Herbert Lui
Falling back in love, for the right reasons
When he was a young man, Andy Buckley wanted to be an actor. After graduating from Stanford, he...
2 weeks ago
When he was a young man, Andy Buckley wanted to be an actor. After graduating from Stanford, he moved to New York City to try to make it. He appeared in a couple of music videos, but didn’t experience much initial success otherwise. Andy pivoted, spending much of his early...
Herbert Lui
Creative slack
It’s much easier to be creative when you’re not constantly worried about tradeoffs. In order to...
1st Aug 2026
It’s much easier to be creative when you’re not constantly worried about tradeoffs. In order to relax, and actually create, you need to be able to experiment. And not every experiment will turn out successfully. Many will fail. You need to be able to make mistakes. Let’s call...
Herbert Lui
The Love Metric
If you’re publishing content, one useful way to measure success is to read what people are writing...
1st Jul 2026
If you’re publishing content, one useful way to measure success is to read what people are writing about it online. Margarita Noriega, who’s the current managing editor of Morning Brew, calls this the Love Metric. When she sees someone saying something nice about her work online,...
Herbert Lui
Choose to trust yourself
Some businesses—not all, and not even most!—don’t trust you. They design their products and...
1st Jun 2026
Some businesses—not all, and not even most!—don’t trust you. They design their products and marketing to lock you in and make you feel reliant on them. The incentive for them is to have lots of steady customers; if you can come and go at any point, then that business isn’t as...
Herbert Lui
Be mindful of renting capabilities
“For a while, he even makes you believe that his power has become yours. Irresistible power… that...
1st May 2026
“For a while, he even makes you believe that his power has become yours. Irresistible power… that makes every desire’s fufilment seem inevitable.” When I heard this line from Rings of Power, it reminded me of this: Sometimes, business partners want to make you rely on them in...
Herbert Lui
Be curious, not judgmental
Being judgmental is useful for doing difficult things. (Sanctimonious, self-righteous, prideful, are...
2nd Apr 2026
Being judgmental is useful for doing difficult things. (Sanctimonious, self-righteous, prideful, are all variations of what I mean by being judgmental.) When you believe in a statement that’s judgmental, it gives you the energy you need to stick with letting go of bad habits,...
Herbert Lui
Turn a creative fever into lasting inspiration
A few days ago, an idea came to me: why is there no business book covering Pokémon? By one estimate,...
1st Mar 2026
A few days ago, an idea came to me: why is there no business book covering Pokémon? By one estimate, the company has earned over $147 billion in its existence. It just opened a theme park, and its trading cards business has survived for 30 years and gained tons of momentum. There...
Herbert Lui
The 48 Laws of Power started with powerlessness
Early in his life, Robert Greene wanted to be a writer. His first attempt at this started early,...
1st Feb 2026
Early in his life, Robert Greene wanted to be a writer. His first attempt at this started early, with a job in journalism. After working for several years, one of his editors took him out for a liquid lunch and told him, “You should seriously consider a different career. You are...
Herbert Lui
Stop exploiting yourself
One of the friends you grew up with is now a popular YouTuber. When they visit your city, they ask...
1st Jan 2026
One of the friends you grew up with is now a popular YouTuber. When they visit your city, they ask if they can stay with you, and you oblige them. You get a glimpse into their life. An employee might get a lunch break, but not a YouTuber; lunch is for filming. They constantly...
Herbert Lui
Being frugal makes entrepreneurs less fragile
Many—maybe most—bootstrapped entrepreneurs tend to bias towards frugality. A dollar saved is a...
1st Dec 2025
Many—maybe most—bootstrapped entrepreneurs tend to bias towards frugality. A dollar saved is a dollar earned. Saving money buys greater freedom, it also enables the entrepreneurs to survive longer, so they have more time to execute their plans or to get lucky. Here are some...
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