My Advice(ədˈvīs) for Starting a Business(ˈbiznəs)

By Leo Babauta

Recently I encouraged my 13-year-old daughter Maia(ˈmīə) to start a vegan(ˈvejən,ˈvēgən) cupcake(ˈkəpˌkāk) business, and it’s so exciting to watch her get started.

As I talked to her about starting, she had some worries(ˈwərē):

She didn’t know how.
She didn’t know what kind of business to create.
She was worried she’d fail(fāl).

Do any of those sound familiar(fəˈmilyər)? Those were my worries too, when I had a day job and thought about building something of my own.

Worry about not knowing what to do, how to do it, and whether you’ll fail … these stop so many people from starting.

I’ve launched numerous(ˈn(y)o͞om(ə)rəs) ventures(ˈvenCHər), from ebooks to courses(kôrs) to my Sea Change membership program and more. Next week, I’m launching a new video interview(ˈin(t)ərˌvyo͞o) series(ˈsi(ə)rēz) called The Habits of Entrepreneurs(-ˈnər,ˌäntrəprəˈno͝or), and can barely(ˈbe(ə)rlē) wait to show it to you.

Today, I’d like to share the lessons I’ve learned about starting a business, in hopes of encouraging you to get started making something you love.

1. Look for opportunities.
2. If you can’t wait to get started, you’re onto something.
3. Start small.
4. Not starting is the biggest mistake.
5. Start a blog.
6. Don’t do SEO or social media marketing(ˈmärkədiNG) or viral(ˈvīrəl) marketing.
7. Instead, be super valuable(ˈvaly(o͞o)əbəl).
8. Start lean(lēn).
9. Advertising(ˈadvərˌtīziNG) is a bad business model(ˈmädl).
10. Forget about the numbers.
11. The joy doesn’t come later.
12. Forget perfection.
13. Screw(skro͞o) the business plan.
14. Start from home, and start with friends.
15. Focus on important things.
16. Surround yourself with interesting people.
17. Learn to be OK with not knowing.

Get started, my friends! You’ll love it.

https://zenhabits.net/startup/

Sidelines(ˈsīdˌlīn)

INT: A KARATE(kəˈrädē) TOURNAMENT(ˈto͝or-,ˈtərnəmənt).

Mandy is standing outside the ring, watching two teenage(ˈtēnˌāj) boys fight(fīt).

MANDY

It seems so stupid that I used to go out with Danny. I mean, he’s aggressive(əˈgresiv), rude(ro͞od), hostile(ˈhästl,ˈhäˌstīl), and is constantly(ˈkänst(ə)ntlē) beating up people weaker than he is. I guess what I was looking for was the possibility, however small, of being noticed by my peers. Of being accepted. After all, you have to notice and accept Danny for who he is, otherwise he punches(pənCH) you. A lot. But what does that say about me, if I’ll just go out with a guy because he’s a big goon(go͞on) who throws his weight(wāt
) around? If he uses his karate skills to instill(inˈstil) fear in those around him?

And now Danny’s fighting Billy(ˈbilē). I never would have talked to Billy a few months ago. I mean, I’d seen him watching me, which was kind of creepy(ˈkrēpē), but he was just so nerdy(ˈnərdē) and spineless(ˈspīnləs). Would you want to befriend someone who was sort of apathetically(ˌapəˈTHedək(ə)lē) stalking(stôk) you? I sure didn’t. But then, I don’t know. He learned karate and he stopped Danny from beating(ˈbēdiNG) up that weird(wi(ə)rd) little kid in gym(jim) class. And I started to really examine(igˈzamən) my behavior. Like, why wasn’t I standing up for other people? Why was I perpetuating(pərˈpeCHəˌwāt) this belief that people like Danny deserve to be in charge? Billy started to be someone I could look up to. Someone I actually wanted to talk to.

I don’t even know if I like like Billy, but I’m guessing this champion(ˈCHampēən) competition(ˌkämpəˈtiSHən) will determine(dəˈtərmən) it. Either way, I should probably end up with one of these guys. I hope it’s Billy. But if he loses, I guess I’ll settle(ˈsedl) for Danny. The world rotates(ˈrōˌtāt), the seasons change, but everything stays the same.

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/219/219-h/219-h.htm

Reed College Mission(ˈmiSHən) and History

About Reed College

Since its founding in 1908(nineteen O eight) as an independent undergraduate institution(ˌinstəˈt(y)o͞oSH(ə)n), Reed College has remained steadfast(ˈstedˌfast) to one central(ˈsentrəl) commitment(kəˈmitmənt): to provide a balanced, comprehensive(ˌkämprəˈhensiv) education in liberal(ˈlib(ə)rəl) arts and sciences, fulfilling the highest standards of intellectual(ˌin(t)əˈlek(t)SH(o͞o)əl) excellence. Reed offers a liberal arts education of high quality under unusually favorable(ˈfāv(ə)rəbəl) conditions, including a challenging(ˈCHalənjiNG) curriculum(kəˈrikyələm) involving wide reading, conference(ˈkänf(ə)rəns)- and laboratory(ˈlabrəˌtôrē)-based teaching in small groups, and a student body motivated(ˈmōdəˌvāt) by enthusiasm(enˈTHo͞ozēˌazəm) for serious intellectual work.

