The Friday Thing #702

Well, I sold a few books last week – Paul Arden’s book that is. Strangely, several people have asked me over the last month if I am working on a book myself. I’ve been thinking about writing a book for a long time…so the answer is “maybe”. I’m keen to hear ideas in the comments on LinkedIn as to whether I should. And if so, what the book should contain and any ideas on a title?

The Friday Thing #702 is sort of a book recommendation – but is starts with a pair of jeans.

Several years ago, I bought a pair of bespoke jeans. I know, this seems like an oxymoron for perhaps the most utilitarian piece of clothing on the planet, but I was fascinated with the prospect of jeans designed for me in the same way I love the idea of a Savile Row suit. I went to a shop in New York and spent an hour or two, choosing the right Japanese selvedge denim, specifying the color of the rivets (some subtle orange), choosing camouflage liner for the pockets, getting measured up correctly. Two months later, the jeans arrived and they’re quite lovely. I am mildly embarrassed at how much they cost but the reality is I was not buying a pair of jeans – I was buying a story.

Roll forward a few years and my friend Ian Sanders introduced me to another jeans company - Hiut Denim – who are themselves an entire story. David and Clare Hieatt sold their brand Howies to Timberland in 2001 and were looking for a new project. That quest brought new life to a factory in Wales that had been making jeans for over three decades and had once employed 400 locals who produced 35,000 pairs of jeans a week. Alas, the business closed in 2002 as jean making went overseas in search of profit and cost efficiency. 400 of the world’s best jean makers were left with no denim, no craft, and no job. David and Clare brought the business back to the town of Cardigan where they now proudly take an hour and 10 minutes to make one pair of jeans - compared with 11 minutes of a typical big brand jean company. At Hiut, a grand master makes a pair of jeans from start to finish and the business was quietly growing. Then Meghan Markle visited town and wore their jeans. Things took off a bit. 

But David and Clare are far more than entrepreneurs and jean makers – they’re storytellers extraordinaire. They have The Do Lectures that my brother had mentioned to me many years ago that I am a new fan of – and they have a ‘book’. This year was the 5th year of their book – Yearbook 5 – which I managed to grab one of the 2800 copies of. My only regret is I don’t have the previous four years’ worth. This thing is chock full of wisdom so allow me to share a few nuggets I scribbled down in my notebook as I tore it upon arrival. Yearbook 5 was titled “One Percent Better” so let’s start there….

• ‘The compounding effect of trying to get better by 1% a day is huge. Compounded it is 3,800% per year. That’s 40 times better than where you started in just one year.

Think about that for a moment. While you do, I am going to go chat with my kids and share this information with them. 1% better each day if they do their piano practice. That’ll be 40x better in one years’ time. About a year ago, I started to ride my bike. Every day. Am I 40x better at riding? I am not sure, but I know I am at last 25% better. Strava tells me so. And I will be better again tomorrow after my ride. 1% a day doesn’t sound like a lot. But 1% compound? Huge. They should teach this at school a bit more I think.

Here are some other notes from my notebook I furiously scribbled down as I read the book.

• 80% of every decision is psychology + confidence, mindset, optimism. Not knowledge.
• The true creative build an unshakeable belief in their ideas and doesn’t seek validation from others.
• 93% of what you are saying is nonverbal.
• It takes 66 days to break a habit.
• Tiny habits repeated daily.
• Moonshots need dayshots = 1% = 3800 over a year
• Create assets – don’t sell time. Time doesn’t scale.
• Each day has 86,400 seconds
• Give without expectation of return. The world rolls around. 

Who knew that in a book about a jeans company so much wisdom could be found? Alas, it’s sold out – but you can grab their newsletter. It’s packed with similar inspiration.

In the spirit of read widely and share generously, I will leave you with this page from the book ahead of a long weekend. I plan to turn in to my screensaver.

That’s all.

Have a great weekend and Happy Friday.

-Steve