Category: New Business Development

Review Your 2024 Goals

There’s still time
to achieve
or, at the very least,
make a good start on,
some of your 2024 goals.

The first step
is to review them.

Are they still relevant?
Do you still WANT
to achieve them?

Then pick one
and take a step
toward achieving that goal.

Pick a font color
for the new product
you plan to launch.

Interview someone
in the industry
you plan to launch
your new business
in.

Watch the
#1 TV Show
the target market
you plan to sell to
watches.

Take a step
toward your 2024 goals.

Two Months Until Christmas

It is October 25th.

There are two months
remaining until Christmas
and, for many small businesses,
this is our busiest
and our most lucrative time of year.

And this boom is happening
NOW.

50% of Americans
plan to start
their Christmas shopping
before the end of October.

And they plan
to shop…a LOT.

In 2022,
the average American
spent $833
on Christmas shopping.

Gifts are the biggest investment,
followed by seasonal items.

The Christmas rush
is starting.
Ramp up for it.

The Danger Of Disconnecting

I have a book to write
(a product to design).

Bad news kills my creativity
and there is plenty of bad news
from across the country
and around the world.

I’ll have to disconnect
to write the book.
But, with all the extreme weather,
that’s dangerous.

So what I’ve done
is give
a trustworthy
dependable loved one
the job
of telling me
if I need to take action.

He will inform me
if I should evacuate
or
board up my home
or take any other
emergency action.

If you need to disconnect,
ensure someone you trust
remains connected
and is able to contact you.

These are the turbulent times
we’re living in.

If You Partner With A Liar…

A friend of mine
partnered with someone
on a project.

I warned her
that someone was a liar
and ethically challenged.

She told me
their partnership was special.
He might lie to other people
but he wouldn’t lie to her.
She believed
SHE would be the exception.

Of course,
she wasn’t the exception.

The someone
lied and cheated her also.

Because that is what he does
– he lies and he cheats.

Liars lie.

Don’t expect them
to tell you the truth.

And don’t expect them
to be ethical.

Proceed with caution.

Electricity Rates WILL Increase

The electricity rates
in my area
are extremely low
but
I know that will soon change.

Why?

Because AI uses
a sh*tload of electricity
and companies
are building AI into everything.

Demand for electricity
will soon go through the roof
and supply will struggle
to keep up.

Which means
the cost of electricity
will increase.

If the business you’re building
uses very little electricity,
your costs shouldn’t increase
significantly.

If your business
DOES use a lot of electricity,
try to figure out a way
to either decrease that usage
or provide your own source
of electricity.

Electricity rates
will increase.
Plan for that.

Starting Fresh

I can’t eat
wheat products anymore.

So I am baking
with almond flour.

Almond flour,
according to
the suppliers’ claims,
can be swapped
1:1
with regular flour.

I did that
in my existing recipes.

That change was a disaster.

I could tweak those recipes
to make the almond flour work.
But that’s a lot of work.

It is much easier
to discard the old wheat flour recipes
and use recipes
already altered for the almond flour.

We all make this similar mistake.
We try to make
a new reality
fit into our old lifestyles.

We work from
9 to 5 on our businesses
even though
our customers
prefer we work
from 5 to 10.

We ‘pay’ ourselves
on Fridays
even though
that’s one of the busiest days
at the bank
and we could pay ourselves
at any time.

We eat a sandwich
for lunch
even though
we work at home
and could eat ANYTHING
we wanted.

Let go
of habits
that once worked for you
but now make your life harder.

Start fresh.
Use a new set of
‘recipes’
designed for your new situation.

How Not To Have Your Words Or Actions Used Against You In Court

Don’t put d@mning things
in writing.

Don’t email that sh*t.
Don’t text it.
Don’t send it
by pony express.

It WILL go public
and
it WILL be used
against you
at some point.

With everyone having
a recording device
(i.e. their phones),
he77,
it is best
not to say
d@mning sh*t
also.

F*ck.
Just don’t think it.

If you are worried
something you do or say
might be used against you
in court,
don’t do or say it.

That’s the simplest solution.

Figure out another way
to achieve your goals.
A legal ethic way.

If You Can Help Someone…

I usually have
a YouTube video
playing in the background
on mute
as I work.

I’ve created a playlist
of videos
by creators
who are seeking
sponsors.

And I play that playlist.

These creators
attract sponsors
and earn funds
from their sponsors
based on how many subscribers
they have.

They gain more subscribers
if YouTube shows
their videos to more people.

YouTube shows
their videos to more people
if more people watch them
(it is circular, I know).

So I ‘watch’ their videos.
That costs me
very little
and it helps these creators out.

Is that ‘cheating’
the system?

Yes.
But all helping
is cheating the system.

My friends buy my books
to help my Amazon rankings
so Amazon shows my books
to more people.
That’s technically cheating also.

If you can help someone
and it costs you
very little,
help them.

Make their world
a better place.

Order Your Supplies Now

Order any supplies
and other business essential goods
you’ll need
for the next four or five months
(at the minimum)
now.

Multiple wars are intensifying.
Climate change disasters are happening.
COVID and other pandemics
continue to impact…well…everything.
There’s political turmoil.
And other global issues.

Supply chains
will be strained
yet again
this year.

Shipments will be delayed
or won’t happen at all.
Production will be hampered.
Labor will be limited.

Order your supplies
now.

In Case Of Emergency

If there’s an emergency
in your area
and
your business
doesn’t have patrons
it must continue to serve
(i.e. it isn’t housing people
or treating people),
close your business
for the day,
pay your employees
for that day
and
allow them to go home
and be with their loved ones.

If you can’t afford
to do that,
your business isn’t viable.

You are responsible
for your employees
during emergencies.

If they die
or get hurt
on the job,
you could and SHOULD
get sued into the ground.

And the odds they’ll be hurt
increases.

Because your employees
aren’t focusing on their jobs
or your business.

They’re worrying about loved ones
and getting home.

And they are resenting
your business
for causing them
additional stress.

That will come back
to bite you in the a$$
later
in ways you’ll likely
never fully realize.

Don’t be an a$$hat.

Send employees home
during emergencies.