How to Turn Books into Growth Engines

Welcome back to The CEO’s Snacks — where I document my entrepreneurial experiments and share the strategies that actually move the needle.

This week, we’re zooming in on two essential growth levers: how you read and how you email.

Plus, a couple of mental models that keep your business moving forward.

Let’s dive in.

🧠 Turning Books into Action Machines

Reading business books feels productive… but most people treat them like Netflix shows: a burst of motivation, then back to business as usual.

That’s why I built my HCDA system — a framework that transforms every book I read into real behavior change:

• Highlight: Read for flow, mark what resonates.

• Capture: Organize highlights in your note-taking app.

• Digest: Link insights to real experiences, write how each idea should shift your behavior.

• Apply: Turn those “Learning” blocks into tasks, calendar events, or (most powerfully) new habits.

The result? Books stop being entertainment. They become systems for continuous growth.

Tip : → Just-in-time reading (instead of just-in-case) is key.
Only read what's relevant to your current business challenge. I’m hiring right now so… i read books on … hiring.

Simple ?

💌 Better Email Starts with Deliverability

I learned a lot about Sender reputation this week.

This week, I’m rethinking my entire email strategy, which has led me to dive deep into the topic of sender reputation.

• Segment your list: Don’t blast everyone — send to the right people.

• Clean it up: Remove dead addresses, reduce hard bounces.

• Mind your words: Avoid spammy phrasing, write to be read.

• Add value signals: Ask readers to forward the email. This tells inbox providers your content matters.

Tip One small CTA at the end of your email like — “Forward this email to a friend who’d love it!” — can make a huge difference.

💰 Smarter Growth Tactics

Want more referrals? Skip the swag.

Try this: Send your referrers a check equal to your Customer Acquisition Cost.

It’s bold. It’s transparent. And it aligns incentives perfectly.

Because if you're spending $200 to get a customer via ads, why not give that $200 to someone who brings you a warm lead?

Duh.

🎯 Constraints First, Everything Else Later

Business is a sequence of bottlenecks. Don’t try to fix everything.

Find the one constraint slowing growth right now. Focus your resources there. Fix it. Then… wait for the next constraint to reveal itself.

That’s how real scaling works. Not by doing more — but by solving what matters most.

⚡️ This Week’s 5 Takeaways

• Turn books into real-world behavior change with the HCDA system.

• Your email reputation is a growth asset — don’t treat it like a free-for-all.

• Ask readers to forward your emails. It boosts engagement and deliverability.

• Rethink referral rewards: try paying out your CAC directly.

• Prioritize constraints. Business problems aren’t equal — neither should your attention be.

If you found this useful, follow me on X (@AlexisSindicic) — I share real-time insights from scaling info-product businesses without burning out.

Until next week,

If you have any questions → reply to this email.

— Alexis