♖ The Value Formula + FREE Workbook Inside

I was 17 years old, trying to find a place to study inside a Barnes & Noble’s Starbucks. You know the feeling—trying to find a table in a crowded place.

All tables were taken. I kept pacing, hoping someone would leave. No luck.

Then a man sitting at a corner table waved me over.

He looked exactly like Jesus. I mean, close your eyes and picture Jesus; you nailed it. Long brown hair, facial hair, Roman sandals, white tank top, and cargo shorts.

I felt relieved. Jesus was about to give me his table.

He took off his headphones, and as I approached, he gestured with his index finger for me to get closer. I obliged.

Then Jesus whispered, "Hey, what’s the difference between in-laws and outlaws?"

Me: "Uhhhh, I don’t know."

Jesus: "Outlaws are wanted."

I laughed. He didn’t. I stopped.

Twenty-one years later, I still think about Jesus. I've stolen that joke myself, and it kills every time.

That 10-second interaction gave me something better than a table: a moment of unexpected joy I've been sharing for two decades.

Intro

Hi friends,

This one is all about value. What is it? How do you create it?

I define strategy in two words: Generous and Only. Get both right, and you'll build more than a great business—you'll build a meaningful life. These aren't just business principles. They're how I try to live.

Generous, to me, means creating real value for people. Let's focus on that today.

What We'll Cover:

• The greatest product experience ever

• The Value Equation that explains why some products feel magical

• My complete Value Creation Workbook (free) with 50+ research-backed tactics

• A challenge to transform how you think about your business

My promise: You’ll walk away with a new way to break down and build value—like a periodic table for selling smarter. Worst case? You leave with a killer joke that’s lasted me 20 years.

The Greatest Product Experience Ever

One of my favorite questions to ask friends: "What's a product you used for the first time that gave you goosebumps? A product that made you go 'holy shit’, that was incredible?”

Common answers: iPhone, ChatGPT, Uber, Tesla, and ShamWow (jk).

My answer? MapQuest.

For you gen-whatevers, MapQuest was the bridge between pirate treasure maps and having Google Maps on your phone.

I used MapQuest for the first time in fall 1999. Before that, planning any road trip was a nightmare. You'd wrestle with massive maps that required you to be an origami master to fold back together. You got into predictable fights with your dad. You'd buffer time to inevitably get lost, then pull over at sketchy gas stations for directions from someone who'd send you three towns in the wrong direction.

It was stressful. Time-consuming. Totally unreliable.

Then MapQuest arrived from the heavens. Type your addresses, click "Get Directions," boom—step-by-step instructions on clean paper. No guessing. No getting lost.

It was pure magic.

The Value Equation Behind Every Great Solution

I deconstructed the greatest ‘holy shit’ product experiences. They all have three things in common:
✅ They solved a big pain
✅ They solved it fast
✅ They solved in a way that made every alternative feel dumb

Then Alex Hormozi shared his Value Equation in "$100M Offers," which perfectly systematizes value with a little more precision:

Let’s break down what each variable means:

• Dream Outcome (DO): How drastically will this solution improve my life?

• Confidence to Deliver: How confidently will this solution achieve my DO?

• Time Delay: How long does it take to achieve my DO?

• Effort & Sacrifice: How much work and hassle is required?

To deliver ‘holy shit’ value, you have to maximize what they GET (numerator) and minimize what they GIVE UP (denominator).

Let's see how MapQuest made traditional maps go extinct overnight using the Value Equation:

Same basic dream outcome. Completely different experience.

Here’s the punchline: Like any division problem, you can increase the answer drastically by just shrinking the denominator.

MapQuest had the same outcome as a traditional map but slashed the time, effort, and sacrifice required.

Turn Value into Revenue

Once I absorbed the Value Equation, it became my go-to lens for finding untapped growth.

At my last company, we used it to align teams around a single focus, like cutting Time Delay to make implementation significantly faster. Suddenly, product, sales, and customer success were all rowing in sync. Big impact. Fast.

It shaped how I built roadmaps. How I crafted messaging. How I drove GTM.

Today, I help founders bake it into their operating system so their entire team sees value the same way and sells more because of it.

Now, I want to give you that same playbook (download in the next section).

The workbook is broken down into 5 steps:

1. Understand the Value Equation

2. Audit Your Solution

3. Identify Your Focus

4. Choose Your Value Boosters (50+ research-backed tactics)

5. Go Make It Happen

Real Results: One Series B company I work with increased win rates from 22% to 45% and grew deal size by 25%.

This isn't theory. It's what I use with my clients.

Download: The FREE Value Creation Workbook

• My 17-page personal value playbook

• 50+ research-backed value boosters

• Real case study with results

• Step-by-step worksheets

Your 60-Minute Challenge

Ideas are cheap. Action creates value.

So here’s your challenge:

1. Download the workbook.

2. Block 60 minutes this coming week. No multitasking.

3. Pick one value variable to improve.

4. Commit to one booster to implement in the next 30 days.

Then do me a favor: Share with me your progress.

Where are you stuck? What are you changing? What got clearer?

I read every reply. And who knows—your insight might spark something I share in a future issue.

What Should I Build Next?

Here’s my real dream:
One of you hits reply and says:

Boom. You just filled in my content calendar.
Because chances are, if you’re struggling with it… other Moaters are too.

So don’t be shy. Send me your challenge—big, small, weird, messy. I might just turn it into a free resource to help more people like you.

’Til next time,
—Ali

P.S. We hit 220 subscribers! That’s a 2x jump in one week! 🎉 Thank you for the love. Keep sharing this with friends and colleagues who’d dig it. Let’s keep growing this thing together.

P.P.S. Want to chat? Hit reply and tell me what problem you're wrestling with. No forms. No bots. Just me, sitting at my desk, hoping someone emails me.

About Me: I’m Ali, a former tech exec turned advisor. I help growth-stage B2B companies with strategy and GTM execution. I am also seeking to back rare early-stage startups with bold, generous, and one-of-a-kind missions. Know of one? Let me know.