The Absolute Best Tax Deduction for Small Businesses: Hiring Your Kids

Photo by Paul Efe on Pexels

If you have a business, then you are likely missing out on a goldmine of benefits and tax deductions. Let me ask you: do you have kids? Do they help out? Do you pay them? If so, they should be your employees!

To be honest, I didn’t figure this goldmine out until our kids were teens and I’m still kicking myself for not hiring them sooner. This is because every cent I paid them I could have written off as a business expense. It wasn’t until I only had a few years left that it dawned on me that I could do this.

Before hiring them, I had already been paying them for years. It was usually with gift cards, extra toys, fast food, or plain cash. But none of it was official, so I lost out on many years’ worth of tax deductions.

So don’t make the mistake I did. If you have a business, hire your kids now!

Why I Didn’t Hire Them Sooner – Probably Your Reasons Too

I’ve heard all the excuses. Every small business owner I have interviewed or spoken to over the years repeats these to me. Tell me if you’ve heard these, or if you are thinking them right now as you read this.

• I was too busy to bother. Actually, my employed kids saved me far more time than if I hadn’t hired them.

• I didn’t think it would help my bottom line much. Boy was I wrong.

• I didn’t think my kids would benefit much either. Again, what a mistake to think so.

• I thought that it would create a red flag on my tax returns. It didn’t.

• I thought it was going to be difficult, with lots of paperwork and more stuff that I would have to manage. After a little online research, I found out it was all pretty easy.

There is a ton of information online about hiring your kids and like all online sources, not all of it is useful, while much of it is a sales pitch. In the end, the good info gets lost in the junk. The more I researched it myself, the more I became demoralized.

So instead of providing links to all the info I’m going to share how I hired my kids. I believe the best way to learn is by following the examples of others more so than what they tell you. Many online sources are also rather general, and they may not mean much to your specific business. For those reasons, examples are better than lectures.

Let’s address each concern, in order. But before I do, let me add a quick disclaimer:

It goes without saying that each family business is different. Tax questions can become complicated. I am not a tax advisor or an accountant, I am only describing the decisions I made for my specific business. Please consult with your own accountant to make sure you manage deductions, and your business tax returns properly. Much of this stuff was way over my head too, so I relied on professionals for advice, and some of that I am sharing below.

Being Too Busy

We are all busy, and I was running my own business as well as assisting with three other businesses when I started this. It turns out that when you are being pulled into different directions, one of the best things you can do is hire someone to take over one of these directions for you.

So that’s what I did. I “assigned” one of my big projects to one of my kids. I knew it would be more than they could handle, but I would be there to guide and train. To my surprise, my son took the task by the horns. He taught himself new skills, he took initiative, and he alleviated something that was more of a burden when I was doing it all myself.

The important thing is to trust that your kids are resourceful and smart. More often than not, they will rise to the challenge, much in the same way a non-family employee might. They might even see things you may miss and actually improve things for the better – youthful eyes have advantages.

Now this isn’t always the case, but if your kids have already been working in the business by “helping out” they undoubtedly already have the experience they need to step into the job. What I found is that my kids saved me time once I trusted them with more responsibility – whether it was designing a new website or packing products for shipping.

I was able to grow the business significantly as a result of these time savings. I sold more products and provided more services as a result of having the extra help. Since my kids had already learned so much from the business before I formally hired them, I also did not need to spend time training them. The training I did provide was above and beyond what they had done before.

Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash

Helping My Bottom Line

As I mentioned before, I was already paying my kids before I hired them. While this is an important factor, I think this is not uncommon with small family-owned businesses. Once I officially hired them, I had a deductible expense that I could claim on my taxes that same year: their wages. So, for example, if I paid each child $3500 that year, this is $7000 in income that I could deduct from my taxable profits.

Of course, this only makes sense if the labor that your children do also generates more income. For me, it absolutely did. One single account that I added that year was worth half of my labor expenses. I also increased product sales significantly that year. This would not have been possible without their hard work in making that happen.

There are other benefits you should consider that make hiring one’s children better than hiring non-family members. Because they are your children, your business is not subject to social security, Medicare, or unemployment taxes – that’s right, you don’t have to pay FICA or FUTA. This reduces expenses and paperwork.

If you think about it, this makes perfect sense because, as your children, they typically fall under your insurance. While you do have to purchase Worker’s Compensation Insurance, which we did through our business insurance provider, this is fairly straightforward. I literally did this over the phone with my agent in a few minutes and it was not a significant additional expense.

Other than the software I used to manage their payroll (more on that below), there were no other expenses. So, at the end of the year, it was considerably less expensive than hiring employees who were not family members.

Oh, I almost forgot, I also was able to deduct an online Microsoft training course that the kids completed, as well as the required safety equipment I bought for them. I’m sure there were other deductions specific to the kids, but I can’t recall them off the top of my head. Anyhow, it’s all deductible.

The bottom line was that I was already paying my kids before I officially hired them. So, when I did, I was then able to deduct their salaries too. On top of that, I was able to deduct any expenses related to their work as well.

Photo by Kaboompics.com on Pexels

How Hired Kids Benefit

While the benefits to our bottom line were already clear, the real shock came in the many ways this benefitted the kids. First of all, they received valuable training in working for a small business. More than before, they were now invested in its success and I believe this really made a difference in the quality of the work.

Yet that only scratched the surface.

They were now officially earning income. As a result, they learned about money management, credit cards, checking accounts, doing their own taxes, as well as investing. While they could have learned much of this in a classroom because they were doing it with their own money, there was a sense of ownership, an investment in their own financial health, which meant so much more.

Speaking of taxes, they paid none on their income, because they did not earn enough to be taxed. As of 2024, that threshold is $14,600 per year, and they didn’t exceed that. Now I realize that some of you run larger businesses and your kids may exceed that, but they will likely still be in a lower tax bracket than most other employees because they only work part-time.

But wait, there’s more (I’m starting to sound like a Shamwow commercial). I also set the kids up with personal retirement accounts that their paychecks automatically funded. There are many investment options for this. Because they are official employees, they can have a traditional 401k, a personal IRA, as well as education investment accounts like Coverdells or 529 plans. According to IRS guidelines, up to $6,500 of their earnings can be put into such accounts each year.

Because these investments are directly deducted from their paychecks, this can further reduce their taxes, even if they earn more than the threshold of $14,600. If they don’t earn that much, that pre-tax deduction is nice to have on their returns too. I opted for a 529 plan for each kid and had my stock broker manage this for me, but that is an extra expense, of course. Alternatively, you can set this up on your own too.

One more detail that applied to us directly. My kids used Turbo Tax to do their taxes – a great learning opportunity, by the way. Because their taxes were relatively simple, the Turbo Tax services were completely free. Doing taxes is not free for me, unfortunately, because my taxes are a bit more complex, lol.

Hiring Your Kids Does Not Create a Red Flag

As with most small business owners, my taxes are always at the forefront of my mind. That is why I use an accountant. When I was discussing hiring my kids, my accountant was not concerned at all. As a matter of fact, he said many of his clients do this and he asked why I had waited so long. Hmm, Ok.

But I wondered if this would generate extra scrutiny by the IRS and the state tax services. While he acknowledged that it does add complexity to the returns, he assured me that this is common enough that it shouldn’t raise any red flags. As a matter of fact, if done properly and consistently each year, it shows that the business is growing and progressing well.

Now that I’ve had my kids working for the business for a couple of years, I can say that I have not noticed any additional scrutiny. What I have noticed are all the benefits, and those cannot be understated. The fact is that the benefits far outweigh those risks.

Hiring Kids is Easier Than You Think

One of the biggest hurdles that small business owners have when they hear that they should hire their kids is that they don’t even know where to begin. I had the same concerns so I did a ton of research and settled on one product that has made the whole process very easy. It’s not free, but considering how much of the heavy lifting they do, I can’t imagine having done it without them.

So, as soon as you finish reading this article, you should head on over to Gusto.com:

Now, this is my referral link, so I am compensated a little bit for referring people, but hear me out. I signed up as a Gusto referring customer because I am such a big fan of the service. I researched dozens of alternatives before deciding on Gusto and nothing is as easy, as convenient, and as well-reviewed. Go ahead and do your own research if you don’t believe me; I’m certain you’ll come back to Gusto every time.

As I said, it’s not free. It costs $40 a month + $6 a month per employee, and here in California, I also had to register with the state, something Gusto automated for me, but there was a one-time charge of $200. Yes, I know, the up-front cost was a bit of a shock to me too. Some of the other companies I had looked at charged less for these things, but they also had fewer features and a lot more complexity.

What really convinced me, though, is how Gusto made everything so simple and easy. I didn’t have to submit anything to the IRS, the State, or anyone else. Gusto did everything for me. My business bank account and my accounting software plugged right into Gusto. My accountant, too, was onboarded in one step.

Speaking of onboarding, Gusto sent all the necessary info to my kids’ email addresses, so hiring them was a breeze as well. It synched with their TurboTax accounts, and it sends them the required W-2 forms for their taxes every year. Every month I do their payroll, and I’m done.

I mentioned above that I set up 529 educational plans for my kids with an outside stockbroker. However, Gusto also has an option to do this internally without a broker. For a small fee, they can set up any tax-deferred investment plan, all integrated with their service. It is very convenient to have this all managed in a single interface.

While this is a bit outside of the scope of this article, Gusto can be a great resource for later too. For example, if you decide to maintain your children as employees after they turn 18, Gusto will handle all the extra paperwork and tax reporting for you. Also, Gusto will manage outside contractors who provide services for your business and handle the 1099 paperwork for you automatically. I’ve used it to manage my contractors on occasion as well.

So, is Gusto worth $52 a month (for two employees)? Well, for me, it definitely is. All the paperwork I would be responsible for would add substantially to my workload, and now I don’t have to do anything – well, other than monthly payroll. I’ve set up Gusto for clients I work with and they rave about the improvement over what they were using before. This tells me that I made the right choice for my business. If you need a hassle-free way to hire your kids, then Gusto is the way to go.

Conclusion

As I mentioned above, there are many online sources with advice about hiring your kids – just Google it. I neglected to do this for years until my kids were much older. This means that I missed out on a huge opportunity for additional tax deductions. If you are already paying your kids, or compensating them in some other way, then you should really consider hiring them.

I do realize that every business is different. It may not make sense for every family business to hire their kids, and I understand that. However, if you are still on the fence about this, you should also consider the other benefits I mentioned.

After hiring my kids, they became much more dedicated employees. This allowed me to grow the business and increase profits. In the process, the business is now better established, and more stable and this attracts more clients/customers. Of course, the extra cash flow also goes back to my kids as well. They have more income with their own investments, and this benefits us all.

Saying No to Profits: Put Income Dollars to Work First

Photo by Alexander Grey on Unsplash

If your small business generates mostly extra income for you, then make that income work harder for you.

Many small business owners and solopreneurs also have a “day job.” That 9-5 with all the cushy benefits is what pays the rent, puts food on the table, and keeps the lights on. Indeed, for many of these startups, it is the financial basis that allows the small business to exist.

Now, I know that this is the one thing that the pundits, YouTubers, venture capitalists, and every shark on Shark Tank hates to hear; they want the people they work with to be 100% invested in the business. Those folks are also at a very different stage in their business ownership; and more often than not, they forget how they started. So, my advice to almost every small business owner in this position is to keep that day job.

Many small business owners are even in the position to not really need that extra income. They started the business less from need, and more out of curiosity so that extra income is more of a nice perk. Likewise, if your profits suddenly jump (the famous hockey stick effect), then you are also in the enviable position of too much income.

If that’s you, then this article is for you.

A Word of Caution about Business Profit Spending

I’m not an accountant or bookkeeper and I’m not providing certified financial advice. I’m just proposing an interesting option that I have personally taken in the past. In my case, it has paid handsome rewards and so I’m suggesting it here as an option. However, before you do this, you should probably speak to more specialized experts about it as well and follow their advice.

Ok, now that we have that out of the way, we need to settle what I mean by extra income. This is business income that remains after all the business expenses and allocations have already been deducted. Don’t forget to budget for benefits, taxes, licensing, etc. The bottom line is that you first need to cover the expenses of running your business.

After expenses, I also believe that extra funds should be reinvested in the business whenever possible. Invest in new equipment, services that grow the business, market research, customer/client development, and whatever else will generate growth. All these things need to be budgeted for first, before we consider what is left.

Those remaining funds are what I’m talking about. I’m referring to what you might spend on lavish restaurants, that extra night in Vagas, massages, upgrading the car to something foreign and ostentatious, or insisting on being the high bidder at your church fundraiser. If you are spending your extra business income on things that are more frivolous than necessary, then there is another option.

Put that Extra Money to Work for You

What if instead of spending extra business income you invested it? Let me be more direct: instead of taking any extra funds as income, you decide to invest it in the stock market or other investment vehicles. What if you made investing a habit and a regular allocation for your extra business income? Every extra dollar is invested, period.

So, if you have extra business income, which is often also the case when you also have a day job, then you can do just that. You don’t need to wait either, you can implement this as soon as you start too. If this is an option, it is a fantastic opportunity to grow your wealth well beyond what the business can generate. If you do this from the start and stick with it, then think of what this can mean when your income is $10K per month, or even $50K!

That extra money can now grow on its own. As long as you make sound, conservative investments, it will grow much faster than if it was just sitting in a cash account. If you absolutely need to generate income from it, you can even invest in high-dividend paying stocks, so that you will receive regular payouts without impacting your original investment.

You can even be more creative with more aggressive investment vehicles, but this is not my area of expertise. As I said, I am no financial advisor, so I now defer to experts who do this for me. However, when I was first starting out, I opened up a personal brokerage account and did this on my own at very little expense.

It can be done, but more importantly, it has many advantages:

1. It keeps you from spending your extra income on frivolous things

2. If you have never invested, this is a great way to start

3. It may clarify how you run your business, ensuring that you aren’t just covering expenses, but working to generate profits too

4. It generates a sense of accomplishment beyond the business itself

5. It can have tax advantages since you are not drawing the income directly – talk to a specialist about how to do this properly

6. It can significantly increase your business income over time

7. If necessary, that additional income can be reinvested in the business for greater impact in the future (a possible alternative to seeking VC funding)

8. With some planning, these investments can be protected from lawsuits and asset claims – talk to a specialist

9. Speaking of specialists, you will be surrounding yourself with experts that you will need as your wealth grows over time.

It’s been said already, but making this a habit in your life can change your life. It can be the doorway to changing your mindset about wealth. It can change your priorities about everything you do in life concerning money.

There is no Overnight Success

OK, now that we’ve dreamed a bit, let’s bring this back down to today’s reality. None of this is possible without extra income from your business. The business does need to generate positive income for you to be able to invest any extra funds. It should also be noted that this will not generate massive amounts of wealth overnight. This is a long-term plan.

As a long-term plan, though, it also gives you time to learn from it and to fine-tune it. When it comes to investing, long time-windows are your friend. I suppose an extra benefit is that implementing this can help calm things down a bit. If it’s long-term, then growing the business may not need to be rushed either. This can be very liberating.

That said, you don’t have to wait a long time to implement this either. As a matter of fact, you can implement this from the time of your first sale. As long as you are covering your expenses, your can set aside anything above that towards investing. You can literally start with pennies in profit. Just set them aside and let them accumulate in a separate account just for that purpose.

Once you have enough in the account to invest, you start investing – that is what I did when I started and was just scraping by. Purchasing stocks or other investments is not something you need to do every day. You can do it at the end of the month, or even quarterly. Just put it on your calendar to do your investing at a future date.

By the way, you can completely automate this with software too. Several apps will do this for you like Acorns, SoFi, Webul, and others. These will automatically shave off a little bit of each transaction and automate the purchasing of investments. I’m not exactly a fan of letting an app make investment decisions for me, but it is another option for those who really don’t want to think about it.

Whatever option you choose to invest the extra income from your business, always remember that this is a long-term plan. That means that you shouldn’t spend all your time checking up on your investments – it will take time for your wealth to grow. The stock market always goes up and down, but there is one truth that has held for over a century: over time the market continues to go up – yes, even through the Great Depression.

Conclusion

I must confess that I stopped doing this several years ago and I have not restarted. This is because when COVID-19 arrived, my extra income completely disappeared. I know many small business owners who have experienced the same difficulties. I simply wasn’t prepared for that kind of shock to my business models.

However, since I had been investing this way for decades, I also had a sizeable cushion. Honestly, I didn’t want to spend my investments to reinvest in my business, but I was more concerned about the business dying out, and since these were all profits and investment income generated from the business, it was only fitting that I use it to reinvest in the business.

That is one of the many benefits of having this cushion. Unlike retirement investments which can also be tapped in emergencies, a stock portfolio is much more liquid and has fewer penalties for early withdrawals. So, while I had to put my plan on hold for a few years, I was able to keep the business running without interruption. I was even able to rebuild important processes, pivot where needed, and invest in some infrastructure that should make it more robust and resilient in the future.

That said, I probably should have returned to the plan sooner. We’ve been out of COVID-19 for some time already, and I have delayed funding my own investment plan. I suppose writing this article is my realization that it’s time to start up again. If you are in the same position, with extra income from your business, you may want to consider doing the same.

The Massive Advantage for Small Business Owners in the U.S.

Ever consider how easy, convenient, and automated it is to ship packages in the US?
(Photo by Sticker Mule on Unsplash)

As small business owners, we often complain about the high cost of goods and services. This is especially true for small businesses that operate online businesses. From packing peanuts to mailing labels, everything seems to have become way too expensive. The future seems bleak at first glance.

However, in the US we benefit from something that no other Western country can even marginally compare to. We have the largest market. By this, I mean that the US has the best developed, best regulated, and most secure infrastructure for online businesses. This has created the most active online shoppers in the world.

