February 2025 - Diary of a Revenue Engineer
Quote of the month:
"Security is not a military problem alone, but a problem of economic and social co-operation. We must be prepared to help one another."
- Ernest Bevin, British Foreign Secretary, a key figure in NATO's founding
What I thought…
What a joy it is to see Spring arrive, or at least park up on the drive and knock on the door. February started in darkness and cold and ended in light and... well… still cold but with some warm spots.
I found February hard in terms of professional and relationship demands, but excellent for learning and health.
What I learned…
February was almost entirely devoted to learning about AI applications to my work and personal life. I’ve been playing with all the tools I could get my hands on, toying with the free ones, gambling on the paid ones and all together learning how best to apply them.
In fact, they’ve become so integral in my personal and work life, I’ve spun up a new content channel to house all my work there.
Here’s some highlights on what got my cogs turning in February:
Collaborative AI sessions - I tried and tested a lot of new approaches to getting the most out of AI tools. Myself, my clients and those I work for are all investing more in that arena, and it shows no signs of slowing down. Also I recommend the AI Daily Brief podcast for a quick run down of all things AI in the world of business.
Politics and history - Never really strong points of interest for me in the past, I’ve found myself listening to more and more of “The Rest is Politics” and “Dan Carlin's Hardcore Histories” on Spotify. They singularly entertain, confound and terrify me. I’ve also found that the short segments and bursts of information from the deeply intelligent and outstandingly erudite Peter Zeihan podcast series add interesting amuse bouche for the geo-political acolyte.
Finance and money - I see him booming on social, but I find Gary’s Economics to give a very interesting insight into the world of money from someone who’s been in the world of trading. I’ll mention a few later, but I also re-read a few book summaries of past reads:
Seven Strategies for Wealth and Happiness, Jim Rohn - This may be somewhat controversial, but I found this book to be high level and lacking in practical advice for the modern world. It’s a classic, however, and may have had a more unique impact when originally published. Much of what you read here is somewhat cliched, but I do recommend it as an excellent sounding board for your own personal approach to wealth and happiness.
Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill - In the same camp as Seven Strategies, another classic.
Rich Dad, Poor Dad, Robert T. Kiyosaki - There’s something deeply resonating about this book. Much of the approaches the book extolls aren’t as viable as they were at the point of original publication, but the ethos and approach is timeless. I really do believe that those who feel empowered and deserving of success, have a greater chance of achieving it. It’s amazing how much our upbringing and perceived status in the world can impact that.
Sunlight and trees will save you - I was deeply gratified to see the data shared in one of the more recent HubermanLab Podcasts with Dr. Roger Sehault, adding some reasoning as to how sunlight, fresh air and the chemical makeup of trees can really impact our mitochondrial levels and overall health. It also gave great credence to the growing trend of “forest bathing”.
What I built…
I wanted to take a moment to emphasise that I am, and have been attempting, to build a better version of myself for many years. If I had a version number, there’d be a whole row of numbers after the initial decimal, that’s for sure. A part of that growth is sharing my personal goals and battles with physical, mental and emotional health.
Last month I wrote some very candid experiences with dopamine rebooting and potential addictions, and received a surprising number of messages from caring folks I have and do work with. I was surprised because it’s easy to forget that we live in a very connected world, where care and community can reach beyond a zoom or google meeting. My hope is that that same global care about our neighbours and our communities continues through these challenging times.
So, beyond ME2.0, what else have been building this month?
Sales Enablement
I speak often about Revenue Engines and sometimes have trouble articulating why I use this approach, and why it’s important for organisations to consider revenue from this perspective. In short, you need to view your customers as fuel that works its way through the engine of your marketing and sales efforts.
To what degree are the cogs turning together? How efficiently are they passing energy from one place to the next? Where are the bottlenecks and lost momentum? Is there a standard to your engineering and your process? Do you know what ‘great’ looks like? What about ‘not so great’?
All of these questions are part of a whole tome of considerations and analogies I hope to one day document and publish in a more thoughtful and valuable fashion. However, I have applied these learnings and approaches to a number of projects and initiatives at different places of work, and for different clients over the last six months, and it consistently delivers results and measurable ROI.
More to come on this, but for now I’ll say that the invention and distribution of AI tools and models available to us right now will have the same impact to the world of revenue organisation as the electric motor did.
Fortress Europa
I, like so many people, have been deeply concerned and impacted by the state of the global economic and political landscape of late.
Being quite candid, I don’t believe that a misogynistic, closed, disrespectful government - so willing to burn political and diplomatic capital and align with nefarious dictators around the world - is a good thing.
I don’t believe it makes the world better. I don’t believe it makes any single country better. I’m absolutely sure that it advances the agendas of individuals and political leanings that do not have the greater good at heart.
I will, however, say that I’ve never been so optimistic or hopeful for the future of the UK, our elected leaders, or the future of the EU. It’s a crying shame that it’s taken these difficult times to ignite some action and united efforts by the UK and our European allies. This could be a golden age for our own diplomacy and democracy.
We (the UK) have failed to make any material advances since Brexit. We’ve faced decades of austerity, stagnation and a growing division between the super rich and the devastatingly poor. We’ve abandoned green tech, we’ve failed to innovate and we’ve been stuck with bickering and sycophantic governments unable or unwilling to lead us to a better future.
But I see all of that changing, and with great reason to do so.
To that end, I took all the funds I had from selling all of my shares when everything started to go crazy (which by fortune alone turned out to be the right time to do so) and I reinvested it in as many publicly traded stocks that support NATO.
