Hi friends,
Greetings from Spain!
Youโll receive two postcards from me this month. One from Andalusia (Southern Spain) and one from Basque Country (Northern Spain). Afterwards I will be in Turkey, so send me your Istanbul recommendations!
On the Agenda
(Travel) Spain
(Travel) Prado Museum ๐
(Essay) Architect vs Archaeologist
(Essay) Personal vs Scalable
(Business) Avengers Assemble
(Business) War Chest
(Essay) The Art of Love
(Essay) Learn a Language
(Bonus) Hot Seat Podcast ๐ฅ
One Year of Travel, New Year New Me Series โ๏ธ๐
Leo quit his Silicon Valley tech job to embark on a โOne Year of Travelโ challenge, where he spends 12 months in 12 countries. So far heโs lived in Bali, Portugal, Vietnam, South Africa, Argentina, Colombia, Australia, Japan, Spain (in that order). Follow along!
From Japan to Spain I got reverse culture shock. It took me a few days to get out of my shell and stop bowing to everybody.
Madrid feels like home. Iโve been here once before and I prefer the Spanish capital over Barcelona. And I even stayed at the same hostel.
In Spain, people are older. The median age is 43.9 years old. Youโll see lots of retirees on vacation.
During the first week, I stayed in Madrid.
Madrid is the sunniest capital in Europe.
Cobblestone streets are a European staple.
32k Womenโs Race on Motherโs Day
Eating Lebanese with a family from Luxembourg:
I became a Level 7 Local Guide on Google Maps ๐
During the second week, I headed to Andalusia, the southern region of Spain.
City #1: Granada
Moorish architecture.
The best cheesecake chain.
Visiting Alhambra (UNESCO Site)
โญ๏ธ City Rating: 6.3/10
City #2: Mรกlaga
Pablo Picasso was born in Mรกlaga.
Mรกlaga is like a mini Buenos Aires.
TOC is a great hostel chain in Spain.
โญ๏ธ City Rating: 7.3/10
City #3: Seville
โญ๏ธ City Rating: 7.4/10
My heart does not belong in Andalusia ๐. I felt like I was on 2x speed whereas everyone else was on 0.5x speed. I was the fastest walker in Andalusia as itโs obviously a place to relax and enjoy a vacation. Not digital-nomad friendly and youโll be lucky to find a place to sit and work.
Where does my heart belong? ๐๐
2. Prado Museum ๐
Spainโs most famous museum. Drake ( art history expert ) told me to see Las Meninas by Diego Velรกzquez. Apparently he invented the โpainting yourself in the mirrorโ motif.
My three favorite artworks:
1. La Virgen con el Niรฑo by Alonso Cano
I love this painting. I spent 15 minutes staring at Maryโs perfectly-lighted face. The experience was unbelievably calming.
I love the modesty. The painting stands in contrast to adjacent scandalous works such as naked breasts.
2. Las Meninas by Diego Velรกzquez
You have to see this painting in person. The picture doesnโt do it justice. The best way to describe it would be.. unsettling?
Itโs like youโre a painting on a wall. Half the people are looking at you; half are ignoring you. You exist but you donโt exist. Itโs weird.
3. Lion by Matteo Bonuccelli
My first reaction? The coolest thing Iโve ever seen. Four golden lions replace 4 table legs. How badass.
But as I walked up close, I began to feel uneasy. Imagine reviewing battle plans and seeing a fearsome lion growling underneath your feet. Keeps you on edge. Maybe thatโs the intended reaction?
Used by King Philippe II, who transformed Spain into a global power.
3. Architect vs Archaeologist
Today Iโd like to share my favorite topic in Write of Passage.
There are two types of successful creators:
1. Architect ๐
Set rules in advance, create within constraints.
Architects know exactly what they want to create. Their process is planned, intentional, and goal-oriented. Just as actual architects use blueprints and sketches, these creators work within boundaries and constraints because they know what they want to build.ย
2. Archaeologist โ
Explore many different ideas to uncover hidden themes.
