What You Need to Know Today: August 21

Good afternoon, Early Risers!

Here’s what you need to know

TECH

The biggest problem in Canada’s tech scene is really a blessing. “it’s hard to convince people to come into this market, where they are typically paid less and the cost of real estate is higher. The opportunity has to be big enough for somebody to say, ‘Am I going to go through with this?’” – Jeff Booth, president and CEO of BuildDirect.com. Vancouver is Canada’s lifestyle capital. It ranked no. 3 in the World for most livable cities in 2015, and has been deemed the hottest startup scene in Canada. But as Booth and many have said before, Vancouver struggles in one area – persuading top executives to actually move there. You’ll find out why here. I think this problem is actually a blessing in disguise. Think about it, if a CEO is unwilling to commit to one of the most liveable cities in the World because they fear they don’t have options if the company fails, shouldn’t these Canadian startups be lucky to have dodged a bullet?

Uber plans to go public in 18-24 months, according to a leaked presentation. (Reuters)

You’re stupid if you think Samsung is desperate. Got an iPhone? Got a dollar? That’s all you need if you want to take one of Samsung’s newest smartphones for a thirty day, “no obligation” spin (TechCrunch). Some people (*cough* iPhone users) think this is some desperate play by Samsung to convert iPhone users, and they’d be right. Except for the desperate part. Like I shared in yesterday’s brief, two of China’s fastest growing smartphone companies Xiomi and OnePlus, are trying to edge out Samsung and Apple by selling their handsets for virtually no upfront profits. Then make back their money selling to customers on their backend. Don’t be fooled by Samsung’s thirty day, “no obligation,” test drive. This is a classic tripwire offer. Smart marketers use this technique all the time.

Size matters. 15 tools to help you build a bigger vocabulary.

CAREER

What Meatheads can teach you about branding. In university I had two groups of friends: artsy/philosophical group; and ‘sorry, I’m not sorry’ bros/jocks. I loved hanging out with my bros. They were fun, loud, sometimes sleazy, and unapologetically themselves. Though they weren’t A+ students, any new entrepreneur would kill to have their mindset. Dan Martell explains what makes a successful brand. It’s not what you think.

+ My new $310 haircut – Dan’s article reminded me of this gem by Derek Halpern.

Cliché question, but great answer. “If you woke up tomorrow with $500 in your pocket and everything you know now, what would you do?” Listen to any podcast ever and you’ve heard this question asked. The best answer I’ve heard was by ETR editor, Craig Ballantyne in this interview. Not surprisingly, Craig’s answer is similar to his close friend Simon Black’s advice to young people, “No one becomes a great guitarist by reading a few magazine articles. You have to spend countless hours practicing on a real guitar. Even better, find a guitar master and learn directly from one of the best in the world. There’s a term for this: it’s called apprenticeship.” The fastest way to become successful is by learning from successful people.

LIFESTYLE

“Residents will be able to swim from one building to the next.” The “Sky Pool” is set to straddle two apartment buildings in the Embassy Gardens development, located in the Nine Elms district of London. The pool will be 25 meters (82 feet) long, 3 meters (10 feet) deep, and completely transparent. And it will be 10 floors up, connecting two apartment buildings, says Quarz. Have a look at this crazy design.

+ 13 hotel pools that don’t require checking in.

An argument for old fashioned books. 3 reasons why you should read real books instead of Kindles.

#NOWYOUKNOW

(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction was released in the UK on August 20 1965. Bob Dylan claimed that he ‘could have written it’ – and Mick Jagger responded by saying that he’d like to see him sing it. Burn!

In an October 1968 interview, Jagger told Rolling Stone: “Dylan once said [to Keith Richards] ‘I could have written ‘Satisfaction’ but you couldn’t have written ‘Tamborine Man’.” Asked if the folk singer was ‘putting Richards down’, he said: “Oh yeah, of course he was. But that was just funny, it was great. That’s what he’s like. It’s true but I’d like to hear Bob Dylan sing “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction.”

5 Things You Didn’t Know About (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.

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