Sure, China may have a huge online presence, but the infrastructure for ease of shipping, online payments, and security doesn’t quite compare. Sure, India may have many more people, but the vast majority of them do not have the means to regularly shop online. And sure, the European Union shares many of the same benefits as us, but they still have issues related to their heterogenous history, from competing customs regulations to income inequities between Eastern and Western Europe.

Now this isn’t an America First rant. It’s just that the US dominates the world in creating and fostering a business culture, but even more importantly an online business culture. This online culture is an evolution of the historical fostering of business that has existed in the US for generations.

How This Online Dominance Came About

It came primarily from the software industry. The ability of this industry to adapt their products to the online world has made the transition from in-store (aka brick & mortar) shopping to online shopping. Yes, the market economy of the US played a role, but this was merely a financial vehicle for the software industry to thrive.

The software industry made Google, eBay, PayPal, and Amazon possible. These became such household names that their names have become verbs: “Just Google it!” and “Can we eBay that?” While other popular companies like Microsoft, Adobe, and later Apple are also lumped into the same industry, the reality is that they primarily adapted their products to the online world.

This is also why programming exploded in the US. While many other countries also produce great programmers, it was seen as an emerging dominant field in the US first. What was originally the small niche of a few mainframe geeks, quickly became respectable, lucrative, and above all, necessary as personal computers became mainstream and cost-efficient for the masses.

I know I’m generalizing quite a bit here, but the companies above, the economic infrastructure, and the programmers who made it happen all had one thing in common: they adapted, they evolved, they incorporated, and when necessary, they pivoted to fit into whatever was new on the horizon.

That ability is something very American. It is ingrained in our economy. When the US was left to its own devices by the great powers of Europe after the Revolutionary War, the country as a whole adapted, evolved, and incorporated. After the country practically tore itself apart during the Civil War, it followed that catastrophe by adapting, evolving, and incorporating (yes, I know it wasn’t a perfect end to the war, but the economy persevered). After the devastation of WWII, again the country adapted, evolved, and incorporated.

This is the same resilience we see in modern times. The Oil Embargo of the 1970s, the Savings & Loan debacle of the 1980s, the Dot.com Bubble of the 2000s, the 2008 Housing Bubble, and the 2019 COVID-19 pandemic, are all examples of American resilience. For those of us who can only remember that last one, the US has emerged out of that crisis stronger than any other country.

This is because we adapted, evolved, and incorporated.

How All this History Is Tied to Small Businesses and Online Shopping

There is a culture of economic resilience in the US that is simply not ingrained in the cultures of other countries. This is an advantage that we have as a country that we need to embrace. No matter how bad we may think the economic outlook is, no matter how dire the future looks for our own small business, this country is still the best place for that business to thrive.

The best way to succeed as a small business is to also adapt, evolve, and incorporate. There is a massive infrastructure in place for small businesses to benefit from. This is especially true for online shopping. The simplicity, convenience, and access that exists in the US for online shoppers is like nowhere else on earth.

Just think how easy it is to tell Siri to play the playlist from your senior prom. Think how convenient it is for Alexa to ship your Neuriva to your door. Remember how simple it is to walk into an Amazon Fresh store, grab a drink and snacks, and then walk out without ever pulling out your wallet.

Now I know that these are all products developed by large companies and that your small business doesn’t have those same resources. However, these companies have laid the groundwork for these conveniences, now it is up to you and your small business to figure out how to adapt, evolve, and incorporate your products or services into that infrastructure.

Conclusion

I know that many small businesses are struggling in this economy. Rising costs have impacted us especially hard. This is why it is important to remember how fortunate we are to be in this country right now.

There is a massive surge occurring right now in the American Economy. As happened after every economic crisis mentioned above, this post-pandemic economic recovery is also one that you don’t want to miss out on. Instead of focusing on the negatives, which are largely behind us anyhow, focus on how your business can adapt, evolve, and incorporate to ride this economic wave to new successes.

This surge isn’t just that the stock market is reaching new heights, although that is a very good sign. It is also because unemployment is at an all-time low, which means there are customers out there with money to spend. It is also because there are new technologies out there like AI that are revolutionizing industries and will improve the online shopping experience for all. And it is also because as this country’s economy continues to outpace the rest of the world, its products and services will also generate more interest and income.

Consider how fortunate you are that you are also based in the US at this time. This is when the iron is hot and it is time to strike. Look at where the software industry is headed, think about where the financial markets are investing, and follow the lead of large online retailers. The infrastructure is there, you just need to figure out where your place is in it.

Politics Do Matter… Even for Small Business Owners

Taking a political stance can be an effective business strategy for small businesses (photo by fauxels on pexels.com)

I’ve learned that politics is a dangerous topic, especially when it comes to small business owners. Most would rather avoid the topic altogether. Obviously, they don’t want to alienate their customers, but it’s also a self-imposed bubble that allows them to pretend that they, and their business, can exist outside of politics.

When I interview business owners, I ask a very general question about their politics. Over the years that I’ve been doing this, the wording has evolved, and I think I have it down to be as innocuous and broad as possible:

Being green, aware of diversity issues, meeting local requirements, etc. can increase costs but also offer benefits. How do these things figure into your operations? Do you have any initiatives in place? What would you recommend to other business owners?

Of course, they can also skip answering the question altogether, and often people do. One person even wrote a very insulting response to this question. Yes, it happens.

Here’s the thing: I don’t want my blog and the interviews to be cookie-cutter bland. There are tons of other places online where you can read those. At the same time, I don’t want to alienate the people I interview either. It’s a careful balancing act, because ultimately politics do matter, even to small business owners.

An Example

Let’s take a recent news topic (that isn’t about a current war or Trump): the November 2023 Meeting between President Biden and Premier Xi of China in San Francisco. Now China and the US have been at odds over several important issues, the main one being the status of Taiwan. China would prefer a peaceful reunification of Taiwan, similar to the way they repatriated Hong Kong. In contrast, the US points to the fact that this was not a very peaceful transition at all.

I realize I am oversimplifying this issue tremendously and glossing over economic, social, and military factors. However, this issue is also extremely political in that it could impact regional balances of power, the elections in the US, and to some extent the divide between democratically led governments and more authoritarian ones.

There is also a moral and ethical concern. How will this affect the people of Taiwan? How will China incorporate the vastly different systems of governance and social structures? Will there be a massive exodus of Taiwanese people, and where will they go?

The bottom line is that this is actually a very complex issue that has global ramifications. On the other hand, the economic relationship between China and the US is also a critical matter. It is a precarious balancing act. To be honest, I truly wonder how these meetings between world leaders unfold. The pressure on each side must be tremendous.

How Politics Matter

Underlying all these issues is that the US is highly dependent on products, components, and services from China. More specifically, small businesses here in the US are highly dependent on them. Your bottom line is highly dependent on them.

A single sigh at the wrong moment during the Biden-Xi meeting, could mean that your paintbrushes, your sesame oil, or your paper wrapping is suddenly more expensive. You need capable, experienced, and intelligent people to be sitting in that meeting. Hence, your vote this year counts.

So, for you, too, it’s a careful balancing act. On the one hand, you need to do things that are political to support your business’s bottom line. At the same time, you need to remain as a-political as possible so as not to alienate any customers who disagree with your political position.

This becomes even more complex when you need to decide how much of your politics you need to reveal through your business. Will you quietly boycott that cheap wrapping paper from China because it is manufactured in ways that you disagree with? If so, will you pass on the cost of the higher-priced paper to your customers? How will that decision affect your bottom line?

The answers aren’t always so easy. Everyone is talking about using cleaner energy such as solar panels. You sure could cut some costs for your business that way, especially in the hot summer months. On the other hand, do you want to advertise this widely? Your business could be dismissed as too tree-hugging, and you could lose customers... or gain some.

Where to Draw the Line

Which politics you embrace will also depend a great deal on where you are located and what type of business you are in. If you sell motorcycle parts, then you may not want to have a Made-in-China sticker on the packing box, even if it will save on shipping costs, for you and the buyer. On the other hand, if you sell trendy t-shirts to teens, it may not matter… or it could.

So how do you know? Well, you need to know your customers. You need to know your industry. Most importantly, you need to know about politics. What you can’t do is pretend it doesn’t impact your business. It does and the more you can learn about it, the better.

This is why I ask my innocuous and broad question to everyone I interview. It is a risk, and I could alienate my interviewee. On the other hand, it’s a valuable piece of information for my readers. It shows other business owners what their peers are thinking and doing about it.

So yes, it is a careful balancing act. Most things in life are.

What’s Your Stack? …as a Conversation Starter?

When someone asks you about your stack, they aren’t talking about your pancakes…
(Photo courtesy of Jaqueline Pelzer on Unsplash)

So, I was recently at a holiday party, and as is often the case, I found myself inadvertently drifting to the techy side of the crowd. I typically avoid this drift because I’m a recovering IT survivor. I prefer to hang out with the artsy folks these days. But I was already there, making the best of the situation and trying to make some small talk.

This is when a spunky young man, obviously still in the honeymoon phase of an early IT career, came up and asked, I suppose as an ice breaker: “So, what’s your stack?” While I know what he meant, it’s one of those IT questions that you don’t hear anywhere else. It seemed odd at a holiday party with families and Xmas music in the background.

If you think about it, it’s an odd thing to ask. Try doing that in the gym locker room or standing around a BBQ at the local pool: “Hey, man, what’s your stack?” Some might take that the wrong way. I wouldn’t suggest asking that to someone standing before a Jackson Pollock painting at the Museum, either.

Now, for those who aren’t in IT, a stack is a term used mostly in the programming world. It means the list of favorite programming tools they use. I understood what he meant, so decided to answer. The problem is that I don’t have a stack of programming tools. My stack these days is more along the lines of productivity apps and marketing tools. I needed to find some examples of tools he would be familiar with.

So, what is my stack, you ask? Well, here it is. You can click on the heading to go straight to the home page of each app. Note that these are referral links, so if you sign up for any of their services, it helps me out as well.

Medium – The Blogging Platform for Writers

Medium is my preferred blogging platform. I’ve used many, but none is as easy, convenient, and rewarding. Medium immediately puts you in a community of fellow writers who prefer to write instead of producing video shorts and posting on social media.

I consider Medium a break from the pressure of other platforms. You publish in a simple interface and at your own pace. No, it won’t make you rich overnight, but if that’s why you join, then you’re missing the point. You should post on Medium if you like reading and writing and want to be surrounded by like-minded people.

ACDSee - The Best Photoshop alternative

Yes, it’s a silly name, but it’s an excellent full-featured alternative to the Adobe suite, Canva, and most other image management and editing apps. This is because they are bucking the subscription trend and still offer a single desktop license that is good indefinitely – you pay once, and you’re done.

As for features, it has 90% of what I ever used Adobe CS for, and I’ve used their products for decades. My issue with Adobe was that it was just becoming too expensive. So, I switched to ACDSee and I’ve been thoroughly impressed with all that it can do. If you’ve been looking for a great alternative to subscription-based graphics applications, you need to give ACDSee a look.

Namecheap – The Best Website Registration Service

To set up a website you will need a web address (your www.yourbusiness.com address), also known as a domain name. Many companies offer this service, and some offers are ridiculously expensive, too. Don’t fall for paying more to register your address than you need to. Fortunately, Namecheap (yes, it’s also a bit of a silly name, but bear with me) offers just that.

The cost is about $1.50 per month for a top-level .com web address name. They have a very simple interface, and their tech support is excellent. I’ve used them for many years without issue. I cannot recommend Namecheap enough. I’ve used others, but none compare for cost, service, or ease of use.

Carrd – The Best Value in Website Hosting, Period

I’ve used many different website hosting platforms, including bargain-basement options to ridiculously expensive ones. I have also managed websites for individuals and small businesses for years. If cost is important and you just need to put up a quick, simple site, then Carrd is the least expensive and easiest option you can use.

They even have a free version, but to be honest, the paid plan at just a couple of dollars per month is the way to go. No, you can’t build a shopping cart or a blog on Carrd, but if you need a simple site of just a few pages, and you need it fast, Carrd is what you want. I have started dozens of clients on Carrd.

SquareUp – The Only Real Option for a Free Shopping Cart

So, you want to set up an online store, but you don’t want to pay $40 and up to Shopify or Etsy. Is there still a free shopping cart option? There is, and it’s from the folks who make those white little square credit card swipers for cell phones. They’ve been doing credit card processing for years and they recently acquired Weebly, so now they offer free websites to sell your wares.

They also have paid options, but the free version is just fine if you just need to get started. Yes, it has limitations, but few of those will impact your ability to earn an income from your online store. I’ve now set up multiple businesses for clients who were just starting, and it has worked fine for them.

Once you start earning much more, you can always consider upgrading to a paid SquareUp plan, or even switch to another company. But if you’re just starting out, SquareUp is a great place to do just that.

Squarespace – The Best Full-Featured Website Hosting Service

I’ve been a Squarespace user for over a decade. I’ve set up many individuals and businesses on the platform. It’s not a free service and it’s not a specialized service like Shopify, for example. What it is, is a beautiful, full-featured, powerful, and easy-to-learn platform for hosting your website. The support is also excellent.

I typically move businesses over to Squarespace once they’ve outgrown Carrd and Square. It offers far more features and also includes powerful add-ons like mailing lists and social media integration. It has a very capable shopping cart and great payment handling. Once you are at a point where you need something beyond the budget & free options for a website, then Squarespace should be your next step.

Gusto – Simply the Easiest Way to Manage Payroll and Employees

A few years back we decided to hire our children for our business. It was the best decision we ever made, but managing the hiring, pay schedules, tax documents, and payments was a chore. After doing some research we found that this is a common headache for small businesses. Overwhelmingly, the highest-rated software that business owners turned to was Gusto.

Yes, I know, it’s another strange name, but don’t let that fool you. They are an excellent partner for hiring W2 and contract employees. Gusto is simpler, faster, and more modern than the competition. The step-by-step process of signing people up and managing each step of payroll has saved us countless hours of work. It’s not inexpensive, but I cannot recommend Gusto enough.

Conclusion

I have other apps that I use regularly as well, but these were the ones that immediately came to mind. I use them just about every day. I occasionally need to dip into the alternatives (like when someone sends me a Photoshop file), so I keep those apps on my computer, but honestly, I much prefer what’s in my stack.

How did the conversation at the party go? Funny you should ask. His stack was very different from mine, mostly programming tools, but we did compare notes. For example, he had always registered domains with Go Dady, not so much because it was good, but just because it was the most popular. He hadn’t heard about Namecheap, but he said he would give it a try.

We also agreed that software subscriptions suck. He doesn’t use graphics or photo editing that much, but he said if he does in the future, he will give ACDSee a try too. We both agree that it’s a silly name, though.

For my part, I’m going to pay more attention to Slack, an application he uses daily. I have several clients who use it regularly as well, so it’s in my wheelhouse. It’s just an interface I never cared for, but then again, I’m a graphics and visual person, so maybe that’s why Slack just never appealed to me very much; but I can adapt.

So, if someone asks you about your stack, they probably aren’t talking about pancakes.

The Audi Brand Name

A story about picking a brand name that is catchy, marketable, and short.

The iconic Audi circles - no need for a name; everyone knows what brand that is (photo courtesy of Marcel Strauß at Unsplash)

The first car I purchased with my own hard-earned money was an Audi A4. As a matter of fact, after hours of haggling and much to the dismay of the slick sales rep, I even purchased it with a credit card, just to make the point to myself that I had finally made it. It was rare model, dark blue with tinted windows, 6-cylinder stick-shift, all-wheel-drive. It was an amazingly well-built car: German engineering and solidity. When I asked a mechanic friend to check it before my purchased and I described it to him, he said not to worry, that car is built like a tank. It was also a fun high-performing car to drive.

Most people love their first car, and so did I. However, in all the years I owned that car, I never wondered about the name. As a matter of fact, I made that purchase decision almost entirely on the specs, very recent reviews, and to be frank, a supposed prestige factor. Had I done a bit more homework; I probably should have known that the company had quite a checkered history.

The Origin of Audi

The original company was founded by August Horch in 1899 in Germany. This was well before the world wars. Germany was still ascending as a world power and its scientific research, and consequently its manufacturing, was quickly rising in the eyes of the world.

After the turn of the century, the company name changed several times from A. Horch & Cie., to August Horch & Cie. Motorwagenwerke AG, and then to August Horch Automobilwerke GmbH. Those were typical company names at the time, but as you can imagine they did not roll off the tongue, even in their native German language. They just were not memorable or marketable names.

After some in-fighting and a lawsuit at the company, the German Supreme Court concluded that the “Horch” brand name belonged to his business partners and not August Horch, even if he was the original founder. The automobile phenom formerly known as Horch could no longer use his own name for what remained of his company.

From this point forward the company would continue to be a conglomerate of several subdivisions that combined to make cars under different names. In the 1920s the company had several commercial successes with cars named the “Type A” and the “Type B.” While this was a popular thing to do for car manufacturers at the time, it hardly made Horch or his company stand out from the pack. While the iconic Ford Model T comes to mind as a car named after the company owner, Henry Ford, way back in 1908.

In the 1920s Horch left his company for a government position in the Ministry of Transportation. He remained close to the company, but different divisions of the company were sold off to another manufacturer called Dampf-Kraft-Wagen (DKW). Later in the 1930s, the company merged with another manufacturer, Wanderer, that was part of Auto Union AG and the company even used engines from French manufacturer Peugeot. Sacrebleu!

As the 1930s neared the start of WWII, the company began manufacturing equipment and vehicles for the German military. As such, during the war, the manufacturing plants became targets for Allied bombing raids. WWII devastated the German automobile industry. At the end of the war, Horch’s company plants were captured by the Soviets who promptly converted them to producing such commercial successes (not) as the “IFA F8” and “IFA F9” car models, and the commercial firebrand, the “Trabant.”

As a result, the company that Horch founded and that was now known in West Germany as Auto Union, was divested from the plants behind the Iron Curtain. They did however hold onto one important piece of intellectual property: the name Audi, which had been adopted long before the war.