Here’s my list and reasoning:
Pharmaceuticals & Medical Supplies (25%):
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK.L, UK) - A global healthcare leader providing pharmaceuticals and vaccines, essential for maintaining troop health and readiness.
AstraZeneca (AZN.L, UK) - Another major pharmaceutical company, contributing vital medical supplies and treatments, and of course now known for being one of the first off the mark creating a covid vaccine.
Bayer (BAYN.DE, Germany) - Diversified healthcare and life sciences company, offering pharmaceuticals and medical products.
Sanofi (SAN.PA, France) - A global healthcare company providing medical solutions, including vaccines and pharmaceuticals.
Food & Beverages (20%):
Compass Group (CPG.L, UK) - A large food service provider, crucial for supplying meals to military personnel in various locations.
Sodexo (SW.PA, France) - Provides food and facilities management services, supporting logistical needs for troops.
Aramark (ARMK, USA) - Similar to the others, a food service and facilities provider, essential for maintaining logistical support. These companies provide vital logistical support, ensuring troops are well-fed and supported.
Defence Contractors (40%):
BAE Systems (BA.L, UK) - A major defense and aerospace company, providing advanced military technology and equipment.
Leonardo S.p.A. (LDO.MI, Italy) - Specializes in aerospace, defence, and security, supplying various military systems.
Airbus (AIR.PA, Netherlands/France/Germany/Spain) - A leading aerospace manufacturer, producing military aircraft and systems.
Rheinmetall AG (RHM.DE, Germany) - A defence and automotive company, providing weapon systems and military vehicles.
Thales Group (HO.PA, France) - A global technology and defence company, specialising in electronic systems and security solutions. These companies are at the core of NATO's military capabilities, providing essential hardware and technology.
Logistics (10%):
Wincanton (WIN.L, UK) - A logistics and supply chain solutions provider, crucial for transporting and distributing military supplies. This company provides the vital backbone of military operations, ensuring supplies reach their destination.
Missiles & Weapon Systems (5%):
MBDA (multi-national, primarily UK, France, Italy) - A leading developer and manufacturer of missiles and missile systems, essential for modern defence capabilities. This company provides key weapon systems for NATO forces.
Usually I’d recommend Revolut for its awesome services, but at the time of writing I found its investment function lacking in this regard. Instead, I’d recommend Trading 212 or Hargreaves Lansdown for these investments.
How I lived longer…
I’m incredibly proud of the efforts I’ve made for personal health through this quarter, and February was no exception.
Nutrition - I’ve worked really hard on what I eat, why I eat it, when I eat it and how I eat. I created colourful and delicious pre-prepared rice and salad bowls, I ate at regular times, stuck to TRE (time-restricted eating) and regular fasting sessions, as well as enjoying my new tea habit. It’s not an easy feat to do all this and ensure I’m getting enough high quality protein and fats to support my workout regime, but it’s been a fun challenge. All in all, I feel like I’m putting in the groundwork, so I'm looking forward to feeling the impact of my efforts.
Strength - Low and behold, I’m beginning to enjoy strength conditioning. I absolutely hated it when I started, feeling like such a “gym bro” as I lifted weights. I found it so tedious and so un-impactful compared to my HIIT work. However, as I’ve learned more and pushed harder, I’m really seeing and feeling the impact and it is... god dammit... it’s fun. I particularly enjoyed a session in February when the little David Goggins in my head made me do 20 more pullups when I complained I couldn’t do any more. I ached in places I didn’t know I had for days and it felt fantastic.
Running - I’ve finally been able to consistently keep up a decent pace (for me!) for 5km runs. This is a big milestone, having had so many issues with my knees and calf muscles, as well as being unable to sustain a running pace without my heart rate going into the red. As the good weather came, I got into the world more and found that it has impacted my ability to run longer distances. I’m pushing for sub 30-min 5km right now, and then (as per the recommendation of my boss) will start to build to 8km, 12km and hopefully beyond.
Swimming - Another breakthrough for me this month was actually doing lengths in front crawl. It turned out that all I needed was some waterproof headphones and goggles to make the whole experience more sustainable and enjoyable.
Putting all these things together, my hope is to reattempt my missed goal of passing the Navy Seals entry test this year, as well as doing my own personal triatholon at the gym.
How I stayed happier…
As mentioned previously, I’ve been battling to better understand and deal with some personal things for a while, and now also trying to balance my feelings about the global situation.
I’m sure I’m not alone, so here’s what’s helped me along the way:
Meditation - Someone mentioned that meditation can help in two key ways:
State = meaning how you feel or react in the current moment. For example, helping you relax more.
Trait = meaning who you are as a person, how you react to things and how you feel internally.
I have to say, there is a lot of wisdom in this way of thinking. I’ve felt the immediate impact of a change of state and, over time, I find that regular meditation sessions, even 10-15 minutes a day, have a significant impact on my mental state and ways of thinking.
Friends - When I felt a bit overwhelmed by it all, I reached out to my friends and, being the good guys they are, they sensed I was in need and all met me in the Cotswolds for a lovely dinner at the Angel Inn in Burford. The older I get, the more I realise how lucky I am to have found such good friends in different places and how grateful I am for their friendship.
Final thoughts…
All in all, the world is in a crazy place right now. But, throughout human history, wonderful things have come from critical places and trying times. If we each find a way, and encourage those in charge to navigate the path successfully, this could pave the way for a golden age of innovation, collaboration and prosperity across Europe and our fair United Kingdom.
Here’s to Fortress Europa standing strong once again, and to the brave and tireless actions of those fighting evil and injustice around the world.
