This is Mark Mulvey. Welcome to Surf Report.
You’re receiving this because you either subscribed at my website markmulvey.com, or you added your email to the list directly from Surf Report
If this wasn’t you, there is a link at the bottom of this email to unsubscribe
It’s finally time!
I started Surf Report because none of newsletters I’ve joined have the same intersection of topics I spend the most time reading and thinking about:
Living (Philosophy & Perspective) +
Investing (Money & Markets) +
Building (Entrepreneurship & Creativity)
The goal of this newsletter is to transform the way you think about markets & marketing to improve mentally & financially.
Surf Report is a weekly rundown of business, investing, trading, and crypto news that made waves, paired with fresh insight so you can learn, grow, and profit.
The first issue will be released this Sunday, October 4th. I hope to have you on board for it!
Who’s Behind This?
I’m Mark. I’ve lived in New York City for the past 15 years working professionally in the world of tech, digital marketing, advertising, social media, and web design. (You can see for yourself)
But outside of work...
I’ve been investing and trading since 2005
I started my first business in 2007 and sold it in 2011
I launched my second business at the beginning of 2020 right at the onset of a global pandemic
I quit my job later that year to become a full time investor and entrepreneur
I quickly hopped a flight to Ecuador to sell land I bought there back in 2012, surfing and talking stocks in my downtime with my friend—a surfer, surfboard shaper, trader, and real estate investor who lives in town
Along the way I’ve spoken at video game conferences about business strategy. I’ve also spoken at business strategy conferences about video games.
But through it all I’ve been laser focused on asking one question: “How can I use this?” The philosophy at the center of my life is about seeing encounters as material.
Maybe it comes from my liberal arts background, traveling the world as a kind of ‘wandering scholar’ and talking to people with different backgrounds and trades. I’m always trying to make the complex simple, extracting insight and metaphor from the unlikeliest of sources with individual subjects as “ore” from which I can create new, fresh ideas.
Principles
If you only read what everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking. In the world of business and investing that is a (financial) death sentence.
To think about something differently is to see something differently. Marketing is the art of shaping what people think about what it is they’re looking at. It’s an industry of “look at it this way:” and “think of it like this:” These framings lead to consideration, interest, and sometimes profit.
When you learn to see something in a new way you appreciate it more. The appeal of a thing lies most strongly in knowing more about it. If you want to sell something, elaborate on it. To make something interesting, go into detail. To get attention, teach something new. To get, give.
Markets, trade, and commerce purify relations between people and are the Galapagos Islands of human psychology. I became fascinated with money, business, and investing, not just for profit but as a student of human nature. I think more people could benefit from doing the same thing.
Investing is not just about money. Compound growth, long-term thinking, and delayed gratification are essential to more than just a financial portfolio. Relationships, hobbies, skills, and creativity all benefit from careful investment of attention & effort.
As always, I try to make sure that the answer to “How can I use this?” is as clear as possible, to leverage my time so as not to waste yours. :)
Premium Benefits
If you’d like the full Zurf Report experience, consider becoming a paying member.
You’ll receive all of these members-only benefits:
💪 The complete edition of the weekly Zurf Report, which includes content not available to free subscribers such as my personal stock picks (and closeouts) of the week
📚 A free copy of my ebook Surfing The Markets: How I Quit My Job, Reclaimed My Time, & Profited Stress-Free ($27 value)
💡 Access to additional articles during the week with timely takes and analysis of markets, businesses, and brands
🗄 Full access to the entire Surf Report content archive
💬 The ability to comment on posts and join a growing community of creative investors & entrepreneurs