Archaeologists, on the other hand, explore new topics week by week. Their process is unplanned, intuitive, and process-oriented. Like an archaeological dig, these creators slowly uncover something and allow their Personal Brand to emerge over time.
Iโll show you both strategies from the various projects Iโm working on.
Architect ๐ Case Study
My friend Gidon spent 800 hours making a course:
The First TikTok School
Niche: Helping Social Media Creators Monetize their Channel and Get Brand Deals
I suggested we post content online to sell the course. So we met up at a rooftop and began shooting videos.
We set up a TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram page.
We posted 105 videos across TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram.
TikTok (5 Followers)
YouTube (16 Subscribers)
Instagram (11 Followers)
Analytics
TikTokโs algorithm likely follows a โConcentric Circleโ model. As your video receives more positive signals, it gets shown to progressively larger groups of people. The first cohort is ~230 people. The second is ~750.
Whereas TikTok is โcontrolledโ, YouTube is more โvariableโ.
Instagram is the most difficult platform to achieve organic reach.
The channels can be found here: TikTok, YouTube, Instagram.
Archaeologist โ Case Study
Leoโs Lemonade is an example of an archaeological approach. I write about a variety of topics and discover what I like through trial and error.
๐ No: Working at a Smoothie Truck, Software Engineering, Book Reviews, Graphic Design, Teaching Computer Science, Learning Spanish, Influencer Marketing
๐ค Maybe: Film Reviews, Entrepreneurship, Food Critic, Video Editor
๐ช Yes: Travel, Writing
How would you describe Leoโs Lemonade?
Building a Billion-Dollar Business Series ๐บ๐ฟ
Leo is โBuilding a Billion-Dollar Businessโยฎ while doing his โOne Year of Travel, New Year New Meโยฎ. He is currently founding a technology startup which he hopes will be the largest in the world. Follow along!
Table of Contents
4. Personal vs Scalable
Generally the more personal something is, the less scalable it is. Human beings are wired in a way that makes us appreciate Grandpaโs legacy WWII watch more than a plastic trinket sold by a haggler on the street.
Whatโs Personal But Not Scalable?
Booking Taylor Swift to play at your wedding:
Buying personalized videos from your favorite celebrity:
Side Note: Kyle just finished his 6-week internship at Peers! His market research on Blisser, Jellysmack, Sideqik, OnlyFans, & others was foundational in the formation of our product strategy. Thanks Kyle for his incredible research and diligence. Congrats! ๐๐
Examples of Scalable But Not Personal:
The YouTube comments section:
The YouTube comments section is currently the only point of contact between creators and fans. And itโs terribleโ no connection, inauthentic, spam, no info about your fans.
This is the problem we want to solve. Our mission is to bridge the emotional gap between creators and fans. But to make Peers a billion-dollar business, we need to support interactions that are both personal and scalable.
So.. What is both Personal and Scalable?
Well here are some ideasโฆ
Real Life Concerts
When I attended a Lorde concert in Melbourne, I felt like she was talking to me. Her speeches felt personal despite the fact that there were thousands in attendance.
AI Chatbots
These things can already pass the Turing Test.
People are falling in love with them:
If youโve ever talked to a โRachelโ on a customer support page on a website, chances are sheโs probably an AIโฆ
AI chatbots can provide really good help & therapy.
Empathetic communication? Always available? Probably better than your friends in most casesโฆ
Deepfakes
One day weโll feed the videos we made into a neural network and have AI generate videos of G speaking without him actually being there.
Meet My Co-Founders
I flew to Madrid to meet with my co-founders. Gidon I met at a digital nomad event in Buenos Aires. Tal Iโve spoken with a few times over Zoom. We all gathered on a rooftop:
Gidonโs life can be a movie.
Early on, he knew he didnโt fit into the school system.
From being bullied in school to leaving his parentsโ home at the age of 18 to study in Israel. Then he solo-travelled to Hong Kong at the age of 21.
Once sought an appointment with the best psychologist in Israel. After one session he was fixed.
Got fired from his job when standing up for himself after his boss disrespected him, even though he was the best-performing employee.