Photo of the 1923 Audi Type E; note the use of the Audi brand name above the grill (This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license / Wikipedia)

So where did the name come from?

Back in 1910, having been barred by the courts from using his own family name for the company, and consequently not being very good at picking catchy commercial names, Horch called an emergency meeting in a crowded apartment of one of his partners in Zwickau, Germany. The partner was Franz Fikentscher, another one of those names that do not roll off the tongue, even in German - consequently, that name was also as an option for the car company as well.

While they were deliberating the future of the company and the name of it, Franz’s son was studying Latin in a corner of the room. It must have been a long and loud meeting because having been quite fed up with it, the son finally blurted out: “audiatur et altera pars: wouldn’t it be a good idea to call it Audi instead of Horch!”

Having heard these men go on about why the name Horch, which is German for “hark,” was no longer possible, why not use the Latin translation of it: audi? He literally meant to say: “Hark, translate the damn word into Latin, already” …and let me finally study in peace!

The partners looked at each other in bewilderment and then agreed that this was an excellent company name. On April 25th, 1910 the Audi name was officially adopted, albeit with the exquisitely conforming -Automobilwerke GmbH Zwickau attached to the end of it. They did take a bold leap in 1915 when they shortened the official name to Audiwerke AG Zwickau.

Post WWII Audi automobile, when the name was Auto Union (photo courtesy of Yves Moret via Unsplash)

As was mentioned above, Audiwerke AG Zwickau continued to rely on multiple partnerships and cross-manufacturing agreements with other manufacturers and continued to be overshadowed by names like Wanderer and Auto Union. The company was also co-owned by more household named companies like Daimler-Benz and Volkswagen. The unique Audi name was not officially used to actively market the brand until well after the war, starting in the 1970s, when the name finally became the marketing name for new models.

Steps to Take for Finding a Good Name

Arriving at the Audi name was essentially a congruence of accidental events that just so happened to occur at the same time: the disastrous lawsuit, unfortunate German names, the emergency meeting, the crowded apartment, and the son studying Latin in the same room. Such a lining-up of factors is often credited as the right ingredients for great historical discoveries, from Isaac Newton’s Apple to Wilhelm Roentgen’s X-ray. As such, it can also be the source of great company names.

I often hear people say that there are no great names available anymore for their start-up companies. I also often hear people say that they cannot find a name that isn’t registered as a web address. Those issues also confounded Steve Jobs of Apple and Jack Dorsey of Twitter, but that did not stop them from coming up with names that are now so common they have become verbs.

The fact is that for every product name or company name there are hundreds of word combinations that still exist to come up with a clever name. The key is to create situations that increase your chances of finding one. This could involve multiple people, including people that may not work in your industry. This is a perfect example of diversity being a key factor.

Another important step is to make room for the idea to evolve. Great names are evolutionary. Asics is an acronym of a Latin saying meaning “a healthy soul in a healthy body,” and the software company Adobe was named after a creek behind the founder’s house. I am certain those ideas did not simply appear to them overnight.

Sometimes just a small tweak is necessary. Contrary to popular belief, Google does not mean a large number with 100 zeros. It is not even a word at all. The correct word is actually Googol, but that does not sound or look as good. The name needed to evolve to become the iconic name it is now.

Many company names are also made up from foreign phrases or from ancient languages. This is why those boring college Latin and Greek classes matter. If you did not study a foreign language, it might help to enlist the help of someone with a humanities background to figure out what a name could translate to… or if your name is Fikentscher, ask a short-tempered child who just happens to study Latin.

On that last point, children are the future, literally. They have a simple and direct way of looking at the world. They also tend to keep up with the latest trends, like the latest Lizzo scandal or what fragrance is Kourtney Kardashian’s favorite. Those may seem irrelevant details to us Facebook Boomers, but if you are looking to sell your products in the future, those are details that could make or break a company name.

Photo of the best-selling Audi RS5 at a recent auto show (this image is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license / Wikipedia).

The Best Pen for Small Business Owners

If you hand-write your notes, then use a pen that makes a statement.

I always know what pen to grab when I run out of my office, do you?
Photo by the author - no license.

As many people know, I’m a fan of handwriting. I wrote an article about the many benefits of handwriting titled: Use the Warren Buffett Method and Take Written Notes, and if it worked for Warren Buffett… well you get the idea. I followed that up with Recommended Pocket Notebooks for Business Owners, where I listed many of the notebooks that I had tried over the years.

Then I received a note from someone asking me what I write with. I hadn’t thought about mentioning it before, but picking the right pen is important. Not just because it ought to be efficient and convenient, but like the notebooks you choose to use, it has to make the right statement. When you pull out that pen, you don’t want to send the wrong message.

That said, I’m also practical. I know there are pens that cost in the thousands of dollars. For me, that’s just extravagant and sends the wrong message. Just as I don’t wear an extravagant watch, I also don’t want to intimidate people with a pointlessly expensive pen. So, what do I write with?

It Should be Something Basic

There are thousands of options when it comes to pens, and I’ve tried many. Not all have been good experiences. To make things simple, I’ve narrowed this list down to ones I still use regularly and that are readily available on Amazon. YMMV.

I’ve always used a good quality pen. It doesn’t have to be a Mont Blanc, but it has to be slick and clean looking. Since I worked in IT so many years, I tended to gravitate towards techy-looking pens. That is how I stumbled on the Zebra F-301 pen:

They are compact, write well, have a fine point, and look techy-modern. Since I often go back and edit my notes, I also use colored pens to do that, and Zebra F-301s come in a 4-color pack as well:

What About Pencils?

One thing that often comes up is whether you should use a pencil instead so that you can erase things. Yes, I know some pens are erasable, but pencils also have the advantage that they don’t need to be held downwards to work (a common issue with pens). This comes in handy when you are writing standing up or in a tight space – something IT people deal with often enough.

So for that, I always used mechanical pencils. Like with pens, there are many options out there. However, you don’t want to show up to a meeting with a cheap plastic pencil with a Hello Kitty image on it (no offense to Hello Kitty). Even though you’re using a pencil, you still want to look professional.

I’ve tried others, but Zebra also makes great mechanical pencils and so I stuck with the brand over the years. They have an excellent mechanical pencil as well: the Zebra M-701:

It’s a well-made, inexpensive, and good-looking mechanical pencil. If you’re going to use a pencil (as I still do), then it’s a great option.

There is one thing with the message that you send when using a pencil that should be pointed out. If you are writing down important notes in a meeting with a client, then why would you use a pencil? It suggests uncertainty. I know it may seem trivial, but when you are working on a large or expensive project, you should use a pen to demonstrate certainty and purpose.

If you do need to undo something, then just cross it out. This also looks more assertive than reaching for an eraser, and interrupting the flow of the conversation by feverishly erasing what you wrote. That doesn’t lend itself well to most situations, so let’s turn back to pens.

So, what do I use now?

I still use the F-301s and when needed, M-701s. However, if I need to make an impression – sometimes even a talking point – I always have my trusty Fisher Space Pen:

At just three and a half inches long with the cap on, it’s always in my pocket next to my notebook. I have two: a well-worn silver one and the matte black 400B one above. This pen is great because it writes sideways and upside down. Heck, it even writes in the rain and is completely waterproof. It is also very compact with a cap on, which comes in handy when it is next to my notepad.

Yes, I’ve been told it’s a bit gimmicky, but that is outweighed by the positive features, IMO. I actually think it looks professional and sophisticated, especially in the mat black color. It has a flair of patriotism, with the whole astronauts-use-it story, but not in an overt way.

Yes, the Fishers are a bit pricey. If you are used to plastic pens and the free ones you pick up at conferences, then $30 for a pen is a bit steep. On the other hand, they last. I’ve used the silver one for years and I just buy refills when I run out of ink. They are very well-built, so this may be the last pen you ever buy.

Conclusion

So there you have it, my favorite pens. Period.

Yes, I also have a bin full of other pens at home. They just seem to accumulate in our house. There’s even a box with orphan caps in that bin. They are right by the front door for folks that need one to go. If a sales rep needs a pen and happens to walk off with one of those, I certainly won’t mind.

For my own pens, I guard them better. If I don’t have my Fisher handy, then I reach for a Zebra. I have had many of those over the years. I even have a small box with Zebra parts in my drawer, you know, for repairs. I guess that sums it up pretty much: I would rather repair a Zebra than slum it with a cheap plastic pen.

Consequently, I don’t have a box of Fisher parts because, well, they don’t need to be repaired. I have some refills, but that’s it. This sums up why Fisher is so good. If I need to grab a pen that I know will always work and won’t let me down, a pen that also looks sharp and sends the right message, then I use my Fisher. It’s just a great pen all around.

Recommended Pocket Notebooks for Business Owners

Even if it’s just for a casual meeting over coffee, you want to make sure your notebook sends the right message. Photo courtesy of Thom Holmes via Unsplash.com

In a related article titled: Use the Warren Buffett Method and Take Written Notes, I explained the advantages of taking written notes to save your important ideas for later. If you don’t believe me that handwriting your thoughts is the best way to remember them, then you should go back and read that. There is psychological evidence to support it.

Of course, this brings up the question: where should you jot down your notes? Sure, you could grab whatever pad you have laying around, but that’s not very classy, and also not very practical for your needs. And yes, there are better options.

Below, I have listed notebooks that I have bought and used. While these aren’t super-expensive, they are better quality than a simple notebook, from the stitching to the cover, to the paper. This is because if you’re going to whip this out during an important meeting, you want to look professional and organized. Just as what you wear and how you look, your accessories need to show that you mean business.

On to the Notebooks

I have used dozens of different notebooks over the years. I also have to be honest and say that I didn’t always spend money on these because I’m frugal. I used everything from those real-estate pads that agents leave hanging on your front door to stacks of salvaged paper stapled together. I also had a period where I just used index cards help together with a binder clip.

The problem with all of those is that they have no longevity. If you need to review them later, edit them, and keep them on the shelf for reference, then you need something that as similar to a paperback as possible. Consequently, it also has to be compact enough to fit into a pocket so that you can take it with you.

You also don’t want a wire coil binding. While they are handy for laying the notebook flat, they can get crushed, they can unwind, and they can get caught on favorite sweater. They are also typically magnetic which can also be a hassle, although the biggest issue to me is that they add too much bulk.

While I was in college, I used composition notebooks, the kind with the multicolored camo patter and the black tape over the binding, for all my class notes. They were handy in that they looked neat on the shelf, were all the same size, were super cheap, and available anywhere.

Naturally, after college, I started using the mini-version of the 4x6” Composition Notebooks

They were small, familiar, and very convenient. I could just slip one in my back pocket and be on my way. After a while the camo pattern felt a bit college-y, so I switched to Plain 4x6” Composition Books

And I even tied the plastic cover ones for a while. They were a great place to start. I especially liked the fact that they were flexible, so that if you sat down with one of these in your back pocket, you weren’t breaking the binding.

The problem with these wasn’t obvious to me at first, but after I had a whole collection on the shelf, I realized that it wasn’t easy to tell them apart. You can’t use a sharpie on the black binding, so it required a label that I had to stick on there with tape. The second problem is that over time, the black binding started to peel off. I corrected this with additional tape, but the whole idea of these looking professional and well put together was gone.

The luxury models

If you really want to make a statement, you have the option of showing up to your meetings with a brand-name model. Some of the ones I think deserve honorable mention here are the Dingbats (I know, silly name) eco-friendly models, the Japanese Apica CD mini-notebook, or the more expensive but very highly regarded Mercedes of notebooks, the German-made Leuchtturm1917.

That said, I’m a frugal buyer, and after years of buying composition notebooks in bulk, I wasn’t ready to pay 12 dollars and up for a single notebook, even if it had a reputable brand name. Now don’t get me wrong, I’ve used them all and they are fantastic. At these price-points you also get higher paper quality that dries the ink quickly. You also get warrantees against defects and generally very good craftmanship. So they have their place.

But I go through notebooks like I go through snacks next to my desk, so I needed something a bit more affordable that still met my needs. One inexpensive brand that I used for some time was Paperage. I think it’s made in China, but it’s available in larger quantities, lays flat and is reasonably well made with higher quality paper. I used the Paperage Pocket Journal, below, and stuck to the darker colors, although they come in vibrant ones too.

They are very good. I also like the pocket in the back that allows you to store business cards and receipts, and it has convenient tear-out pages. There are other inexpensive imported options out there as well, but Paperage is a notch above.

One other notebook I tried for a while is the Rite In The Rain Mini-Notebook:

It is uniquely weather-proof and just for that reason I wanted to use it everywhere. I didn’t really believe it when I read about it, but these notebooks can actually be submerged in water and the paper will still be useable. With the Fisher Space Pen, this makes a unique combination if you live and work somewhere wet and you need this capability. The notebooks aren’t exactly inexpensive, but they are sure to raise some eyebrows and help you score some points if that’s what you need.

What I use now

Quality is important to me. I really needed something that was available in larger quantities at a reasonable price but still offered excellent durability, good quality paper, and while writing in the rain is cool, I live in SoCal, so that wasn’t needed. I don’t like to tout brand names and expensive options, but I can’t say anything negative about Moleskine Softcover Pocket Notebooks

Now these aren’t fancy and leatherbound (although you can buy fancy covers for them). They really aren’t super expensive looking, but they do look classy enough for my needs. They are also extremely light, small, and flexible. Did I mention they are reasonably inexpensive, available both online and in stores, and the paper quality is excellent.

Yes, I know I still need to attach labels to them when I put them in my bookcase because of the narrow-stitched binding… notice, I said “stiched” not stapled or glued which is also a sign of quality. The bottom line is that they are perfect for my needs, and I will use them over any of the others I have bought over the years.

They also have tear-out sheets, and a convenient pocket in the back. Honestly, it ticks all the important boxes for me but what I like best is that they are so light and flexible. I always hated having that rigid binding in my back pocket that I had with the more expensive leather-bound models, and actually also with the cheaper Composition Books too…

Conclusion

There are tons of options when it comes to pocket notebooks, but if you are looking to make a good impression while also keeping things convenient, then the options narrow quite fast. While there are certainly more expensive options as well, I just can’t bring myself to spend that kind of money on notebooks. It’s not that I’m cheap, but I have other things in my business I should be spending my money on.

That said, I will pay for quality. For a while I was willing to pay quite a bit more and I tried very expensive options, including some I didn’t mention above as they weren’t as impressive. I do see the value in those fancy notebooks, but as with all luxury items, it’s really a diminishing return on investment.

I also appreciate unique options for specific cases, like the all-weather Rite In The Rain notebooks. Apparently they come from Washington where it rains a lot, so I can totally see the need. It’s pretty cool. I was even able to take notes in a pool, but for my needs that’s not really necessary.

The most important thing, however, is that your choice of notebook doesn’t impede your ability to quickly take it out of your pocket and start writing. Not everyone needs the same features, so maybe one of the other notebooks is better for you. Just don’t let anything hold you back from taking notes!

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3 Military Leaders of Antiquity Today’s Business Leaders Can Learn From

Yup, I read & collect history books, especially biographies. I know, it’s not a very common thing to do anymore… all that room they take up and the dust! But, it’s a fascinating and rewarding hobby.

TLDR:

• There are three leaders of antiquity who achieved tremendous success, often against incredible odds

• As a student of history, I wanted to highlight these three historical figures as examples to follow for those in leadership today.

• They weren’t saints, but as ancient leaders go, they were fair, effective, and worldly.

• I’m an avid reader, so I’ve listed books for reference, but if you aren’t into books, there are digital versions and also audiobooks available that I’ve also included.

• If like me, you are a busy business owner and need a quick but also entertaining story, then I recommend these books:

• Cyrus the Great, by Stephen Dando-Collins

• Hannibal: The Novel, by Ross Leckie

• Julius Caesar, A Biography, by Michael Grant

Below, I include links to more in-depth books on these three great men. Many of them also have Kindle versions and audiobooks, so I link to those as well when they are available.

I have always been fascinated by men of the past who conquered kingdoms, built great monuments, and ruled over great empires. Yes, I said men. For too many reasons to go into here, these are not women, so allow me to sidestep that can of worms, here.

I have been a history buff my entire life. When my friends collected baseball cards, I collected stamps, when they watched superhero movies, I watched documentaries, when they crammed for their math finals, I was reading dusty books on Viking life, when they majored in business in college, I was writing essays on siege tactics. …Then I graduated.

I quickly discovered that there were few jobs for history majors. It took me some time to come to terms with that, but I did manage to find work in another nerdy field: computer support. I made a career out of it and worked in that field for the better part of my life, but I never forgot my real passion. I still read history books throughout those years, especially historical biographies.

Reading those biographies has taught me invaluable lessons that shepherded me through office politics, strategic business decisions, layoffs/downsizing, and changes in leadership. Granted those were all pressures above my pay grade and out of my control, but I can also say that history books proved useful in managing personal finances, building up my side hustle into a business, managing people around me, and navigating the complexities of growing my nest egg.

From these books, there are three historical leaders that stand out as having been particularly interesting to me over the years. I admit that they weren’t names that will typically come to mind first. You’re probably thinking of Alexander and Napoleon. Sure, they were successful and are often quoted in business/leadership books. However, they had many leadership flaws, not to mention that they were self-serving, cruel, and vain. Hence they do not make good examples to follow, so while I have read many books about them, they are not on my list of biographies to recommend.

Instead, I offer these:

Cyrus the Great

Cyrus the Great, by Stephen Dando-Collins

(Kindle)

Long before Alexander, there was another “great” and that was Cyrus. He was a Persian king who founded the Achaemenid Empire in 550 BC. While he isn’t as well known, he was actually one of the most successful military leaders and conquerors of all time. He began his reign by conquering the Median Empire and then went on to conquer the Lydians, the Babylonians, and many other city-states in the Middle East, uniting them under one empire.

