The Third Wave by Steve Case is an insightful look into the future of startups and entrepreneurs in our ever-evolving technological world. Examining experiences from his own life, large global companies and recent stir-ups such as Uber, Case shares plenty of advice for those looking to achieve more and succeed in what he is calling ‘the third wave'. One of my favorite things is one of the main threads of the book — that many businesses today expect you to quit and take advantage of it. They provide certain services expecting many people to pay but not use the service (like gym memberships).

The Dip - Wikipedia

Not giving up and abandoning your long-term strategy (wherever you might be using that strategy--a career, an income, a relationship, a sale) but quitting the tactics that aren't working. But for the individual, it matters A LOT. You can be one of the no-hopers in the longer tail selling one album a year…. or you can climb your way into the short head, where you get exponentially better results The Reason #1 Matters Sometimes we get discouraged and turn to inspirational writing, like stuff from Vince Lombardi: “Quitters never win and winners never quit.” Bad advice. Winners quit all the time. They just quit the right stuff at the right time.”This is a brief book about a crucial subject: quitting. We read GRIT, in which the author claims that perseverance, not quitting, is what leads to success. However, The Dip emphasizes the significance of strategically quitting. Quitting is often a good tactic, believe it or not. It can be an effective approach to organize your life and career. However, there are occasions when quitting is the WRONG thing to do… and it turns out that there’s an easy way to discern the difference. The tiny percentage of people who can push just a little bit harder than the majority get extraordinary rewards. The small minority of people who have the courage to quit and refocus their energies on something new also get extraordinary rewards. The thing is, a profession in selling isn't like smoking cigarettes. Neither is making it as a singer or building a long-term relationship with someone you care about. Most of hte time, the other two curves are in force. The Dip and the Cul-de-Sac aren't linear. They don't spoon feed you with little bits of improvement every day. And they're just waiting to trip you up. When considering becoming the best in the world, you have to accept that the world is changing. The internet has made the world considerably bigger than it used to be. It’s easy to BE a CEO… what’s hard is GETTING there. There’s a huge dip along the way. If it were easy, there’d be too many people vying for the job, and the CEOs wouldn’t get paid anywhere near as much. Scarcity is the secret to value. If there wasn’t a Dip, there’d be no scarcity. If It’s Worth Doing, There’s Probably A Dip. The Dip creates scarcity, and scarcity creates value. What To Do About Them

The Dip by Seth Godin: 9781591841661 - Penguin Random House

If you come across one, get off it as soon as possible. This dead end is preventing you from moving forward. The opportunity cost of investing your life in something that can never improve is simply too great. If you’re trying to succeed in a job or a relationship or at a task, you’re either moving forward, falling behind, or standing still. There are only three choices. To succeed, to get to that light at the end of the tunnel, you’ve got to make some sort of forward progress, no matter how small. The dip is secret to Success because those who push through it aren't settling for what they got, they refuse to abandon the quest and they're embracing the challenge. Your steps to success may be small but you need to proceed. Try to understand if you are moving forward, standing still, or worse, falling behind. If I quit this task, will it increase my ability to get through the Dip on something more important?

Over the next few days and weeks, the rapid learning you experience keeps you going. Whatever your new thing is, it's easy to stay engaged in it. Anyone considering hiring you, buying from you, recommending you, voting for you, or doing what you want would wonder if you’re the best option.