Built a $50M company from zero by cold-emailing people every day for a year.
Now he runs one of the largest influencer marketing agencies in the world with his best friend Tal.
Gidonโs particularly good at one thing:
Making as much money as possible as efficiently as possible.
He does with 3 employees what other companies take 50 people to do. (Iโve seen this firsthand and can confirm itโs true).
Gidon believes in the following:
Respect. Treating people with kindness. โYouโre not better than anyone else, and nobody else is better than you.โ
Leaving things in a positive state. โThe best time to leave is when things are going well. Itโs better for your mindset.โ
Living to his full potential. โDelka Talents (his company) is not even 1% of what I want to do.โ
We are very different people with complementary skill sets.
Whereas I am soft-spoken, Gidon radiates confidence.
Whereas I wouldnโt randomly pitch people in the middle of a cafe, Gidon absolutely would.
Whereas Iโm a prolific reader, heโs a natural speaker.
Whereas I understand technology, he understands business.
Tal
Tal is somehow more charming and charismatic in person. He was raised well and has great relationships with everyone in his family. Least materialistic person youโll meet. While backpacking in Central America, he learned Spanish. Now heโs an actor in Madrid.
Tal taught me that business *is* personal.
During our first 1:1 call, I was eager to make a good impression and began to rattle off my professional accomplishments. Within 2 seconds, Tal said: โNo no stop. I donโt want to hear about that; Tell me about you.โ We then spent the next 1hr talking about our lives.
Gidon and Tal make a dynamic duo.
Theyโve been best friends since they were 12.
They both speak fluent Dutch, Hebrew, Spanish and English.
They joke that they canโt be seen together- because girls will chase after both of them and then it becomes awkward.
While theyโre identical in most respects, theyโre also slightly different.
Whereas Gidon is more sensitive, Tal is more emotionally stable. They say: โGidon is the engine, Tal is the steering.โ
Whereas Gidonโs life can be a movie, Talโs life is literally a movie. Heโs starring in a Netflix or HBO show called โMarbellaโ or something? Heโs also playing a part on BBC.
Theyโve both created a safe space for me to operate.
Theyโve communicated a few things that really me feel safe and therefore express my full potential.
You donโt work *for* me, you work *with* me.
When I first met Gidon, I was unemployed and broke. Whereas he was a few years older and ran a successful business.
At the beginning, I wasnโt sure what our relationship would look like. Was he my boss? My co-worker? Are we friends? From the very beginning G made it consistently clear that we were equal partners.
You have nothing left to prove.
This one hit home. Iโve long conflated my self-worth to my work output. At one point I found myself working to โshow offโ to him.
One day he told me: โYou have nothing left to prove. I already know how great you are. I saw your potential from Day 1, even if you didnโt see it yourself.โ
Wow.
We want to work with *you*.
G & T have consistently stated that they want to work with me. It doesnโt matter if itโs this project or something else.
Knowing that our relationship extends beyond the company is comforting and makes me feel secure.
I hope to extend this level of safety to the people I work with in the future.
What value do I bring that made them choose me?
My coaching friend prompted me with this question. Itโs a good one.
Obviously they know Iโm smart but I think itโs more than that.
After a call, Gidon once told me and said โWow Iโm blown away by how maturely you handled that. I canโt believe youโre only 23.โ
My hypothesis is: If youโre rich and successful and good-looking, itโs hard to find someone who doesnโt care about that. Theyโre working in the Los Angeles influencer industry (one of the shallowest on Earth). I feel like I can see their strengths and weaknesses very clearly.
Lastly, weโre all doing a lot of different things.
G & T work together on real estate & talent management. Tal does acting and G does e-commerce and is a rising TikTok star (thanks to me ๐).
Iโm a world traveler and writer & Iโm also running a media project.
As of today, it doesnโt make sense for all of us to work on Peers full-time. But, our hope is that one day we will. After all, being a technology entrepreneur is the best job to have, right?
The goal is to turn Peers into our full-time jobs.
