#167 – Uni Graduates & Como 1907

Good morning everyone,

Hope you’re having a great week!

Welcome to the inaugural monthly edition of Five to Thrive.

Here are 5 things to make your morning a little more interesting.

Let’s jump in.

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#167 – The Rundown:

• Quote: A great rule of thumb for life.

• Podcast: How football’s next powerhouse is being built on Lake Como.

• Deep Dive: Life advice for university graduates.

• Article: Lunch with Everlab co-founder Marc Hermann.

• X: Top billionaire immigrant homelands.

Quote:

A Great Rule of Thumb for Life

I really struggle to envision a single aspect of our lives where this does not markedly improve our outcomes.

{h/t Chris Williamson}

Podcast:

Europe’s Next Football Powerhouse On Lake Como

When you think of Lake Como, you probably visualise that crisp blue water, those luscious green pine trees, beautifully crafted wooden boats, and the opulence of an elite enclave.

But on the shores of this Italian comune, one of the most remarkable stories in world football is unfolding in very real time.

Como 1907, the jewel in the region’s sporting crown, is a football club now competing in Italy’s Serie A competition and will, for the first time in its history, play in the Champions League in the upcoming 2026/27 season.

What makes this feat so impressive is that it was just 7 short years ago that they were slugging it out in the fourth tier of Italian football, Serie D, after a period of financial collapse.

This High Performance podcast with Ryan Shelton, Chief Business Officer at Como 1907, is a remarkable inside look at what it took to transform this club.

Perhaps even more impressive than Como’s performances on the pitch is their commercial strategy off it, spearheaded by Ryan and his team.

A very disciplined approach to brand partnerships, data-driven decision-making, and diversified revenue streams, all underpinned by a high-performance culture.

It is no secret that I am incredibly fascinated by the intersection of business and sport, so this was right up my alley.

Highly recommend.

Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.

[Duration: 41 minutes]

P.S. I made a Spotify playlist with every podcast I’ve ever recommended. I hope they bring you as much value as they’ve brought me.

Deep Dive:

Life Advice for University Graduates

As I approach the end of my time at uni, I have been asking a lot of people smarter and more experienced than me a very simple question:

What advice would you give to a person in their 20s who is graduating from university?

Given many of you reading this are at a similar stage of life as I am (and as an encore to one of my most popular pieces on the 3 levers young people can pull to get ahead), I thought I’d share a paraphrased aggregation of the best responses I’ve received.

I hope they help guide you as much as they continue to guide me.

***

1) Shut up and listen.

Whichever career path you take, you are inevitably among the least experienced in that industry. Default to listening rather than speaking.

In order to reinvent the wheel, you first need to understand how the wheel works, what it’s made of, and where it comes from.

2) Don’t be afraid to say “I don’t know”

A common misconception is that young people feel as though they should know everything – because that’s how they’ve been wired in the sandbox that is school and university.

But in the real world, problem solving is far more abstract and far less confined to well-defined boundaries.

Don’t be afraid to say you’re unsure. Especially in professional services roles where you’re working for a client.

And by the way, this is important now more than ever given the speed at which people can fact-check what you say with AI.

You can only bullshit your way through a conversation once, because people won’t even give you the chance to bullshit them again in a second.

3) Know someone before you struggle.

You don’t make relationships when you need something from someone. That’s a transaction. Don’t be that guy.

Relationships are cultivated through genuine human connection over time.

4) “Go at 80, not at 100”

University conditions you to work to a certain routine.

Go at 100km/h during the semester, and then drop to 0km/h during your lengthy summer/winter breaks.

Life is not like that.

You need to be more sustainable in your approach.

It’s better to go at 80km/h, not 100km/h.

You go at 80 because that’s still very fast, but most importantly, it allows you to have a store of energy which will provide you with the fuel you need to work super hard when required.

There is a temptation (and perhaps even a societal expectation) for you to work at 100km/h all the time.

Don’t.

Hold yourself back just a little.

You’ll need the buffer, and oftentimes when you least expect it.

5) Life is short.

Always remember this when it comes to family, friends, career decisions, travel, and everything in between.

No do-overs.

***

If there’s anything you’d add, I’d love to hear it.

Hit reply and let’s catch up.

Article:

Lunch with Everlab Co-Founder Marc Hermann

This was a great write-up by Hannah Tattersall in the Australian Financial Review, interviewing Everlab co-founder Marc Hermann over lunch at Hugos in Manly.

I love reading about the genesis of companies and the way that the unique life experiences of founders moulds them into doing extraordinary things in business.

I also really enjoy this type of journalism where it feels like you’re there sitting at the table with them (similar to the Nico Rosberg interview in Spear’s Magazine I shared a few months ago).

Check out the full article here.

{h/t Daniel Mircevski}

X:

Top Billionaire Immigrant Homelands

{h/t Mr Family Office}

Thanks for reading! Grateful for your support.

In case you missed it, last week’s newsletter covered the the future of this newsletter, how to improve your small talk, a great rule of thumb for sales & more.

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This goes a long way to helping me reach more people :)

See you in September,

Dimi

P.S. the best ways to get in touch with me are via email or LinkedIn