Growth Ritual #43

🎙️ AUDIO DEEP DIVE OF THIS ISSUE:

Sammy & Mila offer in-depth analysis on each newsletter issue. Subscribe to their podcast.

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Looking Back at 2024: A Year of Growth, Milestones, and Gratitude 🙏

As we approach the time of year for reflection, I wanted to dedicate this issue to bidding farewell to 2024.

This year has been, without a doubt, one of the most pivotal years in my personal history. In every way...

• Founding Next Big App, my third venture after 4play and Madduck, with all its thrills and challenges.

• Publishing my second book, “Recode Your Future”, which, like my first book, became a bestseller in multiple Amazon categories.

• Growing this newsletter from scratch to 33,000+ subscribers and developing the discipline to write every week—something that wasn’t easy!

• Launching Tap Grow, an AI-powered call assistant, with sales in the U.S., Canada, and Japan—and interest from major Turkish brands that I’ll likely be able to announce in early 2025.

• Meeting incredible new people through my books and newsletter and having opportunities to present and run workshops at events like Webrazzi Summit, Alive 24, and Komunite, among others.

• Being trusted by dozens of amazing companies to contribute to their growth journeys.

• Traveling more than ever—exploring new countries, experiencing new cultures, and collecting unforgettable memories.

In short, while there were plenty of things I could have done better, 2024 was one of my most fulfilling years in terms of productivity and personal growth.

I also want to take this opportunity to thank all of you who open and read the newsletter every week and share kind words of encouragement.

You might not realize it, but your support helps me grow in countless ways. I understand that more deeply with each passing day.

Thank you for being here.

For the rest of this issue, I’ll be recapping the highlights from all 42 previous editions—one sentence for each.

Who knows? You might find something interesting and revisit an old issue.

At the very bottom, I’ll include a comprehensive list of all the noteworthy products and services featured in the newsletter this year.

I hope seeing them all in one place will be helpful. Honestly, even I was amazed by how many we’ve covered!

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Highlights From All 42 Previous Issues 💫

• Issue #1 - Discover how to tailor your startup to attract investors, just like catering a product to meet user needs.

• Issue #2 - Explore the unsettling thought of intelligence becoming accessible to everyone and its potential impact on conflict resolution.

• Issue #3 - Imagine a future where software development is as simple as using Google Translate, thanks to AI advancements.

• Issue #4 - The evolving role of software developers in an era of AI-driven code generation.

• Issue #5 - Explore the meteoric rise of ChatGPT and the need for new directions as user acquisition plateaus.

• Issue #6 - Learn how the art of influencing consumer behavior has evolved into a complex game of branding and psychology.

• Issue #7 - Discover why a strong brand doesn't always guarantee a strong identity, using Trendyol's sub-brand as a case study.

• Issue #8 - Explore the world of Hugging Chat, a platform that allows you to use different AI models in one place.

• Issue #9 - Uncover the possibilities of uncensored AI models and learn how to install similar systems locally on your computer.

• Issue #10 - Discover the surprising truth about dead technologies and why they might still have buyers.

• Issue #11 - Uncover the truth about venture capitals and learn how understanding their perspective can increase your chances of securing funding.

• Issue #12 - Delve into the world of high-revenue mobile applications and learn how to replicate their success using AI.

• Issue #13 - Explore the history of artificial intelligence and witness its meteoric rise from simple chatbots to symphony-composing AI.

• Issue #14 - Journey through the past 25 years, revisiting key milestones that fundamentally changed our world, and gain a new perspective on the current era of rapid transformation.

• Issue #15 - Discover Apple's unique approach to innovation and how their focus on user experience sets them apart in the AI race.

• Issue #16 - Learn the tactical steps to transform a product into a global success story and the importance of building a collaborative community.

• Issue #17 - Explore how to bridge the gap between AI hype and real-world implementation, and learn how to effectively integrate these tools into your daily workflows.

• Issue #18 - Discover how specialized AI is revolutionizing workflows across various professions, from business analysts to video creators.

• Issue #19 - Get a glimpse into the coding-free future with Websim.ai, a tool that turns your ideas into reality without writing a single line of code.

• Issue #20 - Uncover the potential of OpenAI's "Project Strawberry," an AI assistant designed to empower small businesses with super-smart capabilities.

• Issue #21 - Discover how a restaurant's simple story became a marketing masterpiece, proving that authenticity trumps trends.

• Issue #22 - Learn valuable growth lessons from Morning Brew's journey, from near-miss deals to strategic pivots that led to success.

