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GenieFriends

​Welcome to Letters from GenieFriends: our regular newsletter sharing unique ideas and perspectives, penned by various community contributors.
​Contributor of the Week
​Hello, Geniefriends! My name is Sophia, and I'm the founder of an AI job-matching platform that's launching soon! I'm a firm believer in remote teams and slash careers. If I had to describe myself in a phrase, it would be "an avid explorer." I absolutely love trying new things and immersing myself in the experience!
At the moment, I'm enjoying: powerlifting, savoring coffee, indulging in reading, and having fun with ChatGPT.

​Omakase Sharing
​A sharing from our CotW on a topic of their choice — this week, it's about the challenge of assembling the right team for a startup company.  
Alright, let's get down to business. I've been pondering the perfect topic for this newsletter, but nothing truly sparked my interest until I reflected on the past six months. That's when I realized that "finding the right people" has been one of my main takeaways during my brief entrepreneurial journey. I know, I know, it might sound cliché to reiterate the age-old "team-is-the-most-important" narrative, but trust me, it truly is crucial and all too easy to overlook.
Disappearing Team Members
To share my story, we need to travel back to December 2022.
The Christmas holidays were my first experience with extended time off and granting team members leave. Two of my core team members requested a five-day break until January 5th. As eager as I was to continue product development, I recognized the importance of enjoying the holiday season. So, I patiently awaited their return to work on the agreed-upon date.
"Hey, how was everyone's holiday?" - 09:00 
"Hey, you guys alright?" - 09:30 
"Are you guys returning to work today?" - 12:45
As the hours stretched into days, they still didn't show up.
I became increasingly worried about everything and anything. Despite my attempts to contact them through email and phone calls, there was no response. They seemed to have disappeared without a trace. While searching for replacements and half-expecting them to reappear any day, I recalled my initial impressions when I first met them. They had expressed a desire to start something of their own, boasted six years of experience, and had an impressive track record with renowned startups. To be completely honest, I sensed some vague, intangible barriers between us. However, I decided to trust their experience with young companies and their skill set, and chose to work with them. I didn't pay much attention to their personalities or how they would fit into the team dynamics, believing that with a skilled team, everything would fall into place. Obviously, things didn't go as planned.
After a month of silence, I finally received a brief message from one of them, apologizing for the delay in communication. Unfortunately, due to personal matters, they would not be able to continue working with us. The other individual never resurfaced.

The Importance of a Well-Matched Team
Fast-forwarding to the present, our new team members have already been with us for nearly two months. We've accomplished far more in less time, shared laughs about work-related matters, and enjoyed working together late into the night. The team has never been so invested in the project, and the momentum is only building.
What's intriguing about the four individuals involved is that one from each pair had attended our initial interviews when we first posted the job listing. We chose the former person for their experience and decided against hiring our current teammate at that time due to a mismatch in their tech stack. Haha, Life!
A Word of Advice for Entrepreneurs
To all you budding entrepreneurs out there: team, team, team! No matter how fantastic your idea may be, without a group of supportive and dedicated people working alongside you, the journey won't be as enjoyable or smooth as it could be. Foster trust, align your visions, and everything else will fall into place.

With love, 
Sophia

​Rapid Fire Recs
​Explore recommendations from our CotW on different media & happenings.
Something to read
Star Wars prequel and original trilogy - (I recommend reading them in chronological order) - my all-time favorite read!

​Something to watch
Yi Yi: A One and a Two... (2000) - a beautiful and profound family film, based off the interconnected stories of three characters.

​Something to listen to
Eason Chan's Fears and Dreams setlist - a fantastic collection of songs that masterfully tell stories through music.


Want a further conversation with our CotW Sophia? Find her here, or ask Genie for an intro!

