Happy Friday Amigos,

Welcome to the next edition of JM’s Weekly Roundup. A quick hit of what’s new at La Matera and a few things that’ve popped up on my radar lately.

TL;DR:

• La Matera Highlight: Marrón Polo Belt

• Worth a Watch: The Difficulty Is the Point | Biagio Merendino Portrait

• Worth a Read: Runnin’ Down a Dream by Bill Gurley

• Brand I’m Eyeing: Malbon x New Balance

• Weekend Wisdom: Arnold Palmer

1. La Matera Highlight: Marrón Polo Belt

Pulled the Marrón Polo Belt out a few times this week and it reminded me why this one keeps earning its spot.

The warmer tan leather feels especially right this time of year. Spring tends to call for lighter, earthier tones, and this one pairs easily with just about anything. Jeans, chinos, boots, doesn’t really matter. It just fits.

It’s clean. It’s versatile. And the leather wears in the right way over time. One of those pieces that doesn’t need much explaining. You throw it on and it just works.

Something else worth mentioning - we’re kicking off a golf-themed “Get on the Green” email series on Monday, so keep an eye on your inbox for those. We have something big in the works...

2. Worth a Watch: The Difficulty Is the Point

Came across a short film with Biagio Merendino recently and it felt right in line with a lot of what I’ve been thinking about lately.

On the surface it’s about fly fishing and old Porsches, but really it’s about being drawn to things that ask more of you. More patience. More presence. More effort. The kinds of things that don’t hand much back right away, but mean more because of it.

There’s a line in there about how the difficulty isn’t the obstacle, it’s the point. That one landed.

Worth a watch if you’ve got a few minutes this Friday.

3. Worth a Read – Runnin’ Down a Dream

I finished Bill Gurley’s new book, Runnin’ Down a Dream last week and really liked it. Gurley’s obviously best known as a legendary investor at Benchmark, but this book is much more about figuring out how to build a career you actually care about than it is about venture capital.

The whole book is centered around avoiding what he calls “career regret.” He breaks that down through a handful of principles around curiosity, finding the right peer group, and putting yourself in the environments where the work you care about is actually happening. It’s practical, thoughtful, and not overly corporate, which I appreciated.

What I liked most is that it doesn’t feel like generic career advice. It reads more like a smart reminder to pay attention to what genuinely pulls you in and then have the guts to go deeper on that. If you’re thinking about work, ambition, or what you actually want to spend your time building, it’s worth the read.

4. Brand I’m Eyeing: Malbon x New Balance

With Masters week next week and golf back in the rotation, this Malbon x New Balance collab caught my eye.

They took the classic 550 and gave it a golf spin. Clean white and green, simple lines, nothing overdone. It’s a cool mix of classy and classic with a slightly more modern feel.

Feels like something you could wear on the course and not feel out of place hanging out around the 19th Hole after either.

They got this one right.

5. Weekend Wisdom: Arnold Palmer

“Success in this game depends less on strength of body than strength of mind and character.” – Arnold Palmer

Heading into Masters week, this one felt right.

Growing up in South Carolina, the Masters Week was basically our version of Holy Week. Everything slowed down a bit, and Augusta just carried a different kind of weight. Even if you weren’t at the course, you felt it.

There’s always more going on in golf than what you see on the surface. Patience, decision making, how you handle the bad shots and move on to the next one.

Probably applies to a lot more than just golf.

That’s it from me. Hope you find a little time to slow down and enjoy the weekend.

Appreciate y’all being here.

Cheers,
JM

Jon-Mark Craddock
CEO

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Originally sent through JM's Substack on 2026-04-03.