I hope you've had an amazing week so far! I've got something special for you - a delightful mix of insights that will quench your thirst for knowledge and help you power through another week of hustle and bustle. Enjoy!

Here’s what’s on the menu today

• 8^th century Japanese family business success secret

• Tech Talk - Microsoft’s history of rogue AI should we be worried?

• Deep Dive - The Lazy’s CEO’s way of staying productive

• The bottom-top approach to a great business idea

• More? obviously 💭 

Most family businesses barely make it to the third generation, but the Japanese have a secret that sustains family businesses for as long as 1000 years.

Mukoyoshi is a practice where family wealth is sustained by adopting an heir (son) deemed worthy of running the business. In essence, wealth isn't passed by birthright but by merit and the adopted son bears the name of his new family. Suzuki, Matsui Securities, and the infamous Houshi Ryokan which ha remained in control of family members for over 1000 years. Mukoyoshi was also used when the family had only daughters and needed a son to take over the family business. Either way, keeping the wealth in the family is the goal of most family businesses and the Japanese method may not be very popular with everybody, but hey, it works!!!

Microsoft is betting big on ChatGPT after investing 10 billion in the Al. But...the company has a history of letting Al run wild.

Tay was launched in 2016 and was soon spouting racist and offensive remarks before it was shut down in less than 24 hrs. after launch. Early this year Microsoft launched a revived Bing, powered by ChatGPT but the union created a monster named Sydney that threatened and gaslighted its users. Luckily, these acts of rebellion were quickly contained. The question is, how long before we encounter a rogue Al that is beyond our control and what would this mean for humanity? We have seen how AI gets better and better with each iteration and in many ways, this is great. But like they say, every technology has a dark side. In most cases, it is the humans who use the technology that are to be blamed. But AI is different, Yes it learns from humans but according to Harvard Business Review, it is getting closer and closer to making independent decisions.

Lazy isn’t a word you would often ascribe to entrepreneurs. But one founder’s mantra is “Laziness is a virtue if you know how to be lazy”.

Jane Lu has graced the covers of several magazines including Forbes, and Cosmopolitan Magazine. She was also recently invited to host the popular TV show Shark Tank. That alone says a lot about her achievements. But if you ask her the quickest way to become more productive as an entrepreneur, you might just be surprised at her answer. According to her, knowing how to be lazy is the answer. She wears this mantra like the cape of a proud superhero. Founding a company can be very demanding and most founders try to do the heavy lifting alone. But Jane Lu, founder of Showpo says hire skillful people early and delegate as much as possible. The key lesson here is knowing your limits and when and what to delegate. This is her secret to scaling fast.

Thinking of starting a business? Here’s how to come up with a good idea. Let’s call it - The Bottom-Top Approach.

Chances are that you’ve been searching online for a business idea. This is great, but this way, you may never find something unique. In the bottom-top approach, you start by asking yourself two questions; what problem exists, and, what solution can I provide? Voids exist in every industry. These are all the ways popular brands fail to satisfy their customers. If you can fill this void by offering a solution, then you are in business. But having a great idea is one aspect of business, the other aspect is resources and we will cover this in our next edition.