This edition is brought to you by Superhuman AI

Good morning to all new and old readers! Here is your Wednesday edition of Faster Than Normal, exploring one short story about a person, a company, a high-performance tool, a trend I’m watching closely, and curated media to help you build businesses, wealth, and the most important asset of all: yourself. 

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Today’s edition:

Cheers,
Alex

P.S. Send me feedback on how we can improve. I respond to every email.

Stories of Excellence

Person: Edwin Land

Edwin Land was a prolific inventor and entrepreneur who revolutionized photography. He founded Polaroid in 1937 after dropping out of Harvard to pursue his passion for optics. Land's breakthrough came with the invention of instant photography in 1948. "An essential aspect of creativity is not being afraid to fail," he once said. His relentless pursuit of innovation led to over 500 patents, including polarizing filters and the Land Camera. Land's showmanship was legendary. He often unveiled new products at dramatic press events, captivating audiences with his vision of technology's potential. Despite his success, Land remained focused on research until his retirement in 1982. His legacy continues to inspire scientists and entrepreneurs today.

Key Lessons from Edwin Land:

• On project selection: "Don't undertake a project unless it is manifestly important and nearly impossible."

• On failure: "An essential aspect of creativity is not being afraid to fail." Land's willingness to take risks and learn from failures fueled his long-term success.

• On focus: "Anything worth doing is worth doing to excess."

Read More.

Company: Burger King

Burger King was founded in 1953 by Keith Kramer and his wife's uncle, Matthew Burns, in Jacksonville, Florida. Initially named Insta-Burger King, the restaurant used an innovative cooking device called the Insta-Broiler. In 1954, James McLamore and David Edgerton, Cornell University classmates, purchased the rights to open Insta-Burger King restaurants in Miami. They tweaked the concept, introducing the flame broiler method and renaming it Burger King. By 1959, they had expanded to five restaurants and bought out the original founders. In 1967, the Pillsbury Company acquired Burger King for $18 million. Today, Burger King is the second-largest fast-food hamburger chain globally, with over 18,000 locations in more than 100 countries.

Key Lessons from Burger King

• On marketing: Be bold with advertising. Burger King's "Have It Your Way" campaign in the 1970s was a direct challenge to McDonald's standardized approach. It differentiated Burger King and appealed to customers' desire for customization. Don't be afraid to position yourself against competitors.

• On international expansion: Adapt to local tastes. Burger King has successfully expanded globally by tailoring its menu to local preferences. In Japan, they offer teriyaki burgers. In India, they have a menu without beef. This flexibility has allowed them to thrive in diverse markets.

Read More.

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Accelerants

High-performance tool

⎯

Antifragility

Antifragility is benefitting from disorder, change, or unexpected events.

The things that have survived the longest in the universe have an antifragile system in place—the things that haven’t, don’t.

To succeed long-term, we should strive to be antifragile.

Insights

Tactical reads

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> When understanding the roots of happiness
Happiness & the Gorilla (Read it here)

> When examining personal values and desires
What Do You Want to Want? (Read it here)

1 question

That’s all for today, folks. As always, please give me your feedback. Which section is your favourite? What do you want to see more or less of? Other suggestions? Please let me know.

Have a wonderful rest of week, all.

Recommendation Zone

⎯

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Alex Brogan

Find me on X, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok

Offshore Talent: Where to find the best offshore talent. Powered by Athyna.

Why Faster Than Normal? Our mission is to be a friend to the ambitious, a mentor to the becoming, and a partner to the bold. We achieve this by sharing the stories, ideas, and frameworks of the world's most prolific people and companies—and how you can apply them to build businesses, wealth, and the most important asset of all: yourself.

Faster Than Normal is a ‘state' of being’ rather than an outcome. Outlier performance requires continuous, compounded improvement. We’re your partner on this journey.

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