There a few myths about starting a business. Finding a co-founder is one of those myths. In order for a startup to succeed, finding the right team is important. A good founder is almost like a dream like a great marriage. It is a good concept of trust, loyalty, division of labor, and support, but not everyone can find a perfect partner to provide that. One can search for months, sometimes years to find the one. But, do you really need the one? Can you do it by yourself?
For the record, although many people try to push the myth of the importance of a co-founder, it might not be a happily ever after story just because you have a co-founder. Cofounder conflict is actually one of the leading reasons for early-stage companies failing. A cofounder relationship could be harder than marriage. It goes beyond just a business person finding a tech person like how marriage goes beyond just love. A proper cofounder relationship requires the co-founders to at least have common principles, share the same goal, understand boundaries, and not take everything too seriously. This all makes finding a co-founder a very hard task. The good news is: Maybe you don’t need a co-founder! A study by Crunchbase in 2016 shows that many startups had successful exits only had an average of 1.72 founders. This means that many startups were led by only one founder. This should be reassuring if you can’t find a co-founder or if your team recently left you. You can still do it! However, the road down solopreneurship might be difficult. You might be at events where people ask about your team. People might not have the confidence to fund your company as you are the only founder. It takes a lot of perseverance to get through and become a solopreneur, but there are people who have done it. For example, Jeff Bezos is one of those solo founders who founded Amazon. Of course, there are other companies that were founded without co-founders such as eBay, Ford, Tumblr, Umami Burger, and Wonderbra. Adam Fleischman of Umami Burger started his chain by himself and didn’t believe in having a co-founder. He hired labor off Craigslist for $10 an hour and did the rest himself. He hustled and the rest is history. His chain is one of the most successful chains in the burger industry. Being a solopreneur allows you to not compromise on your vision. It allows you to have the freedom to pursue whatever you want to do. Just because the world is telling you about getting a co-founder doesn’t mean it is necessary. You too can be a single, independent solopreneur. Of course, being a solopreneur could get lonely. Come in and connect with other founders at Treehouse Society! https://techcrunch.com/2016/08/26/co-founders-optional/ https://www.inc.com/matt-given/do-you-need-a-co-founder-this-surprising-new-study.html
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In the early morning of June 28, 1969, the police officers raided in to the Stonewall Inn arresting 13 people including employees and people who violated the state’s gender appropriate clothing statue. Patrons and neighborhood residents who got fed up with constant harassment and discrimination, gathered outside the bar which instantly led to a riot when an officer hit a lesbian woman. To honor the 1969 Stonewall Riots in Manhattan, people across the nation celebrate and support LGBTQ community every June. Many events occur during June, however renowned parade is held on the last Sunday to commemorate anniversary of Stonewall Riots. Fast forward, in June 2015, same sex marriage became legal. Furthermore, Pride month is a great opportunity to peacefully advocate current issues that the community faces as well as memorials to those members who have been lost to hate crimes of HIV/AIDS.
