Wednesday, October 28, 2026
In today's issue
The news: Google puts small-business tools inside Gemini
Tool: Notion and its free plan
Watch: Seth Godin on getting ideas to spread
Try this: A 15-minute "Questions people ask me" page
Good morning {{first_name|friend}},
Bookkeeping and brand graphics are the two jobs most solo founders put off. Google says its Gemini app can now take a first pass at both.
Here's what they actually announced.
Quiet Win: the news
Google adds small-business tools to Gemini.
On Oct 20, Google announced a new business landing page in the Gemini app. It says Gemini can now create on-brand visuals after you upload your website, brand kit, fonts or colors, and turn messy spreadsheets and receipts into charts and financial models. It also connects to apps like Canva, Shopify, Dropbox and Xero. Google says the rollout to all Gemini app users starts "in the coming days."
You may see it in your Gemini app soon. Try it on one messy spreadsheet before you trust it with anything important.
Tool of the day
Notion
What it does: one workspace for notes, docs, simple databases and to-do lists.
Free tier: the Free plan is $0 per member/month for individuals (checked on Notion's pricing page today).
Use it without selling: build a public FAQ page that answers the ten questions buyers always ask. Link it everywhere so your answers do the talking.
Watch
How to get your ideas to spread
Seth Godin · TED · 19 min
Godin argues that you win by making something remarkable for a small group of people who care, not by shouting at everyone. That's a marketing plan an introvert can live with.
Try this today (15 minutes)
Open a free Notion page called "Questions people ask me." List the five you hear most and write a two- or three-sentence answer to each. Add the other five later. Once you publish it, you never have to answer the same question live again.
Hit reply
What's the one question you answer over and over? Hit Reply with it. I'll pull a few into a future issue (no names).
Quietly sovereign,
Sterling
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