Author: Jacob Taylor
Goodreads: View Book
Download Anki Deck
Download .apkg file • 7 cards • Last updated: Jan 2025
Flashcards
1. Iron Law of Economic Survival
What is the iron law of economic survival?
"In order for a business to thrive, the value delivered to the customer, V, has to be greater than the price the customer is charged, P, which has to be greater than the cost of that good or service, C."
- Value to customer must exceed Price charged
- Price charged must exceed Cost to produce
- This creates a sustainable business model
2. Yarak in Personal Finance
How does the concept of yarak apply to personal finance?
Pay yourself first - Create an artificial constraint so you don't dip into savings and live on what is left.
The mode of "yarak" taps creativity that can unlock when your back is against the wall. You become the bird that has to hunt.
Key insight: By removing access to savings upfront, you force resourcefulness and creativity with the remaining budget.
3. Yarak in Business
How does yarak apply to running a business?
Reverse the conventional business equation:
- ❌ Conventional: Revenue - Expenses = Profits
- ✅ Yarak Method: Revenue - Profits = Expenses
Benefits:
- Unlocks creativity to meet customers' needs
- Forces streamlined operations
- Eliminates fluff and bloat
- Turns business SHOULDS into business MUSTS
4. Auftragstaktik
What is the concept of "auftragstaktik"?
Auftragstaktik (mission-type tactics) - German military doctrine:
- Upper leadership communicates the big picture and strategic intent
- Junior soldiers/officers use their own judgment to execute
Key principle: Decentralized decision-making within centralized strategy.
Business application: Senior management sets vision, frontline employees have autonomy to execute.
5. Value-Price-Cost Triangle
How does Mr. X define the relationship within the V-P-C triangle?
The gaps between the three pillars:
- P - C (Price minus Cost) = Profit
The margin the business captures - V - P (Value minus Price) = Brand
The surplus value customers receive beyond what they pay
Key insight: Great businesses maximize both gaps - large profit margin AND large brand value.
6. Three Life Advice
What are Mr. X's three pieces of life advice?
- Sleep smarter than you wake up - Continuous learning and improvement
- Whom to marry will be your most important decision - Life partner has greatest impact
- When hiring: Integrity, Intelligence, Energy - In that order
Critical: If integrity is missing, the other two don't matter. Intelligence and energy without integrity creates someone working against your interests.
7. Expanding the Brand Triangle
What are the three ways to make the brand triangle bigger?
- Be the cheapest - Compete on price/cost advantage
- Be the most convenient - Compete on accessibility/ease
- Be the best - Compete on quality/performance
The benchmark:
- Good companies aim for at least one
- Great companies can achieve two
- Doing all three is a rarity