The Week Ahead: Operating Notes
Actionable News Analysis & Perspective for Operators - Week of 9.1.25 to 9.7.25
Welcome to the Operating Week Ahead! Each week, I synthesize key developments across global markets, companies, and emerging technology to deliver actionable insights for operators and strategists. This curated perspective aims to help you navigate complexity, spot opportunities, and make better, more actionable decisions for your companies and career.
If you’re new to the Operating community here on Substack, here are some reader favorites (I sincerely hope they help!):
New to Operating? Check out these reader favorites:
Most EU startups stall before timing and strategy selection, which is why the section stresses product readiness, timing signals, and a deliberate entry model.
Efficiency, Control, Connection, and Certainty remain the durable buyer priorities, so use them to anchor product, pricing, and service trade-offs when conditions shift.
Shift measurement from inputs and activity, licenses, meeting count, decision volume, to results, hours saved, decision speed, outcomes achieved.
One-week operating cadence, audit on Monday and Tuesday, align on Wednesday, implement on Thursday and Friday.
Operating Insights
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John Brewton documents the history and future of operating companies at Operating by John Brewton. He is a graduate of Harvard University and began his career as a Phd. student in economics at the University of Chicago. After selling his family’s B2B industrial distribution company in 2021, he has been helping business owners, founders and investors optimize their operations ever since. He is the founder of 6A East Partners, a research and advisory firm asking the question: What is the future of companies? He still cringes at his early LinkedIn posts and loves making content each and everyday, despite the protestations of his beloved wife, Fabiola, at times.
Your work is quickly becoming one of my favorite newsletters. I honestly didn't see that coming, only because this isn't the type of topic that holds my attention in depth. This is gold however.
1) 95 percent of broad AI pilots fail. That surprised me.
2) The best productivity system is the simplest one. It reduces cognitive load and counters anxiety.
3) The 5 percent that succeed do so by automating one painful work flow. (That's something even the most reticent user can behind)
4) Technology discipline: favor stable implementation over frontier chasing.
Smart, helpful and interesting again, John.