A&B #16

Hey friends,

I'm writing to all 3,590 of you today.Apologies for the delay with the newsletter, it was my birthday this weekend so I took a break from work and spent it with friends and family. I turned 26 but still feel 21. As I get older, I'm realizing more and more that the most important things in life are the things money can't buy, such as true friendship, purpose, and health.

I only have one birthday wish: to make Alex & Books into a full-time gig.

One of the best ways to do that is to spread the word about A&B. If you've enjoyed my newsletter, please tell a friend to

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It only takes a few seconds to share, but it would mean the world for me.  

Alright, let's dive into this week's newsletter!

🎧  Podcast Update:

This week's podcast is with Alex Banayan, the bestselling author of The Third Door.At 18-years old, Alex won The Price Is Right and sold the grand-prize to fund his journey of tracking down the world’s most successful people to uncover how they launched their careers. He interviewed: Bill Gates Tim Ferriss Steve Wozniak Warren Buffett Larry King Maya AngelouAnd dozens more incredible individuals. In our conversation, Alex shares advice on how to pursue your dreams, overcome setbacks and rejection, the books that changed his life, how he met Tim Ferriss and learned his secret cold email technique, an exclusive look into Alex’s new book, and so much more. Listen to our podcast here.

📚 Book Lessons:

Here are three lessons from The Third Door:1) The Perfect Cold Email Template When Alex interviewed Tim Ferriss for the book, Tim shared his formula for the perfect cold email. Here it is:"Dear [person's name],I know you're really busy and that you get a lot of emails, so this will only take sixty seconds to read.[Here is where you say who you are: add one or two lines that establish credibility.] [Here is where you ask your specific question.]I totally understand if you're too busy to respond, but even a one- or two-line reply would really make my day.All the best,[your name]"Why does this work? Successful people are busy so they don't have the time or patience to read long emails. By saying it will only take sixty seconds to read (and being true to that), the person is more likely to read it. Also, by establishing credibility, you're giving the person a reason to pay attention to you and take your demand seriously. And lastly, by saying even a one-line reply is acceptable, the receiver feels more comfortable sending a short response.2) Negotiating Advice From Bill GatesIn the early days of Microsoft, Bill Gates had to do a ton of negotiating with massive corporations. Even though Microsoft was a tiny startup at the time, Bill was able to use certain negotiating techniques to favorable terms. Here are two strategies he shared in his interview with Alex:

• Build a genuine and trusting relationship with the other person.

  • If a person isn't invested in you, they likely won't do business with you. As the old saying goes, people do business with people they know, like, and trust, especially in the business world.

• Figure out your opponent's fears and use them to your advantage.

  • When Bill was negotiating with IBM, he insisted on unlimited liability if IBM accidentally disclosed the source code to Microsoft's software. That meant Microsoft could sue IBM for billions if any employee leaked the code. That scared IBM's attorneys chose not to take the source code.

3) Every Storm Runs Out of RainWhen Alex interviewed the late and great poet Maya Angelou, she taught him a life-changing lesson: Every storm runs out of rain. In other words, things may be bad right now, and they may even get worse, but it will eventually get better.No storm rains forever. However, that doesn't mean you should just wait for the good times to appear. The sun will shine a lot sooner if you work towards a better life. It's a combination of patience and action that will lead to a bright future. As Maya Angelou said, "No matter how dull and seemingly unpromising life is right now, it's going to change. It's going to be better. But you have to keep working." 

✅ Actionable Advice:1) Challenge: Use Tim Ferriss's cold email template to reach out to someone you admire. Ask a successful entrepreneur for business advice. Ask your favorite creator for tips for growing your audience. Ask an author you love a question about their book.2) Think ahead when it comes to negotiations: Become interested in the other side and develop a relationship with them At the same time, become aware of their fears and use that as leverage.3) Always remember that every storm eventually runs out of rain: No matter how bad life may be right now, understand that things will eventually get better. And keep in mind that action will help you get out of the storm sooner.

📖  Reading Lesson:Do you have a book buying problem?Are your bookshelves packed to the edge?Does your significant other get mad when they see another book package? Here's a reading tip to save you: Create a Book Wish List

⭐️  Weekly Quote:Books are an incredible asymmetric trade-off:It may have taken the author 5 years of research to write a book...But you can read everything they’ve learned in 5 hours. (source)

📸  Photo of the Week:

Back in 2018, Alex Banayan was doing a speaking tour to promote

The Third Door

. I attended his event in NYC and stayed after to get a picture with him.

Never would I have thought that two years later I'd have him on my podcast. Life is truly a strange and incredible journey. 

🙏  Hey everyone, this week's newsletter is brought to you by: The Art of ReadingThe Art of Reading is the online course I'm building that will help you develop and optimize your reading habit. It will be a series of videos about everything I know about the skill of reading. It will also include lesson summaries, helpful worksheets, and additional bonus book content.  60+ people have already signed up and taken advantage of the presale special. The course will cost $149 once it goes live, but if you order before then, you'll get the course for only $99.   Use code "EMAIL99" to save.  👈Reading books has changed my life, I believe it can do the same for you. 

Thank you for your support everyone, I'll see you next week!Read on,Alex W.PS: If you enjoy this newsletter, please share it with a friend. They can subscribe here.