It is difficult to put the many achievements of Cyrus into a single paragraph. To be honest, I had read about many Western leaders before going to college, but I had never heard of Cyrus until I picked up a book on a whim. It was a book about Cyrus that one of my teachers was tossing out. Reading about his military campaigns and the administrative policies that he implemented in his vast empire was eye-opening.

There were other great military figures before him, but Cyrus was particularly successful on the battlefield. This led to the formation of the Persian Empire, the first to span multiple continents, making him the most influential figure of antiquity before the Romans. Because the empire was so large, larger than any contemporary empire, it required a new, modern way to administer such vast territories and differing cultures.

This is why his tolerance towards different cultures and religions and his policy of allowing conquered peoples to keep their own customs and religions were so important. This was a break from what previous conquerors had tried before. He also built great monuments and cities, including the city of Pasargadae and the famed palace at Persepolis. He also built roads throughout the empire and the world’s first postal system, not unlike the US Pony Express service.

He is also credited with the abolition of slavery, which was a revolutionary concept. Prior to Cyrus, conquered men, women, and children were always sold into slavery, it was one of the many rewards for warfare at the time. As the discussion of our legacy with slavery still haunts us today, Cyrus’s policy on slavery is a particularly pertinent topic to understand.

As a study of good leadership and administrative capabilities, Cyrus is about as good as you can find. Unfortunately, I only own two books about Cyrus, although I have read a few others. The one mentioned at the top of this article by Stephen Dando-Collins, is not one that I own, but it was published recently, and I have been told it is well-researched. If you’re looking for a more contemporary-leadership-focused read on Cyrus, then Xenophon's Cyrus the Great: The Arts of Leadership and War (Kindle) (Audio CD), is a great resource that highlights the important things that business leaders would typically focus on. Honestly, this isn’t the type of book I reach for, but it is very well-written and an excellent resource. One of the books that I do own and that I like to recommend is Cyrus the Great: An Ancient Iranian King. At just over 100 pages it offers a super quick read and is written with greater reverence than many other books, in my opinion. Another well-known biographical author is Jacob Abbott. The one I have on my shelf is History of Cyrus the Great: Makers of History Series (Kindle), but there is a more recent edition called History of Cyrus the Great (Kindle), that I can heartily recommend. They are also a quick read at just over 100 pages each.

Hannibal Barca

Hannibal: The Novel, by Ross Leckie (Kindle) (Audio CD)

No, I’m not referring to Hannibal Lecter, the cannibal from the Silence of the Lamb movies. That Hannibal was actually named after the historical Hannibal Barca, a Carthaginian general, and statesman who fought the Second Punic War with Rome at the end of the third century BCE. He is considered one of the greatest military commanders in history for his audacious tactics and leadership. He is most famous for leading his army, including war elephants, across the Alps to attack Rome from the North in 218 BC. More notably, he is the architect of the spectacular victory over superior Roman forces at the Battle of Cannae, a calamitous event that is still studied in military schools today.

Hannibal was such a terrible scourge on Rome that they spent three wars to defeat them completely. Carthage was eventually decimated with such hate that the Romans did their best to wipe the entire people off the map and out of history books. This is why we actually know surprisingly little of Hannibal much of it is likely not very accurate. As historians, though, we must ask why there was such enmity towards Carthage, and especially Hannibal. The relative dearth of information is still hinders us today – people might know about the elephants and perhaps about Cannae, but little else.

The fact is that well before Cannae, Hannibal’s lightning-fast expedition across the Iberian peninsula, evading Celtic and Roman enemies, was such an effective strategy that the Germans studied it as a basis for their Blitzkrieg strategy. Likewise, the treacherous Winter trek with elephants over the Alps and then surprising the Romans on their own lands before campaign seasons began was a terrifying shock. He then followed that up with stinging defeat after defeat, not unlike the early successes of Alexander against the Persian empire. Hannibal had actually studied Alexander in his youth.

It should also be pointed out that Hannibal spoke fluent Latin, Greek, Celtic, and several other languages enabling him to unite vastly heterogeneous enemies against Rome. Despite always being outnumbered, Hannibal won every battle, or at the least drew them to a draw. He was never defeated in battle during an entire decade of campaigning on enemy territory. It was only when he returned to Africa after 30 years, fighting for a city with soldiers and a city-state he hardly knew anymore, that was he finally defeated in battle. Even then, he still managed to negotiate a workable armistice for them.

Hannibal eventually left Carthage to fight with other enemies of Rome but was ultimately betrayed by them. Despite that, he was never captured and died by suicide. As a model of perseverance against unbelievable odds, as a model of leadership in the most difficult negotiations, and as a model of strategic intelligence, I do not believe any leader of antiquity can compare. While that is strictly my own opinion, I urge you to read his story and decide for yourself.

I have a half dozen books on Hannibal, but the book I typically recommend is the one I mentioned at the top. Yes, it is a fictional novel that takes broad liberties with known history.

Why do I recommend it? Well primarily because the story of Hannibal has been erased from history, so some liberties are acceptable, IMHO. This is because reading history can be a hard pill to swallow. So, if reading history isn’t easy for you or you just don’t have much free time, then this is a great read that will keep you turning pages late into the night. By the way, Ross Leckie also wrote two sequels: Scipio (Kindle) and Carthage (Kindle), that are just as entertaining. I have recommended Leckie’s books to coaches, entrepreneurs, and CEOs - it is a great source of inspiration.

However, for a more in-depth and historically factual book, I recommend Leonard Cottrell’s Hannibal: Enemy of Rome. It is still a quick read from a historian’s perspective but doesn’t stray too far from established history. If you are a history fan and would like an in-depth look into the actual battles, I find Theodore A. Dodge’s Hannibal (Kindle) (Audio CD) (Audible) a fantastic reference. It contains an a closer look at the wars with Rome, the politics of the time, and battle strategies. For those who want to understand tactics on the battlefield, this is the book.

Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar, A Biography, by Michael Grant

There are hundreds of books written about Julius Caesar, and for good reason. I own many and I have read or heard about Caesar since childhood (Asterix and Obelix were a regular staple). Julius Caesar was a remarkable general and politician. It is my opinion that every entrepreneur and leader today should know who this man was.

Born into Roman nobility, Caesar was first a public servant, who became a brilliant military leader, and a capable orator and chronicler of his own campaigns. He played a critical role in the events that led to the end of the Roman Republic which led to the eventual rise of the Empire. In 60 BC, Caesar formed a political alliance with two other statesmen to share power under what is known as the First Triumvirate. Caesar's subsequent victories in the wars just North of the Roman peninsula, primarily in Gaul (modern-day France), extended Rome's territory up to the English Channel and the Rhine River.

Caesar became the first Roman general to cross both when he conducted the first invasion of Britain and built a demonstrative bridge across the Rhine. His conquest of Gaul greatly extended the Roman world, and also its wealth. The story for which Caesar is probably best known (thank you Shakespeare) is that on the 15th of March, 44 BC, he was assassinated by a group of senators who feared his growing dictatorial power. That said, what he accomplished before that and how he did it is worth learning about.

Unlike Cyrus, Caesar was neither magnanimous nor fair. He was absolute, violent and pursued his enemies until their complete destruction - something he likely learned from Alexander. It is therefore with reservations that I place him on my list of great historical figures. That said, the verdict, especially from many contemporary authors, is that he was an extremely effective leader and so I am keeping him on the list.

What should be of significant interest to contemporary readers, especially business leaders, is his genius for manipulation. Against typically significant forces rallied against him, he still managed to eke out a victory in politics, in growing his wealth and as a general on the battlefield. The way he managed debtors and politicians throughout his life is remarkable. Politically, he had a knack for being in the right place at the right time and made the best possible use out of his appointments and service. Likewise, his military victories at Alesia and Zela were masterful in their tactical approach.

As I mentioned there are many books written about Caesar, so picking the right ones can be difficult. The book by Michael Grant that I mentioned at the top is a quick read and the one I usually recommend for anyone needing to get a good overview of Caesar. For a more in-depth read on this fascinating man, I also own Caesar, a Biography (Kindle) by Christian Meier. Although it is a bit older, it is still an excellent biography and one I can heartedly recommend.

Another biographical author I heartily recommend is Theodore A. Dodge’s Caesar (Kindle) which goes more in-depth into the man and his times. I have several books written by Dodge, and I am always impressed by the care he takes in laying out strategies and what is known to be historically accurate.

Conclusion

There are many books on leadership that you can choose to read. I have shelves full of them, and to be honest, most of them are only half-read, if that. After you read enough of them you start to see that they are just rehashing the same advice. More importantly, when someone just tells you exactly what to do, it doesn’t make for an interesting story to read anymore.

Cyrus, Hannibal and Caesar came long before these self-help books cam along. They forged their own path in history and the fact that we can still learn from them thousands of years later is an indication that their stories mattered. What is also significant is that Hannibal studied leaders that came before him, like Cyrus. Likewise, Caesar studied the Punic wars that Hannibal was the central figure of. They took from those who came before them and used that information to create their own success.

The most successful leaders in history have studied these three men as well. Those that learned from their stories used it for their own success, those that didn’t didn’t… and it is why we don’t know their names. Today, we have libraries of information available at our fingertips, or at the tap of a screen. Yet despite that, we often neglect to learn from the success of leaders before us.

This begs the question, will people two thousand years from now read about you with the same interest? If so, then it is likely because you learned something from these great men of our past. Instead of binge-watching reruns of Two and a Half Men, maybe sitting down with one of the books linked above may be a better use of your time.

This article uses affiliate links. These help support the work that we do, so if you are interested in these books, or the digital/audio versions, I encourage you to use the links provided here. Thank you.

5 Green Solutions that Make Financial Sense

TLDR Version:

• Forget the rhetoric, being green isn’t bad for business

• This is also true for small businesses, even one-person operations

• Five green solutions that make financial sense:

  • Switch to LED lights

  • Use automation to shut down energy hogs

  • Rethink business printing

  • Use remote work tech

  • Rethink eating at work

• The bottom line is that being green is actually good for your bottom line!

More context:

When I first started blogging, I chose a very niche project. I was going to write about how Hi-Fi audio equipment could be more green. In the end, this niche topic proved to be a tough one. The reality was that people who spend tens of thousands of dollars on a pair of speakers don’t really concern themselves with being environmentally friendly.

The Hi-Fi manufacturers had similar sentiments. I suspect they were just trying to meet the minimum regulation requirements that they mostly considered to be restrictive and anti-competitive. As the political climate became more hostile towards green solutions in the last few years, my blog fizzled out as well.

However, I never lost my interest in writing about green initiatives and while it does seem like there is some growing interest today, it is still a tough sell for most people, and this is also true for small businesses.

In a post-pandemic, downward economy, small businesses are more concerned with staying profitable, if not just surviving. Environmental regulations are still considered an impediment. This is a pity because many greener options can actually save small businesses money. Here are some examples:

1.       Use LED lights

Replacing incandescent and fluorescent/CFC lightbulbs with LED versions will result in cost savings. While LED bulbs are still more expensive, they also have been coming down in price as demand has increased and supplies have grown. LED bulbs are also more resilient to being turned on and off than fluorescent/CFC bulbs.

This makes LED bulbs a better option for dimmers and timers, which will also save you money over time. Many workspaces can use less light, which also keeps spaces cooler as temperatures have risen. Using automation allows these lights to be controlled based on occupancy and working needs.

How much savings can you expect? Well, I used to have four large 3’ light boxes which used fluorescent tubes, in my garage where I do my packing. According to some rough calculations based on how many hours they were in use; this cost about 15 cents per day. Not a huge amount, but over the course of a year, this was notable. Switching to LED and a motion sensor I now use about 1/8 as much energy to light my garage.

When you consider the many other lights in use while you work, from overhead lighting to, desk lamps to security lights at night, switching to LEDs can make a difference. I’m not saying you should switch out all your lights immediately, but as they burn out, you should switch to LED versions.

P.S. One annoyance that people have is with the brightness of LED lights, so I try to purchase lamps with a diffusing shield. Alternately you can make your own, as described in this comical video.

2.       Shut down tech when not needed

While laptops use very little energy, desktop computers, screens, servers/NAS units and networking equipment (i.e. you router) use quite a bit more. Likewise, if you have a music playing in the background, a TV on while you work, or fans on, these all consume energy as well. When you are not using them, I know it is a hassle to turn these on & off, so I automate them.

Most equipment these days can be shut down or switched to low-power modes when not actively used. You should consider using these features. For electronics like fans, appliances, and older music equipment, you can install automated timers that you can even control with your voice or with your phone when you are out of the office.

I also use automation on my servers and networking equipment at night. Turning these off regularly has additional benefits:

• It allows for needed reboots after software updates

• It keeps the equipment secure when not in use because late at night is when hackers, particularly those from different time-zones, tend to be more active

One way I manage this when the equipment itself does not have automated shutdown capabilities is by using powered batteries (aka UPSes) that offer this functionality. UPSes are a bit outside the scope of this article, but if you want to learn more about this, here is an informative video on the subject.

As with the topic of switching to LED lights, shutting down electronic equipment is one more way to be greener and save on energy expenses. By using automation, this does not need to be something you need to remember to do.

3.       Change how you print

Most small businesses need to print invoices, reports, client proofs, receipts, and advertising materials. This requires printers, toner/ink, paper, and sometimes special types of paper. Not only are these expensive, but they are also not good for the environment because of how they are produced and the waste they create. Fortunately, being green will help save on those costs.

Let’s begin with the printers. I used to print all my shipping labels with a laser printer, typically one label per page. I then placed this in an adhesive plastic label envelope. If I ran out of those, I would simply just use packing tape to affix it to the box. This was wasteful and time-consuming. I have since switched to a thermal printer which doesn’t require ink/toner and it prints on adhesive labels, so I don’t need to worry about attaching it, either.

For other print jobs I first replaced my deskjet printer for a laser printer, and then switched to a laser printer that prints on both sides. This saves on toner/ink and paper. I’ve now set it to print on both sides by default, so that everyone else remembers as well. I also increased the margin sizes as a default, so each printed page uses slightly less ink – no one has noticed, so it isn’t something anyone is missing. For much longer print jobs I’ll print 2 pages per side whenever possible – still legible, but half as many paper & toner/ink.

What about color printing? I have a separate color printer, but it must be specifically selected whenever anyone prints. I encourage everyone to print only the pages they need in color (like cover pages and charts pages) and print the rest on the laser printer. Since color printing is so much more expensive per page, this helps reduce cost & waste.

Consequently, I have also set the printers to shut off automatically when they are not being used. Since they are on one end of the house, it typically takes a couple of minutes for everyone to get to the printers, so by the time a print job is sent to a printer, it has had time to turn on, initialize and print whatever was needed.

I also set the print jobs to use the tray with the least expensive paper by default. If someone needs thicker, more expensive paper, then they need to select that tray manually. I realize that this does hinder productivity slightly, but no one has complained.

For more complex jobs, especially those requiring many colors and specialty paper, I’ve made it very convenient to print to Staples. I’ve experimented with requiring my approval for any large or complex print job, but this seemed a bit too draconian, wasn’t necessary often enough, and I really didn’t want to be micro-managing it to that extent. Instead, everyone uses their own judgement, and this has worked well enough.

Finally, consider other ways that you can reduce printing by implementing paperless office solutions, from invoicing via email to sharing documents with clients via the cloud, there are many ways you can reduce your printing costs and become greener in the process.

These are simple and easy ways that anyone can reduce printing expenses and waste. Maybe some of these options aren’t necessary in your business, but the options are there, if you want to implement them.

4.       Use remote work options and the cloud

Using remote work options can significantly minimize expenses and waste by reducing travel time while still retaining a collaborative environment. There are many excellent products for achieving this from household names like DropBox to Google Workspaces to Zoom. I still use these with clients who prefer them.

However, for our own team, we needed something that had a consolidated interface, was cross-platform, offered simplified management, and centralized billing. This is why we now use Microsoft Office 365 and all the associated collaboration options (Exchange, Teams, OneDrive, etc.). While it does have a slight learning curve, once everyone understood that these were so similar to the Word and Excel programs they had used for years, we were quickly able to standardize on it.

Many people use Google as a platform, which is a less expensive solution and very capable with unique features. Other options are Zoho, Salesforce, Apple’s iCloud which many small businesses who use Macs rely on as well. Whatever solution you chose, remote work and leveraging the cloud is an excellent way for your team to work remotely.

In addition to being more green and saving on travel costs, remote work has other benefits as well, including providing more flexibility to your employees and finding quality talent much further away. Here is the CEO of Wordpress.com explaining the these and other benefits of remote work in a TED talk.

Also consider that remote work technologies are still in their infancy. Eventually virtual solutions will become more common place, and these will also be more green than travel and physical proximity. By using these remote work technologies now, you are also keeping yourself and your business at the forefront of innovation, and this could give you a technological advantage in the future.

5.       Reconsider how you eat

While this is typically a recommendation for larger businesses, there are lessons here for smaller ones, including those who work from home. While I work from home, I have also changed my eating habits to be more productive, create less waste and use less energy.

Americans waste a lot of food, but the most damaging for the environment is the production and packaging. This is especially the case with fast food, which also tends to be less healthy and more fattening too – definitely not ideal for someone like me who sits in front of a computer all day.

Therefore, I have also reduced my meat intake considerably – I realize this isn’t for everyone but for me, this has improved my health, lowered my weight, and reduced kitchen waste and packaging waste in my home. Meat production is extremely wasteful for the environment and so this is something I recommend.

Meat products also tend to be more expensive. If your business does a lot of catering, parties, or provides lunches for your employees, then consider reducing the amount of meat used in dishes and offering healthier options that typically will also cost less. This will be more green and more economical.

Encourage your employees to bring healthier lunches and provide a place where they can eat those lunches. This will build camaraderie among your employees, but will also have other benefits because it will:

• reduce the consumption of fast food

• reduce the need to travel to a restaurant

• reduce lunch expenses for your employees

For your business, this will also have the added benefit that your employees will stay on-site and reduce the early afternoon productivity slump that employees typically experience after a heavy off-site lunch.