• Issue #23 - Uncover why your best investment isn't in the stock market, but in building a direct connection with your customer base.

• Issue #24 - Explore effective strategies for marketing your app on Google, using Sylvain Gauchet's insights from Growth Gems.

• Issue #25 - Learn how to leverage digital transformation for a competitive edge and explore Doug Stephens' vision for the future of retail in a post-pandemic world.

• Issue #26 - Reimagine the retail experience by striking a balance between digital innovation and the enduring power of physical stores and personal interaction.

• Issue #27 - Discover how to integrate AI automation into your business using Tap Grow, an AI-powered call agent designed to boost sales and support.

• Issue #28 - Explore the concept of "personalized marketing" and how AI can be used to tailor messages, offers, and experiences to individual customers.

• Issue #29 - Explore the unconventional world of "Grandpa-as-a-Service" in Japan and learn how this service is redefining human connection in the digital age.

• Issue #30 - A practical journey into the world of AI with an easy-to-follow starter kit, designed to help you overcome the fear of AI and turn it into your teammate.

• Issue #31 - Explore the rise of handcrafted imperfection in a world increasingly dominated by AI, and discover how Judero, a hand-drawn card game, embodies this trend.

• Issue #32 - See the world through an economic lens, rather than geographic size, and discover hidden opportunities in countries with surprisingly large GDPs.

• Issue #33 - Learn how AI can help companies overcome the challenges of scaling beyond 50 employees, focusing on marketing automation and data management solutions.

• Issue #34 - Discover how the ability to rapidly acquire new skills is becoming the currency of success, drawing insights from Nobel laureate Daron Acemoğlu's research on technological innovation and labor value.

• Issue #35 - Unlock the power of micro-influencer marketing, understanding how their authenticity and deep audience engagement can drive conversions for your brand.

• Issue #36 - Explore the three essential roles every founder must master: Technician, Entrepreneur, and Manager, drawing insights from the classic business book "The E-Myth Revisited."

  Issue #37 - Learn the importance of crafting a clear AI strategy before diving into tools, avoiding common pitfalls and ensuring AI initiatives align with your business goals.

• Issue #38 - Uncover the paradox of progress, exploring how the internet, mobile, and AI have connected us while also creating echo chambers, dependency, and new forms of inequality.

• Issue #39 - Navigate the changing landscape of marketing and sales in the age of AI, understanding how to combine the precision of AI with the creativity and emotional intelligence of humans.

• Issue #40 - Develop a post-AI playbook with strategies that are immune to technological turbulence, emphasizing the importance of storytelling, choice architecture, and emotional connections.

• Issue #41 - Learn how a simple email automation can help small businesses recapture lost revenue from potential customers who showed interest but didn't convert.

• Issue #42 - Explore the major trends and potential disruptions predicted for 2025, from AI advancements and global power shifts to consumer behavior and geopolitical tensions.

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Noteworthy Products and Services

• Anduril - A defense software and hardware company

• Anthropic - An artificial intelligence safety and research company

• AspireIQ - A comprehensive tool for managing influencer relationships

• Avakin Life - A mobile game

• Bitly - A link management platform that shortens URLs

• Boomerang - An email productivity tool that lets users schedule emails and set reminders

• Brand24 - An app that monitors brand mentions across social media and the web

• Buffer - A social media management tool

• Canva - A graphic design platform

• Capcut - A video editing app that allows users to make short-form videos from longer content

• CapGo.ai - An AI-powered spreadsheet application

• Cerebras - A computer chip maker

• ChartGPT.dev - An AI tool that can create charts and other data visualizations

• ChatGPT - A chatbot launched by OpenAI

• Clean Email - A tool that helps users automatically unsubscribe from unwanted emails

• Claude - An AI assistant developed by Anthropic that can write different kinds of creative content

• Colormind - An AI-powered tool that generates color palettes based on images and art

• Commenter.ai - A Chrome extension that provides users with AI-generated comment ideas for LinkedIn

• Conversica - An AI sales assistant that automates follow-ups with leads

• Crait - A platform that uses AI to generate product visuals and ads

• Crayon - A market research tool that uses AI to track competitors' moves

• Creatify.ai - A tool that can help businesses create personalized marketing materials

• Cuebric - An AI tool for filmmaking that generates realistic images and videos from text descriptions

• Databricks - A data storage and analytics company

• DataSquirrel - A tool that allows users to analyze data quickly and effectively without technical expertise

• DesignerGPT - An AI that can build websites and landing pages

• Devin - An AI capable of writing code

• Dialpad Ai - An AI-powered platform that can transcribe phone conversations in real-time, provide call summaries, and assist customer service agents

