No. 326 | April 3, 2026
Welcome to Friday Five, a short dose of ideas to start the weekend with clarity.
Choosing a positive headspace is hard when building anything of value. But focusing on your customer puts everything into perspective. In the end, creating quality products and offering unparalleled service is what matters. That’s the thread running through this week.
If this issue resonates, forward it to someone who enjoys ideas like this. Most readers find Friday Five through a friend.
This Week in Friday Five
Five ideas this week: positive thinking, customer-first, building valuable brands, and why quality matters.
🎸 Three songs to start with: Brooklyn Raga Massive
💬 Positive thoughts
📝 Sam Walton on a customer-first business strategy
📚 How to Make a Few Billion Dollars
🎙️ Michael Lewis on Acquired’s success
Music of the Week
Brooklyn Raga Massive is a collective inspired by classical Indian music.
Their music is relaxing, beautiful, and immersive—easy to get lost in.
Start with Mantis, Labryinthe, and Bihag.
Quotes of the Week
A clear mind, free from noise and focused on the positive. These capture it.
- “Believe you can, and you’re halfway there.” — Theodore Roosevelt
- “Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” — Winston Churchill
- “If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.” — Vincent van Gogh
- “What you believe, remember, you can achieve.” — Mary Kay Ash
- “Just one small positive thought in the morning can change your whole day.” — The Dalai Lama
Article of the Week
“Every time Walmart spends one dollar foolishly, it comes right out of our customers’ pockets. Every time we save them a dollar, that puts us one more step ahead of the competition—which is where we always plan to be.” — Sam Walton
Sam Walton was one of the best retailers in the world. A key reason: he understood the value of a dollar. It sat at the core of his customer-first strategy.
He believed value, service, and personal connection drive why people shop at Walmart.
Once customers were in the door, his philosophy was simple: give them what they want. Do that consistently, and you build loyalty.
Then go further—exceed expectations. Surprise them. Give them a reason to come back.
But stay disciplined. One of the fastest ways to lose is by losing control of costs. Walton watched his expenses like a hawk.
For more on Walton and why he put customers first:
📝 Why Saving Customers Money Is Sam Walton’s Ultimate Customer-First Business Strategy
Book of the Week
Brad Jacobs distills the mindset behind building multiple billion-dollar companies into concise lessons.
He covers using fear to your advantage, building high-quality teams, running “electric” meetings, and outflanking competitors.
Enduring lessons:
- Keep your head in a good place
- Each problem is an opportunity to remove an obstacle
- Accept reality as it is
- Change your beliefs with new information
- Narrow your focus to what matters most
- Stay humble
- Hire people smarter than you
- Be fully present and listen
- Never hide bad news
📚 How to Make a Few Billion Dollars
Podcast of the Week
Michael Lewis joined Acquired to break down their journey, how it started, why they never raised money, how they choose topics, and why quality matters.
For more, listen:
🎙️10 Years of Acquired with Michael Lewis
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