Lunches brought to work typically will be eaten cold, but even if they do need warming up, this will be typically with a microwave. This is an inexpensive appliance for you to provide, that also happens to use far less energy than a stove. This is both green and cost-effective for you.

If you provide coffee for your employees like many businesses do, you can set a green example by offering organic, fair-trade options, teas and cups that are made of recycled materials. While green coffee, tea and supplies may not be much less expensive, it does set an example that being green is welcomed. Generally speaking, employees are more receptive to this type of work environment, which surveys suggest is a growing trend.

Consequently, many of these concepts will also have a positive impact for smaller businesses and those who work from home. I have implemented some of these myself, and I can say without hesitation that my own productivity and the productivity of my staff has improved as a result.

Conclusion

The conversation about environmentally conscious business practices is an ongoing one with many different opinions. Most of those conversations are broad and generalized for the ears of CEOs, politicians, and the heads of large organizations. So let them continue to debate this.

You have a business to run and being green just makes more sense simply because it positively impacts your bottom line. Consequently, being green also has a positive impact on employee morale, so it’s a win-win for you, either way.

It is time to stop thinking of environmental initiatives as an unnecessary expense, a burden to bear for your team, and an impediment to your business’ bottom line. It isn’t, even if the popular rhetoric continues repeating that mantra. Let them continue to debate if they like. In the meantime, just do what’s best for your business, and in this situation, this does include being more green.

Using Music to Improve Your Productivity

When digital music became available in mass quantity, first through MP3s and then by streaming, I did what everyone did and queued my favorite music to play in the background all the time. I still enjoy listening to music intently on high-quality equipment, but I have to be honest, it had become just pleasant background noise.

As I was listening and working, I began to realize that some music motivated me to be more active while other music allowed my mind to wander off and I became less productive. That is when I started alternating the styles of music around what I wanted to accomplish. This made me realize that music doesn’t need to be just background noise – you can actually use it functionally.

As I wrote in a previous article that some of you may remember, large factories use music to motivate their workers on the assembly line. Like most people I have a knee-jerk reaction to this and I consider it manipulative, especially without the worker’s consent. Yet I now work for myself, so why not use this to improve my own productivity?

Choosing Music To Motivate Myself

In that previous article, I used jazz as an example. Now I realize jazz may not be for everyone, and it may also not be for every situation. This is also the case with me - sometimes I require classic rock to get me motivated to churn through repetitive work. Then at other times I need some classical to help me stay focused at the computer.

For example when I exercise, I really have two genres, depending on the type of workout. For walking, hiking and running, I listen with earphones to to melodic Electronic Dance Music like Deadmaus, Groove Armada, and more modern acts like Showtek to keep me moving. I suppose that the repetitive beat encourages me to keep pace with it, which then leads to longer workouts.

Some days, I need a bit more than a beat to get me moving (we all have of those days). That's when I reach for harder rock like Metallica, some Ice-T infused preaching from Body Count, or I’ll go full on Viking with some Tyr. The bottom line is that I usually need something heavy or fast to get me moving because my exercises tend to lag when I have to listen to other stuff like a podcast.

When I drive to a meeting, I typically listen to classic rock. The quality of car radios is not very high, so music sounds bad already; then there is the road and car noise (no I don't drive a Maybach around town). Because of this, my car music is more mid-range and vocal. It's mostly classic rock – anything from early 60's The Who to 80's Journey will do.

Not only do I look to adapt the music to my environment, but I also adapt it to the mood I need to be in. If I'm feeling cheeky, I may even venture out to country and blues, like a little Old Dominion or Kris Barras. Since I’m driving, it also needs to keep me awake so I need to be able to crank the volume up, too. YMMV.

In sharp contrast to this, when I write, I need to slow things down a bit. That is when I reach for music that focuses me, that has less bass and less dynamic range. This is when I’ll chose jazz, typically, easy jazz like this saxophonist from London that I discovered recently called Nubya Garcia. Sometimes jazz also has to be listened to with attention and no distractions from work, but when I'm writing smooth jazz is my go-to style.

At other times I will opt for classical and for writing I’ll chose baroque styles like Georg Philipp Telemann, or some Arcangelo Corelli, over something more boisterous like a Beethoven symphony. Yes, Beethoven can have beautifully moving slow passages, but you always know that this is just to lull you into a hole of anticipation, only to be ambushed by a full jolt of emotion shortly thereafter.

The symphonic works of Beethoven, Wagner, Mendelsohnn, Sibelius, and even young Mozart don't always make for good work music to me as I always find myself wandering off. For these pieces I need to take the record back to my home theater room, turn down the lights and listen with full attention. I know it may seem strange to some people, but listening intently can be an emotional rollercoaster and turn into a concerted mental workout.

No, not all classical is relaxing; and no, that is not work-music.

Why this matters for productivity

Well, over time, our mind starts to associate music with the activities performed when that music is  playing. This is very helpful if we need to get motivated for an activity when we really would rather watch funny TikTok videos. Music becomes a tool we can use to generate motivation - all we have to do is turn the right music on for each activity.

In turn, familiar music keeps us concentrated on the task we have come to associate with it. This is most obvious when working out. It just becomes a habit. Exercises become easier when the mind is not on deadlines, bills, and personal problems.

In this way, the music transports me away. When I listen to EDM when I exercise, my mind wanders to distant places and helps me forget how tired my muscles are. I measured this effect some time back. I found that I cover at least 25% more distance running or walking with music than without.

So the next time you need to “get in the mood” to start on your presentation, get moving on dinner for the kids, or get your but off the couch and outside, consider the music you listened to the last time you did that activity. Chances are, just putting on the same music will motivate you to get going again.

It's such a simple thing to do, yet it can definitely improve your productivity. If you’re going to listen to music while you work anyhow, why not make it useful for you. Become selective about what you listen to and when and you will become more productive because of the power of association.

What do you have to lose for trying it?

It is now OK to Share Your Personal Experiences on Linked In

Yesterday, someone I follow online responded to a question she had received: “why do you post sexy pictures of yourself?” She does, and to be frank, I wondered myself, but I was too polite to ask. Since this platform was Linked In, a professional networking site, it seemed a bit out of place. After she gave it some thought, she responded with the simple answer: “Being fun, sexy and flirty is part of who I am.”

Now before we dismiss this response, she mentions that she was a dancer and knows a bit about performing, so it really is part of who she is. It is what makes her the person she is representing online. It shows honesty and confidence, two qualities that are important for potential clients and/or companies she may want to work for or with.

Another person I follow shared a story about how she made the difficult decision to have an abortion during a violent and abusive relationship. This was on Linked In, so again, people asked, why should this be shared on a professional platform? Obviously with the recent news on the possibility that the US Supreme Court may overturn Roe v. Wade, this is current news as well, and this is part of the reason this person shared her story.

She also had other valid reasons for posting the story. For one, it’s in her professional wheelhouse as she is a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) specialist. She works on gender equity issues professionally. So this experience is part of who she is personally, but also professionally. Again, it also shows honesty and confidence - if someone were looking to work with her, this is key information.

So yes, sharing this information should be included on professional sites like Linked In, if the user chooses to do so.

Why should things like this be shared on social media?

Some social media platforms exist primarily as forums for discussing social and political issues and an issue like Roe v. Wade should be permissible there. The platform should respect civil discourse, of course. There are differing views on Roe v. Wade, some more accepted than others, but everyone likely to take part in this discussion will have their own unique connection to it at some deep level.

These discussions do need to occur on public forums, so that through a fair, safe, and equitable democratic processes, solutions can emerge to potentially form public policy decisions on. In today’s society, there really is no other place like social media to engage in this process. Unlike ancient times when democracy was still a new concept in early city-states, we are now too numerous to have speaker’s debate at the Pnyx in Athens.

Televised debates are also outdated. This is exemplified by the Republican National Committee’s recent announcement that they would rather skip the 2024 presidential debates. While I don’t agree, their argument hinges on viewership. If advertising interruptions don’t tire out the viewers, there are enough alternative sources of entertainment that people would rather watch. The fact is that most people would rather view the last season of Gray’s Anatomy or tune out all the noise with that old opiate of Monday Night Football.

Social media, on the other hand, provides a different platform. Sure, there are still ads here and there, but for the most part, the discussions can be had online without too much distraction, and at a slower pace allowing for some reflection. This makes it possible to keep the debate more civil and to open it to a much larger audience who can then read and reflect on their own time. Social media is like a slow-motion debate.

It has become the debate stage of modern times. It is a pity that it doesn’t receive that type of attention from politicians and government officials, the ones who are tasked with making decisions on such important issues as Roe v Wade. Perhaps this is why so many people consider many politicians out-of-touch with current events.

Gender dynamics

Since I brought sports into this discussion, I should confront my own male privilege. The choice to ignore the Roe v Wade debate and watch sports is a uniquely male one to make. The reality is that I can’t possibly know how deeply personal abortion is to a woman. The very concept of debating it is physically invasive in a way men cannot comprehend. I don’t just mean this metaphorically. For some women the discussion actually causes physical pain that men cannot feel.

Let that sink in for a minute…

Because of this deeper connection that women have, men need to acknowledge that, for women to share their personal stories about abortion, it becomes an integral part of who they are. To be more specific, it is a big part of how they want to be seen online. Yes, sharing these stories is a choice and men need to fully respect that.

Men need to stop asking why women are sharing this online. Women do not owe men an explanation about that choice. Insisting on one is also a manifestation of privilege.

Let’s be honest. Having to see these stories is not really a burden for men, at least not compared to experiencing birth and/or an abortion. Therefore, it is so often repeated that if men could bear children, abortion would be a sacred part of all our lives.

It likely would have been codified into religious texts long ago. One can imagine those monks in their monasteries fervently incorporating this sacrament into the scriptures between spasms of back pain, bloating, peeing every few hours, mood swings, nausea, and yes, also tender, swollen breasts. Surely, if that was the case, it would be understandable that childbirth would not be the only option available.

In all seriousness, the experience is very real for more than half of all Americans: women. Yet even today, any decision on abortion is made primarily by the half that has the least experience with it: men. Even when women are part of the discussion, it is always as a minority voice simply because in government, they are a minority.

At the risk of oversimplifying this, the abortion debate is less about biology or legality and more about simple arithmetic: a supreme court with six men and three women cannot and should not in good conscience decide this. Those six men cannot simply “empathize” and reach a fair decision – they are just too far removed from it. It would be more equitable if they would recuse themselves and let the women on the court decide the case. The same can be said for lower courts which are also overwhelmingly seated by men.

Allowing men to decide this for women is unfair, as it has been for a very long time. The pro-choice and anti-choice sides may never agree on exactly when life starts, from when an egg is fertilized to when a viable child is born. However, neither side can ignore the fact that women should have a larger say in that decision. That should be simple enough to agree on.

And yet, that is not where we are as country.

So, what can be done?

Since most people can agree that women should have a larger say in this decision, then why is this “say” not possible online? When men tell women that they should not share their personal abortion stories online, they are doing exactly what the supreme court is doing; they are perpetuating an unfair system that has oppressed women for millennia. With social media, there is an opportunity to bring a little more fairness to that discussion.

The issue of abortion is uniquely a women’s issue. Inserting men into the decision is limiting their voices and harkens back to times when a woman’s voice was worth only a fraction of a man’s. This is what is being done when men criticize the choice to talk about abortion. Surely, today, online, men can see women in their entirety, not just the “fun, sexy and flirty” parts?

Yes, this post is primarily directed at men, but also at those women and others that frown upon courageous women who chose to speak about their abortion experiences online. I am not saying everyone should do so, but if they want to share this part of who they are, even on a professional platform like Linked In, then they should do so!

And to those who are just standing on the sidelines, you need to do that without prejudice, repression, or vitriol; expressing that discontent only betrays how little the rest of us really know about you.

Why Diversity Should Matter to Your Small Business

It is difficult being a small business and also having to keep up with the latest social trends. I get that. One topic that has been trending online the past couple of years is Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion, a.k.a. DEI.

I’m sure you’ve seen those same articles and posts on your LinkedIn feed. It can be overwhelming and with so much on your mind, you wonder if you should even be considering this for your business. After all, like most of us, you probably didn’t major in Ethnic Studies in college.

To give this some background, DEI is more than words, it is a framework that helps you see and understand the importance of difference. Diversity in the workplace brings new ideas and new perspectives. Equity is when everyone gets what they need to succeed, and it will be different for different people. Inclusion allows for those who are ordinarily excluded from important tasks to be represented accurately and included intentionally.

The emphasis should be on accuracy and intention. It recognizes that things were not fair before, but that this is not the way it needs to stay. It asks everyone to work together to make things fairer for everyone else in the workplace.

You’re probably wondering what it has to do with you and your small business. You might think that your business is very small, maybe just a family business, a micro business with just a few employees. You may even be a one person operation. So why should DEI matter?

Well even for the one-person operation, you still have clients, referrals, and fellow contractors (i.e. a bookkeeper, a graphic designer, a coach, etc.) that are necessary for specific tasks for your business. No matter how small your business, you still deal with other people. Those people aren’t always going to look just like you, have the same religion, or be of the same gender.

Let me give you a few specific reasons why I think you should care:

Reason 1:
You don’t want to stay small forever, right? You want to grow, innovate, and expand. You want your ideas/products to not just exist in your little corner of the world. You want to expand so that the rest of the world sees and hears what you have to offer. To do that, you must understand and embrace DEI.

Reason 2:
You and your company are part of a society… at the very least you are part of your local community. If you are an ethnic, racial, or religious minority, you don’t want to be excluded from opportunities outside of your own community. Sometimes this happens because someone forgot you were even there or didn’t think you should be included in the first place.

Reason 3:
We all run out of ideas at some point. Adopting a DEI framework gives you the mindset and understanding to hire or consult with different types of people knowing that your interactions will lead to mutually beneficial outcomes. Why? Because you are also an integral part of the DEI framework that creates a mutually beneficial outcome.

I hope I’ve convinced you to see how DEI is not just important for others, but for you! One of my pet peeves is when people use the term “common sense”. It assumes we all are the same: same history, same background, same, same, same. That’s boring. As a small business you excel because you are unique and bring a different perspective to the marketplace. In essence, you could embody DEI.

Difference, diversity, inclusion, equity… all these terms are vitally important to small businesses, especially those who want to excel in the 21st century marketplace of ideas. DEI provides a source for innovation, creativity, and passion. So, if you want to ensure you don’t stagnate and get left behind, learn about DEI and make it a central part of your business plan.

When it comes to DEI, be intentional, be strategic, and you will thrive!

Let’s Talk about the Sexism in Computer Building

Linus Tech Tips YouTube channel being a little less than conscientious about this issue…

Ever notice how most computer building videos are by men and for men? There are some women building computers too, but they don’t receive nearly the same number of views. It’s a man’s world, and along with car repair how-to’s and Overwatch gameplay videos, you would think that computer building is a male-dominated hobby.

Even the few videos that women have made to showcase their own builds are filled with hesitation and excuses. Along with the repetitive mentions that they will make mistakes, almost all these videos are filled with uncertainly and doubt. Of course, this is part of a systemic problem, one that I intend to address below.

Now I’m sure that most professional computer building channels on YouTube don’t mean to be sexist about it. To be fair, most are very informative channels, but it’s not often we see a woman there. If we do, it is usually in a “supportive role”, to do a product pitch, or as someone who “needs help.”

The fact is, this obliviousness on the part of men is sexist too. That’s right, it’s privilege. Men don’t have to think about it, so they don’t. Unfortunately, by ignoring the issue, they help perpetuate it. This is a shame and something we should actively work to change.

Why does this matter?

This division between male and female roles harks back to early childhood when boys played with Legos and girls with dolls. In other words: boys build, girls comfort. You can’t comfort a computer, so that leaves girls out of this hobby. As they grow older, that discrepancy grows.

Over time, it becomes a more insidious issue. Building something gives one ownership and power over that which is built. After all, if you build something from the ground up like you would a computer, it helps you understand how all the parts are interconnected and dependent on each other. As a result, that greater understanding, gives you control and yes, also power, over it.

Building computers should not be gender-biased…
Image courtesy of pixabay.com

Denying women the same opportunities essentially also denies them that understanding and power. This then perpetuates the dependence on men to help with computer maintenance over time. While I’m sure there are some women reading this thinking that they are perfectly fine leaving all that tech to men, it does beg the question, should they be fine with it?

This division of interest can develop into larger ramifications. As women move up in organizations and corporations, the dependency remains. Even a female CEO will defer more readily to a (typically male) CIO about technical matters. The dependence becomes hard-wired in the mind, and they are perpetually at a disadvantage because of it.

It is also the case that the other men around the female CEO expect this behavior. It is hard-wired in their minds too. It becomes institutionalized sexism. It makes even the most senior women in our society not just perpetually dependent on men, but makes those men think that they should be. Ultimately, it makes it that much more difficult for a woman to be in a leadership position.

OK, but this is much bigger than building computers, right?

Yes, it is. However along with starting girls on playing with the same Legos at an early age, to encouraging them to develop STEM interests later, building computers is also an educational process.

Most people building computers are young gamers – there is an entire industry and subculture around this hobby. It is the reason that the only computer magazines (once in the dozens) that are still thriving are the ones for this hobby. Building computers can be part of that education. Girls need to see that they can be part of it, and boys need to see this as normal.

In addition to the socio-psychological benefits of computer building, it also develops critical skills. It is a very mechanical process – everything fits in specific ways. It develops 3-dimensional thinking, it involves problem solving skills, and it requires knowledge of related technologies relevant to a future career. These include knowledge of computer operating systems, cooling and airflow dynamics, as well as design and engineering considerations that impact how the computer operates.