<div class="mirror-content">​​Welcome to Letters from GenieFriends: our regular newsletter sharing unique ideas and perspectives, penned by various community contributors.<h2>​​Contributor of the Week</h2>​​Hello, Geniefriends! My name is Sophia, and I&#x27;m the founder of an AI job-matching platform that&#x27;s launching soon! I&#x27;m a firm believer in remote teams and slash careers. If I had to describe myself in a phrase, it would be &quot;an avid explorer.&quot; I absolutely love trying new things and immersing myself in the experience!​At the moment, I&#x27;m enjoying: powerlifting, savoring coffee, indulging in reading, and having fun with ChatGPT.<hr/><h2>​​Omakase Sharing</h2>​​A sharing from our CotW on a topic of their choice — this week, it&#x27;s about the challenge of assembling the right team for a startup company.  ​Alright, let&#x27;s get down to business. I&#x27;ve been pondering the perfect topic for this newsletter, but nothing truly sparked my interest until I reflected on the past six months. That&#x27;s when I realized that &quot;finding the right people&quot; has been one of my main takeaways during my brief entrepreneurial journey. I know, I know, it might sound cliché to reiterate the age-old &quot;team-is-the-most-important&quot; narrative, but trust me, it truly is crucial and all too easy to overlook.​Disappearing Team Members To share my story, we need to travel back to December 2022.​The Christmas holidays were my first experience with extended time off and granting team members leave. Two of my core team members requested a five-day break until January 5th. As eager as I was to continue product development, I recognized the importance of enjoying the holiday season. So, I patiently awaited their return to work on the agreed-upon date.​&quot;Hey, how was everyone&#x27;s holiday?&quot; - 09:00 &quot;Hey, you guys alright?&quot; - 09:30 &quot;Are you guys returning to work today?&quot; - 12:45​As the hours stretched into days, they still didn&#x27;t show up.​I became increasingly worried about everything and anything. Despite my attempts to contact them through email and phone calls, there was no response. They seemed to have disappeared without a trace. While searching for replacements and half-expecting them to reappear any day, I recalled my initial impressions when I first met them. They had expressed a desire to start something of their own, boasted six years of experience, and had an impressive track record with renowned startups. To be completely honest, I sensed some vague, intangible barriers between us. However, I decided to trust their experience with young companies and their skill set, and chose to work with them. I didn&#x27;t pay much attention to their personalities or how they would fit into the team dynamics, believing that with a skilled team, everything would fall into place. Obviously, things didn&#x27;t go as planned.​After a month of silence, I finally received a brief message from one of them, apologizing for the delay in communication. Unfortunately, due to personal matters, they would not be able to continue working with us. The other individual never resurfaced. The Importance of a Well-Matched Team Fast-forwarding to the present, our new team members have already been with us for nearly two months. We&#x27;ve accomplished far more in less time, shared laughs about work-related matters, and enjoyed working together late into the night. The team has never been so invested in the project, and the momentum is only building.​What&#x27;s intriguing about the four individuals involved is that one from each pair had attended our initial interviews when we first posted the job listing. We chose the former person for their experience and decided against hiring our current teammate at that time due to a mismatch in their tech stack. Haha, Life!​A Word of Advice for Entrepreneurs To all you budding entrepreneurs out there: team, team, team! No matter how fantastic your idea may be, without a group of supportive and dedicated people working alongside you, the journey won&#x27;t be as enjoyable or smooth as it could be. Foster trust, align your visions, and everything else will fall into place. With love, Sophia<hr/><h2>​​Rapid Fire Recs</h2>​​Explore recommendations from our CotW on different media &amp; happenings.​Something to read <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Prequel-Trilogy-Episodes/dp/0345498704" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Star Wars prequel and original trilogy</a> - (I recommend reading them in chronological order) - my all-time favorite read! ​Something to watch <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0244316/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Yi Yi: A One and a Two... (2000) </a>- a beautiful and profound family film, based off the interconnected stories of three characters. ​Something to listen to <a href="https://www.kkbox.com/hk/tc/playlist/Dapu70pq6hWuNMMKTc" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Eason Chan&#x27;s Fears and Dreams setlist</a> - a fantastic collection of songs that masterfully tell stories through music. <hr/>​Want a further conversation with our CotW Sophia? Find her <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophia-ng-a84ab1140/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">here</a>, or ask Genie for an intro!</div>

: our regular newsletter sharing unique ideas and perspectives, penned by various community contributors.

, and I'm the founder of an AI job-matching platform that's launching soon! I'm a firm believer in remote teams and slash careers. If I had to describe myself in a phrase, it would be "an avid explorer." I absolutely love trying new things and immersing myself in the experience!

At the moment, I'm enjoying: powerlifting, savoring coffee, indulging in reading, and having fun with ChatGPT.

A sharing from our CotW on a topic of their choice — this week, it's about 

the challenge of assembling the right team for a startup company.  

Alright, let's get down to business. I've been pondering the perfect topic for this newsletter, but nothing truly sparked my interest until I reflected on the past six months. That's when I realized that "finding the right people" has been one of my main takeaways during my brief entrepreneurial journey. I know, I know, it might sound cliché to reiterate the age-old "team-is-the-most-important" narrative, but trust me, it truly is crucial and all too easy to overlook.

To share my story, we need to travel back to December 2022.

