Tag: covid

Write It Down

With repeated COVID infections
all damaging the brain
combined
with all the disasters
worrying and distracting us,
the world is getting
stupider.

We have to offset
that stupid.

How?

One solid tactic
is to write down everything
and to force those around us
– employees, partners, suppliers –
to write things down also.

Document systems,
strategies, customer interactions,
cold calling scripts,
everything that is important
to the running of our businesses.

Then make it easy
for people to access
that information.
Ensure databases are accessible
and searchable.

Write everything critical
down.
You’ll need that documentation.

Track Accomplishments

Yesterday, I shared
that I review past accomplishments
to increase my energy and confidence levels
before tackling a new project.

You might be thinking
you don’t have any accomplishments.

Of course,
you have accomplishments.
You have survived up until this moment,
haven’t you?

Heck, you are surviving
a f*ckin’ pandemic!

And you have other accomplishments.

If you’re reading this post,
you can read.
Not everyone has tackled that skill.

You can source
food and water and other things
necessary for living.

I could give you a list
a hundred posts long
of your accomplishments.

But I shouldn’t have to
craft this list for you.

YOU should craft it.
And you should add
to this accomplishment list
after you accomplish something new.

You have accomplishments.
If you are questioning this,
the accomplishment you’re lacking
is tracking your accomplishments.

Maintain a list
of all your accomplishments.

Watch What Leaders Do

The WHO quietly upgraded
all their ventilation systems
in 2020
while proclaiming to the world
COVID wasn’t airborne.

They KNEW it was airborne.

(Now, they’re claiming
they couldn’t say that
because the entire world
couldn’t upgrade their ventilation systems
and having only wealthy countries
do that
wouldn’t be ‘fair.’)

Leaders lie.
They lie constantly.

Their words,
their advice
often has very little meaning.

There’s a meme
floating around the internet
that when leaders say
not to panic,
that is when we should panic.

That meme isn’t a joke.
It is reality.

Watch what leaders DO.
Are they quietly taking action?
Take that same action.

‘Cause we know
they’ll save their own lives,
guard their own cash,
protect their own businesses
first.

Watch what leaders do.

The Big Sales Push

Bad times are approaching.

COVID is still here.
Candida auris is spreading so quickly
and is so deadly
reports about it are being suppressed.
Bird flu is about to go supernova.

And those are merely
the pandemic-like threats.

What does this mean
for business builders?

We prepare.

And we sell as much as possible
as quickly as possible.

Strive for December-like sales
in May and June.

Market like wild.
Sell like you’ve never sold
in the past.
Bank those sales
and those profits.

Lean times are coming.
Fill that bank account.

What To Expect Now With Business Travel

I fly quite a bit.

And I’ve noticed
two things that have happened
on 90% of the flights
I’ve taken.

There’s a medical emergency
during the flight.

What this means
for other flyers is
there WILL be
a delay getting off the plane
as medical personnel
transport
the afflicted person.

Factor that
into your schedule.

There will also be
turbulence.

What this means
for other flyers is
there will likely be
interrupted or cancelled
drink and/or meal service.

Take your own water
and your own snacks.

I refill a water bottle
after I go through security.

Business travel is often necessary.
Take steps to ensure
it is as comfortable as possible.

Disconnecting From Reality

My Boomer Mom carefully curates
everything she sees and hears.

She doesn’t want unhappy news
so she deliberately
filters it out.

She lives in
a happy alternative world
where war and pandemics
and climate change
aren’t threats.

She is vaguely aware they exist
but she doesn’t believe
they will impact her
and she doesn’t want
to hear about them.

She’s not alone
in doing this.

As the world becomes
more and more challenging,
more people will try
to disconnect from it.

As business builders,
we don’t have that luxury.

Remaining connected
to the world
and to reality
will be key
to our success.

Resist the urge
to disconnect from reality.

Politics And Leadership

A buddy shared
that the government
isn’t worried about bird flu
or COVID or Candida auris
or any of the other health issues
floating around.

Why should we be worried?

Government leaders
and heads of government agencies
are concerned most
about being re-elected
and/or keeping their jobs.

That is their number one goal.

Protecting the average person
including the average small business owner
is secondary…at best.

And voters don’t want
to hear about pandemics
or wearing masks
or taking other precautions.

So leaders,
intent on being re-elected,
aren’t going to talk about it.

We have to make our own decisions
for ourselves
and for our businesses.

The government
will advise doing the bare minimum.

Do that bare minimum.
But also consider
doing more.

Because the government
won’t bail out
our small business a$$es
if employees or customers
sue us into the ground.

Protect yourself.

Call To Confirm Attendance

A buddy of mine
is getting married this year.

She sent out the invitations.

Only 10% of the guests
RSVPed by the deadline.

That isn’t an unexpected result.

When I hosted events
before COVID,
I had to call
most of the invited guests
to confirm they were attending.

Now, we’re dealing
with people with COVID brain.
They can’t remember sh*t.

So not only do we have to
call to confirm they plan
to attend events
but we also have to
call to remind them
to attend them.

Factor that into
your planning.

Make It Easier For Partners

Getting any tasks done
right now,
with the multiple pandemics
happening,
is challenging.

People are taking time off
for illness.
Or, often worse,
they’re working while ill.

There’s low energy
and brains are fuzzy.

So if I want something done
and I’m feeling great,
I make it as easy
as possible
for the other person
to complete the task.

I clear the working space,
for example.
I provide all the information
they’d need
in one easy document.
I list the tasks
that need to be completed.
I do as much as possible
myself.

And that increases
the probability
tasks will be completed.

Make assigned tasks
as easy as possible
for your partners
to complete.

There’s Little Upside To Becoming Ill

One of my dumba$$ friends
told me
he planned to intentionally
get measles
so he could build his immunity up.

Measles is a BAD disease.
There’s a risk of dying,
of going blind,
of being ill for the rest
of our lives.

And it makes people VERY ill
in the short run.

Who the f*ck has time for that?

I’ve got sh*t to do.
Give me a vaccine shot
and let me get back to work.

There’s very little upside
to becoming ill.
There’s a f*ckload of downside.
Including death.

And being ill sucks
valuable time
we could use to build businesses
and change the world.

Take a hard pass
on intentionally infecting yourself.