Let’s choose your character for this game…
Image courtesy of pixabay.com

There is another benefit in encouraging girls to build computers: it addresses the very serious sexism and misogyny in related industries, for example in gaming. This has been talked about quite a bit, but if this is news to you, here’s a quick video about what female gamers deal with: The Dark Side Of Gaming - The Females Fighting Back (contains offensive language). Yes, there is still a long way to go in the gaming industry, but if more women build their own gaming computers, then there will also be more empowered girls playing those games with those computers.

Changing gaming environments will encourage girls to participate and to be seen as part of the community. It will also encourage more of them to become game developers and develop interests in other computer-related fields. Maybe we’ll eventually even see a female tech billionaire in space…

What is encouraging is that there are now about as many women playing computer games as there are men. This is a huge change from just a few years ago. As a result, sexism and misogyny is increasingly being frowned upon in this industry. Yes, this is what happens when there is parity between males and females in any environment. Now let’s see if we can change the balance in computer building as well.

All right, but I’m not a gamer

I went into detail about gaming because it is one industry related to computer building that has thrived in recent years. Fortunately for everyone, this has also had a positive effect on the building of computers for non-gamers. Consequently, this helps the industry grow more and the positive cycle perpetuates itself.

For one, there are many more resources for computer builders. Parts are easier to find online, tutorials are all over YouTube (granted most are still by men), and documentation and specs for these parts are easily found as well. This makes it much easier for young people to find the parts they need to build their computers.

There are also many more ways to customize the computers to fit the builder’s personal style and taste. Here are some examples of what computers can look like:

Lian Li O11 build:

NZXT H700 PUBG build:

Thermaltake View28 build:

There is also a new trend to make computers blend into our lifestyles and be more furniture-like, complete with wood sides and rounded edges.

Fractal Design Era ITX build:

CryoRig Taku Monitor Stand build:

InWin B1 Pure build:

Move over, Apple! With so many options, there is a much wider array of styles that computer builders can chose from. It no longer needs to be a big, heavy, square metallic box.

For those that want to build their own cases, there are several plans available online for people to 3D print their own parts and even entire cases. Or if 3D printing is too tedious, you can also buy the case in parts and build that yourself.

Teenage Engineering Computer One build:

The point is that while these computers can certainly be used for gamers, they don’t have to be. More importantly, it is no longer necessary to buy a boring Dell, HP or Lenovo box that is pre-assembled for you. There are many more and interesting choices.

This brings me to another important point. Choice is typically not something that girls are given, at least not as often as boys. Instead, the choice is made for them, especially when it comes to technology. Buying a pre-made computer is another way to reinforce that deception: give girls just something pre-decided for them.

OK, but I’m not young, either.

Well, to begin, youth is only a mindset. There are many older adults building computers. Consequently, many are also gamers, but we’ve already covered that. There are even online groups for elderly gamers and computer builders, and they are growing. As the saying goes, you are never too old to learn.

One the other hand, you could also build a computer together with your daughter. This doesn’t mean you need to do it all for her, either. Let her take the lead while you provide the guidance to pick the right parts, find a look that she likes, and let her install the software that she chooses.

Above all, allow her to make some mistakes along the way, because that is the best way to learn. We stereotypically say that healthy boys should have a few bumps and bruises, but girls should be protected.

Well, this is also faulty logic when it comes to computer building. As long as they don’t injure themselves, girls should be allowed to install the fans backwards, break a plastic clip, and crash a system by overclocking too aggressively. When boys do this, we dismiss it as boys-will-be-boys mistakes, so why not do the same for girls?

Image courtesy of pexels.com

In adulthood, computer building has many benefits for women as well. This is especially true for self-employed women. Small business owners, graphic designer, YouTubers, and many people in the Gig Economy are building their own computers, and you can too. This is because computer building will enrich your life in many ways:

• You will better understand what is inside your computer

• You will have a new computer to use, probably better than the one you’re using now

• You won’t be shy about opening it back up for repairs and upgrades

• You’ll know when a slick salesman is trying to sell junk tech

• You will have found a new community online of people just like yourself

• You will reduce your dependence on someone else for computer help

• You will gain a sense of accomplishment and pride

• And of course, you can now also play Fortnite like a pro!

It’s not difficult either. Other than a computer being a bit smaller, it is not too different from assembling Ikea furniture. You know that feeling when you tighten that last screw? Well, that’s the same feeling you get after completing a computer build. Just watch some YouTube videos on how to do this – there is one for just about every part you will install.

By the way, if you work in a specialized field that requires high-performance computing, like graphic design, database management, programming, music/video production, photography, then you need to build your own computer.

This is because that pre-built computer from a major manufacturer is not going to be customized to your profession’s specific needs. When you build your own computer, you learn why certain parts are more important than others and this will save you time, money, and frustration.

Most importantly, if you are a parent, you’ll be setting an example to your children that computer building is something women can do as well. When they see that this is normal and encouraged, they will expect the same when they go out into the world to study, find work, and build their own dreams.

Conclusion

Building computers is not just about gaming. While there is much we can thank gaming for, such as growing this industry and pushing performance, it also has its dark side as we have seen. So, we need to take the good and shed the bad from gaming.

One such good is the wonderful opportunity it gives us to build our own computers. In a world where most other products are pre-assembled and dumbed down to appeal to a larger number of average consumers, it is refreshing that computer building is going in a different direction. Instead of wallowing in average, it gives everyone an opportunity to excel and rise above mediocrity.

This opportunity exists for women as much as for men. Just because it has been a man’s hobby for so long does not mean it needs to remain so. Times change, and computer building has changed too. If the gaming industry can grow it’s share of women to outnumber men, then this can also happen for computer building. There are simply too many benefits to building computers.

So, women and girls of the world: start building!

Where the Great Resignation, the Gig Economy and Pay Inequity for Women Collide

Image courtesy of pexels.com

Pay inequity between men and women in the workplace was never adequately addressed by past administrations. Men still earn more than women in most professions and the labor force is not equipped to deal with an additional crisis that could compound the problem. One such crisis has been the Covid-19 pandemic and how it has impacted labor.

The Great Resignation

There has been quite a bit of coverage on the shortage of skilled labor that resulted from the pandemic, also called the Great Resignation. Large employers are finding that the lockdowns gave many people who were furloughed or laid-off time to find alternate work and to re-evaluate their work-life-balance.

For the millions who were fortunate enough to continue to work, many did so remotely. It also opened their eyes to a new way to think about work-life balance. As with those who left their jobs, they found conveniences they perhaps had not noticed before.

For example, they spent more time with their families. They appreciated not having to commute to work. They noticed that excessive consumption could be reduced – eating outside the home became less common and shopping less of a regular pass-time. Finally, despite the misgivings of managers, they found that they could be more productive working from home.

Now that lockdowns are being lifted, many people are opting not to return to their old jobs or to remain remote. For companies across the US, this is creating a significant shortage of qualified and present labor. Their workforce is not returning to pre-pandemic levels, and this is then also further impacting economic recovery.

The Gig Economy

It should be no surprise that the Great Resignation is in turn swelling the ranks of the gig economy. Many workers who were laid off turned hobbies into businesses to make ends meet. Others re-honed their skills to be able to continue the work they did for their old company, but now they did it for themselves. Even those who continued to work remotely took on side-jobs because they had extra time to do so.

In short, they became part of the gig economy. While the gig economy was already growing before the pandemic, the lockdowns put that growth into overdrive. Many highly skilled former employees also found that in addition to the freedom afforded by working for themselves, they were also able to charge more for their work.

This is now like a candle that burns on both ends, because as companies are now short on labor, they are willing to pay even more for that labor. So supply meets demand, especially in high-skilled fields like engineering, medicine, law, accounting, and tech/computing. Obviously, these new members of the gig economy are asking themselves a very pertinent question: should they return to their old jobs?

Obviously, many people will. After all, running a business is additional work on top of the skilled labor that is involved. Those old jobs are now also being offered with higher salaries, bonuses, and more benefits than before. On the other hand, many people will not return. It is still too soon to tell what the final ratio will be.

What we do know is that the gig economy is growing much faster than before the pandemic. This is a trend and one that is changing the entire discussion about labor in this country, and not just in management. There is a soul-searching happening with workers everywhere about what their labor is worth.

This is question not just for labor, but it also impacts what goods and services are worth – it is a paradigm shift in the economy. If these questions are also coupled with previous questions about labor, this becomes a very universal development. Before the pandemic, there were questions about the environmental impact of our means of production, the way it influenced conflicts around the world, as well as the very real question about labor equity.

Gender Equity

Considering this paradigm shift in our understanding of labor, we can look closer to home to see what is happening with one specific aspect of labor equity, and that is pay equity. We can look at this because it is something that has been discussed quite a bit already, it has been researched and there are some very important trends that we already have available to us.

Without citing the myriad sources, we know that women are not paid the same as men by large employers. Our failure to address this more aggressively has raised the awareness of this disparity and it is not in question. So how will this collide with the Great Resignation and the growth in the gig economy?

For one, because more men were in higher-paid and skilled positions before, it follows that more men were laid off, furloughed, or sent to work remotely from those jobs; it’s a direct correlation. It is just a fact that in the US more women stayed home before the pandemic.

As these laid-off, furloughed and remote workers joined the gig economy to make ends meet, it is likely that women in those households started to take a more active role in those businesses to help with expenses. It is also likely that many women formed new businesses on their own to help.

The economic difficulties of the pandemic were shared by all in the household… but inevitably so were the benefits of being in the gig economy. Both men and women acquired new skills to make ends meet. However, what was likely to be a status demotion for the men, this was a status upgrade for the women.

There are many ways we can evaluate status, but let’s just focus on pay. Whereas the men likely found a pay deficit by switching to the gig economy – an inevitability when starting a business – the women found a pay surplus. For many women who had not been in the workforce, this was now an opportunity to earn income.

Statistically, women working from home were already a large part of the gig economy before the pandemic, but the lockdowns created a drastic need to grow these “side-hustles” into much more prominent businesses. It was a forced upgrade, you might say.

Another aspect of this trend is that because of the economic need that the lockdowns created, these women also acquired new skills and did so faster than before. Not only did those skills helped grow the business, but it also creates a new skilled labor force that was not there before.

How all three factors will collide

It seems that news media prefers to discuss The Great Resignation, the gig economy, and the Gender Pay Gap in isolation, conveniently into small digestible stories that exist on their own. However, that is not reality – trends cannot be understood in isolation because they collide with each other. This is also the case here.

The women who previously stayed home are now more skilled. While many of them will continue in the gig economy, there will also be many who will be attracted to the higher salaries now being offered by employers desperate to fill open job positions.

Many of those employers will even offer more flexible hours, more remote work opportunities and different benefits that compare to those seen in the gig economy to attract these employees. They may even lower the skill requirements, thus opening the opportunity for more people to apply.

While many men will also be applying for their old jobs, this will create more competition for those jobs. More skilled workers to fill each job should help reduce demand over time, so the situation for employers is not as bleak. However, what will change is that more women will be entering the workforce at larger companies than before. While we can’t yet know the new ratios of men-to-women, the trend is there.

For their part, many men may opt to stay in the gig economy. It may not even be a choice either, since the job market will become more competitive with more applicants, but the longer that they are not working in that position, the more their own skills will become outdated.

In the end, they may prefer becoming the stay-at-home parent. The many benefits of being a gig worker may outweigh the advantages of working for an employer. The decision also becomes an economic one for the whole household. With the woman either earning more than before in the home business or working for an employer at a higher salary, the lower salary of the man may not be as difficult to bear for the entire household.

The result is that if current trends prevail, more women will be employed at larger companies in the future. This should generate more interest in promoting gender equity in the workplace, should be accompanied by more salary equity, and most importantly should alleviate the labor shortage over time and continuing the economic recovery we all would like to see.

Conclusion

I realize that these are very general observations based on trends culled from the very popular media that I deride for being a bit siloed in their perspective. Moreover, the description of women and their role is very traditional, and some might even say offensive. This doesn’t even scratch the surface of gender roles as they relate to gender self-identity, issues that are well beyond the scope of this article.

As such, I do not deny those criticisms.

Like trends, however, they do have considerable truth to them. Women are being paid less in the workplace, they are not compensated for traditional home-related work, and they represented most people doing side-hustles and part-time work. None of this is fair and it should be corrected.

My hope is that the current trends help bring about those changes over time. Perhaps it is an exasperation that government has not brought about enough change for women in the past. If so, these trends might help level the playing field, which should be good for companies as well.

It is not yet clear how much these trends will change the nature of labor. It is not even clear how much they will change the discussion about labor. It’s quite possible that the change will occur slowly and without much fanfare at all. We may not even notice anything.

If so, that would be a pity as well. We need to be talking about these trends. Likewise, savvy companies as well as gig workers need to understand these trends so that they can better prepare for where they are headed. These trends will impact everyone at some level, even if it’s just because a Starbucks Latte will cost twice in a few years than it did before the pandemic.

It is difficult to see a sea change when riding on top of the wave, but it doesn’t mean you aren’t moving forward very fast.

Gig Work is Not Slave Labor

Clip Title: GIGS UP! UC AFT Lecturers FIGHT GIG Slave Labor

I was recently sent a video clip of lecturer David Walter at UC Berkeley representing the UC-AFT union. He explains that lecturers have not received benefits and that their contracts are written so that they expire before they can be considered employees. This is the plight of all gig workers, so I can fully sympathize with his frustrations.

However, about a minute into the clip, he says, that they are treated as “a gig labor force, basically.” The title of the clip even equates gig work with slave labor. Now, hold on a minute. It’s clear that he sees being part of the gig economy as a negative thing. Maybe being “gig” is beneath a UC lecturer?

Now we’ve been saying for years that adjunct faculty, such as the lecturer position he describes, is part of the gig economy. Yes, this is the reality for millions of us. We work on a contract basis, usually without benefits and the appointment is typically short. Welcome to the club, but don’t insult the rest of us who are here.

Working at UC

I should clarify that I am a former career employee of the UC System. My experience, however, was as a staff person, not a lecturer, so I cannot speak to the specific situation that David Walter finds himself in. If there is significant pay inequity between lecturers and tenured faculty, then this should be corrected.

Gig employees typically are paid a higher rate than their career counterparts so that they can cover the additional expenses of benefits, which they typically pay for themselves. That is the whole idea behind gig work. With the flexibility of being able to work on temporary assignments, those are the “advantages” of being part of the gig economy.

UC has hired gig workers to supplement staff work for as long as I can remember. In my field, IT, these gig workers were always paid very well. Whether this was always a good return on investment for UC is beyond the scope of this article, but I do know that in my experience the projects were typically completed well and within the required timeframe.

According to David Walter, that does not seem to be the case with lecturers. If so, I fully support the complaint of the UC-AFT union. They should be able to collectively bargain for equitable pay. That is what they are there for, and they should do what they must to achieve their goals.

The problem

Obviously, I take umbrage with associating the word “gig” with a negative state of work. I do not agree that this should be so. As a matter of fact, I believe that being part of the gig economy should be a positive thing. The gig workforce includes highly educated, skilled and professional people. Likewise, the fact that it is temporary in no way diminishes its value.

Therefore, I also take issue with the demand from UC-AFT to have permanence of employment. What they are asking for is to become career/tenured faculty with benefits. If so, then they should also accept that they cannot ask for higher salaries.

Gig workers earn higher salaries because they perform temporary work. That work is not continuous which can create down-times but also busier times. That uncertainty is a large part of why the work should receive higher pay; to cover those down-times.

Essentially, UC-AFT is asking for their lecturers to leave the gig economy. If so, then salaries will not be higher than career/tenured faculty. In most cases, those should be entry-level. Granted, skills and experience should also be considered, but they need to choose which side of the gig economy fence they are on.

I fully realize that UC may not be treating the lecturers fairly. I also understand the criticism of their decisions being very corporate-minded. While UC is semi-public and funded by the state, they also believe that they need to resist any effort to increase costs from salaries. This is a fiscally minded requirement that does indeed seem very corporate. I do not know the legal standing of this position.

Conclusion

As part of the gig economy, I naturally take offense at any suggestion that gig work is less than in any way. It has always been my position that lecturers and adjunct faculty are essentially gig workers because many of their work specifics are exactly like gig work.

The UC-AFT likely has a very good reason to protest unfair labor conditions. Likewise, UC has a fiscally minded reason to resist any changes. The point is that from my position, both sides have some wiggle room to give in a bit. This could go a long way to resolving the impasse and avoid an escalation in the form of a strike or punitive measures from UC.

However, I think the idea that being part of the gig economy is somehow negative or deficient is a huge misunderstanding of who gig workers are. As I’ve said many times already, we aren’t just uber drivers and weekend musicians. We are also programmers, artists, architects, lawyers, authors, public speakers, psychologists, and yes, we are also lecturers and adjuncts.

Most importantly, we are professionals who work in those industries, and we also run our own businesses. For that we also are paid more because it is also full-time work, even if the individual projects are not done in a traditional 9-5 timeframe in an office.

How Discrimination Undermines your Small Business

Image courtesy of pexels.com.

Are you an Uber/Doordash driver who has been called a racial slur? Do you know a business that caters primarily to people who look like the owners? Have you seen marketing materials that are derogatory? Have you heard something in mixed company that offended you? Have you seen something on a business website that was objectionable? Discrimination is easy to miss, which is why it happens so often.

Discrimination is also something everyone knows happens, but hopes it happens to someone else. For small businesses it is also something that they hope to avoid because they are small. Is being small enough to avoid embarrassment and public shaming? If something does happen, will it hurt the business? Or should the business just plow on and hope it goes away?

The “Small Business Exemption”

Discrimination is one of those issues that only large companies worry about, or at least that is the common assumption. Small businesses believe they can treat a racial incident like they treat an unhappy customer. They can ignore it and move on.

For a small business, much of the customer interaction is one-to-one so if there is an incident, the people impacted remains small. Those that hear of it would likely not affect any others because most customers do not really know each other.