๐ง Peers Update (5/8)
โญ๏ธ Top Priority: Assemble The Team
Steve Jobs & Wozniak popularized the co-founding duo thatโs now a Silicon Valley trope. Basically, you have:
A โBusinessโ Person
A โTechnicalโ Person
Our situation is different. We have Gidon and Tal, two of the best salespeople in the world. Then we have me, a mixed bag.
The team must adapt to the needs of the task. The task must evolve with the capabilities of the team.
Most often answers are found within. So I asked myself: โWhat do I want to do- that will make me happy?โ Well hereโs what I know about myself:
The more urgent something is, the more productive I am. Forget โprocrastinationโ; this is a natural talent. I can quickly handle a large volume of requests & sequence events in my head in a way that makes sense.
Iโm a capable developer but thatโs not where my passion lies and if I tried to be the engineer on the team, Iโd probably get burnt out in 2 weeks.
So itโs clear? Iโll be the operator which means we need to recruit an engineer(s).
The Best Configuration (5 People)
Building a technology platform is demanding so itโs best to split the work among two engineers. One is product-minded and responsible for feature development. The other is technical, analytical, and a prolific coder.
Having two competent programmers will allow me to shift to fully operational tasks. I believe this is the best balance.
The 2nd Best Configuration (4 People)
In this scenario, I will assume the product strategy role and work closely with the engineer.
With 4 people, we are also able to get started.
Who Is The Perfect Candidate?
Weโve worked with many developers and interviewed many more. The truth is weโre not looking for somebody we can replace in 3 months.
99% of startups fail. I fully anticipate that we will need to try multiple times under multiple different companies. We prefer somebody who will stick with us through these shifts.
Please Apply to Peers (We Need You! ๐)
Requirements:
Ambition. You have one life. Is this what you want to do?
Humility. Weโve found that relationships based on trust and love are far easier than fear and doubt and contracts and conditions.
Capability. Your brain has to work in a way that lets you grow into the Chief Technology Officer of a billion-dollar company.
You Must Have All 3 Traits:
Ambition + Competence - Humility
We probably wonโt have fun ๐
Humility + Competence - Ambition
Weโd rather not try to convince you ๐คทโโ๏ธ
Ambition + Humility - Competence
We wonโt arrive at our destination ๐ซ
Apply to Peers:
Please answer the following question in as much specific detail as possible:
Note: This is your technical interview. Please showcase what you can do. No more coding problems will be asked but I may ask follow-up questions. Please email responses to me@leoariel.com.
โญ๏ธ Priority #2 - Strengthen Our Cash Position
When the opportunity comes, we must be ready to strike.
Running a business with $0 is hard as you are limited in what you can do. (The only good news is you canโt go bankrupt because youโre already bankrupt).
So far Iโve been creative with the resources I have. Hiring unpaid interns, trialing freelancers, borrowing Delka Talents contractors. But the truth isโฆ
Things are moving too slowly.
Even though โBuilding a Billion-Dollar Businessโ is on a 15-20 year timeline, Peers is on a more limited window- subject to market conditions.
The best-case scenario is we can assemble our team without spending money. But regardless I think itโs smart to have cash on hand because it gives us flexibility and options.
So I made a fundraising deck which Iโll share now:
Slide 0: The Peers Company
Slide 1: Our Mission is to Close the Emotional Distance between Creators and Fans
Slide 2: How Do We Plan on Doing This? Hereโs One Thing We Knowโฆ
Technology changes all the time.
Human nature doesnโt change.
We will approach our product from a psychology-first lens.
Slide 3: What Do Fans Want?
Fans want to be closer to the creator.
Slide 4: What Do Creators Want?
While fans want to be closer to the creator, the reverse is not necessarily true. Dunbarโs number says a human being can sustain a maximum of 150 close relationships.
We believe there are two powerful motivators:
Money
Creators can continue doing what they love.
Instant Feedback
Rapid iteration to make better videos / podcasts / blogs.
By knowing who their fans are, creators can better serve their audience.
Slide 5: Whatโs Our Vision for the Product?
We are creating a space for creators and fans to interact.
Creator Communities. Creators can curate their own space. Visibility toggle, pinned posts.
