When I garden,
I know that a portion
of the harvest
will go to the squirrels
and other wildlife
and
another portion
of the harvest
will go to slugs
and other insect life.
I plan for this.
I sow extra seeds.
I grow extra plants.
Losses are to be expected
in business also.
Some of your products
will be damaged
or defective.
Some of your customers
won’t pay their bills.
Plan for this.
Sell or produce extra.
A dear friend caught COVID
two weeks ago.
It took her a week
to semi-recover.
Now, she’s caught COVID
AGAIN.
Some of the newest variants
can be caught
every two weeks.
Think about that.
We might be infected
every two weeks.
It takes a week
to semi-recover.
Even without considering
long term impacts,
that means being ill
50% or half the time.
That would REALLY
f*ck with our productivity
and our value of life.
While we’re waiting
for society
to take action
on cleaning the air
in indoor spaces,
we should wear
masks.
We have businesses
to build.
We can’t afford
to be ill 50% of the time.
Starting a business
in today’s
pandemic, climate change,
and
fascist
stricken world
is
admittedly a challenge.
But starting a business
has NEVER been easy.
In one of my niches,
I started
before there was
a market for the niche.
I started with
a couple readers (customers)
and the same number
of competitors.
I would approach readers
one by one
in other niches
and sell them
on my niche
and my books.
Today,
the challenge is
the market for the niche
is TOO crowded.
But the market also
has quite a few readers (customers).
And I no longer have to convince
prospects
that the niche is worth trying.
Don’t allow
the challenges
of today’s business environment
to stop you
from making your dreams
a reality.
They CAN be overcome.
As different challenges
have been overcome
by others
in the past.
Florida is no longer
safe
for women (and many other people)
to visit.
The new bathroom laws,
allowing people
to examine your genitals
if you’re ACCUSED of being trans,
alone
make it hostile.
What does this mean
for business builders?
If your business
is situated
in Florida,
you are unlikely
to attract
out-of-State female talent.
Tourism will decrease.
Don’t count on that
as a source
of customers.
Conventions held
in Florida
will see a decrease
in female attendees.
It isn’t safe
to ask employees
or partners
to travel there.
Consider all this
when you’re planning
an event
or
doing other business
in Florida.
Did something irritate
the f*ck out of you
today?
Are you not alone
regarding that irritation?
If the answer to
both these questions is
yes,
that’s AWESOME news.
Eliminating that irritation
could be
a great idea
for a business.
My most successful
and bestselling stories
have been the stories
that fill a gap
that bothers me.
Maybe a certain type
of character’s story
is missing.
Or a concept isn’t explained.
I ‘solve’ that problem
for myself
and others.
And I get paid
to do that.
Use the things
that irritate you
as inspiration
for your next product or service.
I am wrong.
Often.
Everyone is wrong.
Often.
Because we’re all making decisions
with only partial information.
And sometimes that information
is incorrect.
None of us
have all the information.
Situations are constantly
changing.
What is right today
might be wrong tomorrow.
When was the last time
you were wrong?
If that hasn’t happened
recently,
you’re likely
clinging to some bad decisions.
Reevaluate your processes
and increase your odds
of success.
My Mom has a rule
– if we go to her home
for a visit,
we can’t merely see
some of the Aunties and Uncles.
We have to see
ALL of the them
or NONE of them.
This rule was set
so none of the Aunties and Uncles
felt bad
when they weren’t visited.
I go to my Mom’s home
for a couple days at a time.
I can’t possibly see
all the Aunties and Uncles
during that time.
So I see none.
I’ve seen none of them
for decades.
We often have to risk
upsetting one target market
to better serve our main target market.
If we post a graphic
featuring kittens,
for example,
we risk upsetting the puppy lovers.
But if we don’t
take that risk,
we can end up
serving no one.
Take the risk.
Some dumba$$es are refusing
to wear masks
in areas thick with smoke.
They took a
no mask stance
for COVID
and
they’re applying that
to EVERY situation.
They’re f*cking up
their health
because they won’t
reevaluate their decisions
when situations change.
We do this in business also.
We decide never to use
a supplier,
for exampl,e
because we don’t like the owner.
The ownership changes
and we continue
to not use the supplier.
Because we are too stubborn
or lazy
to reevaluate the situation.
And that might cost us
money and/or other resources.
When a situation changes,
revisit decisions
related to that situation.
I told a loved one
that I needed 24 hours notice
before traveling.
I have businesses to run
and I need that time
to activate processes
so these businesses
can operate without me.
Calculate
how much notice
you’d need
in certain situations.
Try to reduce
that notice duration.
The quicker you can pivot,
the more successful
you and your business
will likely be.
Inform key partners
about the notice period.
And stick to it.
You likely can’t drop everything
this very moment
to do something.
That would result
in a disaster.
How much notice
do you need?
A neighbor put in a garden
last year
for the first time.
He removed the grass,
tilled the soil,
added soil,
edged the garden
and completed hundreds
of other tasks.
This year,
he decided not to garden
because he didn’t have time.
He already invested
most of the time!
A second year garden
is easy in comparison.
This is true of any start ups,
including businesses.
The first year
is usually the most labor intensive.
It takes the most time.
You’re already doing
or have done
the hardest part.
Don’t give up!