The Things We Can’t Change

According to weather forecasts,
it is going to rain
in my area
every day
for the next two weeks.

That is…disappointing.
I had things to do outside

But I can’t change the weather.
That’s not my area of expertise
or my business model.

I have to accept it will rain.
And adjust for it.

I might erect tents
so I can work outside.

Or delay that work.

Or try to bring it
inside.

Or make another tweak
to my plans.

In your business,
there are things
you can’t change also.

Accept that
and work with or around them.

Shaming The Trolls

Dealing with trolls and bots
is part of the social media experience.

Some people try to shame them.
They share the troll response
and ridicule it.

And that is exactly
what the trolls and bots want.

They don’t care
about the ridicule.
They drop a comment
and run.

They care about reach.
And by shaming the troll or bot,
that reach is expanded.

Instead,
I block the trolls and bots.

I’m not going to change
the mind
of a computer
or of a human
paid to cause chaos.

There’s no point
in arguing with them.

I simply sever their reach
and remove them
from my feed completely.

Block the trolls and bots
and move on.

Business Builders Craft Their Own Schedules

We all know the joke
about business builders.

We’re lucky.
Business builders don’t have to work
from 9 to 5.
We can work any 24 hours
we like.

But many business builders,
especially those of us
whose careers
were started
by working for someone else,
often keep the standard
9 am to 5 pm business day
as our core hours.

We forget
we can work
any hours we want,
as long as those hours
are fine
with customers
and business partners.

For example,
I was having electrical work
done on my home.

The electricity had to be turned off
from 10 am to 4 pm
every day
for about a week.

At first,
I was irritated as f*ck.
How would I get any work done?

Then I realized…
I could sleep from 10 am to 4 pm
and work from 4 pm to 10 am.

My readers wouldn’t care.
My editor wouldn’t care.

I switched to that schedule
and it worked out well.

We are the masters
of our own schedules.

Remember that.

Verifying Customers

Every week or so,
when I log into an often used site
from my usual home computer,
it asks me to verify
my identity.

Why?

I’m using the same device
at the same location
on the same network.

And the asking site
should be tracking
all that information.

That they are asking
for further verification
doesn’t make me feel
more secure.

It makes me feel
less secure.

Because the site,
if functioning properly,
should know it is me.

If you ask your customers
for more information
to verify their identity
than is needed,
that will erode trust.

It won’t strengthen it.

Consider dialing it back.

Charging For Extras

We’re working with
a subcontractor right now.
He charges
for every little bit extra.

We want to move an outlet an inch higher
than he suggests?
He charges extra for that.

We call him, asking him
if he plans to be on site
that day?
He charges extra for that call.

That’s fine.
It is his business model.
We either work with it
or we find someone else.

Except he complains
when WE reduce his fees
by any amount.

He didn’t use all the cable?
We either keep the leftover cable
or we reduce the amount
he has charged us for it.

His assistant didn’t show up
that day?
We reduce the cost
of his assistant
by a day.

If you charge
for every little thing,
expect clients
to reduce their bill
by every little thing.

Should You Keep Outdated Content?

Many of us
have been blogging
or creating other social media content
for a while.

That older content
stays in search engines.

But some of it
may no longer be
relevant or true.

Should we delete it?

I delete older content
that is no longer true
or safe to share.

I also delete older content
that creates a lot of work
but doesn’t increase sales.

That 10 plus year old
article
I wrote for funsies
on growing tomatoes?

A lot of people contact me
about it.

But none of those people
are interested in
buying my romance novels.

They’re only interested
in gardening advice.

And I’m not interested in giving
or am qualified to give
gardening advice.

I deleted the article.
My work and worry load
greatly decreased.

Delete older content
that no longer serves
you, your business
or your customers.

The Risks Of Using AI

Pink Floyd recently held
a contest
for the best animation video.

They awarded the top prize
to an AI-produced entry.

Which is their right
to do.

If they want to promote
AI-produced art,
they are welcome to do so.

But that means
they’ll lose all sympathy
from their fans
if or rather WHEN
THEIR art, THEIR music
is reproduced without authorization
by AI.

If you use AI,
don’t complain
when you’re replaced
by AI.

And every industry,
every business
is at risk of being
replaced by AI.

Know the risks
of using AI.

Store It Correctly

A buddy of mine
loaded up on printer paper
during a local business’s
liquidation sale.

She knew she’d use
that paper…eventually.

And it was a great deal.

She then stored this paper
in her basement.

Her damp in the Spring
basement.

Yep.
All of the paper
has been damaged so badly
it is unusable
in printers.

Invest in waterproof containers
and moisture absorbers
(oxygen absorbers
for things like food)
and other tools.

And place
your supplies and other items
in the best
storage location
possible.

Don’t destroy
your investment.

Store supplies
and other items correctly.

Adding Investments Gradually

I am gradually expanding
the vegetable garden
in my backyard.

Every year,
I add another perennial,
a plant that will return
every spring
and produce food for me.

Perennials tend
to be more expensive
to purchase.
I also have to learn
how to plant them
and how to best care for them.

They are an investment.

I only add one a year
to my ‘portfolio.’

This allows me
to focus on the new addition.

And that increases the odds
my investment
will pay off
…for the rest of my life.

This gradual and steady approach
can apply to ANY investment,
including investments
in our businesses.

Consider adding investments
slowly
and gradually.

That will increase the odds
they’ll provide the return
you need from them.

Reacting Emotionally

A subcontractor responded
extremely rudely
and over-the-top emotionally
to one of my questions.

My first reaction,
based purely on emotion,
was to tell him
to f*ck off.
I’d work
with someone else
to finish the job.

Except that
might have placed the project
in jeopardy.

It would have definitely
delayed the project’s completion.

So I sucked back
my anger
and I am continuing to work
with him.

For this project.

For future projects,
I’ll work with other people.

And he definitely won’t
be receiving any referrals
from me.

Don’t make decisions
or shift relationships
based on emotion.

Think before you react.