Anti-Hustle
Karri Saarinen founded Linear a project management startup, run remotely with 100 employees across 10 time zones between US and Finland. The employees are entitled to 5 weeks of paid leave per year and 4 months of paid parental leave, 40 hour work weeks, flexible work hours, ensuring employee wellbeing that then reflects in quality product and service, top customers and profitability.
Great Products and Profitable businesses don’t necessarily need a Hustle Culture
Books
With the year coming to an end, the holidays and festive times closing in, things slowing down, making time for reflection, for planning the new year ahead, for meeting good people, for having good conversations and most importantly taking the time to read some good books. Bill Gates recommends some really good books around year ends. This years recommendations revolve around finding purpose, later in life, climate change, how creative industries evolve, how humans communicate, and how America lost its capacity to build big things—and how to get it back.
Bill Gates – These were some of my favorite books from 2025
Books Don’t Betray
All analysis and theories of increasing reliance on Internet will lead to the collapse of traditional publishing industry. Book sales in 2025 across the world and in India shows an increase in demand. 2026 will also see the demand for the paperbacks continued.
Books are Not Dead: They’re More Alive
Crypto Battles
Crypto investing is attractive for many young and old given the high growth rate. Once invested securing the investments from hacks or digital thefts is important. And security is never 100% even if it’s promised. Investors get lured by the returns and make huge investments that many a times include all of their savings, which is the most risky thing to do, as all of it can be lost. It’s only advisable to invest an amount one is comfortable losing in the worst case scenario. Additionally investments should not be made on basis of hype over promises or guarantees of huge returns, it’s good to explore new investment opportunities, but the cost of exploring needs to be considered. Hence invest a small amount that is comfortable losing, learn the asset category and follow fundamentals. As the common saying goes prevention is better than cure, stays relevant in the crypto investment world as well. Disputes leading into legal battles can get lengthy, complicated and costly.
Economy
- A 24 Hour Economy
Cities globally are creating systems to support after dark businesses and also help businesses expand operations into the night, helping normalise a 24 Hour Economy Building A 24 Hour Economy
Eco Friendly Farming Practices
Governments are implementing initiatives to reduce the use of harmful pesticides by promoting sustainable farming practices, use of chemical free or natural solutions for pest control and plant growth. Besides farm plantations efforts will also be made towards making urban green spaces free from chemical based pesticides or insecticides to ensure safe urban spaces for people and pets.
Use of pesticides on UK farms to be cut by 10% by 2030 to protect bees | Pesticides
Gen Z Market
Businesses that plan to target the Gen Z need to understand the Gen Z mindset which is guiding them to buy or not buy. The Gen Z wear a filtering lens that looks at the entire operation of a brand, making businesses more accountable. Businesses that continue to rely on surface level marketing will struggle to capture the Gen Z consumers.
This Gen is Seeking Authenticity in All Things Great & Small
Greenwashing in the Fashion and Apparel industry is numbered
EU is coming up regulations in 2027 that will require all apparel and textile manufacturers to disclose all sourcing and processing data to verify green claims.
Passport for fashion aims to end industry greenwashing
Indian Startup Ecosystem
India continues to shine in the global startup ecosystem with approximately 44000 startups recognised by the government in 2025.
India Now Home to 2 lakh Recognised Startups
AI is helping a lot of Indian executives in the valley to launch their startup’s.
Rise of The Indian Origin Founder
Innovation
- Wind Turbines to Capture Carbon dioxide
Wind mills are ideal for capturing carbon emissions as the blades are positioned at a height that can directly intersect the emissions efficiently. Ground level carbon capture may not be able to capture what is emitted at a height through chimneys.
Researchers are working to make wind turbines capture carbon dioxide and use it for cement
Lasting Legacies
A 150+ year old family business, operating out of a small town of 5000, employing over a 1000, Jack Daniel’s has remained successful due to sting foundational values of having the right purpose to drive the passion, empowering people to create and maintain quality products and having the right fundamentals at all times.
Journaling
Journaling about everyday events, experiences, quotes, thoughts and learnings is a great personal guide for reference. Thinking on paper.
Lead Development
Unless a lead has unsubscribed or requested to be taken off the list, it is important to follow up with leads, as the circumstances may have changed for them to make up their mind to try your product or service now.
Neutrality – A Powerful Leadership Quality
Neutrality is about staying calm in the present, assessing the situation and driving actions. Reacting immediately, drawing conclusions is not necessarily an effective leadership trait. Entrepreneurs cannot grow their businesses by reacting to each and every challenge immediately as they appear. Staying calm and grounded allows one time in the present and draw plans to act upon and resolve the situation. A behavior that will be appreciated and imitated across the organisation.
The Power Move Most Leaders Overlook
Newsletters
Google’s Gemini Pro 3 promises anyone to develop an idea to business. The AI mode in Google search, voice assist on Google Maps ensuring the experiences from these age old tools are redefined.
Entrepreneurs cannot afford to neglect employee conflicts. Attending to the conflict immediately and resolving the issues highlights the leadership trait and maintains a feeling of safety amongst employees.
