Gooooood Morning,

I hope everyone had a patriotic Canada Day long weekend celebrating the great nation we call home. While the world and our country is flooded with all sorts of chaos and irrationality on many fronts, there still aren’t many (if any) places I’d rather live.

• If you’re an entrepreneur, thinking about starting a side hustle, or simply curious about what makes certain music and books get more popular with time (while the majority fade into abyss beyond their initial release), you might be interested in checking out the book, Perennial Seller: The Art of Making and Marketing Work That Lasts by Ryan Holiday. I’ve listened to the audiobook 2x over to take notes the second time around. To me, Ryan is a voice of reason for the Millennial generation and is a brilliant mind well beyond his years. “People claim to want to do something that matters yet they measure themselves against things that don’t. They track progress in microseconds and likes, not years.” – Ryan Holiday
• The Kananaskis Revival. It’s here and its real. I attended a business conference, 55North, in Kananaskis a few weeks ago and witnessed the rebirth of one of Alberta’s true Rocky Mountain gems. The golf course(s) are in mint condition and looking better than ever. Pomeroy Lodging (an Alberta based lodging company headed by one of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40) purchased the hotel and has invested a great deal of time, thought, capital and effort into transforming the lodge into a beautiful, modern oasis in the middle of the Kananaskis Valley. They also took a page out of the Scandinavians playbook and built a 50,000 sq foot Nordic inspired spa that is all kinds of cool. I’d highly recommend (re)checking out the revival of this Albertan gem on the edge of the Rockies!
• Most know Matthew McConaughey as an actor from Texas that:
  • a) likes to take off his shirt off
  • b) likes to barbecue
  • c) creates really good movies
  • d) However, he also happens to have some really interesting insights on how to live a life worth living. I’ve been chewing on his message the past couple weeks and thought I’d share it with you… One of my favorite quotables “don’t drink the Kool-Aid. It tastes sweet but you will get cavities tomorrow. Life is not a popularity contest. Be brave. Take the hill. But first answer that question… what’s my hill?” – Matthew McConaughey

• A close friend of mine sent this Toronto Life article to me titled “A Restaurant Ruined My Life” in the early days of my entrepreneurial journey last year. It is an extremely gripping account of one man’s journey into opening a restaurant and the immense hardships it caused him, his family, and life in general. Refreshingly honest to the point of giving you chills…
• Last but not least, has anyone tried this cool clothing startup, UNTUCKit – The Ideal Shirt For The Untucked Man? If you’re like me and require a collared shirt big enough for your upper frame but aren’t blessed with height on your side, leaving a dress shirt untucked with jeans resembles more of a night gown. UNTUCKit is opening their first Canadian store in Toronto this fall. Fun fact: Brad Richards was their first brand ambassador in NYC. ** While I don’t usually touch on fashion in the Mailbag, I’m a big fan of entrepreneurs identifying niches in the market that are pain points for consumers at large. This is a prime example.

Coffee of the Week: If you’re a fan of cold brew coffee but aren’t a fan of paying ~$5.00 for a cup (that’s often loaded with ice), try making your own cold brew at home. It’s surprisingly easy once you have the right materials, is a lot cheaper, and lasts a long time if properly stored. The beauty of it is you can take the concentrate and add ice cold water or boiling water if you fancy a hot cup of joe to start your day. This is my go to foolproof method for making cold brew.

Song of the Week: “Sit Next to Me” by Foster the People. A friend of mine got me hooked on this jam over Canada Day weekend. If you’re a fan, check out their whole Sacred Hearts Club album.

Quote of the Week: “The things we are striving for are just the bait. Struggling to get them forces us to evolve and it is this struggle towards personal evolution with others that is the reward.” – Ray Dalio

Happy Stampedin’,

Mike