I told a buddy
I was winding down
the romance novel business.
She asked me,
“What business
are you starting next?”
I grinned.
Because the odds are good
I WILL be starting
another venture,
whether it is for profit
or as a total give back
to the world.
Because that is what
entrepreneurs
and other business builders
do
– we build businesses.
And that doesn’t stop
at a certain age.
I’ve been doing something
healthy AND fun
for myself
every day.
I’m excited about
this change.
It fills me
with joy.
I’ve only told
one other person
about it.
Why?
Because most people
can’t resist
decimating other people’s happiness.
They offer suggestions
on how to make that happy thing
‘better.’
They tell us
everything wrong
with that happy thing.
If that happy thing
is a goal
like starting an exciting new business,
they tell us
why it will fail.
They might believe
they’re ‘helping.’
They might believe
they’re being supportive.
They aren’t.
They’re destroying our happiness.
Only tell people
you absolutely trust
with your joy
about the wonderful changes
you’re making
in your life.
This includes
the business
you’re starting.
Protect your happiness.
A buddy said to me,
yesterday,
“The world is changing
so f*cking fast.
I can’t keep up.”
The world IS changing
more quicky
than it has in the past.
But that change
is still very, very slow.
The reason it seems
like it is changing
so f*cking fast
is because
we HAVEN’T been keeping up.
We haven’t been
paying attention
or taking the previous changes
seriously.
Experts have been warning
about the US
falling to fascism
for decades.
We simply didn’t pay attention
to them
until the Supreme Court
gave the US President
King-like powers.
Scientists have been warning
about climate change
for over a century.
We mocked and derided them
until we got a monster hurricane
in the same day
as widespread floods
and fires.
Even the pandemic was predicted.
Experts warned we were due
for a world-wide pandemic.
If we want our businesses
to survive
and flourish
in the future,
we have to pay attention
to experts
and to the less-impactful changes
happening all around us.
The signs are there.
Heed them.
Friends and family members
told a new writer
they couldn’t wait
to buy her book.
Her book released.
NONE of them
bought her book.
NONE.
(She knew this
because she had zero sales
in that region.)
People lie.
They either tell us
what they think
we want to hear
or,
if they’re sh*tty people,
what they think
we don’t want to hear.
Try to base
your decisions
on what people do.
In my friend’s case,
do her friends and family members
already buy books
similar to hers?
If yes,
then they might buy hers.
Actions rarely lie.
With repeated COVID infections
all damaging the brain
combined
with all the disasters
worrying and distracting us,
the world is getting
stupider.
We have to offset
that stupid.
How?
One solid tactic
is to write down everything
and to force those around us
– employees, partners, suppliers –
to write things down also.
Document systems,
strategies, customer interactions,
cold calling scripts,
everything that is important
to the running of our businesses.
Then make it easy
for people to access
that information.
Ensure databases are accessible
and searchable.
Write everything critical
down.
You’ll need that documentation.
Newsweek published an article
about Taylor Swift
in which they said,
“At 34, Swift remains
unmarried and childless,
a fact that some might argue
is irrelevant to her status
as a role model.
But, I suggest,
it’s crucial to consider
what kind of example
this sets for young girls.”
They would never
write that
about a male performer.
(Though they might
be driven to write one
to offset the bad publicity
over this article.)
If Taylor Swift
was married and had kids,
they would criticize
her for going on tour
and ‘neglecting’ her family.
If she produced music
while being at home
with a spouse and kids,
they would criticize that decision
for the same reason.
Women can’t win
over everyone.
We’ll always have someone
(usually a white man)
criticizing what we’re doing.
So live the life
YOU want.
Build your business
the way YOU want
to build it.
Find your own happiness
and stop listening
to small-minded,
insecure people.
Be free.
Trump will likely
be elected
in the US.
PP will likely
be elected
in Canada.
The big media,
in both countries,
are trying their
d@mnedst
to make that happen.
The big media
is controlled
by the billionaires
and big business.
The changes
won’t be pleasant
for non-billionaire entrepreneurs
or for small to mid-sized business.
But we WILL survive
those changes,
especially if we plan
for them.
Look at what
those two candidates
and those two parties
are proposing.
Take those proposals
seriously.
And devise plans
to deal with those changes.
Prepare for change.
More and more countries
are joining the
50C/122F club,
enduring heat
that prevents people
from going outside
for a long period of time.
We also hear about natural disasters
every dang day.
If your weather is nice
and the air is clear,
go outside.
Many of your business building activities
don’t have to stop.
You can return messages
and make calls
and look at budgets outside.
While you do that,
you might see a butterfly
or
wiggle your toes in the grass
or
feel the sun’s rays on your face.
Enjoy that
while we still can.
2024 is more than
50% over.
You had goals for this year.
Review them.
Are they still applicable?
Do you still want
to achieve them?
If the answer is yes,
take one small step
toward achieving one
today.
If you plan to start
a business,
perhaps decide
on a logo color
or an industry
you wish to play in
or the type of customer
you wish to attract.
If your goal is
to launch a new product,
select a font
for the packaging
or craft a list
of possibly raw material
suppliers
or devise three possible
taglines for the new product.
Take a small step
toward achieving
your 2024 goals.
Some costs,
due to climate change,
war, government changes,
other factors,
have increased by 100%
or more
compared to last year’s costs.
That level of increase,
if not offset,
will decimate the profits
of many businesses.
What are the possible offsets?
Passing the cost increase
along to the customer
i.e. increasing our prices
by at least
the same amount.
Or
having a deal
with our suppliers
that lock in prices
for a certain length
of time.
Or
being able to switch
to a lower cost input
or a lower cost supplier.
And there are other offsets.
Ensure you have a plan
for increasing supply costs.