Mission of the College

Reed College is an institution of higher education in the liberal arts devoted(dəˈvōdəd) to the intrinsic(inˈtrinzik, inˈtrinsik) value of intellectual pursuit and governed by the highest standards of scholarly(ˈskälərlē) practice, critical(ˈkridək(ə)l) thought, and creativity(ˌkrēāˈtivədē). Its undergraduate program of study, leading to the degree of Bachelor(ˈbaCH(ə)lər) of Arts, is demanding and intense(inˈtens) and balances breadth(bredTH) of knowledge across the curriculum with depth(depTH) of knowledge in a particular field of study. The goal of the Reed education is that students learn and demonstrate rigor(ˈrigər) and independence in their habits of thought, inquiry(ˈinkwərē, inˈkwī(ə)rē), and expression(ikˈspreSHən).

…
https://www.reed.edu/about_reed/history.html

Watching lots of TV may worsen(ˈwərsən) memory in older people

By Clare(kle(ə)r) Wilson(ˈwilsən)

It is normally children whose screen time comes under fire(fīr) – but should we be more worried about their grandparents? The more TV that older people watch, the more their memory declines(dəˈklīn) over the next few years on average.

Previous studies have found links between TV viewing(ˈvyo͞oiNG) and older people’s physical(ˈfizikəl) and mental(ˈmentl) abilities, but this is usually put down to the fact that watching TV involves sitting(ˈsidiNG) down, and it is unhealthy(ˌənˈhelTHē) to be sedentary(ˈsednˌterē) for long periods(ˈpi(ə)rēəd) of time. But Daisy(ˈdāzē) Fancourt of University College London wondered if there was something more going on.

Her team looked at results from a large study of 3600 people with an average age of 67 at the start, called the English Longitudinal(ˌlänjəˈt(y)o͞od(ə)nəl) Study of Ageing. Starting in 2008, participants(pärˈtisəpənt) had an array(əˈrā) of health(helTH) and cognitive(ˈkäɡnədiv) tests, and answered questions about their lifestyle, then went through it again six years later(ˈlādər).

As expected, people who sat in front of the box for longer had a bigger decline in their ability to remember words. Those who watched TV for more than 3.5 hours a day had a fall in their verbal(ˈvərbəl) memory of between 8 and 10 per cent, compared with a 4 to 5 per cent decline for those who saw less than that.

…
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2195314-watching-lots-of-tv-may-worsen-memory-in-older-people/

Creativity(ˌkrēāˈtivədē) for Smart People

By Steve Pavlina

According to a well-known stereotype(ˈsterēəˌtīp,ˈsti(ə)r-), left-handed* people such as myself are supposedly(səˈpōzədlē) more creative(krēˈādiv) than right-handed people.

For example, in the previous(ˈprēvēəs) sentence(ˈsentns), I just alienated(ˈālyə-,ˈālēəˌnāt) most of my readers while simultaneously(ˌsīməlˈtānēəslē) giving myself a compliment(ˈkämpləmənt) — pretty creative, eh?

I don’t know if that stereotype has any basis(ˈbāsəs) in reality, but when I learned about it as a child, I assumed that because I was left-handed, I was supposed to be highly creative. That was the rule, right? I never thought to question it, so creativity became a big part of my value system from an early age.

Creativity has its downsides, but on balance it has served me extremely(ikˈstrēmlē) well over the years. Perhaps the biggest benefit (and curse(kərs)) is that it’s pushed me to do some very unorthodox(ˌənˈôrTHəˌdäks) things, which has certainly(ˈsərtnlē) made my life interesting. Because the value of creativity is so strongly conditioned(kənˈdiSHən) in me, if the majority(-ˈjär-,məˈjôrətē) of people are doing something, I almost automatically want to avoid it and do something else.

Most people have jobs and salaries(ˈsalərē), so I avoid that like the plague(plāg). Most people are afraid(əˈfrād) of public speaking, so naturally(ˈnaCHərəlē) I love it. Most people eat animals(ˈanəməl), so I go vegan(ˈvejən,ˈvēgən). I’m just a cesspool(ˈsesˌpo͞ol) of contrarianism(kənˈtre(ə)rēənˌnizəm).