It’s important for entrepreneurs to not take everything that comes their way, personally, either appreciate it or just don’t bother about it, it helps one from being calm and focused on what’s important than getting worked up over something that is irrelevant. One must learn to enjoy appreciating or understand things from the creators point of view, cause it may have not been made in reference to the one, and hence it may not make sense, but looking at it from the creators point of view may expand ones understanding and contract the need to be judgemental over it.
2026 is going to be all about having a leverage whether you are an employee or an entrepreneur. AI is making it easier to do things that one is normally not skilled at or has no time to get done. Making money is all going to be about owning the thing that does the work.
Entrepreneurs must be aware of the distractions that are all too many in the fast paced Information Age. A commitment device that constrains us from the distractions and enables us to achieve our goals is ideal to have.
Patents and Trademarks
Indian Startup’s patent and trademark applications seem seem only for pitch decks
While the patent and trademark office seems to be busy getting record number of applications from
Startup’s post Covid, the actual number of startup’s fulfilling the process post application and actually receiving the patent grant is a smaller percentage in
comparison to the number if applications. The patent applications are made as a signaling device to investors than a strategic asset, and post application the entire process is being abandoned due to undesirable validation, pivot or accomplishing the primary purpose of only applying for the patent and get funded. Trademarks applications have also increased and as the process is simpler, the number of startup’s registering the trademarks is comparatively more. The bottom line shows a big gap between real innovative solutions fit for patents to the basic brand story based solutions that are applying for patents. Indian Entrepreneurship ecosystem needs to grow more around real innovative solutions and stop trying to come out with the local versions of Googles and Amazons of something.
Startups filed thousands of patents to impress investors, then let them die
Success Secrets
To achieve success one cannot be balanced, to sustain success one cannot be unbalanced.
What It Takes To ACTUALLY Be Successful
Side Hustle Success Stories
From serving family and friends to customers at farmers markets to retail roll out, Aadit Patel has scaled Confusion Snacks from a $3K side hustle to successful startup generating a $1M in revenue. Patel advises entrepreneurs to stay focused on creating a sustainable business out of their idea, than constantly jumping at any and every opportunity that comes in relation to their product or service.
Success 2.0
The old definition of success being ambition, hustle, scale at any cost etc…. is fading. The world economy is struggling, companies are laying off, businesses are challenged with competition. To redefine success one will have to redefine the processes that enable success. Success that resulted from self sacrifices, that resulted in various health issues, that was not sustainable, needs to change. Success must be sustainable, and that requires ones inner energy to be in tune with the outer energy.
Mental Pitfalls that can derail Entrepreneurs
Stoic Lessons To Live by in 2026
Journaling
Get up early
Do the hard things
Go for a walk
Show up and do the stuff even if it’s a little everyday
Do good for others
Memento Mori
7 Simple Stoic Habits That Will Transform You In 2026
Wealth Creation
Wealth creation does not require earning a huge income only, it involves saving and investing consistently no matter what the larger economic situation. Data shows America saw 379K new millionaires in 2024, that’s over a 1000 everyday, and not all of these have a high income, they saved and invested consistently despite the larger economic scenario. Being frugal and avoiding unnecessary spending on luxury goods is the key to wealth creation besides the saving and investing consistency. Another point is about the time in the market, rather than timing in the market is also important. Consistently investing over a long period of time enables compounding. Trying to generate wealth through one off timing is pure luck and not guaranteed. Diversifying the portfolio rather than focusing on popular or favourites stocks is another strategy that the millionaires observe.
This Is the One Habit All ‘Quiet Millionaires’ Share
Writing Therapy
An entrepreneurs life is all about solving problems or challenges. One gets solved and another appears. To help derive at solutions, ease the mental pressure, scientific studies suggest writing, that not include typing on laptop or phone, actual writing on paper helps in easing the mental pressure, slows down the process and putting thoughts to words is time consuming, allowing one to think productively and patiently.
How writing builds your resilience
Using word documents on a mobiles and laptops cannot beat the age old method of writing by hand on paper. Writing things down digitally is just a quick note taking procedure, it can never lead to a more detailed plan or design. Writing on paper slows the process down, enabling one to think deeper, which in turn results in enhancing brain power. Hand written notes also result in better learning, better results. Entrepreneurs may be tempted to use technology due to easy to access and easy to use whilst constantly on the move, however for a more effective process writing by hand is a better approach.
The Many Mighty Benefits of Writing By Hand
Validation
“Prove it” – the two words one must ask oneself or a fellow team member to validate any idea or initiative.
The most powerful statement for validating anything
Videos
Habits for Success
Good habits are hard to form but easy to live by, bad habits are easy to form but hard to live by.
Daily Habits of Successful People | Brian Tracy
Sources
Berkonomics
Brian Tracy
Context News
Daily Stoic
Entrepreneur
Euro News
Gates Notes
Journey To $100 Million
The Economic Times
The Guardian
The Intelligent Optimist
The Monthly AI Recap
Treehugger
Your Story
World Economic Forum
YouTube