Unlimited Payment. OnlyFans the most profitable platform because users can tip up to $100 at a time (which OnlyFans takes 20%). Many fans are willing to pay more than current options allow. We want to capture this unrealized value by supporting higher / unlimited payment transactions.
Fan Rankings. Creators can know who their true fans are and build relationships with them.
Our Ask:
Why This Much?
We believe $200k is the right amount to test our hypothesis.
Worst case we pay 2 engineers $10k/mo + equity = $20k monthly burn โ 6-10 months of operations.
Additional one-time costs:
Website: $2,000
Design: $10,000
Legal: $3,000
Note: A startup company is an experiment and Peers is no different. Itโs a highly-risky endeavor with lots of unknowns. โIs this something that the market actually wants?โ We believe $200k buys us enough time and data to decide if the project is worth pursuing.
Lastly, A Book?
I love reading. So after weโve built a billion-dollar business, I will write a book called โHow to Build a Billion-Dollar Business.โ The good news is I already finished the book. You can read it here:
7. The Art of Love
2,500 years ago, Sun Tzu published โThe Art of Warโ.
What about โThe Art of Loveโ?
But first, what is love?
M says:
โI turned and saw my husbandโs cupped hands, holding vomit which wasnโt his, thatโs love.โ
C says:
โLove is cleaning up vomit in a Paris hotel instead of asking her to marry me in the shadow of Notre Dame.โ
Whatโs with all these vomit references?
Is love relational? E says:
โLove is being embraced by family who were once strangers celebrating your birthday while youโre 5,995 miles from home.โ
Is love physical? E says:
โWhen your HRV drops, your pupils dilate and you feel the warmth around you, thatโs love.โ
Is love spiritual? I says:
โLove is the kind of energy, that like a good massage, can make even the most constricted parts of your body let go and expand.โ
Is love the little things? J says:
โLove is about the little things, making your partner tea before bed, telling her stories so she can fall asleep, so you can FINALLY read your book in peace and quiet.โ
Why is there only one word for love? A says:
โIโm reminded different relationships can have different purposes. The purpose of a relationship might range from exploring delight, and/or deepening spiritual partnership, and/or creating partnership in work and life, and/or creating a family. The possibilities are endless.โ
The Greeks had 7 different words for love.
1. Eros โ Romantic, Passionate Love
โEros is passion, lust, sexual attraction, and everything we think of when we think of the TV version of love.โ
โEros represents the love for sexual intimacy and romance.โ
2. Philia โ Affectionate, Friendly Love
โPhilia is encouraging, kind, affectionate, and everything that makes up a true friendship. It is entirely platonic, yet both meaningful and sweet.โ
โPhilia is a kind of equal love โshared between people who value one another.โ
3. Storge โ Unconditional, Familial Love
โStorge refers to the unconditional love that parents have for their children. It is a protective, kinship-based love that embodies approval, sacrifice, and acceptance.โ
โStorge is a strong bond and fondness that is built out of familiarity and need.โ
โStorge is more one-sided. Think of it as the love a mother has for her child, regardless of whether the child reciprocates her emotion.โ
4. Agape โ Selfless, Universal Love
โAgape is an empathetic, selfless love for others that includes a love for God, nature, strangers, and the less fortunate.โ
โAgape is altruistic, unselfish, and genuine concern for the welfare of others.โ
โAgape is a kind of spiritual love and itโs expressed through meditation, nature, intuition, and spirituality.โ
5. Ludus โ Playful, Flirtatious Love
โLudus is easy breezy love. Playful, flirtatious, non-committal.โ
โLudus is all about having fun, so think of whatever that means for you โ flirting, dancing, teasing, seducing, all the jazz.โ
โLudus is lightweight, undemanding, and beautifully uncomplicated.โ
6. Pragma โ Committed, Long-Lasting Love
โPragma is built on commitment, endurance, companionship, and sharing similar hopes for the future.โ
"Pragma is patient, sacrificial, and mature.โ
โA lot of people (married folks, especially) will understand Pragma as โmaking it work.โ
7. Philautia โ Self Love
โPhilautia is a healthy, necessary love of oneโs self that makes it possible to give and receive love from other people.โ
โPhilautia is self-compassion, self-worth, confidence, and self-esteem.โ
To Summarize
Eros (Sexual)
Philia (Friendship)
Storge (Family)
Agape (Universal)
Ludus (Playful)
Pragma (Long-Term)
Philautia (Self)
๐ซต Rank the 7 forms of love. Compare your answers with other readers. Depending on your personality your responses will differ.
