No. 333 | May 22, 2026
Welcome to Friday Five, a short dose of ideas for the weekend.
The daily work is what sets you apart. Part of that work means embracing challenges and seeing them as opportunities. Obstacles are inevitable, so build the tools to recover gracefully. But never lose sight of the core of what you’re doing or, in business, what you’re actually selling.
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This Week in Friday Five
🎵 Dr. John
💬 The power of daily work
📝 Brad Jacobs on why problems are assets
📚 Danny Meyer on Enlightened Hospitality
🎙️ Nick Kokonas on knowing what you’re selling
Music of the Week
Mac Rebennack, better known as Dr. John, was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist.
His music blended jazz, R&B, soul, and funk into a sound that was unmistakably his own.
Dr. John recorded thirty studio albums, nine live albums, and contributed to countless others, eventually earning a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Start with “Right Place Wrong Time,” “Such a Night,” and “Iko Iko.”
🎵 Dr. John
Quotes of the Week
Do the daily work required for progress. Progress depends on taking action. Focus on the next step, not the entire marathon. These quotes capture that idea:
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” — Aristotle
“Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.” — Vincent van Gogh
“The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.” — Vidal Sassoon
“I am a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.” — Thomas Jefferson
“Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” — Winston Churchill
Article of the Week
“Problems are an asset, not something to avoid, but something to run toward.” — Brad Jacobs
Brad Jacobs has built billions by buying companies in boring industries like trash collection and turning them into cash machines.
Elon Musk risked nearly everything to keep his fledgling rocket company alive.
Sergey Brin and Larry Page tried to sell their internet search company, got rejected, and built a trillion-dollar behemoth anyway.
John Malone transformed a rural TV antenna business into infrastructure that helped power the modern internet.
The common thread across these builders is simple: think big, take risks, and ignore the naysayers.
These themes show up repeatedly in my recent reading list:
📝 April Reading List: The 4 Best Books I Read in April 2026
Book of the Week
“Business, like life, is all about how you make people feel.” — Danny Meyer
Danny Meyer opened Union Square Cafe in his mid-twenties with a good idea and a few investors. He later opened Gramercy Tavern and eventually built the behemoth that is Shake Shack.
In Setting the Table, Meyer shares the lessons behind his philosophy of Enlightened Hospitality.
At its core, Enlightened Hospitality is about building strong internal relationships and creating exceptional customer experiences.
A few lessons that stuck with me:
- Prioritize your team first
- Personalize the customer experience
- Give employees clear, honest feedback to help them grow
- The Five A’s of service recovery: acknowledge the error, apologize, act to fix it, address the customer’s concerns, and add generosity to make it right
For more on Meyer, his restaurants, and Enlightened Hospitality:
📚 Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business
Podcast of the Week
Nick Kokonas is the co-founder of three of America’s best restaurants and bars: Alinea, Next, and The Aviary.
He’s also the co-founder and CEO of Tock, an expansive reservation platform used by restaurants around the world.
After studying philosophy, Kokonas became a derivatives trader before making a name for himself in hospitality.
He joined Invest Like the Best to discuss bringing a business mindset to hospitality, why it’s critical to know what you’re selling, and why restaurants and book publishing can be excellent businesses when run correctly.
For more on Kokonas, his restaurants, and the importance of knowing what you’re selling:
🎙️ Nick Kokonas: Know What You’re Selling
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