There’s a powerful, unattributed quote that reads: “Small choices become actions, actions become habits, and habits become our way of life.” As an entrepreneur, I’ve found that the best way to go about creating new habits is to indeed start small. Committing to something ambitious like a ten mile run every day or reading one more book a month, while it would be beneficial, is a massive undertaking for busy working people. Changing that one book to 20 minutes of news a day is a far more attainable goal. And it’s exactly what I adopted in my own daily ritual, where I read aggregated articles every morning to get up to speed with current events, particularly those relevant to my field. It’s proved to be one of the most impactful decisions of my life.
Staying up-to-date with current events beyond the headlines allows you to speak meaningfully on many subjects. Not only does it enrich your own understanding of world events, but from a business perspective, it allows you to empathize and relate better to different types of people. This ultimately gives you a stronger chance of successfully developing meaningful relationships, which, especially if you are a business owner, is critical while building and developing your network.
I believe there’s no better way to source your news than via newsletters, which are a great way to consume easy, digestible information from industry experts. Now, don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of these out there and many that are just self-promotional or littered with ads. After much trial and error, I have included below the five best newsletters that I think every entrepreneur should integrate into their weekly reading.
1. The Morning Brew (and Bonus Brews)
The Morning Brew + Bonus Brews is the best newsletter around. Co-founded by Alex Lieberman and Austin Rief, it includes everything you need to know in less than 10 minutes—covering everything from tech and politics to marketing and international affairs. It can be funny, witty, unbiased, and ultimately makes for a reliable, accurate source with easy-to-read content relevant to every type of businessperson. For more specific information regarding individual topics, you can subscribe to any of the hyper-focused outlets like The Retail Brew or Emerging Tech Brew.
2. ChartR
ChartR, started by David Crowther, is a newsletter that packages news in ‘data storytelling’. Arriving on Wednesdays and Fridays, it’s a must-read for those who respond well to visuals. Whether it’s baby names influenced by Game of Thrones or a history of US recessions, the newsletter beautifully visualizes complex data and statistics to provide validated facts in a simple format. It explains the data in an easy-to-understand format that allows you to share and speak about with others.
Related: 7 Newsletters Online Entrepreneurs Should Subscribe to
3. Crunchbase Daily
An absolute must-read for any founder or venture capitalist, Crunchbase Daily gives you the two-minute state of the union of the top news in funding, trends, and data regarding the fundraising world. It also includes special guest opinion pieces from top founders and venture capitalists that give insights to help entrepreneurs stay on top of the fundraising ecosystem.
4. Crossed Commerce
Run by new kid on the block and Forbes 30Under30 Chris Meade, Crossed Commerce is a great read for any retail or e-commerce companies, offering completely original content. Started by the founders of the new age four-square-merged-with-volleyball game CROSSNET, the newsletter comes out once a week and offers their real time up-to-date numbers and data to back up their incredible insights of building a world class e-commerce company. The team shares how to best build successful retail and e-commerce companies with unique strategies and fun tips along the way.
5. Robinhood Snacks
To stay on top of various financial markets, go no further than Robinhood Snacks. This newsletter gives you a five minute overview of the biggest movers, trends, and news that is shaking up the market. Unlike other market newsletters, this is for the consumer traders and not just investment bankers, and does a great job of making it relatable, digestible, and fun to read. It’s an easy way to stay on top of the market and get the inside scoop on what’s coming next.
Related: 11 Must-Read Newsletters for Entrepreneurs
An Honorable Mention
Ray Dalio’s Linkedin account has proven to be full of a vast sum of information about global macroeconomic events that give a very clear picture of what is going on in the world and ties it back to business and the markets. You can find it here. Where most would go to Warren Buffet’s annual letter to shareholders of Berkshire Hathaway for some thoughtful business insights, I have found Larry Fink’s letter to shareholders of Black Rock, the largest asset holder in the world, to be far more impactful. If you are thinking about (or have recently) started a business, this offers a very high-level overview of global economic trends that provide insights about how markets are moving and how geopolitical powers play into the state of the world’s economy. Granted, it’s a dense read, but if you can set some time aside to give it your attention, it’s well worth it. After all, it only comes out once a year.
