I send one action packed email a week called a 1x1x1 covering crazy cool businesses I spot, updates on what we're building and buying, and lessons from the journey of an entrepreneur.
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For those of you that are new here, every week I send what I call a 1x1x1.
One thought from my week.
One interesting find/tool from my week.
One image from my life.
Let's dive in 👇
Brand Is a Moat (And Yours Might Be a Puddle).
With the barriers to entry basically crumbling in most industries (like, your cousin Todd with a WiFi signal can prompt build a website and suddenly become a "tech bro”) you need to invest in moats.
Moats = your defensibility.
The stuff that keeps competitors from copying you, undercutting you, or straight-up eating your lunch.
Whenever I talk about moats, I always picture medieval times.
You know, castles, drawbridges, flaming arrows, peasants yelling “MY LIEGE!”.
Because that’s what it feels like today when you’re running a business.
You better have something stopping the hordes from storming your gates.
And brand? Brand is 100% a moat.
It’s not WooWoo.
It’s not just “vibe curation.”
It’s not just your logo in 18 different shades of teal.
It’s what makes people choose you, remember you, and forgive you when you mess up.
Shoutout to Apple. You removed the headphone jack and we STILL LOVE YOU.
Here are 5 things that make for a strong brand (in my very humble but also maybe extremely correct opinion):
Clarity
If your brand message requires a decoder ring or a TED Talk, you’ve already lost.
Clarity means someone should land on your site, glance for 2 seconds, and go, “Ah. I get it.”
Not “Hmm, interesting…”
Not “Lemme click around and find out…”
“I GET IT.”
Imagine you’re speed dating.
You’ve got 10 seconds to explain what you do before the bell rings and they move on to someone hotter (aka, your competitor with a better headline).
Be clear. Be obvious. Be so stupidly simple that even your mom can explain it at book club.
Personality
Nobody vibes with a cardboard box.
If your brand were a person, would anyone want to grab a beer with them?
Or would they ghost you mid-Zoom?
Bring some flavor. Be weird. Be real. Be someone your customers want to text at midnight when they’re stuck.
Consistency
McDonald’s fries hit the same in Tokyo or Munich (I can confirm).
Your brand should too. If you’re chill on social but sound like a legal document on your site, you’re confusing people.
And confused people don’t buy. They bounce.
Emotion
People remember how you make them feel, not your feature set.
You can’t A/B test your way into the hearts of customers.
But you can make them feel something.
Relief. Confidence. Joy. A strange, irrational attachment to your pet insurance company.
Inside Joke Energy
The best brands make you feel like you’re in the club.
Like you “get it” and they “get you.”
It’s that moment when you see a sticker, a slogan, or a tweet and think: “These are my people.” That’s brand magic.
That’s also what turns customers into missionaries.
So yeah. Code can be copied. Products can be cloned. Prices can be undercut.
But a killer brand?
That’s your flaming moat.
And it’s really, really hard to compete with a business that people love irrationally.
The Pono crew’s been setting up AI call operations for clients lately and holy sh*t, it’s insanely good.
We’re talking AI that can pick up the phone, sound human, hold a convo, and even handle objections better than most sales reps who still think “circle back” is a personality trait.
Honestly, it’s mind-blowing.
Also… dangerous.
Because not only is this changing the future of customer support and outbound sales.
It’s also about to supercharge my prank calling career.
“Hi, this is Cheryl from the DMV. Our system flagged your license photo as ‘too seductive.’ We’ll need you to come in for a re-shoot… " - AI Cheryl
We’ll be responsible with this power.
Probably.
My daughters favorite thing in the world is her dog. And bell peppers.
