Business Notes by Nero Okwa: Celebrating 4 Years of Insights and Growth! 🎉✨🥳🎉
Dear Reader,
Today we celebrate a momentous occasion — the 4-year anniversary of Business Notes by Nero Okwa! 🎉✨ From humble beginnings during a pandemic quarantine to becoming a trusted source of business insights, product management wisdom, and career guidance, this newsletter has been an incredible journey that I'm thrilled to share with all of you.
Quick note: Make sure to read until the end for a special anniversary gift I've prepared just for you! 🎁
How It All Began
As many of you know, this adventure started on February 21, 2021, during a time of global uncertainty. While quarantining in a London apartment before heading to business school, I decided to document my experiences and insights:
"Welcome to Business Notes by Nero Okwa by me, Nero Okwa. Product Manager, Entrepreneur, and Story Teller.
Join me on a journey over the next year documenting my experience studying Management at Durham University Business School, UK. I will be exploring the course, new cities, and the impact of a changing world within the lens of my unique experiences."
— Nero Okwa, Business Notes by Nero Okwa (21/02/2021)
What began as reflections from business school quickly evolved into something much greater — a platform for sharing valuable insights on business strategy, product management, technology trends, Africa, and career development.
Four Years of Growth and Evolution
Over the past four years, this newsletter has grown in ways I never imagined:
Content Expansion
From my initial book reviews and business school experiences to deep dives into product management, tech trends, African business developments, and career frameworks — the newsletter has continuously evolved to provide more value to you, my readers.
New Platforms
What started as written articles has expanded to include:
A YouTube channel with interviews of inspiring creatives and entrepreneurs
The Nero Okwa Xperience podcast, now available on Spotify and Apple Podcast
Live speaking engagements, including presentations to MBA students
Newsletter Themes
Year 1: Racing Towards Excellence
Year 2: Delivering Value
Year 3: Go Further
Year 4: The Best is Yet to Come
Year 4 in Review
As I mentioned in my annual review, this past year has been particularly special, with:
24 Published Articles: Including 9 Nero's Weekly editions, book reviews, product management deep dives, tech event coverage, and product reviews
Newsletter Rebrand: Updated branding, improved categorization, and enhanced discoverability
Expanded Multimedia: Launch of both YouTube channel and podcast
Community Growth: Increasing readership and engagement across platforms
Some of our most popular articles this year included in-depth reviews of products like NotebookLM, coverage of events like London Tech Week 2024, and insights from product leaders like Shreyas Doshi and Issra Omer of Spotify.
Help Shape the Next Chapter! 📝
As we embark on our fifth year, I'd love to hear from you! Your feedback has always been the compass guiding this newsletter's evolution. Please take a moment to complete this quick survey:
Reader Survey: The Future of Business Notes by Nero Okwa
Your responses will directly influence the content and format of Business Notes by Nero Okwa in the coming year, ensuring it continues to provide maximum value to your professional journey.
Looking Forward to Year 5
As we enter our fifth year, I'm excited to build on our foundation with:
More in-depth book reviews
A comprehensive series on Amazon's business journey and lessons for entrepreneurs
An ambitious series exploring Africa's past, present, and future
Continued technology and product-focused content
Greater spotlight on the UK tech sector
Consulting and engaging with founders and early stage Startups
A Personal Thank You
None of this would be possible without you — the readers who engage with, share, and provide feedback on these articles. Your support has transformed what began as a personal project into a vibrant community of thinkers, builders, and lifelong learners.
Whether you've been here since day one or just discovered Business Notes recently, thank you for being part of this journey. Your engagement inspires me to keep delivering valuable content that helps you build better products, advance your careers, and gain business insights.
As we've said at the start of this year: The Best is Yet to Come. I truly believe that as we enter year five, and I can't wait to continue growing and learning alongside all of you.
🎁 Your Anniversary Gift 🎁
As promised, I have a special gift to celebrate our anniversary together!
Using AI, I created a highlight podcast 📻 (Success Strategies) of all our newsletter articles. (Disclaimer: Slight transcript variations possible e.g. at 11:04 is referring to Quincy Jones, not Sam Walton)
Here are the articles mentioned in the podcast:
#61. What I learned from Apple’s Developer Conference (WWDC 2024) - Apple Intelligence
YouWin! — A Gift of Nigerian Genius
What readers are saying
Here's to the next chapter!
With gratitude,
Nero Okwa
The Best is Yet to Come
Would you like to read more career focused articles or something else? Is there a topic you currently struggle with? Let me know. You can message me at notesbynero@gmail.com.