Small businesses also are less likely to have a large online presence. Hence, customers that have been discriminated against would likely not be able to share their experience widely online. If the business is very small, the entire online presence can even be rebuilt from scratch without too much impact.

The surrounding community could also dismiss the issue because it only involved one small business. It is therefore not reflective of the larger community, that is, it does not reflect on them. It certainly is not reflective of the entire community.

Being small is like being anonymous in a crowd, and being a small business is being anonymous in the community. Ironically, this is one of the challenges for small businesses: to be seen. This also seems to be the dominant thought about discrimination and small businesses, but is that enough? Perhaps for an unhappy customer situation, but for discrimination, it may just be that the issue cuts deeper.

Why Discrimination is Different

It would be a mistake to dismiss an incident as just another unhappy customer. Discrimination has a long sordid history in this country. That history is replete with injustices and unspeakable crimes. That kind of damage lives in the memories of those who have suffered from it.

That one incident is linked to a long list of personal experiences in the lives of people who live with discrimination all the time. Those experiences may not have a direct relationship to the incident that occurred, but the experience is linked to it by history. It is also a unifying link, not just in the minds of the people involved in the incident, but it is also linked with others who have been discriminated against. In the community, discrimination runs deep and wide.

We live in a society where incidents of discrimination are a frequent and regular occurrence. This is because this society is bearing the memory of the cruel abduction and enslavement of Africans, the attempted extermination of American Indians, and the persistent suppression of immigrants, from Chinese to Eastern European to Latin American, for hundreds of years. That suppression persists today, so that one small discriminatory incident is inextricably linked to that long history of injustices.

So no, this is not just another unhappy customer.

Turning the tables

Let us consider this from the perspective of a discriminated person. That discrimination is primarily based on appearances that cannot just be turned off or removed. A person that is discriminated against because of how they look cannot simply act differently to fit in.

This is a reality from the moment that person leaves their home in the morning. From the moment they arrive at work, at a shopping mall, at a doctor’s office, at a school or at an event, and also into that small business where the incident occurred. They are always seen as an other. Everywhere they go, they are treated differently solely because of their appearance.

No amount of education, knowledge, skill, or ability will change that initial preconceived notion from everyone around them that they are different. This is largely because the dominant culture of everyone else around them is not well integrated. Over time, this lack of integration prevents difference from being the norm. That new norm could do so much to address the problems between people.

Where I worked previously, someone noted to me that “black people always dress so sharp.” This was part of a long list of similar comments like “I heard they even iron the inside of their pockets” and “their hair is always so well done; I wish my hair did that.” These were all intended as compliments, by the way, but they are based in ignorance.

As a member of the dominant culture, I just ignored the comments. However, those who were the subject of those comments could not just ignore them. These comments become exhausting, a constant reality that they are different, and this feeling builds up into a long list of grievances. These grievances are then linked to that long history of injustices.

This pressure comes in addition to all the little unspoken events during the day. From the clenching of the purses in the elevator to the extra glance from the office manager when they come to get some office supplies. These constant, and quite likely subconscious, little events throughout the day continue to build up and also become linked to that long history.

To illustrate this exhausting reality, let us consider that you own a small dry-cleaning business. At the end of the day when that person comes in to pick up their clothes on their way home, they are worn out from more than a hard day’s work. To your dismay, the young attendant at the counter that you hired last week happens to use an offensive slur when fetching the clothes. This is now no longer an unhappy customer instance, but a discrimination incident, perhaps in front of other customers as well.

That slip-of-the-tongue is now added to an entire day of micro-aggressions. These are also linked to that long history of systemic discrimination. Depending on the words used, the slur could even have its own sordid history tied to it. Mishandling this incident could be the end of your whole dry-cleaning business.

I am sure your first thought is that this would never happen in your business.

“Nicht im Land von Bertolt Brecht”

Historians have long pondered why the German people were not able to resist Hittler’s most distasteful policies prior to World War II. “Not here, in the land of liberal playwright Bertold Brecht,” was the response. As history shows, ignoring discrimination can have disastrous consequences.

Not in my business, is the go-to response from small business owners when a discrimination incident occurs. The expectation is that it is just an isolated incident, and not at all exemplary of the entire business. If the customers can just let this one incident slide, then we will do the same. We all need to move on, right?

How a small business responds is crucial. It can be expensive, with redactions, marketing, and legal processes, but compared to the loss in sales or maybe even the loss of the entire business, it is likely a necessary expense. At this point, this is more than a moral/ethical decision. It has become a fiscal decision.

Unfortunately, we know that small businesses will often opt for not addressing the issue at all, hiding instead behind their Small Business Exemption clause. I suspect that many small business owners reading this will likely disagree here, but there are just too many examples of small businesses doing just that.

Sweeping the Incident Under the Rug

Last year, I came across the complaint of a black employee of a mobile pet grooming service operating in South Orange County and North San Diego. The comments below are from the employee in a post on the Nextdoor website. Now I cannot confirm the events that are described, but if true, they are descriptive of a business ignoring discrimination and attempting to use the Small Business Exemption.

The employee was a trainee and said she was subjected to repeated racialized comments by another senior employee who was training her. As a superior, this behavior is repressive to lower-level employees. Because of her trainer’s position, any political beliefs that are offensive to the employee become abusive. The decision to share them to continue to debate them at length throughout the workday strongly suggests that this is a hostile work environment.

Some of the racial slurs against Asians that were mentioned were particularly objectionable. The employee relates that her trainer said that she “hates Asians because they drive little Asian cars.” Another example is when the trainer says that Asians “have matted, unsocialized dogs because they leave them outside all day since they can’t eat them anymore.” These are wildly offensive stereotypes that no employee, much less one who is in a supervisory position, should utter in a place of work.

The claimed statements that were apparently made about Blacks were no less offensive. She says that her trainer “hates blacks because apparently [they] commit the most crimes in comparison to other races in America.” There is another black employee that is mentioned as well, who apparently has a lighter complexion. She says that her supervisor felt differently about her because “she was light skinned and thus never felt ‘black’ or a ‘threat’ to her.”

Now, one must wonder why the trainer would even say this to a black employee who has a darker complexion. This type of thinking is typical of the colorism that has been used so often to rank blacks according to the shade of their skin. This is a paradigm that has its roots deep in American slavery. Again, coming from someone in a position of authority, this type of ranking of employees, based on the shade of darkness, is incredibly offensive and inappropriate.

The employee says that her trainer’s statements were not only racist, but more widely discriminatory against others such as transgender people. She said that “it’s her American right to freedom of speech to make them uncomfortable because she is uncomfortable with their existence.” Not only is this again deeply objectionable, but it is eerily reminiscent of the type of discriminatory beliefs that have deep historical roots, not the least of which are with Nazi Germany and its programs of ridding society of undesirable people.

There are many more examples that the employee shares in her post on Nextdoor. They are all deeply disturbing and have their roots in racist propaganda that have a long history in our country. It is not even necessary for the discriminated employee to demonstrate a historical link to make her point, the supervisor is doing it for her through these comments.

How the Small Business Responded

It is important to point out that racism is not the same as discrimination. The correct definition of racism is the furthering of discrimination through a position of power. This is an important distinction because it applies to these particular incidents on several levels. If the offensive behavior had been immediately addressed then this would just have been one of discrimination, but what happened here is more serious.

To begin with, the white supervisor was in a position of power over the black employee, so this issue was already one that should be labeled as racist. The employee’s welfare (ability to work, promotion consideration, transfer to another supervisor, etc.) were all subject to the supervisor’s power over her. As such, this was already a racist incident.

The black employee made repeated attempts to address the issues directly with her trainer. This had no effect. She then brought the issue to the trainer’s supervisor, the manager of the franchise. This manager also ignored the complaint and refused to address it with the trainer or to move her to a different trainer. When the black employee finally reached out to the owner of the business, the issue was again not addressed. At every level, she was rebuffed.

It seems clear that the entire organization was refusing to address the issue at all. The black employee is no longer working there, but she has received no communication from her former employer at any level since leaving. As a matter of fact, the trainer who she says mistreated her has been highlighted several times as a model employee on their website.

Because the discrimination is not just isolated to employees that are equal, but involves all levels of management, it is an incident of systemic racism – racism that exists at all levels of the business. Despite the seriousness of the issue and potential risk to that business, they have decided to ignore it entirely.

Why this Business Cannot Claim a Small Business Exemption

Prior to this incident, the business already had a significant online presence, including on Yelp, Facebook, and Twitter. Reading through the comments, there are several unhappy customers who were dissatisfied with the grooming service they received for their pets – some pets actually having been injured and scarred. Several of the complaints also refer to appointment delays and even complete cancellations (ghosting) by the groomers.

It should also be noted that many of these negative comments have received no follow-up. This suggests that the business has a more serious issue with management not addressing complaints. This should already give pause to those customers looking for a reliable groomer for their pet.

To be fair, there are also many positive comments from happy customers. However, it is the negative ones that stand out. As any marketing specialist will concur, those are the ones that new clients will note. This suggests that the business is not especially responsive to its customers.

Yet, these are all issues that are separate from the discrimination.

The employee that was discriminated against has filed a formal complaint with Fair Housing and Employment. This may take some time to have any impact, but if it is found that the complaint has merit, this will become a significant stain on the reputation of the business going forward.

This will become part of the business’ official public record – a record that anyone seeking to do business with them can discover. Super-imposed on the company’s record of service for pet grooming, this now forms a larger record of the business. Since negative issues are far more noticeable, it becomes an overall negative image.

This image is likely to impact the business’ ability to reach new clients. There is undoubtedly competition in the mobile grooming industry, so this company could lose market share in its geographic location. If anything, this racist incident cannot possibly be good for the company.

More importantly, the business’ record could impact its ability to grow. It may be denied capital funding for expansion. It could also inhibit a sale or merger down the line. Overall, even if the business is not directly impacted by the systemic racism, a negative image could have lasting consequences on its ability to expand and could cause the business to stagnate.

Conclusion

While discrimination is certainly something that a small business can chose to ignore and successfully move past, there are lasting consequences to this decision. It is quite possible that most customers will not be as diligent about researching the public record of a business – sometimes they just need to have their pet groomed in a hurry. Even so, the decision to ignore the issue could very well have a more lasting impact on the ability of a business to grow and expand.

No one goes into business thinking that they just want their business to remain small. Growth leads to greater profits and perhaps even financial freedom for the owners. To prevent hobbling the business, it would behoove owners to work diligently to avoid and address discrimination at all levels.

If the business ignores discrimination from its own employees, they are fostering a hostile working environment. This can only be detrimental, even when the product or service has no racial component (like pets). Pet owners do not want to bring their pets into a hostile work environment – the negative reviews are perhaps symptomatic of a larger problem of neglect.

Diversity, especially in positions of management could go a long way to prevent and address any discrimination, and thereby also the issue of customer trust. Obviously, it behooves the owners to foster a safe and diverse work environment. Even if they are not sensitive to the issue of discrimination, it would still be good for their bottom line to implement changes.

Discrimination has a historical component that no owner should want their business to be superimposed on. The very last thing a business wants is to be associated with the stain of racism. No matter how distant that stain, no matter how many times the business changes hands or names, historical stains remain, as companies like Dollar General, Papa John’s, Starbucks and Bayer who have all weathered backlash for not addressing discrimination properly are all too aware of.

You may not see your fledgling small business growing to become a large company like these corporations, but why limit yourself in any way by not addressing discrimination when it happens? Perhaps the mobile pet groomer mentioned above also does not consider itself in that light either, but it could possibly be bought out by Uber looking to expand into the lucrative business of pet grooming… well maybe not this particular mobile pet groomer.

The Magnanimity of Elon Musk: A Lesson in Leadership

Photo of Elon Musk with a rendering of Mars in the background.
Courtesy of pixabay.com

When we think of billionaires, we do not often think of them being magnanimous. Millionaires still give to the arts and their alma matters, but to become a billionaire you really need to have every cent working for you to reach that level. Even when billionaires do give, it is usually because there is an upside in the form of a tax write-off or some hope of immortality through naming rights.

Musk is not known for his charity either, despite the many good things that the Musk Foundation has done for disaster relief, Wikimedia, and other smaller non-profits. The fact is that Musk is a scientist, a futurist, and a visionary. His gift to the world will be the things he will have built.

So why would we feature an article about Elon Musk and Space X in the Gig-Zine? The reason is that the entire Space X program as well as the mission to Mars, is for the benefit of mankind. It demonstrates Musk’s vision and leadership. It serves as an example to everyone who leads, even if only for a small home-based micro-business. Having vision that goes beyond one’s own welfare and beyond the welfare of one’s business, is perhaps the single most important lesson for a leader, no matter the size of the business.

Space X and interplanetary settlement

One large part of Musk’s contribution to humanity will be through his push for accelerated space exploration and interplanetary settlement. Since the beginning of 2021, Musk and his Space X organization have been making extremely ambitious statements about the possibility of beginning the settlement of Mars, according to a January 17th article in Business Insider.

This article, like many others that followed, made some startling predictions such as:

1. Return to the moon by 2022, and offer tourist flights to the moon by 2023

2. Start manned flights to Mars in the next 10 years

3. Building a fleet of thousands of reusable starships to ferry people and supplies

4. Building a city of 1M inhabitants on Mars in 50 years

5. Bring the cost of each flight down to about $2M each

There have been some revisions to these predictions already, especially since there have been accidents with starship prototype test flights. It is likely that the figures will be adjusted further over time. That said, it is an extremely ambitious project, the likes humanity has never attempted before. This would certainly be a new “giant leap for mankind.”

Overcoming impediments

When Musk claimed that he would revolutionize the automobile industry with his Tesla cars, few people took the prediction seriously. There have been setbacks and some of them were tragic. Yet, Tesla did revolutionize an industry that had not changed much in the last 50 years. It is now apparent that electric cars will reach price-parity with gasoline-powered cars this year.

The Tesla Model 3 is currently the best-selling electric car in the world.
Courtesy of pixabay.com

We can only assume that as prices of electric cars continue to drop, their numbers will continue to increase. With them, will grow an entire infrastructure of electric power delivery. Musk did revolutionize the automobile industry, even if his prediction on that timeline was overly optimistic.

It is also becoming quite apparent that Musk is now revolutionizing the space industry. By allowing government initiatives to collaborate with the private sector, in this case, Space X, the space industry is already growing faster than it has in decades. This is not only reflected in the actual output of space projects, but also in the minds of people all over the globe.

While we could argue that it has been an uneasy relationship, and perhaps even a heavy-handed one, Musk is demonstrating that with projects as great as space exploration, a collaboration between the private sector and government is the best way forward. Perhaps this will become the future model for addressing all global concerns from climate change to the next virus outbreak, but I digress.

There are many obstacles to a successful permanent Mars settlement. He fully acknowledges that there will be setbacks and that people will even die. His solution, therefore, is to increase the number of attempts, significantly. He plans to build a fleet of thousands of starships to travel to the Moon, Mars and beyond.

Starship SN9 sitting on the launch pad with the build site in the background ahead of its test flight. The SN9 is the latest version of the Starships that Musk plans to mass-produce for future interplanetary space travel.
Image courtesy of wikimedia.

The risks involved, even if tragic, are not stopping him from proceeding. He predicts, perhaps correctly, that risk does not deter people from trying again and again. In a way, it is in our nature and not unlike the way humans thought of it in the past.

An example that comes to mind is Ferdinand Magellan’s attempt to circumnavigate the world, a feat most Europeans at the time was also too risky. Yet the voyage succeeded, even if Magellan himself did not. It eventually returned to Europe with just a skeleton crew almost near death. Even so, it did not deter others from making the same voyage again and again. It was just a statistical fact that over time survival rates would increase.

It should also be mentioned that it took Magellan’s ship three years to complete the trip, while the world record today is 40 days to circumnavigate the earth. Currently, the voyage to Mars is estimated to take about 7 months on the Space X starships. However, it is quite possible this will be a considerably shorter trip 50 years from now.

It is also probable that by increasing numbers, we are more likely to discover more efficient ways to reach Mars and do so sooner. With thousands of ships and as many flights, it is a statistical probability that this should lead to engineering innovations and speedier travel solutions, as well.

Ultimately, it is about time

While Musk has been quite ambitious in his predictions, his timelines have tended to be exaggerated. It will likely take longer to send tourists into space, establish a permanent base on the moon and eventually settle on Mars. This is not to say it will not happen, but what it does suggest is that it is not likely to happen in Musk’s lifetime.

Therein lies the point of my original statement about Musk’s magnanimity. Like a Mozes of the 21st century, he is not deterred at all that he will only gaze upon the red planet through a telescope, sending others to complete the quest. My minister used to say that God had a knack for humor in his greatest deeds: is it any wonder Musk will not reach Mars considering that the “tablets” he brings down from the mountain are science and money?

In all seriousness, Musk knows full well that he will never set foot on Mars. Yet he is not the least bit concerned about this. This is because he knows that this quest is far greater than himself. It is greater than any one person alive. Reaching Mars will change human society in the same way that reaching the New World changed European society, regardless of the tragic consequences such a leap will have. It is that great of an endeavor for mankind.

…and it is also about humanity

One thing that puts Musk on a level playing field with everyone else is the fact that he needs others to achieve his goals. Over thousands of years, humans have learned to work together to succeed. It is one of the things that makes us human: our ability to collaborate and we do this better and more efficiently than any other creature on earth.

It is therefore a mystery, some would even say a tragedy, that humans also work against each other in the most vicious way. Despite thousands of years of working together, we have also spent those years competing, subjugating, fighting and killing each other. One could argue that this has allowed some people to rise above others and founding nation-states that have moved society forward. Perhaps, but is that the best we can achieve?

What if a meteor where to strike the earth? What if a nuclear war were to break out? What if a virus spread across the globe? When those events occur, our ability to cooperate is critical to the survival of all. Our competition needs to be put aside so that we can work together to address the immediate threat before us.