When someone zigs(zig), I automatically(ˌôdəˈmadiklē) want to zag(zag). In my teenage(ˈtēnˌāj) years, I often made this choice irrationally(i(r)ˈraSHənlē, i(r)ˈraSHnəlē), such as when zagging was dangerous or destructive(dəˈstrəktiv). I soon learned that being different just for the sake(sāk,ˈsäkē) of being different isn’t very smart. So after a few years of painful zags, I eventually(əˈven(t)SH(o͞o)əlē) learned to rein(rān) in my creativity and temper(ˈtempər) it with some common sense(sens) zigs.

But if you can avoid being irrational when a common sense solution is superior(səˈpirēər) to a creative one, then developing your creativity can be a personal development goldmine(ˈɡōl(d) ˌmīn). It certainly(ˈsərtnlē) has been for me.

…
https://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2006/03/creativity-for-smart-people/

I want the genteel(jenˈtēl) friendships my grandmother curated(-ˌrāt,ˈkyo͝orət,ˈkyo͝oˌrāt)

By Joyce(jois) Thompson

Their names were Lillian and Mary(ˈme(ə)rē). They lived on neighbouring(ˈnābəriNG) farms for over 40 years and while I was witness(ˈwitnəs) to their friendship, I never heard them call each other anything but Mrs. Ireton(irəˈdən) and Mrs. Thompson.

It was common in rural(ˈro͝orəl) Ontario(änˈte(ə)rēˌō) in the 1940s for three generations to live under one roof as was the case in my early years. An aspect(ˈaspekt) of that was captured by Margaret(ˈmärɡ(ə)rət) Lawrence(ˈlär-,ˈlôrəns) in The Stone Angel(ˈānjəl). “Privacy(ˈprīvəsē) is a privilege(ˈpriv(ə)lij) not granted to the aged or the young,” she wrote. “Sometimes very young children can look at the old, and a look passes between them, conspiratorial(kənˌspirəˈtôrēəl), sly(slī) and knowing.” Even though I had two parents, brothers and sisters, I tagged after Gran(gran) in particular. Mostly, I just watched her, starting in the morning as she brushed(brəSHt) her long hair(he(ə)r), braided(brād) it neatly(ˈnētlē) and pinned(pin) it into a bun(bən). She was good at so much. She could sew(sō) and knit(nit) and cook and make butter and lye(lī) soap(sōp). She and my mother grew a fine garden and baked(bākt) every day in the big farm kitchen.

The one event that I never wanted to miss was a visit from Mrs. Ireton. She and Gran visited each other’s homes monthly for many years. They did not belong to the same church and, therefore, not to the same ladies groups, but their friendship was solid(ˈsäləd) and lasting.

…
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/first-person/article-i-want-the-genteel-friendships-my-grandmother-curated/

Older Americans(əˈmerəkən) Are Awash(əˈwäSH,əˈwôSH) in Antibiotics(ˌantēbīˈätik)

The drugs(drəg) are not just overprescribed(ˌōvərprəˈskrīb). They often pose(pōz) special risks to older patients, including tendon(ˈtendən) problems, nerve(nərv) damage(ˈdamij) and mental(ˈmentl) health issues(ˈiSHo͞o).

By Paula Span

Last month, Caryn Isaacs went to see her primary(ˈprīm(ə)rē,ˈprīˌmerē) care doctor for her annual(ˈanyo͞oəl) Medicare(ˈmediˌke(ə)r) wellness visit. A patient advocate(ˈadvəkət) who lives in Manhattan(manˈhatn,mən-), Ms. Isaacs, 68, felt perfectly fine and expected a clean bill of health.

But her doctor, who’d ordered a variety(vəˈrīətē) of blood(bləd) and urine(ˈyo͝orən) tests, said she had a urinary(ˈyo͝orəˌnerē) tract(trakt) infection(inˈfekSHən) and prescribed(prəˈskrīb) an antibiotic.

“The nurse(nərs) said, ‘Can you take Cipro?’” Ms. Isaacs recalled. “I didn’t have any reason not to, so I said yes.”

There are actually plenty(ˈplen(t)ē) of reasons for older people to avoid Cipro and other antibiotics known as fluoroquinolones(ˌflo͝orōˈkwinlˌōn,ˌflôrō-), which have prompted(prämpt) warnings from the Food and Drug Administration(ədˌminəˈstrāSHən) about their risks of serious(ˈsi(ə)rēəs) side effects.

And there are good reasons to avoid any antibiotic when bacteria(ˌbakˈtirēəm) are detected(dəˈtekt) in a urine(ˈyo͝orən) culture in a patient who has no other signs of infection. So-called asymptomatic(ˌāsim(p)təˈmatik) bacteriuria(bakˌti(ə)rēˈyo͝orēə) increases with age, but these women(ˈwimin) are not sick(sik) and don’t need drugs, so medical guidelines recommend against routine(ro͞oˈtēn) screening or treatment.

