Mercury's Paid Personal Account Signals Fintech’s Subscription Shift
Mercury charges for a bank account while others give it away. Immad Akhund explains why Mercury Personal targets the mass affluent—and what that says about fintech’s next fight. (0:00) Why Charge for a Bank Account Now? (0:23) Akhund: Who’s the “Mass Affluent”? (0:56) What Makes Mercury Personal Different? (1:16) Why Launch Personal Now? (2:02) Why Didn’t You Leave Big Banks Earlier? (2:34) Mercury vs Big Banks: What’s Broken? (3:42) Can OCR Payments Go Mainstream? (4:19) How Do Permissions Change Money? (4:50) Can One Account Replace 5 Services? (5:45) Who Is Mercury Personal Actually For? (6:24) Start Narrow, Go Broad: Akhund’s Plan (7:27) 4,000 Alpha Users vs 200k Businesses (8:39) Does Word of Mouth Still Matter? (9:16) Why a $240 Annual Fee Isn’t Crazy (9:51) Subscription Pricing vs Feature Fees? (10:19) When Does It Become a No-Brainer? (11:13) Is “Free Fintech” a Trap? (30:25) Talk to Your Bank Account: When? (30:54) Where Does AI Matter More? (40:55) Founders in Arms: Lessons That Stick
Transparency Turns Higher Prices Into Trust
Most small businesses lose trust before they lose sales. The cause is a lack of transparency. If your price is higher, explain why with clear facts like material cost or service time. When you state your motives in plain language, people trust you...
Strait of Hormuz Crisis Halts Traffic, Tankers Brace
Strait of Hormuz Enters Active Crisis: Five Ships Hit, Traffic Collapses, Tanker Markets Brace for Historic Shock https://t.co/QozOvFyHte
Replace SaaS with Claude, Save Thousands in One Day
As a brand owner you should be using claude to save $1000s on costs by building AI tools to replace all the different SaaS products you’re using. Here's 6 tools that you can easily build in one day. 1. Organic...
Compress Sales Leadership Phases to Accelerate Scaleup Growth
I see 3 phases of sales leadership hires in scaleups: 1st - Get first customers and get first sales reps. 2nd - Figure out the process to get customers and sales reps. 3rd - Scale the process to get customers and sales reps. You...
Earned $40K+ in Four Months After Leaving Google
$40k+ ‼️ 4 months later of leaving google and scaling my startup full time 💁🏽
US Soybean Inspections Hit Record, 65% Headed to China
🇺🇸Last week's U.S. corn and soybean export inspections topped all estimates. 65% of the inspected bean volume was to China. https://t.co/pdWgCErVIi
AI‑generated Slop Makes up 21% of New Shorts
AI-generated slop accounts for 21% of YouTube Shorts shown to new users. Here's what this means for marketers and where your content is most protected. https://t.co/bPFCSffiUD via @MattGSouthern, @sejournal
2% Inflation Won’t Trigger 3% Mortgage Rates
2% inflation won't lead to 3% mortgage rates with the Fed at neutral policy. https://t.co/TpEKz1u8Cu
Profit‑First Strategy Beats Campaign Management in 2026
Two years ago, targeting expertise was a job that Meta now offers for free. The best agencies today are helping brands understand their true profitability, build offers that actually resonate, and create content that supports both. The button pushing comes in...
AI Uncovers True Reasons for Lost Deals, Bypassing Bias
Every quarter, management teams walk into the board meeting with a “Closed Lost Analysis” slide. It typically shows the top 5 reasons deals didn’t close. Pricing. Missing feature. No budget. Chose competitor. The problem? Much of that data is incomplete,...
Google Clamps Down on Spammy SEO Agency Sites
The crackdown on SEO agency sites continues... These sites used lots of self-promoting listicles, service area pages for many cities (without physical offices there), excessive industry pages, and other scaled tactics that can eventually cause major SEO problems. https://t.co/7yQn2hMq1p
Markets Shrug Iran Strikes, Eye Earnings-Driven Sell‑off
Obviously the market doesn't really care about the strikes in Iran. The stock indices are barely down, silver is selling off big and crude oil is spiking, but nothing significant, it's nowhere near last June's high from the previous strike...
