Hi friend!

It's been a minute. I went to SXSW a few weeks ago and that took more out of me than I was expecting. A lot of fun and got a lot out of it, but whew, that was overwhelming. Some of the learnings below. Also - what would you name this newsletter? Open to ideas!

It's a brand new deep dive in this week's newsletter! Let me know what you think via the poll at the bottom!

What hurdle are you trying to overcome with your business? I'm happy to help!

Here's this week's deep dive:

What happens when a Head of Data Science from Airbnb opens an ice cream shop? You get a store that had 1,000 potential customers before making a single scoop, flavors tested through Instagram with 10,000 views per post, and a neighborhood hub that became the go-to spot for a 9,000 person community.

Elena Grewal opened Elena's on Orange in November 2022, bringing her data scientist mindset to the world of ice cream. Within just seven months, this small neighborhood shop hit $250,000 in annual revenue – all because Elena understood exactly which metrics actually matter.

Let's dive into how Elena transformed from leading 200 people at Airbnb to serving up data-driven scoops in New Haven, Connecticut.

Recommended Tool of the Week: This email/section contains affiliate links. I earn a commission if you make a purchase at no extra cost to you :) Webflow is my tool of choice when it comes to building websites. Is it the easiest website builder out there? No, probably not. Is it the most versatile and friendly to non-coders like myself? Yes. If you're looking for a step up from Squarespace or Wix (which are still wonderful!), Webflow is like those but you can customize every single pixel. ​Try Webflow for free here​

Helpful Content from Others:

​Bluesky's CEO at SXSW​

Hot take: The internet is about to change significantly and will have a greater impact than AI. There, I said it.

I went to a couple of sessions with the Bluesky team on a panel and I'm so impressed. They have a vision for the future of the internet that is so refreshing and it sure seems like it's a matter of time before it becomes a reality. Meta and Threads clearly think it's on its way given what they have in beta. #Fediverse

​Overlay your budget with where your audience is influenced​

Rand Fishkin is someone I admire a lot and he recently gave a presentation at a conference where some of the slides have people ranting and raving. This one particular slide had me thinking a lot. You might not have a big budget to put towards these areas, but your time is also a resource to consider here.

Another newsletter you should check out:

The Workin' Process By Layla at ProcessDriven Subscribe for weekly systems that boost clarity, avoid meetings, and make work feel less chaotic. Trusted by 15K+ small business leaders run smoother, saner teams. Subscribe​

Thanks for reading!

Matt

P.S. Looking for recommendations on software or content? Check out my personal recs here. Some links in this email and in recommendations are affiliate links, so I do get some credit if you sign up for things with these links :)