?? 5MM #100: 13 Questions That Will Change Your Life

Happy Monday-

For those new to the newsletter, the "5-Minute Monday" is a series of three quick-hitters (hence the name 5-minute) designed to get you thinking early in the week about Marketing, Personal Development, and the Creator Economy.

?? Quick Note:

Whew! 100 issues of the 5-Minute Monday! Before we get into the normal stuff, I wanted to quickly say a few things. Doing 100 of anything is tough, especially a newsletter where the average lifespan is only 3 issues (jk, I made that up because I couldn't find any data, but I bet it's small.)

But, for anyone thinking of starting one (or any habit that requires you to put something out into the world), I highly recommend it.

For all the late Sundays where "I really don't feel like doing this right now," there is something rewarding about consistently hitting "publish." Even if only one person reads it (thanks, dad), I get to start my week:

• Knowing I did at least ONE thing I committed to
• Exercising my thinking muscle, looking for the "so what" in interesting content all around the internet
• Connecting with people from around the world that I wouldn't have ever "met," even if it's just a quick 5-minutes in their inbox
• Promoting other people's work while also exposing you to something you may not have seen and potentially having a positive impact on your day

So, a big thank you for taking the time to read this and allowing me in your inbox every week. It's a privilege I do not take lightly!

?? Marketing

A "Oh Sh*t" Moment for Marketers

99 out of 100 predictions for 2025 mention something about it being "The Year of AI Agents."

Whether it is 2025 or 2027, the majority of people will start using AI to help them make purchase decisions. If/when that happens, that means a large part of how marketers use and create ads will have to change.

No one wants more ads, so if they can distance themselves from them and rely on AI agents to manage their interactions with brands, they will.

So, what does that mean? Marketers and brands will have to optimize some of the ad budgets for advertising FOR AI Agents ??.

Check out the video below, where Kieren breaks down a video from the founder of Perplexity.

?? Personal Development

13 Questions That Will Change Your Life

Questions are like keys. They unlock doors.

Tim Ferriss once said:

“If you want confusion and heartache, ask vague questions. If you want uncommon clarity and results, ask uncommonly clear questions. Often, all that stands between you and what you want is a better set of questions.”

In this article, Shaan gives you some common questions then a "better" way to ask them (very useful for conversations with ChatGPT.)

"If you want confusion and heartache, ask vague questions. If you want uncommon clarity and results, ask uncommonly clear questions. Often, all that stands between you and what you want is a better set of questions."

Some of my favorites:

1a. Common Question: I can’t decide — which path is the right path to pick?

1b. Better Question: Which path makes for the best story?

2a. Common Question: What are ALL the things we need to do this week?

2b. Better Question: If we only had 2 hours a week to work on this, what would we spend it on?

3a. Common Question: What should we do?

3b. Better Question: What would _____ do in this situation? (pick a person who’s super smart and fearless)

?? Creator Economy

Fall in love with some activity, and do it!

Fall in love with some activity, and do it! Nobody ever figures out what life is all about, and it doesn’t matter. Explore the world. Nearly everything is really interesting if you go into it deeply enough. Work as hard and as much as you want to on the things you like to do the best. Don’t think about what you want to be, but what you want to do. - Richard Feynman

I thought this was such a good quote to start the year...especially the last part.

"Don’t think about what you want to be, but what you want to do."

Such a powerful reframe.

One of my good friends, Michael Simmons , told me last year that he has shifted his entire business model to just "follow his curiosity." I love that, and it is paying off for him with his current community and Substack killing it (and you can feel it in his writing.)

Don't worry so much about categorizing yourself or putting yourself in a box. Find the stuff you want to do and go all in.

Shout out to "Creator Boom" for the quote.

Stay Curious,

Max

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?? Got one more minute?

Why Breakthrough Advertising Is the Timeless Playbook for Winning Markets

Last week, I wrote a 3-part series about some of Eugene Schwartz's top principles from what some consider the best copywriting book ever, "Breakthrough Advertising."

I cover:

I also created a custom "Breakthrough Marketing GPT" and show you how to use it to implement all three principles. Enjoy!

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