A few months ago, I brought my cousin Matt Pinsker, an expert in civil war history and Abraham Lincoln, to talk to an exclusive mastermind. He did an outstanding job of relating Lincoln's letters and history to the entrepreneurial mindset.
It was a hit.
So, I'm excited that I also convinced him to do a podcast with me, Dan Sullivan, and Steven Krein on the ultimate entrepreneurial president. Steven Krein is also my cousin, so it was a family affair.
We talk about revolutions, technology, future-orientation, and more. It's a great episode, and worth listening to for entrepreneurs, history buffs, and anyone looking to thrive in a changing world.
A unicorn startup is a private company with a valuation of over $1 billion. When I last wrote about unicorns, there were over 400. Now there are over 800 unicorns. Variants include a decacorn, valued at over $10 billion, and, soon, a hectocorn, valued at over $100 billion.
With that, let's see how they changed in 2021. Click the image to see it in full size.
There has been a surprising amount of change since last year. Perhaps, not as surprising, AirBnB got kicked off the list.
Another significant shift occurred in the distribution of unicorns by country. In 2020, China and the U.S. both had four names on the list - though China had the two biggest. China still has the biggest Unicorn - Bytedance - now worth double what it was, but only has one name on the list. The U.S. now has five names on the list with SpaceX, Stripe, Instacart, Databricks, and Epic Games.
For a few more interesting facts about the list:
77% of unicorns valued at over $10B are tech-related; the most unicorns are in Fintech
Many of the "non-tech" companies are really tech companies at their core
The U.S. and China accounted for over 70% of the top 35 startups.
Interesting stuff. Any companies you think will breakthrough in 2022?
As we enter the new year, it feels appropriate to focus a little on our mortality. What better time for an existential crisis?
Below is an infographic that shows events in the life of a typical American. However, you can personalize it to display how long you likely have to live by filling in your education level, sex, country of birth, and when you were born. Seeing where you are ... versus how many dots are left can be jarring.
The average life expectancy for men in the U.S. is 76.
How many amazing vacations do you have left? How many jaw-dropping moments? How many fantastic meals? How many Super Bowls?
What about time with your parents or older relatives? It's easy to forget to call or to miss an important event because "life happens". But, if you realize you may have already used 95% of your in-person time with that person ... doesn't it become more special?
In my TEDx talk, I mentioned "living like you only have a year left" – and how much more "life" we got out of the last part of my dad's life.
That is an example, but I want to take it one step further.
To start, think of some of the activities you do, places you go, experiences you have that are special and make you feel like your best self.
Hitting flow-state and creating something new and exciting;
Taking an amazing vacation and experiencing something completely new;
Having a moment with someone you love that makes you stop and say - Wow!
Making a difference in someone's day or giving back to your community;
Experiencing peace and relaxation;
Feeling pure joy.
It's easy to get lost and take for granted these moments when they happen, but when you think about how much time you have left, they take a whole new meaning.
How can you maximize the time you have left? Fill it with the best experiences, activities, and people you can.
To start, think about different time frames:
What activities could you commit to doing at least once a year?
What activities could you commit to doing at least once a month?
What activities could you commit to doing at least once a week?
What activities could you commit to doing at least once a day?
Make those lists ... it is a simple way to get a better return on the time value of your life.
Seriously, try it.
Let me know how it worked for you – and what you chose.
