Here's this week roundup of my Linkedin Posts where I write about marketing, branding and entrepreneurship. Enjoy!
The 4 Types Of People Who Say, "Money Doesn't Matter"
1) Dude who's already rich
And he probably didn't earn it. He inherited it from his rich family. He knows fuck all about survival and the value of a dollar.
2) Dude who's dying from a disease
The doctor has told him he has only months to live. And so understandably, money does not matter to him.
3) Dude who nearly died from a disease
He now has a new outlook on life and wants to live a life not chasing material things.
4) Scummy salespeople
After they feed you some bullshit about living life to the fullest and only wanting to help others, they upsell you some shit on "financial freedom." Oh, the irony.
Are you any of the above?
If not, just get to work. Make some money. Just a modest amount will do. Pay your bills. Buy shit you love. Don't become the starving artist.
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Some Thoughts On Doing What You Love And Making Money From It
. The people who advise you, "Don't do it for the money" are not realistic at all. Face it, you do want to make money and that's not an evil thing.
. However, the people who are only about the money can come across as greedy and lacking a soul altogether.
. Again, however, the people who are all about passion, doing what you love or helping others only can come across as extremely unrealistic as their heads are in the clouds.
. There hence needs to be an amalgamation of your passion and creating a business out of it.
. You cannot produce content and a product for the sake of money or more likes and followers. You'll only come across as unauthentic.
. You need to get into a headspace where you're truly creating simply because you love it and want to serve others.
. Then, you need to adapt and learn along the way to see what works on whatever platform you're on so you can reach out to even more people. You need to do this WITHOUT worrying about the money, likes, followers and other numbers.
. Yes, it's all counterintuitive. You'll have to go back and forth to get the best results while trying to enjoy it at the same time.
. In business, more often than not, it's not what you do, but who you know. Whether you love it or not, you need to get out there and network.
. Because thinking you'd automatically draw attention with your passion, love for art and desire to help others is immature and will rarely work.
. There're many opportunities to do what you love and get known for it because of modern platforms like TikTok and it's algorithm.
. But it's still not as easy as one may think because life just doesn't work that way.
. You're going to encounter a lot of seemingly passionate people who do what they love as they run their business. Never put anyone of them on a pedestal. Take everything they say with a pinch of salt. Stop believing anything on social media. Not everything is what it seems. Be humble and keep learning, but remember to believe in yourself.
. Be consistent. Practice every day. But then, you'd start to feel like you don't love doing it anymore. But you still have to push on and that's what winners do.
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A Cool Boss Is Only Cool When The Employees Are Cool
If the employees are all lazy, irresponsible assholes, then the boss has to be an asshole to ensure the company runs smoothly.
Whenever I hear stories of the "cool boss", I can't help but think about how the story is told with clouded lenses.
It can be extremely inaccurate and also told from an immature perspective.
If the boss is a cool boss, it's mostly because the employees are cool.
Everyone works well together. Everyone shows up. Everyone plays their role well. The cool boss then rewards his cool employees and so they shower him with accolades and think he's an angel sent from heaven.
Conversely, the stories of the "asshole boss" is always about how he's difficult, demanding or consistently on a power trip.
But what if, the employees were mostly useless assholes?
No one is showing up. No one is doing their part and no one wants to take responsibility.
The boss then puts on the helm of being a discipline master in order to get things done. He becomes the asshole boss because the spoiled employees are whining they have to do actual work. Suddenly, the boss is a demon spawn sent from hell.
The cool boss may not necessarily have any merits just because he's a nice guy. He just has great employees and hence, a lower difficulty setting for himself.
The asshole boss may be a great boss because he dares to do what needs to be done instead of wanting to be popular.
Whichever type of boss you have, it's time to reflect on the role you play within the company.
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Lessons From A First-Time Fashion Entrepreneur: The Guessing Game
I am on to printing my fourth batch now.
Every time I do so, I have to guess what sizes to print more of. I also have up to four designs I need to choose from (good variety or confusing curse? I wouldn't know yet.)
There just doesn't seem to be enough data as it is.
The last batch, I guessed size L would have been more popular. I was dead wrong as M and XL sold the fastest.
Ahh well, I guess that's how it is in business. You just never know. That's the beauty and risk. That's why you're own boss. You're your own validation.
For my next batch, I've added more M, XL and 2XLs. Let's see how it goes. Also proud to announce that it's the first time I am dropping grey color :)
For my sales page which also works as the story and branding page, check it out here: https://lnkd.in/dnTSGebY
Never Ask Or Beg For Tips
One time, in Bangkok, after finishing a meal at a modest little joint at a night market, I asked for the bill.
In the bill was an extra 100 Baht. When I asked what was this, the Thai server sheepishly replied in a playful manner that that was his tip.
I rolled my eyes and just gave it to him. But I'll never patronize that place again.
Asking or begging for tips is honestly poor form. The audacity in thinking you deserve it and even adding it to the bill is just disgusting.
If you want more, mere rewards, then just give and add a ton of value to your customer or prospect. From there, I think it's okay to lay out the terms and conditions of how you earn your keep. But never directly ask for money itself.
And no, I don't think it's a matter of, "It's only a bit of money." Everyone has their own principles they stick to. Everyone also has their beliefs in life that define them.
If you lack these, then well, that's how you end up begging.