📚 Decoding Instagram Growth, Spear or Sphere, Antennas and Probes, Principles by Nabeel Qureshi, Shogun’s Magic

Billionaire’s Personal Assistant, Paan in and as Street Food, Makers of Oxford English Dictionary, Single Line Mazes and more

Hello, this is post #186.

A warm welcome to new readers, with gratitude to Rishikesh for the kind mention!

Currently, I’m devouring two incredible travel books. I couldn’t wait to share the experience—even though I’m still midway through!

1. Around India in 80 Trains by Monisha Rajesh. A witty and humorous journey through India’s vast railway network. Rajesh combines sharp observations with lighthearted commentary, occasionally dipping into critical reflections. It’s a delightful read, perfect for armchair travelers and adventurers alike.

2. Neither Here Nor There by Bill Bryson. Bryson’s European escapades are captured in his signature laugh-out-loud style. The audiobook, narrated by William Roberts, adds an extra layer of hilarity—I can’t stop giggling! Highly recommend the audio version for fans of travel tales.

I finally made it to Champaka Bookstore! Though the visit was brief, it left an impression. With its carefully curated collection, cozy ambiance, and warm vibe, it feels like a home away from home for book lovers. A must-visit if you're in Bangalore.

I’m on the hunt for cozy bookstores to explore—be it in Bangalore or beyond. Share your favorites via comments or DM. 😊

And with that, I’ll pause my personal updates for this week and dive into the curated content I’ve prepared for you.

Let’s not wait any more, here we go…

☕ Decoding Instagram Growth of Subko & Newme

As a marketer, I’ve often encountered “playbooks” for SEO, social media, or community building—expert-driven, one-size-fits-all approaches promising surefire success. Experience has taught me otherwise. Instead of chasing universal solutions, I focus on learning from what works for others and adapting those insights to my context. While not always game-changing, these approaches provide steady progress.

Blume Ventures shared a valuable post on “Growing organically on Instagram” from a D2C brand’s perspective. It highlights the journeys of two standout brands: Subko, a design-driven specialty coffee, cacao, and craft bakehouse, and NEWME, a fashion brand resonating with Gen Z in India and Southeast Asia. Their stories offer actionable ideas for brands navigating the organic growth path. Here’re a couple of useful snippets:

On how each post matters in solidifying your brand personality

“I remember how, early on, Rahul Reddy (Founder, Subko) told me to treat every single Instagram post like an album release,” Jeff says. It’s something the team follows to this day. ​“As a design-centric brand, we try to put our subko-fied stamp on everything, visuals and copy.

On the early team. This one is super critical. Those closest to the brand bring authenticity and soul that no agency can replicate. They understand the nuances, live the journey, and create narratives that resonate deeply.

“The biggest, biggest learning I have is that, from Day One, we have built a content team in-house,” Sumit says. ​“A lot of companies outsource to content agencies — but agencies don’t know your brand DNA. They don’t know what you’re solving for. They don’t know consumer data.”

On hiring the folks for content / social media teams.

When hiring for the content team, NEWME looks for culture fit and a ​“knack for content.” This is how Shivita puts it, ​“Content doesn’t have a playbook. You can’t read it. You can’t learn it. All you can see when you’re interviewing people is whether they have a knack for it. Let me give you an example. I was interviewing someone for the role of social media manager. During the interview, she got excited about a music that’s trending right now — she even sang it during the interview and suggested what we could shoot to go with it. This can only come from someone who innately has a knack for social media, who is on Instagram 18 hours a day whether it’s for work or not.”

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🎯 Be a Spear or Sphere?

While you meet a lot of good people while recruiting, I learned that exceptional people don’t come perfectly rounded, and I would now even argue that it’s hard to be exceptional if you are too well-rounded. I call this being a spear instead of a sphere. A spear travels faster and further because it has a pointed nose or a sharp wedge. It makes an impact with its sharpness.

GV Ravishankar’s short essay “Of strengths and weaknesses - be a spear or sphere?” explores personal growth with a refreshing perspective. The idea of focusing solely on strengths while overlooking weaknesses can feel daunting, but Ravishankar’s nuanced take makes it more relatable and actionable.

His newsletter is among the most thoughtful for any VC investor I know. He blends timeless themes of leadership, business, and humanity into concise, engaging pieces filled with unique references. His book and article recommendations are gems, often uncovering ideas from less-trodden sources & themes. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed his work and highly recommend subscribing.

Thanks GauravJ for introducing me to this one! 

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📡 Antennas and Probes

The FLUX Review offers a useful mental model - “Antennas and probes”. 

We rely on tools to explore and understand our increasingly strange world. The metaphor of antennas and probes suggests two complementary tools for exploration.

Both antennas and probes are sensing devices. Antennas stand tall and proud, letting the entire cacophony of the signals wash over them. Probes, by contrast, embed themselves deeply into their subject, picking up specific signals right where the action is.

Antennas help create a big-picture view, offering insights into what might happen. Probes, in contrast, are grounded in reality, reflecting what is happening. These tools lead to very different actions, making it essential to choose the approach wisely. 

This is a short read but offers a practical and valuable mental model.

The FLUX Review is an excellent resource for ideas on operations and systems thinking. Highly recommended if these topics interest you!

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💯 Principles by Nabeel Qureshi

Nabeel S. Qureshi keeps a list of principles - a few things he has learned from experience and that he tries and keeps in mind.

A lot of gems in one place, good to revisit & save some.

