Discover more from Better Read Paul
Howdy smart peeps, it’s Paul.
Last week, a new section popped up in my newsletter: I showcased my friend Caroline, a French artist based in Hong Kong who started her own gig 2 years ago.
This new part received positive feedback, and I even got some suggestions from other entrepreneurs who want to be featured.
So, without further ado, let's give a warm welcome to Romain Jean De Dieu, a French sports apparel creator, for this week's spotlight on an entrepreneur from Hong Kong.
Next stop, I'll be sharing why I'm more and more disappointed with LinkedIn — The professional platform — plagued with bugs — doesn’t seem to respect its creators:
So, buckle up and join me for another round of valuable and funny content.
PS: Wanna get your amazing entrepreneurship journey featured in this newsletter? Drop me a Whatsapp!
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A) The Entrepreneur of the Week
In 2011, Romain, a French general manager for a lighting business, started a side project based on a single belief in mind: to improve the comfort standards for sports enthusiasts and athletes.
This is how Uglow — the world's first 100% stitch-free brand — came to life.
Over the next 4 years, Romain faced intense challenges as he juggled his full-time job with his rapidly-growing side project.
From seeking investors and learning about the sports apparel market to developing skills in design, the struggles were real.
Finally, in 2015, Romain took a big leap of faith and began working full-time at Uglow.
8 years later, the brand is sold in 18 countries, including France, Singapore, and Hong Kong.
You can spot Romain cycling on the roads of Hong Kong on weekends.
Am I the only one turned off by Linkedin?
Lately, I've been disappointed with LinkedIn. The professional platform has an audience of nearly 1 billion users and a sh*itload of cash since it’s backed by Microsoft.
But LinkedIn could do way better to satisfy its creators.
Let me summarize what's not working:
Creators aren't compensated or acknowledged - there isn't even a badge to validate their identities, just a creator mode that doesn't seem useful.
Users receive little assistance with LinkedIn's formats, especially live streaming videos (I talked about that 2 weeks ago - planning a live stream is a nightmare).
There's a lack of communication about the algorithm and best publishing practices, leaving users without a trustworthy source for accurate information (No you don’t get a reach penalty for adding a link to your post)
Some features have been removed, while others are inaccessible to certain accounts (such as "pinning a comment").
Bugs are becoming more prevalent - carousels may load indefinitely before vanishing, and notifications can be delayed by up to 45 minutes (I usually receive a new follower notification 24 hours after)
Most importantly, LinkedIn pledged to reevaluate post reach, yet "selfie storytelling" posts continue to perform well, while informative 20-page carousels packed with value are met with minimal engagement.
This lack of respect for users suggests that developer teams don't seem to care much
But there is a great lesson for any creator out there: it's crucial to diversify your platforms. For example, you can create a newsletter like this one ;)
The Shitposter Column
Last week, the CEO of American tech giant Nvidia was spotted shopping at a night market in Taipei. Meanwhile, Nvidia's stock has skyrocketed following its latest earnings call, with the share price surging by 25% in just one week.
This has propelled the company's market cap close to the symbolic $1 trillion milestone. Thank you AI chips!
In other news, I used to think that AI would make Photoshop obsolete. But now, the new AI-enhanced Photoshop beta is out, and the demos are pure magic - you can modify any picture with the new feature “Generative Fill” and the results are mind-blowing!
If you're looking for a Twitter Guru, look no further than Trung Phan. Dubbed "Twitter's ultimate shitposter," Trung strikes the perfect balance between entertaining people with funny memes and providing deep insights into original topics (shoutout to his Twitter feed about Netflix UI).
You can find him on Twitter
The Meme Of The Week
PS: I recently created a funny LinkedIn post about prospects who ask for discounts.
That’s it for today.
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Until next Tuesday! Don't forget to bring a water bottle this week - local temperatures are gonna be insane!
Paul from Hong Kong,
I saw it on Linked In...
Nice newsletter Paul! Thank you...