This past week, I’ve written over 12,788 words. Considering my second novel totaled 54,332 words, that’s not bad, right?

About 15% of those words will become drafts for the next book, another 15% for social media, newsletters, and blogs. And the rest? Scraps, notes, ideas, and archived articles I may never have the guts to publish—or, who knows, maybe one day they’ll become another book.

My advice to you: just write. Forget why you’re writing, whether it’s good, or if you’ll ever use it. Let your mind run wild.

It’s been a crazy week, moving from Hanoi to Chiang Mai, Thailand, where I’ll be spending the next few months.

Here’s what’s in store this week:

• Vietnam – Lessons to Learn

• Poll – Where Are You Using AI the Most?

• Stumble Upon

• Building in Public

  Let’s go

THOUGHTS

Vietnam – A Hidden Entrepreneurial Gem

From east to west, I’ve traveled to the corners of this planet, and trust me, after visiting so many places over the past 24 months, nothing prepared me for this.

Vietnam. What a place. I left three days ago, and I’m already itching to go back. The people, the food, the nightlife—amazing. But more than that, it’s the entrepreneurs. They’re absolutely crushing it, building mind-blowing businesses in a communist country, achieving success that rivals American numbers.

I had the pleasure of talking to an entrepreneur who built an app studio from scratch. Today, it employs over 100 people. The most amazing part? They build apps for themselves. They ideate, design, build, test, and execute everything in-house, selling their products to markets in the U.S. and Europe. By themselves. If you spoke to a western VC or business owner, they’d say, “You can’t do it all on your own; it doesn’t work like that.” Well, guess what? It works. They’ve created dozens of profitable apps, all selling outside of Vietnam.

I also met the chairman of a 1,000+ employee company building websites for e-commerce and fintech, with offices all over East Asia. The scale and volume are insane. Sure, hiring developers might be cheaper than in Europe or the U.S., but we’re talking over a thousand employees and a company on track to break 9 figures—in dollars. They’re succeeding in countries where they face cultural and language barriers, not to mention historical tensions in the region. Somehow, they make it work.

One key takeaway from my visit: the contrast. The market is mostly poor, and the cities are strikingly different. Ho Chi Minh City in the south and Hanoi in the north vary in mentality, culture, accents, and business practices.

On top of that, I had the privilege of having dinner with a woman who built not one but two highly successful businesses. The first is an international e-commerce operation, and the size, volume, and logistics are just inspiring. She and her husband own the factory and manage the entire process—from marketing to manufacturing to shipping.

Her second business is currently number two in Vietnam, with hundreds of employees, over a dozen locations, and plans to become number one in a rapidly growing industry. She shared some key factors behind her success, and I’d love to share them with you:

1. Plan to win – She has a five-year plan, knows exactly what it will take, and has mapped out how to get there.

2. Systems – Her system planning is next-level. Every meeting, schedule, and structure is meticulously planned. She even runs her operations with three personal assistants.

3. One core driver – Authenticity. Her second business is built on this value, and she won’t shift to the next core focus until she hits her desired growth. I loved this approach.

While these big businesses sound like the dream, I also saw something just as fascinating—small street food vendors selling over 1,000 bowls a day. These ventures are highly profitable, with some vendors rumored to own millions of dollars in real estate. Maybe the solution to success is simpler than we think.

I have to go back. There’s so much to learn from these people—their tenacity, work ethic, and kick-ass mentality while staying humble, smiling, and polite. Vietnam, this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Thinking of Vietnam? I’m happy to share more about my experience and connect. Let’s talk

P.S. I didn’t share any names out of respect for their privacy, but if you want to dive deeper into any of these stories, feel free to reach out.

Stumble Upon

Stuff I find on the web and feel like sharing

Playlist: Coffee Chill—Groovy Tunes for Fun and Focused Work

We spend hours in front of screens, mostly scrolling or chatting. But when you need to get work done without distractions, music can be the perfect way to avoid social media, stay focused, and dive into deep work.

While there’s plenty of lo-fi music out there, I sometimes prefer a housey, groovy vibe. It helps me write, smile, and even move my head—half dancing—while working on this newsletter.

When I’m at coffee shops, people often ask what I’m listening to, so here’s this week’s fun playlist: all the way from Bogotá, the Diosa Café Chill House Mix. I don’t know about you, but I love these videos—especially when working with two screens.

What do you listen to? Reply and share some cool stuff with me—I’d love to check it out. Appreciate it!

Building in public

Here’s My Work Plan for the Next Two Months: Scaling, Monetizing, and Launching a New Business

The picture above is from my notebook—an idea I had in September while up in the mountains. I asked myself: What do I need to spend less time working, make more money, execute a long-term plan, and build my next venture?

All this while traveling.

As a self-proclaimed lazy person, I realized I needed a plan. To hold myself accountable, I also needed structure, clear metrics, and focus. That’s how I devised this three-part day system. I’m still tweaking whether to swap parts one and two based on my daytime energy, but here’s the basic framework:

1. Short-Term Work

The first third of my day is focused on short-term content—things I can launch quickly, improve brand exposure, or address immediate fixes. This might include:

• Social media content

• Newsletter writing

• Twitter threads or Medium blog articles

• Improving my customer journey (I finally updated my booking app, now that I’m in the same time zone for a while!)

These tasks are designed to drive sales both in the short and long term.

 2. Long-Term Work

This is where I focus on the big-picture projects that need consistent work and refinement. My current long-term goals include:

• Writing my next book

• Discovery calls to discuss the book’s ideas

• Improving my keynotes and workshops

• Filming and editing for YouTube (yes, I’m back!)

• Taking a course on Bubble.io, a no-code platform

This time slot is all about honing my craft and planning for the future. Even activities like long walks or brainstorming for my next workshop fall into this category.

 3. Money-Maker Hours

These are the hours dedicated to generating income—whether through consulting, training, or online workshops. You might wonder: Why sell your hours if you’re building something bigger? 
The answer: I’m only selling hours that help me make my next venture better. For example, repeating certain processes during consulting sessions directly improves my book and workshops.

My Time Allocation

• Short-term: 3 hours

• Long-term: 4 hours

• Money-maker: Up to 5 hours

Currently, I’m figuring out what type of short-term content I need to sell 3–5 hours a day. So far, the system is working. I’ve been able to focus, create more content, and make steady progress on my book, particularly in the idea collection phase. Next week, I plan to focus on alignment and structure to move forward.

Exploring New Ideas: Office Hours

One thing I’m experimenting with is office hours. Strangely, this feels harder to launch than I expected. Should I collect questions beforehand? Or hope a few people will show up when I’m live? Should I focus on a specific topic—like marketing, sales, or branding—or keep it open for general business questions?

I’d love to hear your thoughts! If you have any questions or suggestions, reply and let me know. Who knows—your question might kickstart my office hours experiment.