MONTHLY MULLING 💡
Beware Of The Bubble, Saying Yes And No, When Pepsi Had World's 6th Largest Military!
Hi👋,
Tapan here.
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Happy Sunday y’all!
London is finally opening up and I have started exploring various neighborhoods in the city. The part I love about London (as compared to NYC) is that there is so much history in every nook and cranny of the city. It’s not just skyscrapers but different styles of architecture as you move around the city. I am definitely looking forward to exploring more!
In other news, I have recently started following Formula 1 after watching Drive to Survive on Netflix. And what a time to join the bandwagon, just in time for the Monaco Grand Prix! If you’re looking to start following the sport, Drive to Survive is a great entry point. The show almost plays like a reality show/documentary but lays out the basics of F1, drivers, teams, and history in a great way. If you follow F1 and have podcast/movies/YouTube/Insta recommendations let me know in the comments!
Now let’s get started🚀
💭MULLING
😕 When To Say Yes And No by Mark Manson (Newsletter - 3 minutes)
Mark explains why is it important to say no and when should you say yes.
When you’re just starting out, it’s important to jump onto every opportunity because you never know what doors they will open! As you start building your network and skills, you can start strategically saying no.
The “say yes until you have to say no” principle doesn’t just work in business, but in many areas of life:
If you move to a new city and want to make friends, say yes to everything until you’re so popular you can start saying no to invitations to the lamer parties.
If you’re single and want to find a relationship, say yes to meeting everyone until you find people you like enough to say no to people with terrible Tinder profiles.
If you’re trying to figure out what you’re good at or what you love to do, say yes to everything until you’re forced to start saying no. Eventually, you’ll be left with what matters most to you.
Being unable to say “no” will give you plenty of short-term opportunities but gradually wear you down in the long run. Being unable to say “yes” will eliminate most short-term opportunities, but it occasionally pays off by allowing you to spot something everyone else missed.
The secret sauce is knowing when and how to say (and hear) both.
Are you good at saying no or do you say yes to everything?
🤯 How Pepsi Acquired The World's 6th Largest Military by Nicolas Yoder (Article - 3 minutes)
I found this article really interesting as I had no idea about this deal! Essentially, during the 1960s, Pepsi entered into a barter agreement with Russia (then USSR). In exchange for Pepsi syrup, production management, and distribution, the Harrison, NY company accepted payment in a universal currency: Vodka. This agreement made Pepsi highly profitable.
However, in the 1980s due to escalations between the USA and USSR, the barter became void. Throughout the 1980s the economic and political situation worsened in the Soviet Union. Desiring to continue the Pepsi import, but having less to trade, a remarkable deal was reached in 1989.
Moscow would barter 20 warships: 17 submarines, a frigate, cruiser, and even a Destroyer in exchange for the continued flow of Pepsi. Further, the deal included several merchant ships and large oil tankers.
The combined flotilla of warships instantly made Pepsi the world's 6th largest military.
💸 Speculation vs. Investing (Beware of the Bubble) by Mr. Money Mustache (Article - 8 minutes)
Given the current economic and investment environment, this explanation of the difference between investing and speculating caught my attention.
A stock speculator is like somebody who notices the weather is warming up in March, and that the trend continues and even accelerates April and May. By August they have sold their winter coats and boots and are fiercely accumulating bikinis and flip-flops, shouting to everyone that you ain’t seen nothing yet, this trend is just getting started!
An investor is somebody more seasoned. They have been through this all year after year, decade after decade, and thus they know what comes after summer. Therefore, the investor selects a portfolio of clothes that serve a purpose. Some of these garments deliver warmth in winter, others are great for the beach, and all of them with a timeless style and durability.
FOMO is a thing and you need to beware of how you pursue your investments - as a speculator or investor.
🐿 Backyard Squirrel Maze 2.0 by Mark Rober (Video - 20 minutes)
I have said it numerous times but Mark Rober is one of my favorite YouTubers. An ex-NASA engineer he makes building fun!
When you subscribed to the newsletter, you might have seen part 1 of the squirrel maze that he built. And after a year of research and planning, he is out with squirrel maze 2.0.
If you have 20-minutes to spare, this will be the cutest thing you will see all week long. Go team Fat Gus!💪🏼
📚TREAT YO’ SHELVES
READING CHALLENGE 2021
Check out my 2021 Reading Challenge page (read 30-pages per day). You can join us on Goodreads, we have a group for the challenge!
I will be honest and say, I haven’t touched any of my books in the last three weeks. I have been busy with some personal stuff. Hoping to get back to reading soon.
📚 I am currently reading
India: A History by John Keay
I love books that provide a broad sweeping view of history. It’s one of the reasons Sapiens is my favorite book. And India: A History is exactly that!
It starts from the Indus Valley Civilization and goes until the current day which is a lot of history for the Indian subcontinent! It’s one of the reasons the author is not able to get into the weeds of each empire but it’s still a great read.
I have already learned a lot that I wasn’t aware of ranging from Vedas, Puranas, migrations within India, the spread of Buddhism, and India’s Maritime trade.
If you are interested in reading my notes on the book, leave a comment!
🎙PODCASTS
💰COLD BREW MONEY
😇 #44 - Timeless Wisdom from the Oracle of Omaha: We share our favorite lessons from Warren Buffett | Episode Page
😂 #45 - More $DOGE, Elon Musk on SNL, and BRK.B AGM - We discuss Berkshire Hathaway’s Annual General Meeting | Episode Page
Finally, not sure if you’ll caught our announcement in the last issue but we have released our first CBM TOOL! It’s a Discounted Cash Flow calculator that allows you to value any asset. We have made it simple enough for anyone to follow it. Check it out and let us know what y’all think!
Okay bye!
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I'm totally guilty of being a Yes Woman :-/ but at least I'm aware of it right? Haha. Have fun exploring London. If you haven't yet checked out The O2 arena, I'd recommend that. Go via the cable car!
Love the point on saying yes and no by Mark Manson, thanks for the great share as always buddy!