Ideas Economy

Ideas Economy

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Money and attention

Five shared principles in money, energy, and ideas.
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Investigating the capital of ideas.

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Ideas Economy
Ideas Economy
Investigating the capital of ideas: how imagination translates into economic value. Thought Essays every Wednesday, Mental Models on the first Tuesday each month.

Thought Essays

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Money and attention
Five shared principles in money, energy, and ideas.
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Rachel O'Brien
The placebo effect on imagination
How directed attention builds ideas into real-world value.
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Rachel O'Brien
The long game that powers creativity
Rethinking venture growth beyond short-term wins.
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Rachel O'Brien
The marriage of creativity and risk
How tomorrow’s value is held in the courage to imagine.
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Rachel O'Brien
The lifecycle of connection
Five design principles for building self-sustaining communities.
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Rachel O'Brien
Anchor your advantage in cultural fluency
How social relevance equips brands and people with influence, clarity, and commercial power.
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Rachel O'Brien
What makes good ideas die, or live?
How to think about idea-based innovation in modern markets.
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Rachel O'Brien
The Obscurity Loop: why the coolest brands are impossible to find
How anti-scale builds influence through scarcity and social proof.
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Rachel O'Brien
The proximity principle of collaboration
Creating the group environments for novel thinking and expansion.
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Rachel O'Brien
7 cultural touchstones for future-ready thinking
A mid-year reset list to sharpen your systems mind and creative edge.
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Rachel O'Brien
The capital of experience
What halftime games and skincare stunts reveal about loyalty economics.
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Rachel O'Brien
The translation gap: why charismatic leadership is not enough to be influential
Capturing attention is only the beginning of cultural resonance.
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Rachel O'Brien
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