Although Stonewall Riots was the turning point of modern LGBTQ rights movement, San Francisco has a longer history of LGBTQ community. It dates as far back as 1908 when the first gay bar opened. In 1951, the California Supreme Court permitted gays the right to assemble social and political groups in the San Francisco. 10 years later, Jose Sarria runs for supervisor as the first openly gay candidate for public officer in the United States. In 1964 LIFE magazine announces San Francisco as the “Gay Capital of America”. Several years later, San Francisco held its first Pride Parade with 2,000 merchers and 15,000 speculators. The rainbow flag debuts at the San Francisco in 1978 which still is the symbol of the movement. In the early 2000’s, San Francisco mayor authorizing marriage license to same sex couples. To demonstrate the awareness, various events across the country are held by joining parades and advocating local events. Here are some iconic events in SF to look out for: PLAY 8th Boat party for LGBT women who love to dance. Rooftop Yoga 13th Yoga at the westfield rooftop and hangout after class for refreshments and a beautiful view StartOut Pride 19th Fun and high quality networking at Yelp Framline43 20th-30th San Francisco’s international LGBTQ film festival Fresh Meat Festival 20th-22nd Acts from opera to boyband to show inclusiveness. Celebrate Pride with Gong.io Networking with LGBTQ + Tech communities. Panel discussion on diversity and inclusion Of course, San Francisco Pride Parade 29th-30th Highlight event of the Pride month. At the Market street from Beale to 8th. And of course, we are very excited to celebrate the grit, strength, and determination of the community at our LGBTQ Pride Coworking Day! https://www.sftravel.com/article/6-iconic-annual-lgbtq-events-not-miss-san-francisco https://www.eventbrite.com/d/ca--san-francisco/pride-events/ https://www.loc.gov/lgbt-pride-month/about/ https://www.glaad.org/publications/pridekit https://projects.sfchronicle.com/2018/sf-pride-timeline/ https://www.history.com/topics/gay-rights/the-stonewall-riots As a freelancer, you never know where your life might bring you. You could be in an Uber on your way to a client meeting or working nonstop until 2 am. Life might be unstable, but your meals shouldn’t be.
Meal prep not only build some stability in your life, but it also helps to prevent you from being “hangry”, which might harm your customer relationship. Even if you are not meal prepping, it is a great idea to bring some snacks with you to keep your energy up. Here are 5 steps to start meal prepping to conquer your day: 1. Know your objectives- Like anything else in life, you need to figure out your objective with meal prep. Is it to increase your intake of fiber? Is it because you want to save money? Increase the intake of protein and build more muscles? Figure out your objective before you come up with a plan 2. Find Recipes- After finding your objectives, find recipes that would fit your objectives. Experiment with it to make sure they taste good so you can stick to your meal prep plan. If the recipes aren’t great, find something else that suits your taste buds better. No one wants to eat a bad meal. And if the food tastes horrible, you might leave it in the fridge to rot instead of being motivated to bring it to work. Depending on your skillset, you want to find recipes that match your skill level instead of being frustrated by a complicated recipe with over 50 ingredients. 3. Start Small- After finding a recipe, start small. A small batch could be less overwhelming and also, if you hate the recipe, you will be wasting less food than if you had started out making a big batch. Again, test, experiment, and repeat. If you like a recipe you tested, make a batch slightly bigger than your regular dinner and pack the leftover for the next day. Boom! You meal prepped! 4. Get Containers- One of the objectives of meal prepping is to reduce waste, so make sure to get durable, reusable containers so you can pack your meals for the week. 5. Figure Out Your Schedule- It takes planning to meal prep. Figure out your schedule and plan ahead. Allow yourself a slot in the week such as a time in the weekend to meal prep for the week. This could be a time that you grocery shop and cook. Treehouse Society has a half-sized kitchen for the meals you prepped! March is Women’s History Month. Women have made genius inventions throughout history. This post is about the life-changing inventions by badass women. They contributed to inventions ranging from computer programming to X-rays to telecommunications.
