Why I start things

I've started 5 businesses and 3 nonprofits, and I'm not slowing down.

I start things; it’s a part of who I am. As a kid, I would take up one hobby after another, diving into it, before moving on to another. I think it was my way of seeing what fit and shaping the person I would become. As an adult, I also find myself starting things. I work on small home projects, large business ideas, and everything in between.

I’ve started a total of five businesses and three nonprofits. Some have done well, most have faded into history, but every start has value. I start things because I don’t know what will work, but I’m willing to find out. I figure I’m likely to fail most of the time; most new things fail.

Failure is acceptable, even welcome. Failure is an opportunity to learn, grow and iterate. Most startups fail or at least have to dramatically pivot to stay alive. If I start something that fails, it’s ok; I learn from it and try something different next time.

Eventually, all those fails and lessons turn into something that works. And, when you start something that works, it’s a beautiful thing.

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Great leadership reading from this week.

• The Management Mistake That Causes Daily Worry, Stress, and Anxiety in Employees - If employees don’t know what’s expected, they stress.

• What It Takes to Run a Great Hybrid Meeting - Start simple here. Make sure you have great audio. Then, look at the rest of the tips in this article. There is gold here!

• Did You Get My Slack/Email/Text? - The quote that really caught my attention from this article said, “over 70% experienced some form of unclear communication from their colleagues. This leads to the average employee wasting four hours per week on poor or confusing digital communications….”

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This week I’m thinking about: Communication

Next week I’ll be working on a communication plan for the nonprofit I'm at, and I’m excited about it. Hopefully, that experience will give me some interesting things to write about as well!

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Other great reading from the week

• How To Write an Exceptional Article for Better Humans (or Anything Else) - If you create content, read this. I have found it really helpful.

• You Become What You Focus On - This is the reason I can’t watch too much dark, dramatic TV; it bums me out. How about you?

Podcasts to check out

• Tech Talk Y’all - My tech/comedy news podcast.

• TogetherLetters - My podcast about the app that I’m helping build to keep people better connected.

• Real Pink - I host the national podcast for Susan G. Komen. If you want some inspiration, or information about breast cancer, give it a listen.

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That’s a wrap!

Did you find anything helpful here? Pay me back by sharing it with someone. Thanks for reading!