2x2: Fix this next

Hello. And welcome to this week's edition of 2x2. Your weekly source of links and ideas for creatives and leaders. As I write this week’s newsletter, we are just kicking off our big [Focus Academy]( training cohort and welcoming 121 new members into the Focus community! And, in addition, I’m secretly working with a small, private group of business owners to go through a new pilot program called Focus Like a Boss. (More on that later.) Check this out 1: [Daily Creative]( I just got [my copy]( of Todd Henry’s brand new book and I am very happy about it. If you do any sort of creative work, product development, — or just have autonomy in your job — this is a book of daily ideas and motivation to keep you focused on the joy of your craft. 2: [Fix This Next]( September is for reading, apparently. Because here’s another book recommendation for you. If you liked Profit First, this is another must-read from Mike Michalowicz. It acts as like the “hub” so to speak of all his other books. Helping you know what to focus on right now for your business (instead of getting distracted and pulled in a million different directions). Something to think about 1: Your business functions as a product of how you have designed it If you are a business owner or CEO, the current state of your business is a result of the decisions you have made up to this point… the goals you have set… the things to which you have said yes and no. If you don’t like the hours you work, the cycles of your revenue, the clients you serve…. start making new decisions. Side note: if you’re a small business owner and you’re interested in the new training, hit reply to let me know and I’ll be sure to let you know when we open up enrollment for the next pilot group (around the end of October). 2: [How to Tell You’ve Created Something Worthwhile]( When you make something that matters, it will be polarizing. There will be some people who don’t like it. But there will be others who love it. It’s not easy to make something and put it out there. But when you do, look around: are there people you find awesome, and are they happy to be around your work …. then you are on the right track. You’re serving the right people doing something worthwhile. — Shawn P.S. So, as a long-time (long, long, long time…) iPhone nerd, which iPhone am I getting? Well. Believe it or not, I’m am not upgrading to the new iPhone 14. (sad trombone. kinda.) Why? Because I absolutely love the form factor of my iPhone mini. I still have the 12 mini, and I will probably upgrade it to the 13 mini because battery life. And I will silently hope that maybe in a year or two Apple will once again offer that smaller form factor. There is a lot about the new iPhone 14 Pro that looks fantastic. The new [camera](, the screen, and the new Dynamic Island. I would love those features inside the form factor of the mini iPhone. Alas, I am the outlier who would would rather stick with a smaller phone. And so I will gladly use my adorably-sized iPhone for the time being. [In-Depth App Training for Power Users]( To unsubscribe, click [here](. Blanc Media, 714 Main St., Grandview, MO 64030, United States