Radioactivity- Invented by Marie Curie, a Polish and naturalized-French scientist who researched on radioactivity. She discovered two elements, polonium, and radium. At the time of her discovery, people were unaware of the effects of radiation exposure and she worked unprotected in a converted shed next to the School of Physics and Chemistry of Ecole Normale Superieure where she taught. On top of working unprotected, the shed itself was poorly ventilated and not even waterproof. Her work did not end there. During World War 1, she developed mobile radiography units to provide X-ray services to field hospitals. She is the only first person to win the Nobel Prize twice. Computer programming- Invented by Ada Lovelace, who was an English mathematician and writer. She is also the only legitimate child of Lord Byron and Lady Byron. She published the first algorithm intended to be carried out by Charles Babbage’s proposed mechanical general purpose computer, the Analytical Engine. Computer Language Compiler- Invented by Grace Hopper, an American computer scientist, and United States Navy rear admiral. She had always dreamed of a programming language written in English and invented the first computer compiler that the world has ever seen. She obtained her Ph.D. in mathematics from Yale University and was a professor of mathematics at Vassar College before she joined the Navy Reserve during WW2. She also popularized the phrase, “computer bugs”. Recursive Function- Invented by Rozsa Peters, who was a Hungarian mathematician and logician. During the war, she was banned from teaching due to her Jewish origin and was also confined in a ghetto in Budapest. During the time, she wrote her book, “Playing with Infinity: Mathematical Explorations and Excursions. After the war ended, she was able to receive her first full-time teaching appointment at the Budapest Teachers’ Training College. By 1951, she published a key finding on “Recursive Functions” and continued to publish important papers on recursive theory throughout her life. By the mid-1950s, Peter applied recursive function theory to computers. Telecommunications Technology- Invented by Shirley Ann Jackson, an American physicist. She was the first African-American woman to earn a doctorate degree at MIT. She started working at the Theoretical Physics Researcher Department at Bell Laboratories in 1976 where she researched the optical and electronic properties of 2 dimensional and quasi-two-dimensional system. Her research eventually enabled others to invent the portable fax, touch-tone telephone, solar cells, fiber optic cables, caller ID, call waiting, and etc. Without these badass women, our modern world would look very different. We might still be communicating via pigeons delivery and never be able to check out our bodies by X-Ray when we break our bones. High demands from work can cause a lot of stress or threats in life. Stress is a way for your body to respond to react to its environment into a “fight-or-flight” response. It is your body’s way of protecting you. If you deal with the stress properly, it will help with focus and being more alert/ However, if dealt with improperly, it could cause weakening of immune system and long term stress could lower life expectancy.
Sometimes, stress could be an addicting feeling since it gives you a sense of thrill and adrenaline going through your body. It almost feels like you are being productive, even though in reality, you are just sitting there stressing. There are people out there that confuse stress with productivity. If asked what they achieved all day, they probably will tell you that they felt as if they were productive, but in reality, have achieved nothing on their list. On top of that, the stress will probably kill them in the long run. There are causes of stress which could be caused internally or from the environment. Internally, it could be caused by insecurity, pessimistic worldview, negative self-talk, perfectionism, being rigid, and inability to adapt. Externally, it could be caused by work demand, life changes, financial burden, and lack of time to relax. The news and media could also be a huge factor of stress as well given our current day political climate. Although stress could be an external factor, if dealt with correctly internally, it could be channeled into positive energy. Here are some ideas on dealing with stress so it won’t kill you. ~Taking a deep breath to regulate your senses, especially when hearing of hard news. ~Learn how to take time off work, and that Rome wasn’t built in one day. Some people go so hard that they burned themselves in their work within a short term of starting a project. ~Go on a walk while brainstorming to think of the big picture. ~Learn work-life balance and spend time with people whom you feel understand you. ~Hit the gym to get your endorphins kicking. ~Meditate for ten minutes to help you control stress, decrease anxiety, and improve cardiovascular health. (Not sure how to meditate? Join us on Meditation Monday!) ~Decrease your caffeine intake to lower your cortisol level. Since both caffeine and stress can elevate cortisol level, your mood could soar and plummet with it, causing a higher amount of stress and harming your health. ~Deal with problems when they arise, not dreaming of potential problems that might happen. Sometimes, overthinking would kill more stress than necessary. ~Cut out alcohol in your life. Even if alcohol makes you feel good in the short term, but could have long term psychological and medical impact, which will do more harm than good. Make sure to not be too hard on yourself internally as self-criticism isn’t going to help with any situation. Staying positive while working to lower the amount of stress and stay productive. https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/stress-management-enhance-your-well-being-by-reducing-stress-and-building-resilience https://www.medicinenet.com/stress_meditation_may_reduce_stress/views.htm https://www.verywellmind.com/caffeine-stress-and-your-health-3145078 https://www.apa.org/helpcenter/road-resilience Life is short. While being productive is really important, we also have a limited amount of time on earth to live the best life we possibly could. It is also great for mental health. Shilagh Mirgain, Ph.D., a health psychologist at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, School of Medicine and Public Health relied on her bucket list to keep track of her “inner wisdom” throughout her life. She even used her bucket list to help her summit Mt. Kilimanjaro, which had been on her list for 20 years. Here are 6 reasons why you should have a bucket list for your life.