The Christmas holidays were my first experience with extended time off and granting team members leave. Two of my core team members requested a five-day break until January 5th. As eager as I was to continue product development, I recognized the importance of enjoying the holiday season. So, I patiently awaited their return to work on the agreed-upon date.

"Hey, how was everyone's holiday?" - 09:00 

"Are you guys returning to work today?" - 12:45

As the hours stretched into days, they still didn't show up.

I became increasingly worried about everything and anything. Despite my attempts to contact them through email and phone calls, there was no response. They seemed to have disappeared without a trace. While searching for replacements and half-expecting them to reappear any day, I recalled my initial impressions when I first met them. They had expressed a desire to start something of their own, boasted six years of experience, and had an impressive track record with renowned startups. To be completely honest, I sensed some vague, intangible barriers between us. However, I decided to trust their experience with young companies and their skill set, and chose to work with them. I didn't pay much attention to their personalities or how they would fit into the team dynamics, believing that with a skilled team, everything would fall into place. Obviously, things didn't go as planned.

After a month of silence, I finally received a brief message from one of them, apologizing for the delay in communication. Unfortunately, due to personal matters, they would not be able to continue working with us. The other individual never resurfaced.

Fast-forwarding to the present, our new team members have already been with us for nearly two months. We've accomplished far more in less time, shared laughs about work-related matters, and enjoyed working together late into the night. The team has never been so invested in the project, and the momentum is only building.

What's intriguing about the four individuals involved is that one from each pair had attended our initial interviews when we first posted the job listing. We chose the former person for their experience and decided against hiring our current teammate at that time due to a mismatch in their tech stack. Haha, Life!

To all you budding entrepreneurs out there: team, team, team! No matter how fantastic your idea may be, without a group of supportive and dedicated people working alongside you, the journey won't be as enjoyable or smooth as it could be. Foster trust, align your visions, and everything else will fall into place.

Explore recommendations from our CotW on different media & happenings.

 - (I recommend reading them in chronological order) - my all-time favorite read!

- a beautiful and profound family film, based off the interconnected stories of three characters.

 - a fantastic collection of songs that masterfully tell stories through music.

Want a further conversation with our CotW Sophia? Find her 

📮 A Letter from Sophia ✉️

Welcome (back!) to Letters from GenieFriends: our regular newsletter sharing unique ideas and perspectives, penned by various community contributors.

Contributor of the Week
Hello! I am Yenson She. Many of you may already know me from the Secret Dinner last Thursday. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Amid the recent Cambrian explosion of AI developments, what I found even more exciting are the genuine connections and the generous exchange of ideas between like-minded individuals at the dinner tables. I very much hope to be a part of the fantastic experience at April's Secret Dinner — see you there!
A bit of background about myself: my career has spanned different industries and roles, from management consulting to corporates, to tech scaling and start-ups. I’ve recently developed a passion for exploring the relationship between continuous learning and the mass adoption of the latest technology. I am keeping an IG blog to keep track of my explorations. 

Omakase Sharing
A sharing from our CotW on a topic of their choice — this week, it's about utilizing a CRM system… for personal networking.  
Why I built a CRM for networking
As someone who has always struggled with being passive and introverted, I know firsthand how difficult it can be to make new friends or stay connected with those I already know. It's not that I don't want to be social, but it's often easier to retreat into my own world rather than reach out to others. This is why one of my new year's resolutions for 2023 (yes, I haven’t given up yet!) is to build a personal networking system and develop a network of 50 people with whom I can hold meaningful and genuine conversations.
The pain point I’m trying to resolve
Over the past 3 years of COVID, I have become even more passive and introverted to making new friends or staying connected with those I already know. I often heard complaints from friends that I only reached out when I needed help, which made me feel guilty and ashamed. By using this CRM system to track my interactions with others and mark down interesting points, I was able to gradually build up my network and become more proactive in my relationships.
How my CRM is structured
My strategy is to develop a wide pool of 250 people and then narrow it down to the 50 with whom I have a deeper connection. I wanted to create a network of individuals who would challenge me, inspire me, and support me through life's ups and downs. For familiarity, I picked “ClickUp” to help me with this (I swear, this is not a product marketing advertorial!) 
The mechanism for building the system is simple: 
Whenever I interact with anyone on my list, I mark down the date (last engagement), as well as any interesting points that were discussed. 
I also categorize each person with 4 levels of closeness, that affect the frequency of engagement
Then I set a due date, birthday and recurring cadence for the next interaction. (this push notification as a reminder is CRUCIAL!)

