"All things are subject to interpretation whichever interpretation prevails at a given time is a function of power and not truth."

— Friedrich Nietzsche
 

Hate em’ or love em’ Paypal has been king kong in the online money world for two decades.  They’ve made over $4bn in acquisitions to remain on the top, and last week, during their Q1 report they gave us a little more insight on the growth of one of their hottest purchases, Venmo.
 
I’ll get the next round…
 
The days of playing credit card roulette and the "I’ll pay you back" game are over.  Venmo came in the game to make it easier to split bills, pay your landscaper, and to brunch.  But their growth is what any proud parent would want out of their child. 
 
#Facts

• PayPal bought Venmo in 2013 for $26m
• Venmo grew 73% to $21bn  (talk about ROI)

Who gon stop me, huh?! Venmo’s active users are what people should be looking at when researching.

• JPMorgan: 51M
• Venmo: 40M
• Bank of America: 37M
• Wells Fargo: 30M

Brunch is on me… PayPal has been trending up to the right for about a year on the stock market.  I’m not your financial advisor but think about your kid's future on this one, if you can afford it.
 
Read more here (est. read time 5 mins).

"Creating value isn't enough - you also need to capture some of the value you create."

— Peter Thiel 

The cannabis industry doesn’t have many options of scaling up without first starting off old school.  I’m talking about farms, processing, then delivery to retail to sell the product.  Which leaves it prime for opportunities to jump in with a very distinct advantage;  the ability to predict the future.  At the end of the day, it’s just another product to sell via retail.  I would look back at the origins of innovative retailers like LuLu lemon and Bonobos to see what this retail industry will look in 5 – 10 years.  I've listed some the most common ways of getting your piece of the cannabis pie if you have the munchies for it.  

• License it.  If you want to get a license you may have better luck playing the lottery in some states.  Here are most of the state guidelines.
• Grow it. This is one the most regulated ways to jump in if you don’t mind giving your blood and maybe your first born. Here are 11 tips for getting a cultivation license.
• Retail it. Depending on your state this option can be strenuous as well.  Here are six things you need to know before opening a dispensary.    
• Invest in it.  Here are 14 weed stocks with a market cap of at least $1bn. 

Also, women are the key to the cannabis movement.  Read more here ( est. read time 5 mins). 

"We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations."

— Charles R. Swindoll
 

“A lot of perfectionistic tendencies are rooted in fear and insecurity,” says Matt Plummer, founder of Zarvana. 

I've been there with you. You've taken investors money, it's time to ship the product, and you use perfectionism as the "reason" of why you can't deliver the product.  I've had it with this newsletter and other facets of my life.  I'm not sure if a perfectionist can be an entrepreneur because their belief system is different when it comes to the team.

A lot of them believe that there is an "I" in team.  "If I want the job done right I'll have to do it myself" type of mentality.  If you are a perfectionist that happens to be an entrepreneur I think it might be a good idea to read the extended article. 

Read more here. (est. read time 10 mins.)

"Perfect is the enemy of good"

— Dean Kamen

A legacy to admire. The iconic debut of the Oscar-nominated film “Boyz n tha Hood” was disruptive for some, but inspirational for most. 

Spike Lee, said: “Over Many Years People Have Told Me “I’m Going To Be A Filmmaker” When John Said That To Me The 1st Time We Met, I Believed Him Right Away.”
 
Mr. Singleton was an undeniable anchor in the black community and other communities as well.  His creative range led him to produce, direct, and write in various tv shows and films.  He directed prime time tv shows like Empire to Snowfall and movies such as 2 Fast 2 Furious and Four Brothers.  

If you’ve watched any of his tv shows or movies his creative legacy will continue throughout you as you tell those stories of when you first watched Poetic Justice or that opening scene in Billions last season.  Mr. Singleton passed away on April 29, 2019, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA.
 
TMZ reported that John’s mother Shelia Ward has his will and will soon file it with the probate court, which brings up one thing that half of Americans don't own, a will.
 
Daddy, what's a will?
 
Jay-Z’s song, Legacy, on his 4:44 album addressed parts of estate planning, but the fact is…

60% of Americans lack a will or estate planning 

• A Living Will and Health Proxy
• Power of Attorney
• Last Will and Testament
• Trusts

I found a pretty decent checklist that has more detail, but let’s get our affairs in order.
 
Read more here (est. read time 22 mins.)

"Legacy is not what I did for myself. It's what I'm doing for the next generation."

— Vitor Belfort
 

I guess Marriott wasn’t paying close enough attention when Uber almost put the taxi industry into extinction because Airbnb now has something to say.  Airbnb partnered up with a developer in New York to transform commercial properties into “Urban Lodging," i.e., hotels.
 
But Marriott must have had some insight on their plans because they launched their Airbnb competitor, “Homes and Villas” at the same time.  Now, this gave me the same feeling as the first time one of my parents DM’d me…
 
It feels Marriott is still selling the "timeshare way" to retain baby boomers and Airbnb’s still supporting the backpacker who only needs a bed and a sink to sleep.  I’m torn between the two, I travel using both platforms, but Marriott’s rewards program and the fact that I can use Amex points keeps me more loyal to Marriott at the moment.
 
It’ll be interesting to see how the old money and new money battle this one out, but I would keep a look out on Airbnb’s growth as they should IPO later this year. 
 
Read more here. (est. read time 4 mins)

The deepest fear we have, 'the fear beneath all fears,' is the fear of not measuring up, the fear of judgment. It's this fear that creates the stress and depression of everyday life.
 

— Dean Kamen

Gentrify your own hood before these people do it

Everyone is born equally capable but lacks equal opportunity.

— Pierre Omidyar

“This Hollywood world so pretentious, every other girl got a perm or extensions. But you don’t even really wear lipstick still your beauty is a natural mystic.”

Kaleigh Garris won Miss Teen 2019 and the internet is loving her natural hair…  She’s probably like a 4a curl pattern...

Learn more here.