1. It makes it more real Some ideas seem crazy until it is on a piece of paper or a list. Maybe today it seems crazy, but after 5 days of looking at the list, it won’t seem like such a crazy idea after all. 2. It gives you a sense of what is important As what Shilagh Mirgain, Ph.D. stated, it gives you a sense of “inner compass”. It is supposed to help you determine what is important to you in your life. 3. It adds excitement in your life It is proven that it is a lot more exciting in planning something than actually doing. While you are planning something, it allows you to look forward to that particular moment in life when the event might actually happen. 4. It gets you out of your comfort zone Your bucket list of adventure should be exciting ideas of things to do that would not only get you off the couch but also get you out of your comfort zone. 5. It gives you a sense of accomplishment Finishing something on your to-do list will give you a sense of accomplishment. Being able to have trekked Patagonia or have scuba dived in Indonesia might give you a better sense of accomplishment and help with self-esteem. 6. A great conversation piece in a party It will help you become a cool person at a party with great stories to tell. It might really help with social networking and gaining business relationships. Bucket list might sound like a cheesy idea, but it definitely helps with finding your inner compass and fill your life with purpose. It will help build character and solidify your sense of being. Work has been revolutionized by technology since the industrial revolution. There are many jobs that people have never heard about due to replacement by technology and the people with these past careers moved on to a more efficient society. For example, milkman, young men who deliver fresh milk daily door to door were replaced by the invention of the refrigerator. The ice-cutters were replaced by the invention of freezers. Knocker-uppers were replaced by alarm clocks. Switchboard operators were replaced by telephones. Travel agents were replaced by the invention of the internet. Video rental employees in Blockbuster were replaced by Netflix.
With every technological advancement, there were people willing to adapt and ones who were too stubborn. Of course, those who were willing to adapt eventually win out the ones who refused to change. As an entrepreneur, one must adapt and adjust to the market and the times. Here are a few ways your business could adapt to AI. Start small- Maybe there are daily small tasks that you don’t want to do, such as scheduling and booking. Make Alexa or Siri do that for you. There are also AI virtual assistants who do it as well. Think about how your company operates- Write an operational manual and think about the ways to replace whatever you can in your operation with AI. Have better insight- Collecting data for your company but had been too overwhelmed by other tasks to find patterns in your data? Utilize AI for that. Utilize AI at HR HR is about to be revolutionized by AI. No longer would recruiters spend most of their days scanning for candidates to interview and spending the next part of their days scheduling interviews. There are many AI tools out there from scanning candidates to scheduling interviews with them to make your hiring process easier. Use a Chatbot- No longer are chatbots only available to large corporations. You can employ chatbots in your daily life and your company to answer repetitive questions. Adapt to make your life and business more productive. You should be spending your time to focus on things that actually matter instead of focusing on some frivolous tasks that should be replaced by a robot. Excited to start your new business in the new year? If you are getting a slow start to 2019, maybe this is the time to start looking into starting your new consulting business! Here are 6 ways to start your consulting business and make sure you dominate 2019.
