.

Hire remote employees with confidence

Two years ago, I hired an offshore assistant , and it’s been one of the best decisions I’ve made. From marketing to customer support, it’s helped streamline work and boost productivity.

Athyna is a service that finds top remote employees in <5 days in Latam, Africa, and Sth East Asia. They cover roles in finance, creative, engineering, and product, sourcing top talent from companies like Google, AWS, Microsoft, and more.

If you’re in the market for talent, visit their website to explore options and cover all your hiring needs.

Accelerants

High-performance tool

⎯

The Vision Grid

The Vision Grid is a framework developed by Michael Hyatt, a leadership expert and author of the book "The Vision-Driven Leader." It's a tool designed to help leaders clarify and communicate their vision effectively. As Hyatt states, "Without a vision, you have no way to discern what's important."

Here's a summary of the four quadrants of the Vision Grid:

1. Quadrant 1 (Abstract, Implicit)

• The leader has a vague, hunch-like idea of the future vision

• The vision remains fuzzy and unexpressed, leading to confusion and lack of direction for the team

2. Quadrant 2 (Abstract, Explicit) 

• The leader's vision is still vague and nebulous

• However, they attempt to articulate it using definitive but ambiguous language (e.g., synergy, disruption)

• This results in further confusion and disconnect within the team

3. Quadrant 3 (Concrete, Implicit)

• The leader has a fully developed, concrete vision mapped out

• However, they fail to explicitly communicate this vision to the team

• Assuming the vision is obvious, it remains opaque to the team, especially as the organization grows

4. Quadrant 4 (Concrete, Explicit)

• The leader has a fully developed, concrete vision of the future

• They articulate this vision precisely and unambiguously to the team

• This clarity allows the team to translate the vision into actionable strategies and goals

• It fosters alignment, passion, and a shared sense of purpose within the team

Implementing the Vision Grid can be a profound shift in how you lead and manage your team. Reflect on your current strategies: Are they as clear and directed as they could be? How might a structured vision enhance your leadership and the performance of your organization?

A trend I’m watching

⎯

Twenty years after the Concorde's retirement, the dream of supersonic passenger flight is being reignited. Companies like Boom Supersonic are developing modern supersonic jets that aim to cut travel times in half while being more fuel-efficient and cost-effective than their predecessor. United and American Airlines have already placed orders, betting that there will be strong demand from business travelers and tourists to fly from New York to London in under 4 hours.

Some potential business opportunities around this trend:

• Supersonic jet component suppliers and manufacturing partners that can help scale production

• Luxury travel agencies offering exclusive supersonic flight experiences and packages

• Supersonic cargo and logistics to enable rapid global delivery of high-value goods

• Supersonic business jets for private intercontinental travel

Here are some companies working on supersonic passenger travel:

• Spike Aerospace - Developing an 18-passenger supersonic business jet

• Exosonic - Partnered with the US Air Force to develop a supersonic executive transport

• Hermeus - Building Mach 5 aircraft to connect the world faster than ever before

• Reaction Engines - Developing a Mach 5 engine that could power hypersonic passenger aircraft

While challenges remain around regulations, economics, and environmental concerns, if companies like Boom can overcome them, we may be on the cusp of a supersonic passenger travel renaissance that revolutionizes long-distance journeys. Faster travel would open up new economic opportunities and transform how people live and work around the globe.

Read More.

If you’re interested in more trends and business ideas, check out Capital Ideas—Faster Than Normal’s paid sister publication (Subscribe with one click).

Tactical reads

⎯

> When you need to hone your design taste
How to Not Suck at Design, A 5 min guide for non-designers (Read it here)

> When constructing a portfolio
The Cockroach Approach Whitepaper (Read it here)

> When you need to automate
Home automations by Julian Shapiro (Read it here)

> When thinking about brain computer interfaces
A deep dive into the fundamentals of brain computer interfaces (Read it here)

> When planning wealth building
17 of the coolest ways I’ve seen people get rich (Read it here)

1 question

That’s all for today, folks. As always, please give me your feedback. Which section is your favourite? What do you want to see more or less of? Other suggestions? Please let me know.

Have a wonderful rest of week, all.

Recommendation Zone

⎯

Hire remote employees with confidence

Two years ago, I hired an offshore assistant for the first time. Since then, I’ve recommended many people do the same. It’s been one of the highest leverage things I’ve done, helping with everything marketing and customer support (for The Intelligence Age) and personal matters and email management.

Athyna is a service that quickly (<5 days!) finds remote employees across 150+ countries for you or your team. They cover roles from sales and marketing to creative and product, and have worked with companies like Facebook, Zoom, Uber, Microsoft, Salesforce, and Amazon.

I’ve personally used Athyna and recommended them to my Brother, Will, who runs a fashion label, and several close friends running their own businesses. To date, they’ve all had very positive experiences.

If you’re in the market for talent, visit their website to explore options and cover all your hiring needs.

Why Faster Than Normal? Our mission is to be a friend to the ambitious, a mentor to the becoming, and a partner to the bold. We achieve this by sharing the stories, ideas, and frameworks of the world's most prolific people and companies—and how you can apply them to build businesses, wealth, and the most important asset of all: yourself.

Faster Than Normal is a ‘state' of being’ rather than an outcome. Outlier performance requires continuous, compounded improvement. We’re your partner on this journey.

Send us your feedback and help us continuously improve our content and achieve our mission. We want to hear from you and respond to everyone.

Interested in reaching Founders, Operators, and Investors like you? To become a Faster Than Normal partner, apply here.