,

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: Yvon Chouinard

Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, started as a reluctant businessman but used his passion for climbing and the outdoors to build an apparel giant that champions environmental sustainability. "I never wanted to be a businessman," he confessed, yet his innovative designs and commitment to eco-friendly practices have made Patagonia a beloved brand among outdoor enthusiasts and eco-conscious consumers alike. His journey underscores that success can follow from pursuing one's passions and staying true to one's values.

Key Lessons from Yvon Chouinard:

• On simplicity: "The hardest thing in the world is to simplify your life. It's so easy to make it complex."

• On legacy: "When I die and go to hell, the devil is going to make me the marketing director for a cola company. I'll be in charge of trying to sell a product that no one needs, is identical to its competition, and can't be sold on its merits."

• On the way: "How you climb a mountain is more important than reaching the top."

Read more.

Company: Mailchimp

Mailchimp, the email marketing powerhouse, was founded in 2001 by Ben Chestnut and Dan Kurzius. What started as a side project for their web design agency soon took on a life of its own. Chestnut, with a degree in industrial design, and Kurzius, a coder by trade, bootstrapped the company from a few thousand dollars a month to a $12 billion acquisition by Intuit in 2021 - without ever taking outside funding. Along the way, they pioneered a freemium model in 2009 that turbocharged growth from 85,000 to 450,000 users in a year. Today, Mailchimp serves over 13 million users globally.

Key Lessons from Mailchimp:

• On hiring: In the early days, many employees came from referrals. As they grew, Mailchimp focused on hiring people with diverse backgrounds. Co-founder Chestnut notes: "Diversity of background, life experience and opinion helps us build more well-rounded products."

• On competition: Mailchimp has fended off competition from giants like Constant Contact by innovating faster. As Chestnut says: "I'm always asking why, and making sure people understand the why behind decisions and strategies."

• On pricing: Introducing a freemium model in 2009 was a turning point. "Mailchimp founders understood that if they couldn't help their small business owners succeed, then they wouldn't succeed." This "shared risk" approach aligned incentives and drove massive growth.

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

⎯

Snipd

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 Snipd for podcasts. Snipd allows you to highlight, take notes, and summarize podcasts using AI.

It's a lifesaver when you've been listening to a podcast on the move and want to go back and grab the best parts.

A trend I’m watching

⎯

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of telehealth services, with virtual doctor visits, remote patient monitoring, and digital health tools becoming the new normal. According to a McKinsey report, telehealth utilization has stabilized at levels 38X higher than before the pandemic. This shift is driven by convenience, improved access to care, and cost savings for both patients and providers.

Potential Business Opportunities:

• Developing user-friendly, HIPAA-compliant telehealth platforms that seamlessly integrate with existing healthcare systems, as demonstrated by companies like Teladoc Health and Amwell.

• Creating AI-powered diagnostic tools and chatbots that can triage patients, provide initial assessments, and guide them to the appropriate level of care, similar to the offerings of Babylon Health and Ada Health.

• Building remote patient monitoring devices and wearables that can track vital signs, medication adherence, and other health metrics, enabling proactive interventions and personalized care plans. Companies like Biofourmis and Propeller Health are leading the way in this space.

• Offering virtual mental health services and digital therapeutics to address the growing demand for accessible, affordable mental healthcare, as seen with platforms like Talkspace and Headspace Health.

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 improve product or service delivery
21 Ways To Shore Up Your Customer Success Org (Read it here)

> When searching for red flags
The Bear Cave’s Ultimate Guide For Bears (Read it here)

> When you need to find better information
How to find good information by Gurwinder (Read it here)

> When thinking about mobility
How we can unlock the value of connected mobility infrastructure (Read it here)

> When thinking about wealth strategy
Paul Graham: How to Make Wealth (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.