1. Target Your Niche You need to figure out what industry you know best. Do you have a background in accounting, marketing, or engineering? Figure out if your potential customers need service in your background. Identify the potential customer’s needs and problems so you could use your skills to solve their problem. 2. Solve a Specific Problem Use your background to solve a specific problem. The more specific the better. Your potential customer probably already told you what problem they are having in their operations or life, so know specifically what needs to be solved. 3. Know Your Value The problem you solved could’ve saved your customer thousands of dollars, but instead of charging the % of savings for him, you are charging hourly. Charging hourly could mean that you are under charging for your service! Get out of that mindset. Who cares how long you spent on the problem? Let it be 3 hours or 5 hours, as long as the value you created for your customer is greater than the bill, there is a net gain for your customers. So, forget the hourly bill and consider your service as a package deal. 4. Network Go meet people! Check out Eventbrite and Meetup for events where your potential could be gathering. Working from home is great, but go to a coworking space to socialize. Who knows? Maybe they are working out of a coworking space to stay lean. 5. Have a Customer Conversion System As a new consultant, you need a customer conversion system that would make sense. Let it be organic website traffic, ads, networking where you first establish contact with your customer, you need to keep being engaged with them. Lifecycle email marketing seems to work as a method to keep customers engaged. A cool fact, even Mailchimp tags contacts nowadays! Make sure to develop a way to keep your customers engaged. 6. Come up with an agreement that works Benjamin Franklin, the founding father of the United States swore to never do business without a contract. Make sure to make an agreement for your clients based on the service you provide. Make sure that you receive legal advice for your consulting work. After all, your consulting gig is still a business and legal is super important for business! Meet other like-minded individuals at Treehouse Society either coworking or at an event! Artificial Intelligence (AI) is coming in as a force that will change the world as we know it. No, we are not talking about Westworld revolting robots. AI is being adapted to the world believe it or not. In fact, according to the PwC’s Global Artificial Intelligence Study, AI will contribute $15.7trillion into the world economy by 2030. You could either fight with the force or use it to your advantage.
Besides Alexa and Siri, you could take a look at the AI tools below to make your life easier.
Hopefully, with these tools you would be a lot more productive in 2019. Instead of having AI replace you, adapt fast and utilize AI to make your work easier! 2018 is now gone and we’ve passed almost half of the first month of 2019. But while that may be so, you aren’t way past the year to launch your business. The first couple of months of the year are still here to offer you opportunities to reflect and plan to launch your business. But if you aren’t planning to start a business, here are 5 reasons why you should consider it.
1. Modern Customers Are In for More Personalized Service With businesses further adapting to a modern customer, a new business that prioritizes a seamless, personalized service and fast delivery will be available. Modern customers today gravitate to online services that can provide them with better user experiences. Yet, most businesses fail to adapt to the modern times. The New Year would be an excellent opportunity to launch a business and take advantage of attracting these potential modern customers. 2. Improved Technology Will Make Business Operations Easier Technology is more advanced than ever. You could probably build whatever you could dream of. Among the technologies to be expected this year include predictive analysis and AI, which will deliver fantastic customer experience. It will be a game changer this year, particularly in giving businesses greater insight. 3. Plenty of Small Business Opportunities If your goal is to become wealthy, launching a small business might not give you that chance. However, small business might be able to generate you an income to live with instead of working for the man. This year’s forecast shows a bit optimistic on global trade growth, and the economy is leaning to positive. With that, starting a business this year might finally realize your dream of becoming your boss and making all the decisions. 4. Significant Changes on Banking is on the Way Even before the end of the year, there are already significant changes in banking. These changes will no doubt create a massive disruption in how you make your payment. With more radical payment methods coming along with improved technology, your mobile phone will be your wallet. With this are many opportunities to bring a potentially profitable business closer to your target audience. 5. The New Year is a Time to Do Something You Love Of course, besides the changes to come this 2019, there is no reason to launch your business that is more compelling than doing something you love. If it has always been your dream to start your own business and you think you it is time, then go for it. If you work hard running your own business and truly enjoy what you do, you have the stakes to make it a success. If you are unsure if this year is the perfect year to launch your dream business finally, the reasons mentioned might be enough to start. But like what the last reason is all about, it matters a lot that you love what you do. It is essential to choose a field where you are passionate in so you can stay in the business to make it scale. Come by our modern coworking space to see how 2019 can motivate you. |
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