8. Learn a Language
This is Masayoshi Son.
I want to meet him one day.
But I want to meet him in Japan.
So Iโm learning Japanese.
Strategy #1: Learn on TikTok
Why Learn from TikToks?
Skits
Funny / Entertaining
Learn the Vernacular
This is my favorite:
Donโt say โSayonaraโ as it means โforever goodbyeโ.
Instead you say:
Strategy #2: Learn from Acting Reels
Whatโs an acting reel?
A 2-4 minute video of an actor showcasing his/her abilities, across a range of scenes.
Why Learn from Acting Reels?
10/10 Pronunciation
10/10 Audio Quality
10/10 Expressiveness
Hereโs a clip from Talโs acting reel:
And a few others:
How do you find acting reels?
Easy.
Go to the website of an actor or talent agent or a talent agency. The videos are usually available to the public.
9. Hot Seat Podcast ๐ฅ
Note: If thereโs one thing Iโm good at, itโs coming up with ideas. So Iโm introducing a new segment called โPlease Steal This Ideaโ. Each week I propose an original, feasible, cool, and profitable idea for a project. My hope is that one of you takes it and runs with it.
What is a podcast?
A podcast is a conversation at scale. Usually there is a mix of hosts and guests.
Example:
Or there are multiple hosts and no guests.
A podcast done right is a win-win-win.
Hosts get credibility and content.
Guests get exposure and promotion.
Listeners get entertainment and education.
Please Steal This Idea (Hot Seat Podcast ๐ฅ)
A guest comes onto the podcast with a specific issue they want to solve. Over the next 20 minutes, a panel of hosts will help them solve the problem.
Format
3 Permanent Hosts
1 Rotating Host
New Guests Weekly
Q: Why a rotating host?
A: The rotating host allows for maximum effectiveness. If the guest has a relationship problem, you can bring on a therapist. If they have a business problem, you can bring on an entrepreneur.
Q: Why 20 minutes?
A: 20 minutes puts pressure on all parties to act and solve the problem. No dilly-dallying, preambles, monologues, or overtures.
Q: Whatโs the best cast?
A: Three friends with diverse perspectives that can easily banter.
Q: How is the podcast organized?
A: The first 5 minutes will be the guest setting the context. The next 10 minutes will be active problem-solving. The last 5 minutes will be a recommendation.
Thatโs all for today! Thanks for reading, Have a great week, and feel free to drop me a line on WhatsApp +1 978 844 1678.
Leo A
If youโre new here, welcome to Leoโs Lemonade! My name is Leo Ariel, and I am a World Traveler, Writer, Tech Entrepreneur, Media Mogul, Food Critic, and Video Editor.
Every week I write a postcard to you from wherever I am in the world. Generally, I like to share travel tips, business ideas, personal essays, and mundane observations from life.
My readers have previously enjoyed Why Did Amazon Pay Me $170k/yr to Update a Wiki Page?, Growing Up in an Asian American Household, and Top 5 Life Advice for 23-Year-Olds.
I would greatly appreciate it if you share this with your friends. It would help me out a lot :)
I'm having a hard time fathoming what must be going on in your mind that "doesn't" make it into these manifestos. Cheesecake, Picasso, business plansโbut my favorite part of this issue was the profiles of your business partners and what you shared about your working relationships. Just beautiful. Especially appreciated the snippet about Gidon's story, "Got fired from his job when standing up for himself after his boss disrespected him, even though he was the best-performing employee." Go Leo, go.
It's going to be surreal when Peers is a billion-dollar business to look back and know we watched it unfold before our eyes in these postcards.