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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. 

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Today’s edition:

Cheers,
Alex

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

Stories of Excellence

Person: Naomi Osaka

Naomi Osaka, the young tennis phenom and four-time Grand Slam champion, has made a powerful impact both on and off the court with her exceptional athletic skills, mental health advocacy, and commitment to social justice. Born in 1997 in Osaka, Japan, to a Japanese mother and Haitian father, Osaka's unique cultural background and family support have shaped her identity and fueled her determination to succeed.

Key Lessons from Naomi Osaka:

• On ambition: "I want to be remembered as the girl who changed tennis."

• On resilience: "I think the biggest thing I've learned is just to trust myself and to know that I can handle a lot of things."

• On authenticity: "I think it's important to be yourself and not try to be someone that you're not."

Read More.

Company: Tough Mudder

Tough Mudder was founded in 2010 by Will Dean and Guy Livingstone, two British citizens living in New York. The idea was born while Dean was studying at Harvard Business School. The first event was held on May 2, 2010 at Bear Creek Mountain Resort near Allentown, Pennsylvania, attracting over 4,500 participants. Promoted exclusively through Facebook advertising and word of mouth, Tough Mudder quickly gained popularity. By 2013, the company had more than 700,000 participants across events in the U.S., UK, Australia, Canada, and Germany. Tough Mudder's military-style obstacle courses - designed by British Special Forces - test participants' strength, stamina, and mental grit. The company experienced rapid growth, turning over $125 million by 2017, with more than 3 million participants to date.

Key Lessons from Tough Mudder:

• On branding: Tough Mudder's brand is unmistakable. Their brand promise tells me through all their activities that they are committed to delivering a consistent, inspiring customer experience.

• On customer acquisition: Because the founders themselves were active athletes who participated in sports, they understood the pains (literally) and the challenges of staying motivated. This deep understanding is at the core of their marketing messaging.

• On overcoming obstacles: "Be resilient – The obstacles on a Tough Mudder course are nothing compared to the obstacles we faced in building a business," advises Will Dean in his book 'It Takes a Tribe'.

Read More.

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Accelerants

High-performance tool

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Jot&Paste

Every few weeks, I’ll share a tool or hack I’ve been trying that’s improved some aspect of my life. I have no affiliation with these and will always clearly share when that’s false.

This week, it’s Jot&Paste. This tool is a cross between a notepad and clipboard manager. It allows you to store text snippets to come back to later.

I've found Jot&Paste most helpful for templated messages across different platforms.

A trend I’m watching

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Imagine having a smartphone embedded in your arm or a bionic eye that lets you see in the dark. Welcome to the world of bodyware - technology that integrates with the human body to augment our capabilities. Companies are already selling implantable RFID and NFC chips, while researchers are developing everything from brain-computer interfaces to artificial organs.

Some potential business opportunities in the bodyware space:

• Bionic limbs and exoskeletons that restore mobility for the disabled or enhance strength and endurance for athletes and soldiers. Companies like Ekso Bionics are leading the charge here.

• Implantable sensors that continuously monitor health metrics like blood sugar, heart rate, and hormone levels. This data could power personalized medicine and early disease detection. Startups like Profusa are working on this.

• Augmented reality contact lenses that overlay digital information on the real world. These could revolutionize everything from navigation to face-to-face communication. Tech giants like Apple and Google are rumored to be developing AR lenses.

• Brain-computer interfaces that allow us to control devices and communicate with just our thoughts. Neuralink, founded by Elon Musk, is aiming to develop BCIs for clinical and consumer applications.

Tactical reads

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> When you want to build a lasting company
Building a Startup That Will Last (Read it here)

> When evaluating business models
How to Create a Successful Business Model in a Dozen Easy Steps [Fake advice! Not possible.] (Read it here)

> When you want to speak so people listen
How to speak so that people want to listen by Julian Treasure (Read it here)

> When understanding hardware
Make Hardware Great Again (Read it here)

> When pondering what it means to be wealthy
Here’s what Aristotle thought it meant to be truly wealthy (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

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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.

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