• DocuSign - A platform that provides electronic signature technology and digital transaction management services

• EchoAI - A tool that transforms customer conversations into actionable insights

• Envato - A design marketplace acquired by Shutterstock

• Exceed.ai - A tool that automates conversations with sales prospects through email, chat, and SMS

• Figure AI - An autonomous humanoid robot company

• Firebase - Google’s mobile platform that provides analytics, databases, messaging, and other services for mobile app developers

• Forwrd - A tool for building lead scoring models without coding

• Framer - A design tool for building responsive websites

• Gainsight - A platform that helps businesses reduce churn

• Gamma - An AI presentation builder

• Gemma - A type of LLM that can be run with Ollama

• Gemini - A large language model developed by Google

• GitHub - A platform for hosting and collaborating on software projects

• GitMind - An AI-powered tool for mind mapping

• Grammarly - An AI-powered writing assistant

• Grin - A comprehensive tool for managing influencer relationships

• Grok-1 - An AI system developed by xAI that generates image completions

• Gumloop - A no-code AI automation platform

• HeyBooster - An e-commerce analysis platform

• HeyGen - An AI video generation platform

• Hiver - A tool that allows users to manage shared inboxes from Gmail

• Hugging Chat - A chat app developed by Hugging Face that offers access to multiple AI models

• Hugging Face - A community and platform for machine learning, natural language processing, and artificial intelligence

• Humane AI Pin - An AI assistant in the form of a wearable pin

• Humanizer PRO - A tool that makes AI-generated writing sound more human

• HubSpot - A customer relationship management (CRM) platform

• HypeAuditor - A tool for analyzing the authenticity, engagement, and audience quality of influencers

• Kite - A platform that allows businesses to break down data silos

• Instagram - A photo and video-sharing social media platform

• Insitro - A drug discovery and development company

• Intuit - A business and financial software company

• Jan.ai - A platform that lets users build personalized, uncensored AI companions

• Jasper - An AI writing tool

• Judero - A game crafted using traditional animation techniques

• Klaviyo - An email marketing platform

• Lavender.ai - A tool that analyzes and enhances the effectiveness of emails

• Linktree - A platform for creating a customizable landing page of links

• Loom - A video messaging tool

• Luma AI - A tool for creating 3D models from video footage

• Luna AI - A prospecting assistant that finds and contacts potential customers for you

• LottieFiles - A platform for creating, editing, and hosting Lottie animations

• Lucidchart - A visual workspace for diagramming and collaboration

• Magic Write - An AI writing assistant from Canva

• Mailchimp - A marketing automation platform and email marketing service

• Make.com - A visual automation platform

• Memento - A tool for creating AI-generated video testimonials

• Mem - A self-organizing workspace for notes and ideas

• MidJourney - An AI image generation tool

• Miro - A collaborative online whiteboard platform

• Monica - A personal relationship management tool

• Moz - A platform offering SEO tools and resources

• Neural.love - An AI art and image generator

• Notion - A note-taking and productivity tool

• Ollama - A local LLM that lets you run AI models on your computer

• OpenAI - The company behind tools like ChatGPT and DALL-E

• Otter.ai - A tool for transcribing audio in real-time

• PaLM - Google's Pathways Language Model

• Pepper Content - A content management platform with AI tools for content creation

• Pipeline - An AI-driven sales enablement tool

• Poe - A platform that lets users chat with multiple AI models

• Prezi - A presentation software tool

• PromptBase - A marketplace for AI-generated prompts

• Replit - A collaborative browser-based IDE

• Respeecher - A voice-cloning technology platform

• Salesforce Einstein - AI-driven CRM capabilities within Salesforce

• SEMrush - A marketing analytics and SEO platform

• Slack - A team communication and collaboration platform

• Snapchat My AI - A customizable AI chatbot in the Snapchat app

• Socratic - An AI-based app by Google for helping students with homework

• Stability AI - The company behind the Stable Diffusion image generator

• Synthesia - A tool for creating AI-generated video content

• Tableau - A visual analytics platform

• Tally - A no-code form-building tool

• Tawk.to - A free live chat software

• Tidio - An AI chatbot and live chat platform for websites

• Trello - A visual collaboration tool for organizing work

• Typeform - A platform for building forms and surveys

• Uberduck - A text-to-speech platform

• Unbounce - A landing page and conversion optimization platform

• Visme - A visual content creation platform

• Zapier - An automation tool for connecting apps

• Zoom - A video conferencing platform

• Zoho - A suite of business tools including CRM, email, and finance management

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