The result
The result of using this CRM to build my personal networking system has been nothing short of amazing. In just three months, I have been able to build a list of 130 people with whom I have had over 15 meaningful or even heartwarming conversations. I have made dozens of new friends and gotten closer to those I already knew but had lost touch with. 
At the end of the day, technology is only a tool, but it has enabled me to become more proactive, friendly, and foster genuine relationships. By taking small steps each day and using this tool to track my progress, I have been able to overcome my introverted tendencies and develop a network of supportive, genuine, inspiring individuals who make my life brighter.


Rapid Fire Recs
Explore recommendations from our CotW on different media & happenings.
Something to read 
The Biggest Bluff by Maria Konnikova - Poker is about 50% luck and 50% skills, if you can master the game of poker, you can master the game of life.
Something to watch
Psycho-Pass, Japanese cyberpunk psychological anime - Psycho-Pass is an anime series that explores themes related to the meaning of life, artificial intelligence (AI), and moral justice. In the show, an advanced AI technology known as the Sybil System that creates a measure of people’s mental states and determines if someone has a high risk of criminal behavior.
Something to listen to
The Prof G Show by Scott Galloway - It is a weekly podcast answering listener questions on business, money, and tech. I particularly like his sharing of his stoic life value by the end of the show.  


Want a further conversation with our CotW Yenson? Find him through the platforms here!

<div class="mirror-content">​Welcome (back!) to Letters from GenieFriends: our regular newsletter sharing unique ideas and perspectives, penned by various community contributors.<hr/><h2>​Contributor of the Week</h2>​Hello! I am Yenson She. Many of you may already know me from the <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/geniefriends_secretdinner-activity-7047801994421432320-K_ny?utm_source=share&amp;utm_medium=member_desktop" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Secret Dinner</a> last Thursday. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Amid the recent Cambrian explosion of AI developments, what I found even more exciting are the genuine connections and the generous exchange of ideas between like-minded individuals at the dinner tables. I very much hope to be a part of the fantastic experience at April&#x27;s Secret Dinner — see you there!​A bit of background about myself: my career has spanned different industries and roles, from management consulting to corporates, to tech scaling and start-ups. I’ve recently developed a passion for exploring the relationship between continuous learning and the mass adoption of the latest technology. I am keeping an <a href="https://www.instagram.com/yensonshe/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">IG blog</a> to keep track of my explorations. <hr/><h2>​Omakase Sharing</h2>​A sharing from our CotW on a topic of their choice — this week, it&#x27;s about utilizing a CRM system… for personal networking.  ​Why I built a CRM for networking As someone who has always struggled with being passive and introverted, I know firsthand how difficult it can be to make new friends or stay connected with those I already know. It&#x27;s not that I don&#x27;t want to be social, but it&#x27;s often easier to retreat into my own world rather than reach out to others. This is why one of my new year&#x27;s resolutions for 2023 (yes, I haven’t given up yet!) is to build a personal networking system and develop a network of 50 people with whom I can hold meaningful and genuine conversations.​The pain point I’m trying to resolve Over the past 3 years of COVID, I have become even more passive and introverted to making new friends or staying connected with those I already know. I often heard complaints from friends that I only reached out when I needed help, which made me feel guilty and ashamed. By using this CRM system to track my interactions with others and mark down interesting points, I was able to gradually build up my network and become more proactive in my relationships.​How my CRM is structured My strategy is to develop a wide pool of 250 people and then narrow it down to the 50 with whom I have a deeper connection. I wanted to create a network of individuals who would challenge me, inspire me, and support me through life&#x27;s ups and downs. For familiarity, I picked “ClickUp” to help me with this (I swear, this is not a product marketing advertorial!) ​The mechanism for building the system is simple: <ul><li>​Whenever I interact with anyone on my list, I mark down the date (last engagement), as well as any interesting points that were discussed. </li><li>​I also categorize each person with 4 levels of closeness, that affect the frequency of engagement</li><li>​Then I set a due date, birthday and recurring cadence for the next interaction. (this push notification as a reminder is CRUCIAL!)</li></ul><img alt="Image" class="image" src="https://images.glow.app/https%3A%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2F4A4hN13apMmWNKAytiSGKNasaIFp7Mdq0GQ4SEeOkz_jJD152yz7Co5r2ak51xj3OBE_QxnUeSPXXVCrU-m3OlQOiVsuUkmlRPM_MowlzmSyJfGgxPsose4wbqEpn4daxCv3Waye8WrohlCP-WX_FNI?ixlib=js-3.8.0&amp;w=800&amp;dpr=2&amp;s=8c06d5a38cc95bd7b3fa279ee74dc1f5" style="display:block;max-width:100%;max-height:400px;margin:24px auto"/>​The result The result of using this CRM to build my personal networking system has been nothing short of amazing. In just three months, I have been able to build a list of 130 people with whom I have had over 15 meaningful or even heartwarming conversations. I have made dozens of new friends and gotten closer to those I already knew but had lost touch with. ​At the end of the day, technology is only a tool, but it has enabled me to become more proactive, friendly, and foster genuine relationships. By taking small steps each day and using this tool to track my progress, I have been able to overcome my introverted tendencies and develop a network of supportive, genuine, inspiring individuals who make my life brighter. <hr/><h2>​Rapid Fire Recs</h2>​Explore recommendations from our CotW on different media &amp; happenings.​Something to read <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Biggest-Bluff-Learned-Attention-Master/dp/052552262X" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">The Biggest Bluff</a><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Biggest-Bluff-Learned-Attention-Master/dp/052552262X" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener"> </a><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Biggest-Bluff-Learned-Attention-Master/dp/052552262X" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">by Maria Konnikova</a> - Poker is about 50% luck and 50% skills, if you can master the game of poker, you can master the game of life.​Something to watch Psycho-Pass, Japanese cyberpunk psychological anime - Psycho-Pass is an anime series that explores themes related to the meaning of life, artificial intelligence (AI), and moral justice. In the show, an advanced AI technology known as the Sybil System that creates a measure of people’s mental states and determines if someone has a high risk of criminal behavior.​Something to listen to <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/5Ob5psTjoUtIGYxKUp2QVy" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">The Prof G Show by Scott Galloway</a><a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/5Ob5psTjoUtIGYxKUp2QVy" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener"> </a>- It is a weekly podcast answering listener questions on business, money, and tech. I particularly like his sharing of his stoic life value by the end of the show.  <hr/>​ Want a further conversation with our CotW Yenson? Find him through the platforms <a href="https://linktr.ee/yenson" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">here</a>! </div>