4. Environment matters a lot; move to where you flourish maximally. Put yourself in environments where you have to perform to your utmost; if you can get by being average, you probably will. (Greek saying: “A captain only shows during a storm.”)

37. There are some people who, after you talk to them, you feel more energized and you want to conquer the world or climb a mountain or something. They’re rare but they exist. Go find them and make friends with them.

49. Figure out what gives you new ideas, and make sure you incorporate that into your routine. For me this is talking to people, tweeting, writing in my notebook, long conversations with friends (especially late night or while walking). For other people this is showering, baths, long walks, runs, etc. Make sure you “harvest” these ideas too, i.e. write them down somewhere so they don’t get lost.

Thanks Sachin for sharing this.

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🎎 Shogun as a Showcase of Japanese Craftsmanship

Hiroko Yoda, a licensed kimono fitter and history enthusiast, shares a fascinating lens on Japanese culture while decoding the TV series Shogun. If you haven’t seen it yet, I highly recommend it.

Yoda’s posts delve into the intricate detailing of the show—narrative, costumes, mannerisms, dialogues, and set design—highlighting the craftsmanship that brings Japanese history to life. It’s a brilliant showcase of the creators’ dedication to authenticity. Truly inspiring!

Some examples for you.

From The Shogun Code ..

Finally, a moment from episode one. Hiromatsu, Toranaga's steely-eyed general, is in a discussion with another warlord. Their initial meeting is tense. At one point, Hiromatsu states cooly that “it was my understanding that you were loyal to our lord.” Then he subtly shifts the grip of his sword downward. The message is simple: be careful about what you say next, or I might draw this and strike you down. But Hiromatsu never breaks eye contact or even raises his voice. It’s another great example of a non-verbal cue. 

From Jidaigeki: Made in USA ..

From The kimono makes the man …

I leave you with this fun fact about the series… It is created by Americans, based on a British author’s book, and filmed in Vancouver.

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🎩 Billionaire’s Personal Assistant

Curious about life as a billionaire’s personal assistant? Charlotte Cowles dives into it in her interview with Brian Daniel. Here’s the archived version, just in case.

Here’s a quick premise:  

For decades, Brian Daniel worked as a PA for ultrawealthy clients; now, he helps recruit and train other high-level PAs for some of the world’s richest families and top-earning CEOs and has built a deep network of people in the private-service industry along the way. Here, he talks about what a typical day of work might entail, how he snags a table at the most in-demand restaurant at the last minute, and what it’s like when your boss has never heard the word “no.”

Being a personal assistant to a billionaire comes with its share of glamor, and Brian has plenty of entertaining stories. But it’s moments like this that reveal the effort and execution rigor it takes to make it all happen.

The most important thing is that you understand the way that the client wants things to be run. When they come home, they want the towels folded this certain way, rolled up like sushi. They want to be addressed in this manner. They want staff everywhere, or they don’t want to see staff at all. We create house manuals with pictures, and it’s all digitized so that it’s the same rules across all their homes, and there’s no confusion.

There are good insights on hiring right, people management & interpersonal communication.It’s a compelling case study for anyone interested in these areas.

And if you like this, don’t miss Cowles’ post on what it’s like to staff the home of a billionaire. Her genuine curiosity in this niche shines through. Interestingly, she’s a financial-advice columnist at The Cut. An unexpected topic for someone like her, isn’t it?

(via Kottke)

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😇 Some Food for Soul

Random finds: a touch of nostalgia, a warm hug that reminds you what it means to be human. Stories and passion projects—together, they shape our world.

1. “Paan in and as street food” by Sangeeta Chakravorty

My second memory associated with paan is of my garrulous and disapproving maternal grandmother and her paandaan. A mother to five children and many grandchildren; she was tough with all of us. Her tenderness was reserved for the afternoons, when she allowed herself a moment of calm; and skilfully crafted her paan. She offered it to her favourite grandkids, but it was too much flavour altogether for many of us little ones.

(via enthucutlet - the always fascinating and beautifully curated collection of food stories)

2. “Who Made the Oxford English Dictionary?” by Stephanie Hayes (archived version here)

In her final chapter, Ogilvie visits a man named Chris Collier from her hometown of Brisbane, Australia, who sent in 100,000 slips from 1975 to 2010. Collier cut quotations out of his local newspaper and pasted them directly onto slips, which arrived at the OED offices wrapped in old cornflakes packaging. “I thought to myself, imagine if I could help get one word into the dictionary,” he told Ogilvie. To his neighbors, he was the local nudist (he was known to take naked evening walks), but in certain Oxford circles he was practically famous, having supplied thousands of new words.

(via Connecting the dots, GV Ravishankar’s insightful newsletter)

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✨ Everything else

1. Wacław Szpakowski made a series of drawings of mazes from single continuous lines. Check out his drawings and their animated rendition here. So satisfying! 

2. Max Siedentopf’s “Passport Photos” explores one of the most mundane forms of photography and reveals unexpected excitement. A quirky exploration that makes you pause and think, "Why didn’t I think of this before?” (via YC Newsletter)

3. Denis Cherim's photos capture the coincidental charisma of daily scenes. More here. He is a master at the art of noticing!

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⏰ In case you missed last week’s post, you can find it here.

📚 Prediction markets for news, Digital divinity, Attention management, Lessons from hurricane communications, Ingenious design of an aluminum can

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That's all for this week, folks! 

I hope I've earned the privilege of your time.

If you liked this post, please hit the ❤️ below, leave a comment or share with someone who will find it useful too. It’s highly encouraging. 

Pritesh