A loved one saves
her best dress
or her best wine
or her best dance moves
for
a not-yet-known
special occasion.
Then she dies
before she experiences
that special occasion.
If we’re lucky to know
and love a lot of people,
we’ve heard
at least one version
of this life lesson.
It also applies
to business.
Don’t save
your best marketing ideas
or your best product
or your best speeches
for later.
Use them as soon
as they’d add
any sort of value.
The eggplants were outgrowing
the cages placed around them.
A loved one suggested
I simply take off the cages.
The eggplants should be
large enough
to fend for themselves.
I was tempted to do that.
Replacing the cages
with larger ones
was work
and required more chicken wire.
Maybe the squirrels and rabbits
wouldn’t target the eggplants
this time.
Maybe this time
would be the exception.
You and I both know
that exceptions are…
well…exceptional.
They rarely occur.
I replaced the cages.
Don’t bet
your entire business
on being the exception.
Long shot bets rarely pay off.
I often receive requests
from customers
that don’t reference me
or my books (products)
by name.
I suspect
these are a form of spam,
perhaps a way
of verifying the emails
they used
are correct
before they sell their lists.
If the request is easy
to fulfill,
I fulfill it.
The worst that could happen is
I get added to spam lists.
I already receive
a ton of spam.
The best that could happen is
I make a reader (customer)
super happy.
If the request is difficult,
I’ll fulfill it
if I believe I’ll receive
that request again.
I’ll then save that response
to copy and paste later.
If I doubt I’ll receive
that request again,
I ignore it.
Determine
how you’ll deal
with vague customer requests.
One of my buddies
tracks
what he calls
the Troll Index.
He’ll post a photo
on social media
of himself
wearing a mask.
Then he’ll count how many trolls
comment on that post.
A high number of trolls,
he’s found,
correlates to a COVID surge.
Trolls are usually paid
by entities to stop
actions from being taken.
More trolls
means more concern
those actions will be taken.
Which means
if you want
that action to be taken,
push HARDER
when the trolls are raging.
Straight white
Conservative/Republican men
are calling Kamala Harris
a childless cat lady.
They say that
as though it is a bad thing,
which is idiotic
as
being childless
and having cats
is AWESOME.
But they are saying this
to try to discourage people
from voting for
Kamala Harris
for President.
Even though
no President of the US
has EVER given birth.
Not one in the long history
of the USA.
This is misogyny, of course.
And it is a go-to insult
for that crowd
when they’re threatened
by a successful woman.
When you hear it,
know that’s what is happening
– they’re threatened by you
and they recognize you
as being successful.
Keep on doing
what you’ve been doing!
A buddy asked me
how she could convince
her very decided sister
she should worry about COVID.
I said, “I don’t know.”
But I thought,
“You don’t.”
Convincing someone
whose mind is made up
to change their mind
is EXTREMELY difficult,
if not impossible.
It takes a disaster-level event.
We’re not going to easily convince
a vegetarian to buy
our all beef hamburgers
or
a couch potato
to train for a marathon.
We COULD, however,
convince someone who is undecided.
We COULD convince
someone who eats a variety of things
to buy our all beef hamburgers
or a person
who works out when it’s fun
to train for a marathon.
Focus on the undecided.
I recently made an appointment
to have both
an echocardiogram
and a mammogram done.
The medical center
scheduled the
echocardiogram
first.
Why?
I suspect it was
because
the echocardiogram
was the much more painful
and longest procedure
of the two.
The mammogram,
by comparison,
was quick and relatively pain free.
I left the medical center
feeling positively
about my experience there.
There’s a reason
dessert is served last.
We remember the last interaction
best.
Try to ensure
that last interaction
with a customer or prospect
is positive.
A buddy got laid off
from the company
she’d been employed at
for over 15 years.
She told me
the day after that announcement
she was starting a business.
Had she been working on
starting this business
before being laid off?
No.
Not at all.
But it is a dream of hers.
Dreams are great.
Starting a business is great.
Making decisions
immediately after
a life-changing event
is not great.
No one thinks clearly then.
There’s panic and grief and anger.
All these emotions can cloud
decision making.
Wait
for a week
after major life-changes,
if you can,
before making any big decisions.
Yesterday, I talked about
how many large companies
are dismantling
their policies and programs
helping
women and minorities.
This means, of course,
women and minorities
no longer have much corporate protection.
They will be at risk of being targeted
by managers and coworkers
and
being fired for no solid reason.
If you’re a woman
or minority
working for someone else,
ensure you have your dirt file
ready.
(I wrote in detail
about the dirt file here
https://clientk.com/2023/03/05/the-dirt-file/ )
Keep copies
on non-work accessible personal devices
or print outs
of
any incriminating information
on everyone in power
at the company
you work for.
(Take photos
to make digital copies.
That is less likely
to leave a trail.)
And make preparations.
Save a bit of money.
Think about another source
of income.
Plan for a future
without your current employer.
If you are targeted,
this may make the difference
between being okay financially
and suffering.
Many large American companies
are dismantling policies
that help women
and other minorities.
Why are they doing this?
The ‘official’ reasons
are varied.
But I suspect
it is because
they don’t want to
offend the fascists.
That might not be positive
for the world
but it will likely be positive
for these companies.
It is a politically smart move.
If these companies dismantle policies
fascists don’t like
and the fascists come into power,
they are less likely
to be immediately targeted.
If another party
comes into power,
these companies will reinstate
the policies
and the party leaders
will feel they had a hand
in the positive change.
Should you,
as an entrepreneur
and small business owner,
play that political game?
It depends on you,
on your customer base,
on your plans
for dealing with fascism.