. Many of you may already know me from the 

 last Thursday. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Amid the recent Cambrian explosion of AI developments, what I found even more exciting are the genuine connections and the generous exchange of ideas between like-minded individuals at the dinner tables. I very much hope to be a part of the fantastic experience at April's Secret Dinner — see you there!

A bit of background about myself: my career has spanned different industries and roles, from management consulting to corporates, to tech scaling and start-ups. I’ve recently developed a passion for exploring the relationship between continuous learning and the mass adoption of the latest technology. I am keeping an 

utilizing a CRM system… for personal networking.  

As someone who has always struggled with being passive and introverted, I know firsthand how difficult it can be to make new friends or stay connected with those I already know. It's not that I don't want to be social, but it's often easier to retreat into my own world rather than reach out to others. This is why one of my new year's resolutions for 2023 (yes, I haven’t given up yet!) is to build a personal networking system and develop a network of 50 people with whom I can hold meaningful and genuine conversations.

Over the past 3 years of COVID, I have become even more passive and introverted to making new friends or staying connected with those I already know. I often heard complaints from friends that I only reached out when I needed help, which made me feel guilty and ashamed. By using this CRM system to track my interactions with others and mark down interesting points, I was able to gradually build up my network and become more proactive in my relationships.

My strategy is to develop a wide pool of 250 people and then narrow it down to the 50 with whom I have a deeper connection. I wanted to create a network of individuals who would challenge me, inspire me, and support me through life's ups and downs. For familiarity, I picked “ClickUp” to help me with this (I swear, this is not a product marketing advertorial!) 

The mechanism for building the system is simple: 

The result of using this CRM to build my personal networking system has been nothing short of amazing. In just three months, I have been able to build a list of 130 people with whom I have had over 15 meaningful or even heartwarming conversations. I have made dozens of new friends and gotten closer to those I already knew but had lost touch with. 

At the end of the day, technology is only a tool, but it has enabled me to become more proactive, friendly, and foster genuine relationships. By taking small steps each day and using this tool to track my progress, I have been able to overcome my introverted tendencies and develop a network of supportive, genuine, inspiring individuals who make my life brighter.

 - Poker is about 50% luck and 50% skills, if you can master the game of poker, you can master the game of life.

Psycho-Pass, Japanese cyberpunk psychological anime

 - Psycho-Pass is an anime series that explores themes related to the meaning of life, artificial intelligence (AI), and moral justice. In the show, an advanced AI technology known as the Sybil System that creates a measure of people’s mental states and determines if someone has a high risk of criminal behavior.

- It is a weekly podcast answering listener questions on business, money, and tech. I particularly like his sharing of his stoic life value by the end of the show.  

Want a further conversation with our CotW Yenson? Find him through the platforms 