Yet Ms. Isaac’s prescription(prəˈskripSH(ə)n) was hardly unusual. Despite(dəˈspīt) ongoing campaigns(kamˈpān) by the Centers for Disease(dəˈzēz) Control(kənˈtrōl) and Prevention(prəˈven(t)SH(ə)n) and other public health groups, older Americans still take too many antibiotics.

…
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/15/health/antibiotics-elderly-risks.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share

Turn Your Weekends Into Mini-Vacations(vāˈkāSHən,və-)

You don’t need to leave town to think about your days of rest in a way that sends you back to work on Monday a happier person

By Sue(so͞o) Shellenbarger(sha,lənbərgər)

There’s a reason most people return to work Monday feeling no better than they did Friday afternoon.

Fatigue(fəˈtēg) and stress on the job are problems for two out of three workers, and weekends usually aren’t much help, studies show.

New research suggests a surprisingly(sərˈprīziNGlē) simple solution: Pretend(prəˈtend) your weekend is a vacation.

People instructed to adopt(əˈdäpt) a vacation mind-set on the weekend returned to work feeling happier and more refreshed(rəˈfreSH), without spending any additional(əˈdiSHənl) money or time off, according to research on nearly 1,000 full-time workers at the University(ˌyo͞onəˈvərsədē) of California(ˌkaləˈfôrnyə), Los Angeles. Although participants(pärˈtisəpənt) spent a little more time on eating and intimacy(ˈintəməsē) with loved ones, researchers found after controlling the results for specific(spəˈsifik) behaviors that just one factor—their increased focus on the present(ˈprezənt) moment, or mindfulness—predicted(prəˈdikt) greater happiness.

“Merely(ˈmi(ə)rlē) shifting(ˈSHiftiNG) how you’re thinking can have these wonderful effects on your emotional(əˈmōSH(ə)n(ə)l) experience and your time,” says Cassie Mogilner(mōˈgilˈnər) Holmes(hōmz), a researcher on the project, which was described(dəˈskrīb) in January(ˈjanyəˌwerē) in the Harvard Business Review. Dr. Mogilner Holmes is an associate(əˈsōsēˌāt, əˈsōSHēˌāt) professor of marketing(ˈmärkədiNG) at UCLA’s Anderson(ˈandərsən) School of Management(ˈmanijmənt) and a leading researcher on happiness.

…
https://www.wsj.com/articles/turn-your-weekends-into-mini-vacations-11553606806

Care about your customers| more than about yourself

By Derek Sivers

At a conference(ˈkänf(ə)rəns) in Los Angeles(lôs ˈanjələs), someone in the audience asked me, “What if every musician| just set up their own store| on their own website? Since that’d be the death of CD Baby, how do you plan to stop that?”

I said, “Honestly(ˈänəstlē), I don’t care about CD Baby. I only care about the musicians. If some day, musicians don’t need CD Baby anymore, that’s great! I’ll just shut it down| and get back to making music.”

He was shocked(SHäk). He had never heard a business(ˈbiznəs) owner| say he didn’t care about the survival(sərˈvīvəl) of his company.

To me, it was just common sense. Of course you should care about your customers| more than you care about yourself! Isn’t that rule #1 of providing(prəˈvīdiNG) a good service? It’s all about them, not you.

But even well-meaning companies| accidentally(ˌaksəˈden(t)(ə)lē) get trapped(trap) in survival mode. A business is started to solve a problem. But if the problem was truly solved, that business would no longer be needed! So the business| accidentally or unconsciously| keeps the problem around| so that they can keep solving it for a fee.

(I don’t want to pick on anyone’s favorite pharmaceutical(ˌfärməˈso͞odək(ə)l) company or online productivity subscription(səbˈskripSH(ə)n) tools, so let’s just say| that any business that’s in business| to sell you a cure(kyo͝or)| is motivated(ˈmōdəˌvāt)| not to focus on prevention(prəˈven(t)SH(ə)n).)

It’s kind of like the grand fables where the hero needs to be prepared to die| to save the day. Your company| should be willing to die| for your customers.

That’s the Tao(dou,tou) of business: Care about your customers| more than about yourself, and you’ll do well.

https://sivers.org/caremore

expecting(ikˈspekt) the good

what to expect?

By Henry H. Walker

“When I was a student here,
the teachers| expected us| to be good,
and we had to change their minds| to be bad.”

he found other schools he has known
to expect the kids to be bad
and teachers| have to be surprised| by the good,

this from a student from early
in the days of Carolina(ˌkarəˈlīnə) Friends School,
a description| of how I see the students still,
like my grandmother, expecting the best,
and that expectation(ˌekspekˈtāSHən)| helping the best| to release(rəˈlēs) itself.

https://henryspoetry.blogspot.com/2019/03/expecting-good.html