Tag: Climate Change

Tell Them Who Is Calling

Buddies tease me
because,
when I call them
on the phone,
I start with
“Hi (X)! This is (K).”

I do this
because I’m humble enough
not to expect them
to guess who I am
using my voice alone
(if they don’t have
caller ID,
and many lower income people
don’t have it
on their landlines).

I also do this
because it saves other people
the additional mental work
of trying to figure out
who is calling.

People are overloaded
with mental AND physical work
right now.

They’re still dealing with
the fallout of the pandemic.
They’re dealing with
the increasing impacts
of climate change.
They are likely understaffed
and overworked.
They have other worries.

They shouldn’t have to worry
about figuring out
who is calling them.

Extend them some grace.
Tell people
who you are
when you call them.
Don’t make them guess.

Funding IS Doing

A climate change activist
asked people on social media
what they were doing
to stop climate change.

I said I donated regularly
to Mote Marine Laboratory
to help them save coral reefs.

I was told
by multiple people
that donating money
wasn’t ‘doing.’

Being business builders,
we know
that’s complete bullsh*t.

Funding projects
is often the most important type
of doing.
It makes everything else
possible.

As Nicole Kidman
noted
about the film industry.

“I knew there were great stories
out there
for women,
but they weren’t being funded
and everyone kept saying,
‘There’s no interest…
they are going to flop’”

Money allows projects
to be completed.

Your funding,
your donating,
your sponsorship
IS doing.
You’re making a difference
in this wonderful world.

Year End Review

Every year,
on December 31st,
I review what happened
over the past year.

This year wasn’t my best.
Sales were down.
Production was down.

But that was expected.
We continue to deal
with the pandemic,
are dealing
with intensified climate change.

The big wins are…
the writing business survived
these challenges
and,
most importantly,
I survived these challenges.

Not every year
will be stellar.
Some years,
merely surviving is a huge win.

And that’s okay.
That’s part of building
a business.

If The Insurance Companies Are Worried

I have strong connections
in the insurance industry.
There’s a business reason for that.

If insurance companies
are concerned about something,
business builders should take note
of that something.

The insurance industry
deals with probabilities.
That is one of their areas
of expertise.
They have models to predict events.
They look at trends.
They track different types
of data.

If they’re concerned
about flooding in a certain area
and increase premiums there,
there will likely be flooding
in that area.

If they’re concerned
about unvaccinated workers
and increase health coverage premiums
for them,
there is a huge likelihood
those unvaccinated workers
will become seriously ill.

We should plan not only
for increased insurance premiums
but also for the actual event.
It WILL happen…eventually.

Your insurance contact’s concerns
should be your concerns.

(And we all have an insurance contact
as we all have insurance.
Many of us merely don’t talk to them.)

Track these concerns.
Treat them seriously.
Reduce surprises.

Throwing Coins Into A Fountain

On the weekend,
world leaders threw coins
into the Trevi Fountain
for good luck
in fighting climate change.

The response
from social media
was so scathing
headlines were quickly changed
and my linked reference might be erased
by the time you click on it.

Because the message that photo opp sent was
luck was the only thing
separating us
from a climate change apocalypse,
that throwing coins in a fountain
was all the world leaders
could do to stop certain doom.

Leaders need luck.
We ALL need luck.

The people we lead,
however,
expect us to do more
than hope for a lucky break.
They can do that
on their own.

People are following us
because they believe
we can supply more than luck.
They believe
we have the expertise, connections,
other resources
to keep them safe,
to help them achieve goals.

Keep the pleas for luck
to yourself
and share a solid plan
with the people
you lead.

Hoping to be lucky
is not a reassuring strategy.

Marketing Bursts

With climate change accelerating,
natural disasters will happen
more and more frequently.

Promoting during a natural disaster
is highly risky.
It is more likely
to repel prospects
than attract them.

I’m designing my marketing
for short flexible bursts
of activity.
I’ll promote like hell
during ‘good’ times
and go quiet
during ‘bad’ times.

This means I prefer shorter lead times
with marketing partners.
I book promotion
for the next day,
not the next month.

For promotion with longer lead times,
I ensure I have the ability
to cancel that promotion.

I also try to have platforms
I can control,
platforms I can promote on
during the same day.

Consider marketing bursts
and building flexibility
into your marketing.

Eat The Rich

I’ve noticed an increasing level
of anger
against the wealthy.
This disturbs me.

And I predict the anger will only
become greater.

The wealthy will be buffered
from many
of the upcoming climate change disasters.
There is greater disparity
in the US
between the incomes of
the average person
and the rich.
There will be desperation
and fear
amongst the general public
and that often leads
to revolutions.

Wealthy people
usually don’t fare well
in revolutions.

In the past,
being a nice rich person,
someone generous with her wealth
hasn’t been enough
to save that person
from harm.
All the wealthy
are seen and treated
very similarly.

What HAS saved wealthy people
in the past
is being secretly wealthy.
They live in regular homes
in regular neighborhoods
and don’t splash their cash around.
They don’t name businesses or buildings
after themselves.
They don’t broadcast their wealth.

They keep this low profile from day one
of wealth building.

The good news is
that is where many business builders are
right now – at day one.

Consider building your business
and your wealth
so your ownership of it
isn’t glaringly obvious.

And maybe don’t post
about your luxury space vacations
on social media,
especially when other people’s homes
are burning down
and/or being flooded across your home country.

Preparing For Climate Change

There are some big reports
being released this week
regarding climate change.

The news will be dismal.
Anyone who has stepped outside
already knows that.

But there ARE
resources available
showing us what we can do now
and how we can prepare for the future.

Many governments, for example,
have been
preparing reports
on the future of their biggest industries.
These reports are usually free to read.

Your industry might not be specifically mentioned.
But hearing how climate change
will impact other industries
might give you ideas
about how it will impact yours.

There are training seminars
for industry leaders.
Canada, for example,
recently held workshops
on how our ancestors
farmed successfully during droughts.

Take advantage of these resources.
Prepare.
Build your business
to be climate change adaptable.