It’s Josh Peak, and here is your weekly Peak Speak Newsletter. This is a list of what I am enjoying and working on. By the way, the subject line has been my best in regards to open rate.

1) What I’m reading:
Stone’s Rules by Roger Stone. He is a very controversial man. As far as the book goes, man, I’ve got to tell you, it is amazing.  I’ve learned a lot of things. Everything from marketing, to how to win in politics, to the proper dress style for a business meeting. As many of you know, I do marketing consulting and advising in politics for a U.S. Congressman and work with folks in the business world. This book really has helped me a tremendous amount. I highly recommend it.

2) A podcast I am listening to:
The Jocko Podcast with Jocko Willink, episode 194. You definitely want to go look at and subscribe to his podcast. It details costly pitfalls to avoid and critical maneuvers. This is without a doubt one of the best podcast episodes I’ve ever listened to. He talks about, as a leader, the team always eats first. Whether that’s in your family, your business team, team sports, or on the battlefield. In business our objective, it should be profit maximization and so you have to know when to cut costs, what resources to use, but in family and sports, we have to invest in the team. We have to give them the tools to succeed while also filling our well, you know? We have to keep our well full to be able to pour them. 

3) Instagram post of the week:
A photo of my daughter, Blair and I hanging out at Starbucks. You know, it’s amazing when I post any type of tool, blueprint, or anything business related on Instagram it is well received, but when I post something about my daughter or one of my two sons or my wife, I get the biggest amount of likes, comments, and engagement. So today, I’m sharing a link to this photo. A picture of my daughter and I sitting at Starbucks enjoying a coffee. I think she’s a beautiful young lady. I think you’ll enjoy the photo as well. You can follow me @joshpeak on Instagram.

4) The tool of the week:
My Blue Yeti microphone. This tool is awesome, with amazing sensitivity. It picks up every single sound. A phenomenal, phenomenal mic! If I’m too close to it, I have to turn the volume down a little bit. It’ll pick up literally anything. It is awesome too, as it is easily portable. I can take it anywhere and record a podcast on the fly. I have been really happy with this microphone.

5) A quote I am pondering:”Business is a game. Money is how we keep score”. -Ted Turner
The last tip that I want to give you for the Peak Speak Newsletter is a quote that I’m pondering. It’s very interesting, I would say a decade ago if I shared this, I would always get negativity. People talk about business and how you need to care for the client. You need to do this and you have got to do that. There are so many things required in business to be successful, right? But at the end of the day, maybe the best way to look at it is “Business is a game and money is how we keep score.” 

Fast forward to today, I was watching a video on YouTube about Henry Kravis,  a phenomenal entrepreneur and businessman. He talked about this same topic.  Aristotle Onassis also subscribed to “money is how you keep score”. If you listen to the Jocko Podcast, also, money is how you keep score. Money’s not everything. Making business a game while using high ethical standards is something I truly believe in. Making business a game is enjoyable, not to mention it keeps us motivated and engaged. 

As always, please give me feedback on Twitter. Which bullet above is your favorite? What do you want more or less of? Other suggestions? Let me know! Just send me a tweet @joshpeak and put #PeakSpeak at the end so I can find it.  

Have a great day,

Josh Peak