Going to Mars is not necessarily a global threat, but it is of tremendous importance to humanity. Many people in governments all over the world believe so as well. This is what gave rise to the International Space Station. Space exploration is a project of such magnitude that it is not something that a single nation can or should undertake on their own.

Elon Musk understands this. This is why he has no reservations about working with the Chinese or the Russians, or anyone else, in the same way that he is working with NASA. Other countries have already made their own advances in space exploration, and it would be a step backwards to ignore those advances because of a misguided belief in superiority.

A forward view of the International Space Station with limb of the Earth in the background.
Image courtesy of Wikimedia.

If we are to succeed in endeavors as great as these, we need to shed our outdated tendencies towards racism, sexism, nationalism, and political partisanship. The mission to Mars will require the collaboration of all humanity if it is to be successful. There are many obstacles, so Musk’s drive and vision will not be enough to get us there if we are not willing to work together.

While Musk is not directly saying so, his willingness to work with all partners foreign and domestic is key in moving forward. He understands the difficulty of the mission to Mars and it will require working together. That is another example of his magnanimity. Again, it is not measured in how much he donates to any cause that might combat racism, war, or any other social justice. It is measured in the way he sets the example to work with others.

This is something we could all learn from.

Conclusion

We can argue at length about whether billionaires are good. In the end we would both be wrong. Billionaires just are. I think Musk only sees the money as another tool to achieve something incredible for humanity. If he were only a millionaire, or even a middle-class high school science teacher, he would still be doing something to advance science for others. Ultimately it is about the leap forward.

If I had started this post about how great of a leader Musk was, it would have received the same ho-hum nonchalance that it received when I suggested he was magnanimous. He is not known to be either a great leader or magnanimous. Yet, when we consider what he will have accomplished for humanity, even if the Mars quest stumbles, it is what leadership and magnanimity are. In his own way, he forged a path to be both. As is our human nature, we fail to see this because we focus too much on the man and not enough on his works.

This is not to say that the end justifies the means. I for one sincerely hope that the risks will not lead to tragedies, but I cannot fault Musk for being realistic about those risks. I do not believe this is unemotional utilitarianism nor a belief that the progress of science supersedes the welfare of people. I believe that if he had the opportunity to be one of the first to go to Mars, even at great risk to himself, he would be on that first starship. Again, this speaks to magnanimity and leadership.

Having money allows Musk to have a greater impact on the scientific advances of our time and to possibly push them forward faster. If he were smarter, richer, or lived longer, he could possibly do even more. Yet none of those things are not stopping him from actually doing it.

What he shows us, is that no matter where we are in life, we can all do what we can to have a positive impact on humanity. That is a model of humanity that we should all try to follow. To all those who wonder about the meaning or purpose of life, there it is: think beyond yourself and have a positive impact on others.

Most importantly do this in the way you know best, where you are an expert, and where you are leading in your field. You do not need to be the only or top leader in your field – Musk is not either – but you should stand up and forge ahead whenever you are able to do so.

That is magnanimity and that is leadership.

NASA concept drawing for first humans on Mars, with a habitat and rover.
Image courtesy of Wikimedia.

Impact of COVID-19 Confinement on the Brain

Photo courtesy of pixabay.com

There is an increasing amount of research appearing on the psychological and social impact of COVID-19 confinement. One recent report by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Psychosocial impact of COVID-19 delves into some detail of these issues. There are many others like it. What may be of interest is how all this new research on confinement may suggest similarities with the experiences that new home-based businesses owners have been experiencing when they left an out-of-home job to work entirely in their own homes.

This is a very broad topic and there is a considerable amount of research available already, so it may be of some interest to consider one specific aspect of this: how COVID-19 confinement impacts not just a person’s psychology, but how it may actually be impacting the physiology of the brain.

The psychosomatic relationship

Last month’s article that I wrote, Posture & Pain looked at the physical impact on the body of sitting in front of a screen for prolonged periods of time, especially for children being made to home-school. The conclusion was that small business owners working from home on a computer can experience many of the same physical ailments.

The reason that physical ailments are of interest is that they require different treatments than psychological ones and that they could become physically debilitating. The question we are asking this month is whether there are physically apparent ailments resulting from the psychological impact of confinement.

As it turns out, there are.

Research on Solitary Confinement

Considerable research has been done on inmates, particularly those who have been placed in solitary confinement, sometimes for years. In the very moving article, Understanding the Effects of Solitary Confinement on the Brain Robert King, one of the well-known cases of the “Angola 3” describes how this confinement impacted him:

“My conversation skills are very limited,” he said. “I have some problems with my memory. And my navigational skills have suffered. Places that I know, even where I grew up, I have trouble getting around in, especially at night.”

It is really a heart-wrenching story, but the reality is that over 80,000 people are placed in solitary confinement at any given time. Depending on how long the confinement lasts, their mental capacity is similarly impacted. As such, there is ample evidence that their brains are physically impacted by this experience.

Further down in the article, they describe the effect on laboratory mice who are placed in solitary confinement. In looking at the brains of these mice, they discovered that after just one month of confinement, the neurons in their brains shrunk in size by 20%. After three months, they observed “shrinkage of the cell’s dendrites and axons,” which impacts how brain cells communicate.

There is also a psychosomatic link to stresses of the conditions of the confinement. In one study with rats, they discovered that when they are “under chronic stress as a result of social isolation, [they] possess a smaller hippocampus. This part of the brain is important for memory formation, spatial orientation, and mood regulation.”

There is also evidence that it adversely impacts their circadian rhythms, the body’s internal clock. This in turn “dramatically alters the activity of many genes in the brain… it thinks it’s night when it’s daytime — and those genes are out of sync with one another, affecting the function of eating, feeling, thinking, and interacting.”

The conclusion is quite clear: “the physical and molecular findings in animals are backed up in human behavioral studies,” according to Stephanie Cacioppo, behavioral neuroscientist at the University of Chicago. “In human beings, as social creatures, the stress of seclusion can lead to mood swings and depression, then to cognitive decline in spatial orientation, memory, and attention abilities, and finally, in some cases, to psychosis.”

What is also troubling about the research is that scientists do not know if the effects are reversible. According to the scientists in this article, there is yet not enough data to show that returning a former inmate to a non-confined environment will reverse the cognitive decline. This would prove to be especially disturbing if this is also the case with less severe forms of confinement, such as with COVID-19.

What the neural networks in the brain look like.
Photo courtesy of pixabay.com

What about milder forms of confinement?

The study of solitary confinement (as well as the impact on the brains of laboratory animals) present extreme cases of confinement. What is the current research about COVID-19 confinement? Will this confinement present milder changes, but equally identifiable ones? Perhaps more pertinently, what is the collective impact of confinement on a very large portion of the entire world’s population?

In the May 2020 NIH study cited above, they determined that “lockdowns can produce acute panic, anxiety, obsessive behaviors, hoarding, paranoia, and depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the long run.” Those can be broadly described as socio-psychological effects.

PTSD, in particular, is a recognized long-term effect of one or more traumatic events. It is also recognized as a condition that can physically alter the brain. The Psychology Today article, How PTSD and Trauma Affect Your Brain Functioning, describes that PTSD creates changes in the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex so that they remain in a higher state of tension. This causes lower control over anger and impulsive behaviors. It then also interferes “with the ability to regulate negative emotions and assign more positive meaning to events.” The article concludes that PTSD does alter the brain.

Returning to the NIH article, the authors point out that PTSD is of particular interest and that its symptoms “have been positively associated with the duration of quarantine.” While not everyone will have PTSD, it is definitely a risk.

The mental-physical link

There are also several studies that point out the relationship to illnesses from a sedentary lifestyle. As millions of people are confined to their homes these illnesses are growing exponentially as well. In the article How Social Isolation Affects the Brain, in the journal, The Scientist, epidemiologist Daisy Fancourt points out that: “We are seeing a really growing body of evidence… that is showing how isolation and loneliness are linked in with incidence of different types of disease [and] with premature mortality.” She goes on to say that in addition to obesity and cardiovascular problems, social isolation is linked to cognitive decline and dementia.

While the article also discusses the effects of severe isolation such as with prisoners, it also points out that there are less severe forms of isolation that are less well understood but that have a cumulative effect over time that may be severe.

For example, the elderly and the disabled are subjected to sometimes partial social isolation, but it is the fact that the isolation is long term, sometimes even decades long that leads to cognitive decline, measured by reduced verbal fluency and memory recall.

They also point out from a study of 11,000 subjects that there may be a reciprocal effect as well. The deteriorating brain function also leads to less desire to socialize. This in effect exacerbates the cognitive decline.

Photo courtesy of pixabay.com

Other environmental factors

It is also true that the external environment is likely to play a role. One study focused on an arctic exploration team that was also subjected to temperatures below -50 degrees Celsius as well as drastic changes in light exposure. This also affected their circadian rhythms, which can also influence outcomes as we saw above.

The subjects “showed anatomical changes to the dentate gyrus, a region of the brain that feeds information into the hippocampus and is associated with learning and memory; the crew members’ dentate gyruses had shrunk by an average of around 7 percent.

The crew members also had reduced blood levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein involved in stress regulation and memory, and they performed worse on tests of spatial awareness and attention than they had before they left.”

While this is another extreme case, there are some similarities with work-at-home environments that should be pointed out. For example, working in an office outside the home ensures regulated temperatures and schedules, but working from home those environmental factors could be quite different. Likewise, lighting is also less uniformly regulated in a home.

Obviously, those are much less severe environmental factors, but as has been pointed out, it is not just the severity of the factors that impacts the brain, it is also how long those factors were in effect. For business owners making a permanent change in the middle of life to a work-at-home career, there could be many years maybe even decades of impact.

Photo courtesy of Ana Shvets - pexels.com

In a separate study of MRI scans done at UCLA, it was also found that these subjects tended to have smaller gray matter volumes in the hippocampus and amygdala sections of the brain. While the scientists point out that this is not conclusive evidence that isolation causes shrinkage of these portions of the brain, it does suggest some correlation that should be studied further.

The article also mentioned several mice and rat studies not unlike the ones mentioned above. Those experiments corelate the effects with naturally occurring signaling proteins in the brain such as Rac1 and Tac2, which are also linked to memory problems such as Alzheimer’s and other degenerative cognitive conditions. They do point out, however that more research will be needed to arrive at more concrete conclusions.

Also interesting is that there does appear to be a concrete relationship between isolation and inflammation signaling molecules known as interleukin-6. They concluded that “Both isolation and loneliness were linked to inflammation” which can have negative effects on cognitive function as well as other processes throughout the body.

The research is also looking for remedies to these instances for cognitive decline. While the article mentions several pharmacological treatments, there is also an effort to physically boost engagement with inflicted individuals from frequent visits to social outings and online interaction.

It is important to point out however, that those are remedies against further decline. There is yet not enough conclusive evidence that cognitive decline from isolation or confinement is reversible. This is a critical point that the researchers in these articles are quite clear about.

Conclusion

The bottom line is that there is still considerably more research needed to discover the long-term effects of COVID-19 confinement and work-from-home isolation. That said, there is value in looking at extreme confinement such as seen in prisons, research done on lab animals, and the more comprehensive and longitudinal studies of selected groups. The current research in those cases shows that there is measurable cognitive decline that results from confinement, especially when combined with additional external environmental factors such as temperature and light.

The bigger question we cannot yet answer is whether the observed cognitive decline from those studies will also be measurable when confinement it is imposed on a large percentage of the population because of a world-wide pandemic. Yet even in that case, we do know from the research that cognitive decline is directly related to the length of the confinement. More importantly, the cognitive decline then further exacerbates the isolation.

To put it simply, the longer we are confined, the more dramatic the cognitive decline may be. What impact this will have when we also consider the large number of people impacted today, that is still a mystery.

Of course, this pandemic cannot last indefinitely – it will eventually subside. For those who are confined to work from home, there is ample research being done as well as treatments being developed to address those issues. This article is not meant as a source of actionable medical information, but I do hope it is a starting point for a broader discussion about the impact of prolonged isolation on the brain.

Posture and Pain

Bad posture, especially in front of a laptop, impacts children as well as adults. Photo courtesy of pixabay.com

Today I walked in to check on my son’s schoolwork and found him horribly hunched over working at the computer in his room. Before school started just a couple of weeks ago, this was primarily a gaming computer and we limit his gaming time, so I did not really notice it. Our son is also very athletic, so when he wasn’t playing a game, he was outside working out, biking, or running.

Now that school has started, he hardly has time to go outside as much. In addition to spending over six hours a day in school , he also has homework that plants him in front of a screen another 2-3 hours a day. The same is true for our daughter. This can’t be good.

The Science Behind the Concern

In an article titled School at home: How to keep attending virtual classes from being a real pain in the neck, Jennifer Jolly of USA Today explains that this is becoming a very common problem. Her own daughter suffered a herniated disk as a result of bad posture and using less than adequate furniture. Ouch! According to some research she found online, “the American Chiropractic Association, [found that] 92% of chiropractors said patients are reporting more neck, back, or other musculoskeletal issues since the pandemic began. Kids are no exception.”

She inquired more information from Dr. Jared Vagy, physical therapist, author, and USC Clinical Assistant Professor, who said that: “low back pain and neck pain are two of the most common sustained posture injuries from non-ergonomic sitting… Spine hunched and shoulders rounded, that’s the classic middle-school and teenager posture while sitting.”

That is very likely where my own children are headed. I also do not believe that teachers are aware of this. For them, it is one or two lectures back to back at most, and then they can take a break. Many teachers also pre-record their lectures, so the teachers are not even there when the students watch the videos.

For the students, however, they are forced into that sitting position for hours on end. Sure, they are allowed a few short breaks, but these do not address the cumulative effect of hours of computer-time a day. There is P.E., which consists of a few stretches and strength exercises in front of the computer, but again, this is not sufficient to cope with the remaining hours of sitting in that chair.

Another concern I have is for their eyesight. My son just happens to have a larger gaming monitor, so I’m guessing he’s better off than all those kids huddled over a 15” laptop or Chromebook. While our daughter also had a desktop computer with a larger screen (fortunately), it is not as detailed as the one my son uses. I am quite certain that everyone will be needing new glasses by the end of the year

Remote work did not free us from the physical problems of working at a computer all day. Photo courtesy of pixabay.com

Computing for the rest of the family

In our family, we have 1.5 high quality computer chairs. I say that because the second chair is a generic one that we purchased on sale at Office Depot. It is OK, but not ideal. We purchased these chairs when our work started to require longer hours in front of a screen. The chairs are a couple of years old.

That said, these chairs are far from adequate as well. Prior to the pandemic, we frequently attended meetings, workshops, and events so we were out and about quite a bit. I also took time to exercise several times a day before the pandemic – now not so much. We have been cooped up inside much more than what is healthy.

Unlike our children who were still able to spend much of their time outside and on the go, we typically stayed inside and worked. We have adapted our work to comply with the lockdowns and the restrictions, but what will be the long-term ramifications for us? Will we suffer the same problems as our children?

Actually, because we are a bit less active than our children, and because we are older, our problems are likely to be much more severe. My work usually becomes busy towards the end of the month when I need to meet deadlines, and truth-be-told, I have noticed far more muscle and nerve issues lately.

Chairs matter

Our previous chairs, which were very much inadequate are the ones that our children are now using – this is what happens in most households, I am told. The problem is that those older chairs are sagging, springs are worn, and the cushioning is flat. This causes pain in the lower legs after a few hours of use and does not support the back adequately.

When the kids were just sitting in short stints for a quick game of Fortnite, between longer times playing outside, then this wasn’t an issue. This fall, however, schools seem to be trying to make up for whatever academic setbacks were not met last Spring. It seems that students are required to spend far more time in their chairs now.

I think this is a perfect time to invest in quality chairs for our kids, but also to replace that .5 chair that we should also replace. Our old chairs should not be handed down either. That is just kicking the bucket down the street, and this bucket equals pain.

If you do have decent chairs that you use for work (we only have the one), then you could hand those to the kids and then make the new chairs a business expense (possible tax write-off) for yourself. Most small businesses tend to spend more liberally on technology while furniture is often forgotten. This pandemic year, the priority needs to also include chairs.

Other steps to take to improve posture

As it turns out there are many things, we can do to improve our posture when working at the computer. First and foremost: take regular breaks to stretch and do some light exercises. I have a system for doing this myself by frequently changing the music I listen to while I work (I listen to records). This is not something everyone has access to, but maybe you can find your own distraction that forces you to walk away from the screen on a regular basis.

The USA Today article mentioned above, also has a good diagram describing how children and adults should sit in front of a computer:

Proper posture is more important that we think. Click on image above for a more complete description of proper posture.

This does not necessarily require new and expensive equipment, either. Many of the suggestions can be implemented with things we have laying around the house, like using a thick book or two to raise the monitor to the correct height.

In the article, Jennifer Jolly also provides specific recommendations for improving posture. These include purchasing a laptop stand, replacing the chair, the desk, and considering a new keyboard and mouse as well. Obviously, these have a cost, but as mentioned above, you can substitute with items you have paying around.

Conclusion

I will not say that this issue is anywhere near the seriousness of the pandemic, but the pandemic is making this issue more serious for our children and us gig workers. Correct ergonomic equipment is an expense that large businesses and corporations can cover – for them it is less expensive than a lawsuit. For those running small businesses, this becomes a question of balancing this against other financial expenses the business needs to incur.

That said, I do think that this is the year to make an investment in better furniture. You can always tell your tax accountant that you have higher expenses this year because of the pandemic (which is not untrue). So do your research and invest in better chairs for yourself and your children. Just as it is cheaper than a lawsuit for a large corporation, it is also cheaper than long-term medical care for you.

The issue of posture and prolonged screen time for our children as a result of the pandemic will continue to be an important one. I expect that it will reappear in the media throughout the year. No, it is not as serious as the pandemic itself, but it will still be a serious health issue for millions that will have long-term ramifications as well.