Free Tool to Identify High-Leverage AI Recruiting Use Cases
Wondering how to approach AI automation in your recruiting efforts? Here's a free tool to help you diagnose some of the most high-leverage use cases. https://redefiningwork.substack.com/p/i-went-down-an-ai-rabbit-hole-and
Berkshire Will Buy Back Shares Below Intrinsic Value
Greg Abel: "Share repurchases are another important capital allocation option. We will buy back Berkshire shares when they trade below our estimate of intrinsic value, conservatively determined, ensuring that repurchases enhance per-share value for continuing owners."
Germany Reverses Heat Transition, Reviving Fossil Heating
Just last week the German government gutted the heating law which was supposed to drive a transition away from gas. The timing could not have been worse: Gas prices are up 50% today & this crisis could worsen significantly. This will...
Master Prioritization to Maximize Time and Energy
Prioritization — Using Your Time & Energy Effectively - https://t.co/P6VHpoEKTr - https://t.co/jJdqYT6Lq4 by Leon Ho
US Manufacturing Grows, Input Costs Surge to 2022 Levels
"US manufacturing expanded in February but input prices soared at the fastest pace since 2022, stoking fears of an inflation resurgence even before this weekend’s attacks on Iran." https://t.co/eB5YwfWkhb https://t.co/qeDvw5frvv
Leaders Admit AI Layoffs Will Disrupt Jobs
The “vibe shift” on AI is here: As @ChipCutter reports in the @WSJ, now that the long-anticipated AI-driven layoffs are happening, a backlash is brewing. AI messaging from business and tech leaders has been mostly about how beneficial AI will...
Assess IT Spend ROI Amid AI‑Driven FinOps
Are you getting a return from your IT investments or just burning cash? Tomorrow, I'll be participating in a webinar with @Apptio and SunStream Business Services about the realities of FinOps in a dynamic market. Apptio will share its latest...
Oil, Fertilizer Prices Surge After US‑Israel Strike
#oil & #fertilizer prices both spike following the US-Israel joint strike on Iran with the Strait of Hormuz essentially shut down. #oatt #oott https://t.co/wrY5JcnYwb
Turn AI Into a $500‑hour Research Analyst
Market research firms charge $30,000 for insights I get from Claude in 30 minutes. Here are the 7 prompts to turn AI into your $500/hour research analyst:
Prioritize Time, Not Tasks, for Real Progress
Checking tasks off feels productive. But are they the right tasks? Task-based productivity keeps you busy. Time-based productivity moves your life forward. In this workshop, you’ll learn how to stop reacting and start allocating time intentionally. Less noise. More progress. Secure your spot before your calendar fills...
Two Newsletters Deliver Clear Insight on Labor Market Shifts
Career Intelligence Weekly + The Recruiting Life Two newsletters. Clear thinking for a changing labor market. https://t.co/UGHNPeD6oN
Every Rejection Is a Step Closer to Funding
Don’t be discouraged by rejections. Every 'no' brings you closer to a 'yes'. Learn from feedback and refine your pitch, using each interaction as a stepping stone towards securing the right investment.
Lease Used Equipment to Cut Costs and Risk
"Another great way to do smaller deals and reduce risk is to do leases on used equipment. Just like cars, most of the depreciation on equipment happens in the first few years." –Invest Local (2014) https://t.co/l2EObkfURN https://t.co/X97c95CkJd
Founder/Maker Coworking Day in Cape
Who's in Cape Town? I'm organising a founder / maker coworking day We'll do intros, lunch, and share what we shipped https://t.co/j1gkyMLnOu
Record Exodus: Americans Depart US in Unprecedented Numbers
Americans Are Leaving the US in Record Numbers Is America becoming a land of emigrants? @JoeWSJ & @drewhinshaw WSJ story looks into this new era. Cameo by Toronto's East End & the unique Riverdale Park view of the city I get to...
Housing and Food Prices Cooling Amid Oil Inflation Fears
Good to see on a day where there are worries about high oil prices and inflation, other key inputs like housing and food may be cooling
HSR Waiting Period Expired; U.S. Deal Can Close Today
David Ellison today: "As we've said, the HSR waiting period has expired. Obviously, domestically, which means that there is no reason if we had cleared globally why we couldn't close in the U.S. today legally."
Trust Drives Markets: When It Falters, Risk Rises
Trust is emotional. It’s also economic infrastructure. When it weakens, markets reprice risk and retirement plans built on stability require harder tradeoffs. Most people treat trust as sentiment. It isn’t. It determines how money moves. I sat down with George D. Kinder to...
