You Need to Capitalize on Asymmetrical Opportunities + My Money Blueprint

Hi Sheconomist Insider 👋 It’s Thamina, Founder of The Sheconomist. This is your bi-weekly dose of celebrating the female economy where I help ambitious, purpose-driven women like yourself flip the script on money, career & wellbeing conventions so you can live life on your own terms.

TLDR:

• ✨ Are you capitalizing on asymmetrical opportunities?

• 🫶 Advice that resonated with me in my late 20s

• 💰 Behind the scenes of how I’ve grown my net worth by almost $100k in the first 6 months of 2024 alone

• 🇬🇧 A parliament breaking records

Important Ask: I just launched a Subscriber Intake Form for Sheconomist Insiders to learn more about you and your needs. The goal is to make this newsletter as relevant to you as possible. So please let me know what type of content you would like to see more of below. 👇

🧪 Freedom Formulas

Success in business and life relies on the number of asymmetrical opportunities you are able to capitalize on.

Let me explain.

Asymmetrical opportunities are scenarios where the potential upside significantly outweighs the potential downside.

Imagine investing minimal effort with the possibility of reaping substantial rewards - that’s the essence of asymmetry.

It’s a concept that is intrinsic to the most successful visionaries, leaders, and entrepreneurs of our time.

And was popularized by entrepreneur Naval Ravikant, founder of AngelList and investor in over 200 companies including Uber, Twitter, Poshmark, Notion, Postmates, Stack Overflow, Yammer, and more.

According to Ravikant, there are 5 principles to achieving disproportionate returns with limited downside risk:

1. Leverage:

➡️ Using tools, resources, or systems that allow you to amplify your efforts and achieve greater results with the same or even less input. It’s the principle of multiplying your productivity and impact without a corresponding increase in effort or cost.

Examples:

✅ Using borrowed capital (debt) to increase the potential return on investment

✅ Utilizing technology to automate tasks, reach larger audiences, or create scalable systems.

✅ Delegating tasks to employees, freelancers, or automated systems to multiply your output

2. Finding Asymmetrical Bets

➡️ Being strategic and perceptive in identifying opportunities where the potential rewards far exceed the risks. By focusing on areas with high growth potential, minimal initial investment, and manageable downside, you can position yourself to achieve substantial returns.

Examples:

✅ Investing relatively small amounts in startups

✅ Learning a new skill that can enhance your earning potential

✅ Creating content/IP that can continue to generate income with minimal ongoing effort

3. Long-Term Thinking

➡️ The practice of making decisions that prioritize sustainable success, compounding returns, and growth over immediate gratification.

Examples:

✅ Consistently investing to build up a retirement fund

✅ Building a strong personal brand that can open doors to new career opportunities, partnerships, and collaborations

✅ Adopting healthy habits and routines that promote long-term physical and mental well-being

4. Non-Linear Returns

➡️ Outcomes where the returns on investment grow at an exponential rate, rather than in a linear or proportional manner by identifying and leveraging scalable opportunities, network effects, and technological innovations.

Examples:

✅ Developing a mobile app, online course, or software; once created, these products can be sold to millions without significant incremental costs

✅ Joining an affiliate program where you can grow a passive income as more people join and purchase through your links

✅ A single viral post, video, or article can reach millions of people, generating significant influence, brand recognition, and potential revenue streams

5. Focus on Skills and Knowledge

➡️ Embracing the mindset of lifelong learning and strategic skill development; unlike other assets, skills and knowledge compound over time and allow you to remain adaptable.

Examples:

✅ Learning to code, mastering data analytics, or becoming proficient in artificial intelligence and machine learning

✅ Taking courses in public speaking, negotiation, or leadership development

✅ Reading industry journals, attending webinars, and participating in professional associations

Once you start adopting those principles, they’re like a muscle you can train and grow over time.

These muscles help us make informed decisions to maximize our potential upside and minimize our downside.

❣️Thamina’s Top Picks

💫 After just turning 30, this really resonated with me (it’s how I started feeling in my late 20s vs. early & mid 20s)

👕 One of my highlights of 2024 was meeting the founders of Dapper Boi, a body-inclusive apparel line (woman + LGBTQ owned - Vicky and Charisse Pasche are partners in business and life and their story is just so incredible!)

🎙️ How Renee Parsons Innovated Golf Apparel in a Male-Dominated Industry (Entreprenista Podcast)

🎁 So many of you clicked on the necklace link last time that I wanted to share another beautiful birthday gift I got (my mother “in law” and I discovered this French brand - one female co-founder - while strolling through SoHo last summer and she remembered 😄)

✨ This week’s Moodboard

Post credits go to NovaMeDesigns, Society6, Mady, Dominique

💸 Cooking up Wealth

After sharing in my previous newsletter that my net worth increased by $85,000 over the last 6 months (as I’m writing this it’s up $93,000), I received a lot of questions about my approach to growing my net worth so I wanted to share how I got here: