Article · twice weekly

Not Boring

Packy McCormick · notboring.co Freemium Intermediate

McCormick writes long, plain language deep dives on emerging companies and sectors while they are still forming, which is exactly the frontier where trends are visible before they are obvious. Reading it regularly is a low effort way to stay near the edge of several fast moving fields. The archive is free with some paid pieces.

  • Following frontier companies keeps you near early signals.
  • Deep dives beat headlines for understanding a shift.
  • Regular reading at the edge compounds into pattern sense.

It answers 2 questions

  1. How do I spot trends early enough to build a startup on them?
  2. I keep spotting good trends too late, after they're already crowded. How do I get earlier signal?

Read with it

  1. The definitive essay on where good ideas come from: notice problems you personally have, don't force it. Use it as the lens for... paulgraham.com Essay · ~20 min read How to Get Startup Ideas Paul Graham
  2. The definitive short read on why disruptive ideas get dismissed as toys, and why that dismissal is your opening. It reframes... cdixon.org Article · ~5 min read The Next Big Thing Will Start Out Looking Like a Toy Chris Dixon
  3. Long-form, candid interviews with Indian founders and investors on how they actually grew, distributed and built brand, one of... The Neon Show / Neon Fund Podcast · 200+ episodes The Neon Show (100x Entrepreneur Podcast) Siddhartha Ahluwalia
  4. Video · ~25 min How to Get and Evaluate Startup Ideas Jared Friedman
  5. Before you spend a weekend guessing, Google Trends gives you a real, free read on whether interest in your idea is rising,... Google Tool Google Trends Google
  6. This is the most practical way to see search and interest trends climbing before they hit newsletters and everyone's timeline.... Exploding Topics Tool Exploding Topics Exploding Topics
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