Peter Thiel on which projects to work on, Kevin Hart's keys to success, and Nike's 11 maxims

Welcome back to the Z Fellows newsletter! Every Monday we share 3 ideas - to help you build companies, ship products, and create your life's work.

1: Peter Thiel on which projects to work on

“The best projects are likely to be overlooked, not trumpeted by a crowd; the best problems to work on are often the ones nobody else even tries to solve. Great companies can be built on open but unsuspected secrets about how the world works.

Airbnb saw untapped supply and unaddressed demand where others saw nothing at all. The same is true of private car services Lyft and Uber. Few people imagined that it was possible to build a billion-dollar business by simply connecting people who want to go places with people willing to drive them there. Only by believing in and looking for secrets could you see beyond the convention to an opportunity hidden in plain sight.

The same reason that so many internet companies, including Facebook, are often underestimated—their very simplicity—is itself an argument for secrets. If insights that look so elementary in retrospect can support important and valuable businesses, there must remain many great companies still to start.”

Source: Zero to One by Peter Thiel

2: Kevin Hart’s keys to success

On why why he keeps pushing: “People think it’s about money. It’s not. It’s about inspiring people, giving back, and moving forward in a positive way. The only way to do that is to stay active. We’re all writing a book—what will yours look like when it’s done?”

On learning and growth: “Your biggest enemy is you. The only person that gets in your way is you. If you don’t think you’re great, ask yourself why.”

A lesson from his own setbacks: “I didn’t take my SAT seriously and felt like the biggest idiot when my friends got into better colleges. But I learned from it. Any opportunity given should be taken seriously from this point on. You take those moments and make the best of them—they’re life lessons.”

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiqYXEyU5I8

3: Nike’s 11 maxims

Best of The Week

See you next Monday,

- The Z Fellows Team

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