A business building buddy
inserts a strip of paper
with a very bad child-friendly joke
into every shipment
of her products.
She grins every time
she does this.
It gives her joy.
It also gives
some of her customers joy.
But that isn’t the primary purpose.
The primary purpose
is it makes my friend happy.
And happy business builders
continue to build businesses.
Add some joy
to your work day.
That happiness
might be the burst of energy
you need.
I watched
The Creator recently
(and LOVED it).
One of the many things
I enjoyed about this movie
is…
it quietly showed
that creations are a reflection
of their creator.
If we have different creators
working on similar projects,
we’ll end up with
different creations or products.
This is why one hundred writers
can receive the same writing prompt
and write one hundred very different stories.
And this is also why
I don’t worry excessively
about my ideas being stolen.
Others might take my ideas
but they can’t take my unique way
of approaching those ideas.
Creations are a reflection
of their creators.
We’re unique.
Our products will be unique
also.
A loved one
often
replays the bad decisions
in his life.
He dwells on them.
And that is causing him
to make more bad decisions.
While he’s thinking constantly
about the past,
he’s missing opportunities
in the present.
If we drive forward
while
gazing constantly
behind us,
we’ll crash.
We should glance behind us
once or twice
briefly
and then concentrate
on the road before us.
Study the past.
Learn from it.
Then take those lessons
and focus on the present
and
the future.
I visited the Universal booth
at the CES.
I tried to make conversation
with the people staffing it.
All I got was blank stares
and silence.
The person waiting behind me,
upon seeing that interaction,
turned around
and left.
The Universal employees
didn’t know who I was.
Not truly.
Sure I had a name
on my badge
but that was only one of the names
I operate under.
I could have been
someone
extremely influential.
They certainly didn’t know
who the person behind me was.
And that’s the challenge…
we don’t truly know
who people are
or what power or influence
they might have.
So be polite to everyone.
It is January 31st,
the last day
of the first month
of 2024.
Take action on
your 2024 goals/resolutions.
You don’t have to complete
any of them
today.
Merely take an additional step.
Decide on a font
for your packaging.
Make a phone call.
Uncover what type of breakfast
your target market eats.
If you feel good
after taking that small step,
consider taking another small step.
If you don’t feel good,
stop for today.
You can take another small step
tomorrow.
Take action on your goals
today.
Finish the month strong.
One of my loved ones
creates drama and fights
wherever she goes.
She visited other loved ones
over the holidays.
There were fights and drama.
Some of those loved ones
were surprised.
The drama-creating loved one
was older.
They thought
she had changed.
People rarely
if ever change.
That employee
who isn’t concerned
about being on time?
They will
never be concerned
about being on time.
Plan around that.
That partner
who does everything
at the last minute?
They will continue
to do everything
at the last minute.
Plan around that also.
People rarely change.
Work with who they are
or don’t work with them
at all.
My farming granddad
had a saying
– Make hay
while the sun shines.
Take advantage
when great circumstances
to complete certain tasks
present themselves.
For example,
when I’m in a bad mood,
I edit stories.
I don’t hesitate
to scrap entire scenes
then.
After I’ve submitted a story
to my editor
and I’m riding that energy high,
as another example,
I continue to work hard
and complete a sh*tload of promo
in advance.
Make hay
while the sun shines.
When the conditions
are great
to complete a certain task,
rearrange your schedule
and complete that task.
The trend might not always
be positive
but knowing that trend
IS our friend.
I see the downward trajectory
of my romance novel sales.
That is negative.
But knowing that trend
means I can prepare for the future.
It means I can wrap up
that business well.
As another example,
I see the downward trajectory
of rain and snow
in my area
and across the world.
That’s negative
for all of us.
But knowing that trend
means I can prepare for the future.
It means I can install solar power
to deal with
the decrease in
hydro-sourced electricity.
Knowing trends
will always benefit you.
Even or ESPECIALLY
if that trend is negative.
A reader told me
I’d sell a lot more books
if I had my books
in X format.
I need an increase
in sales
if I want to keep
the romance novel business
alive.
And my first impulse
was to do what she advised.
I talked to a loved one.
He reminded me
of all the reasons
why I don’t offer X format.
I then quashed my impulse
to offer X format now.
We’re human.
We have emotions.
And sometimes our emotions
f*ck up our lives
by pushing us
into making terrible decisions.
Choose someone
to approach
when your emotions threaten
to take control.
Choose that person now.
When your emotions
AREN’T in control.
This person should be
the voice of reason.
They shouldn’t be easily swayed
by you and your convincing arguments.
They should have the ability
to repeat all your great reasons
back to you.
Designate someone
to approach
when your emotions threaten
to take over.
You’re building
a brand new business.
You are ordering supplies
from businesses
for the first time.
You have no history
with these companies.
You haven’t yet proven
to them
you will pay your bills.
Until you’ve done that,
expect to pay
for your orders
in advance.
Negotiate these advances
to be as low
as you can.
But factor them
into your cash flow projections.
Companies will expect
you to pay in advance
for the first couple orders.
Plan for that.