#135 GROWTH Class Is BACK In Session!

Welcoming you back to OTF with a little back-to-school approach - take it away, Prof Mike!

With the dawn of a new school year upon us, we feel it’s a good time to remind our loyal subscribers what lies ahead. Sort of like a syllabus or master course schedule would for students.

• Today (and the first edition of every month) is our Growth Edition, which aims to give you tips and tools for both personal and professional growth. The focus is usually on communication and networking, with reading/podcast recommendations, trending updates, and monthly goals rounding out the post.
  

• The 2nd week of each month is our Productivity Edition, which generally focuses on how AI is changing the world and can change your life from a productivity standpoint. Content sections include recommendations / tips for using a particular AI tool, curated advice from true experts in the field, and news updates about how AI is impacting various different aspects of life.
  

• The 3rd week is our Money Edition, which is all about making more money! Personal finance advice, quick links to keep you informed and inspired, and money-related trivia (always helpful when networking) are what you can expect from this edition.
  

• Last but certainly not least, each month closes with our Behind the Grind Interview Series, where our interviewees dish on all three of OTF’s pillars - growth, productivity, money - with their own personal experiences and insights.

We hope you all had a lovely holiday weekend and a great summer overall. Often, people feel disappointment with September’s arrival, but we choose to look at it as an opportunity. With fewer distractions pulling us in different directions, it’s the perfect time to lock in, continue our journey of lifelong learning, and ensure we’re at our best come the fast-approaching end of 2025.

Need To Know Notes ✏️ 

• The Search Bar: Top Searches, Stocks, and Learning Apps 📈 💰️🚀

  
  

• Say It Better: Prof Mike Breaks Down My Most HATED TikTok Video 📈 

  
  

• Content for Your Commute: All About Learning 📈 💰️🚀
  

• September’s 2-DO LIST: Understanding Your Mind, Minding Your Words 📈 🚀

THE SEARCH BAR 🔎

What’s Trending Heading into September 2025

• Exploding Topics - When we first came up with the idea for The Search Bar, it was all about trending Google searches. The idea was: if you know what people are looking for, maybe there’s a business or hustle idea that gives it to them. Over time, we’ve expanded to include different things - trending apps, Amazon product purchases, rising stocks and crypto - but today we’re back to our roots.
  
  Here’s Exploding Topics Top 100 searches. (It gives you two Top 100s, one national and the other global, as well as a breakdown of key statistics and terminology. Super interesting.)

• Top Gaining Stocks (Live Updates) - For a while I included a screenshot here, but then I realized the info is a day old by the time it gets to you. Why not just link to the live updates themselves? See, I’m learning!

• Top Trending LEARNING Apps - Learning a new skill is more convenient than ever before. Take advantage with some of the most popular (free) learning apps over the last month, including an AI language tutor, intro to Python, and…ethical hacking?

SAY IT BETTER 💯 

I Made an Argumentative Video…and TikTok HATED It.

To complement this newsletter and build my online presence, I spent the past year getting more into video content on Instagram and TikTok. When I think of an idea for a video, I sometimes do it on the fly and press record with minimal prep.

This was one of those times…and the response was 👎👎👎

Sometimes, there’s nothing you can do about it. People just won’t like the content of your video. But now I’m wondering, is there a way I could’ve said it better, so that even if people still disagreed, the comments could’ve been more understanding and less, well…

Background:

The town I live in approved a marijuana dispensary half-a-mile from a state-of-the-art sports complex that hosts primarily youth athletes. I found this interesting, for lack of a better word, so I made a video about it.

Then the comments started coming in, and after a relatively short time, I’m not ashamed to admit that I took the video down.

But I still think there’s some validity to my message, and I’m wondering if a different delivery could’ve led to more positive results. What say you, Prof Mike?

First of all, SHARE THE VIDEO!

Second, you’re right - sometimes, hate is inevitable. That said, I do think you could’ve delivered this message in a MUCH BETTER WAY than the approach you chose, which was very assertive, critical, and with all due respect, seemingly-fake outraged.

Here are my recommendations:

• MIND YOUR TONE - From the very beginning, you turn what could’ve been respectful discourse into a polarizing argument. “This absolutely makes zero sense to me. Zero!” If all you care about is clicks/comments, then this works because it riles people up. But if you want understanding or an exchange of ideas, this was a bad idea. And your intonation, facial expressions, and hand gestures only added to the problem.
  

• KEEP IT PERSONAL - Even though you tacked on “to me,” the beginning of that sentence “This absolutely makes zero sense” is what stands out. Absolutely and zero are the buzz words, but the sentence as a whole is problematic. Often, you can address a controversial topic in less polarizing fashion by presenting it as a personal narrative. “I live in Town X, this is what’s going on, and here’s how I feel.” This is the best way to put others in your shoes, resulting in more understanding and, when it comes, more subdued criticism.
  

• ASK QUESTIONS - This builds on the previous two bullets, but it’s worth its own space.

  Questions like “Who’s involved in this decision-making?” or “Might this send the wrong message to youth athletes?” could’ve softened the tone and presented yourself as willing to listen and learn while still getting your point across.

  Questions like “Am I wrong?” or “Is it just me?” maintains a personal feel, which keeps the focus on you instead of pointing fingers at others.

  These tactics, along with some openness to being wrong - “Maybe I’m overreacting,” “Is there something I’m missing,” etc.” - encourages people to inform you instead of debating or criticizing you. That sparks conversation and creates productive engagement.

Overall: from an impartial viewer’s perspective, I see holes in your position that no delivery tweaks could solve. I know nothing about business or local government, but my instinctive response was in line with those “liquor store” comments. Still, you could’ve avoided the “lol what?!?” and “This is a joke video right” reactions had you thought more responsibly about your language.

CONTENT FOR YOUR COMMUTE 🚶🚆 ✈️ 

• ON FOOT: Keep the learning train rolling with Stuff You Should Know. Launched in 2008, there are over 1500 podcast episodes covering an incredible range of topics. We’ve definitely recommended them before, but it never gets old.

• TRAIN TIME: Want to learn the personal finance, branding, and productivity secrets behind various grinds? Then check out any of our Behind the Grind Interview editions:

  
  BTG #1: Finance Professional

  BTG #2: NYC Restaurateur

  BTG #3: Sports Wellness Startup
  BTG #4: Deli Owner

• FIRST CLASS: This is a great list of books about learning, but the one that stood out to me is The Real Work: On the Mystery of Mastery by Adam Gopnik. Mastery is what it’s all about: “How do we learn - and master - a new skill?”

2-DO LIST💡 

September 2025

1. Learn How to Learn Better - Instead of simply learning something new this month, take a step back and figure out what kind of learner you are and what you need to learn most effectively. Whether this involves reading a book from our list, working with ChatGPT to create a learning plan, or anything in between, understanding how your mind works and how it learns best will maximize both effectiveness and efficiency.
   

2. Reflect on Your Language - Unfortunately, at some point this month, something you say will be met with a negative response. It might not be to the extent of my TikTok video 🤣, but it’s gonna happen. After it does, take a few minutes to think about what caused the misunderstanding and how you could’ve communicated the same message in a better way.

Before You Go!

Thanks again for joining us! Next week, we’ll be back with September’s Productivity Issue, featuring Working With AI, Expert Advice, and much more!

As always, see you next Tuesday 🤝 

Find Dan on LinkedIn

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