ISM Manufacturing Prices Misleading; Soft CPI Ahead
Some focus given to ISM Manufacturing Prices back in 70. In my opinion very misleading for now (and solely based on energy). But the jury is obviously out. I expect a couple of incredibly soft CPI reports coming up.
Ahrefs Report Builder Gains Higher Limits and New Features
We heard your feedback. @ahrefs Report Builder is now more accessible, with higher limits to make reporting easier for everyone. 📈 -More reports & widgets for Lite+ -Scheduling now on Standard+ https://t.co/bLKyBCrL3w
Trump's Iran Attack Sparks Trade Uncertainty and Logistical Disruption
Trump. Uncertainty. Disruption. No equilibrium. What would that mean to trade, supply chains, and logistics?
Brand Fuels Performance; Performance Rarely Builds Brand
It's often said that "brand drives performance, and performance builds brand", but in many cases only the first half of that statement is true. Which is problematic when you have a program whose budget heavily favors performance marketing. Brand definitely...
Russian Rail Freight Plummets, Flagging Economy Amid War
Russian rail freight. Drops. Sign of economy. Exports. Russian Railway. Large employer. What comes next? For economy. For Ukraine war.
Find Clarity by Naming What
Work the edges when the center is fuzzy. Name what is clear. Clarity grows from knowledge. What’s clear? What’s important? What doesn’t work?
ISM Prices Hit 70.5, Steel and Aluminum Costs Surge
ISM prices surged by 11.5 pts to 70.5, highest since Jun 2022. ISM said higher px for steel & alumin drove px index. That is unsurprising & has been evident in PPI data since Liberation Day. For manufacturers, the cost...
Paramount's Secret Weapon to Overcome Warner Deal Hurdles
Out @Lmanfredi7 lays out the path for Paramount to clear the Warner deal- the hurdles and the company’s secret weapon.
Backchannel References: Recruiting’s Subtle Tool for Discrimination
For whatever reason, we're having this conversation again so let me be clear: Backchannel references are Recruiting's low-key favorite way to discriminate.
Bond Yields Spike, Markets Remain Unpredictable Amid War
War & Mortgage Rates: We're All Along For The Ride Since I am old & have been around for many Geopolitical Events I have learned 2 things: - No one knows exactly how things will turn out - The initial reaction of Financial...
Memory Shortage Persists in ISM Manufacturing Survey
Memory shortage reported back to back months in the ISM Manufacturing Survey. I suspect this will be with us for a while.... https://t.co/RUpjKtiOJ6
Broad Market Breadth Improves, Favoring Value and Cyclicals
Second strong ISM NO print in a row. I'm not bullish, I'm BROADish. We see macro and micro breadth improving into 2027. Benefits to value, cyclicals, active management. https://t.co/geofWJYULy
Recipe Site Gains Momentum After 2023 HCU Launch
Wow, this is a recipe site I worked on after the 2023 HCU... cool to see its visibility growing so much now. https://t.co/tHwxnVrRKs
Consolidation Saves Space, But Disrupts Clinical Documentation Trust
System consolidation looks efficient—until you count the cost of disruption. Strong view from @Provationmed on why migrating away from purpose-built clinical documentation puts adoption, revenue, and trust at risk. ➡️ https://t.co/WahjLaV8Wl #ClinDoc #CIOInsights #HITSM
Traders Slash BOE Cut Odds Below 50% for March
Traders trim BOE bets, see less than 50% chance of a cut in March https://t.co/qbysIjoLyJ via @highisland https://t.co/TOAzMgmV6e
MBAs Spot Digital Gap in 27‑Year HVAC Business
How MBAs look at a 27 year old HVAC business in Omaha with no website:
Google Discover Gets Major Profile Updates – New Article
Nice new article on Google Discover and the latest Discover profile changes by my teammate @JohnnyHerge https://t.co/iQap8dufeJ
Core Inflation Hits Highest Since Early 2024
CPI and PPI translations into PCE suggest core prices in January rose around 0.43%, give or take. That would be the highest month-over-month reading since February (which was +0.448%) and annualizes to 5.3%. It corresponds to a 3.1% y/y rate, the highest...
New ClickFlow AI Visibility Tracks Brand Presence Across Platforms
Happy to announce that we just added our AI Brand Visibility feature in ClickFlow. It tracks how brands appear across AI platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity: ranking position, mention type, sentiment, and competitor comparison. ClickFlow is our *quality* content generator and...