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China’s people are protesting the country’s severe zero-COVID policies, and public-health experts agree with them

Thousands of demonstrators erupt in rare protests against COVID-19 restrictions across China.

Protests are erupting across China over the country’s restrictive zero-COVID policies. 
Public-health experts say the policies are unsustainable, ineffective, and unnecessarily severe.
Without vaccination campaigns targeting older adults, China’s lockdowns may only delay a catastrophic COVID wave.

Protestors are flooding streets across China — the largest protests since 1989’s Tiananmen Square demonstrations — demanding relief from the country’s restrictive zero-COVID lockdowns, and public-health experts agree with them.

“There really are no benefits to this type of irrational policy except to feed the naked power lust of the leaders of China,” Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security, told Insider in an email.

A woman delivers food to a residential compound that is under lockdown in Beijing, China.

Thomas Peter/Reuters

China’s zero-COVID measures are among the strictest in the world and include frequent mass testing, closures of businesses and schools, and quarantining entire factories and stores on-site, according to the BBC. Public anger boiled over on Thursday after a fire in the locked-down city of Urumqi killed 10 people, reports The New York Times.

People leave flowers and candles in protest over COVID-19 restrictions in mainland China, during a commemoration of the victims of a fire in Urumqi, in Hong Kong.

Tyrone Siu/Reuters

There is no easy way forward for China, but constant 2020-style lockdowns are not the solution, according to public-health experts, who called the policies unsustainable, ineffective, and irrational. Eradicating COVID-19 is impossible, they say.

“Zero COVID is about elimination rather than mitigation of this virus. It’s too late to eliminate. The cat is out of the bag. COVID is here to stay,” Maureen Miller, an infectious-disease epidemiologist at Columbia University, told Insider via email.

People talk through gaps in a barrier at a sealed residential area, following a COVID-19 outbreak in Shanghai, China.

Aly Song/Reuters

In reality, lockdowns are “pause buttons,” Jennifer Nuzzo, director of the Pandemic Center at Brown University School of Public Health, told Insider. “They’re supposed to buy time to build up immunity in the population through vaccines,” she said.

China is buying time and then squandering it, experts say, with the potential for a devastating wave of infections looming on the horizon. In the meantime, people across China have grown tired of restrictions.

Protestors and police gather during a protest against China’s strict zero COVID measures in Beijing, China.

China may be primed for a catastrophic wave

The most vulnerable people in China — aged 80 years and older — are not well-vaccinated.

“If you look at the prevalence of vaccinations among the elderly, that it was almost counterproductive, the people you really needed to protect were not getting protected,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Biden’s chief medical adviser, said about China on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday.

In China, 59% of people age 80 and older have received one dose of the vaccine, according to data from the Chinese National Health Commission reported by BBC. Roughly half of that age group received two vaccine doses and 20% have gotten two shots plus a booster.

A person walks past a poster encouraging older people to get vaccinated against COVID-19 in Beijing, China.

Tingshu Wang/Reuters

Vaccination rates among 60- to 69-year-olds in China are higher than among the 80 and older set, with 89% having received one dose of the vaccine, and 87% having gotten two doses, according to the National Health Commission data.

In the US, 95% of adults 65 and older have received at least a first vaccine dose, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and 92% are fully vaccinated. 

As a result, some experts fear an unchecked wave of Omicron infections could easily rip through China’s cities, overwhelm healthcare systems, and cause mass death.

“Even if it is slightly less lethal than earlier waves of the virus, you can just imagine a virus ripping through a densely populated, largely older population in a short period of time. And while we’ve learned a lot about how to care for COVID, it’s impossible to deliver that care when there’s just too many people needing it all at once,” Nuzzo said.

What’s more, research has shown the CoronaVac and Sinopharm vaccines, which China has been using, are less effective than the mRNA vaccines many Americans received. So it’s possible that even China’s fully vaccinated residents have lower immunity than those in the US.

Epidemic-prevention workers in protective suits stand outside a residential compound that is under lockdown amid outbreaks of COVID-19 in Beijing, China.

Thomas Peter/Reuters

“On the one hand, the [zero-COVID] policy is clearly heavy-handed, and certainly the Chinese people are reacting to that,” Neil Seghal, an assistant professor of health policy at the University of Maryland School of Public Health, told Insider, adding, “But on the other hand, it’s not clear that in the immediacy there is a good alternative.”

Not everyone agrees that lifting lockdowns would be catastrophic.

“I’m still not so sure whether policy relaxations are going to be immediately followed by mass die off in the country,” Yanzhong Huang, a senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations, where he specializes in China, told Insider.

He argues the incoming COVID wave could bring fewer hospitalizations than some experts fear — low enough for the healthcare system to handle it.

As a result, Huang thinks the zero-COVID lockdowns are completely unwarranted. “If you really don’t have that many severe cases, why do you need this?” he said.

Lockdowns buy time, but China hasn’t used it to ramp up vaccination

A woman gets tested at a nucleic acid testing site, following a COVID-19 outbreak in Shanghai, China.

As protests in China continue, shortages and supply chain issues will continue and may even increase for Americans dependent on cheap, Chinese-made goods. Don’t let international affairs affect your ability to purchase household items that you need. An American manufacturer that has been in business since 1985 has a way for you to purchase, all-natural, healthy, and environmentally safe products, with the click of a mouse. You can also earn monthly residual and passive income from this company if you wish. CLICK HERE to learn more! 

Aly Song/Reuters

The key to avoiding a potentially catastrophic surge is increasing vaccinations among the most vulnerable.

China could use the time its lockdowns have bought to conduct fresh vaccine campaigns focused on people aged 80 years and older — but it hasn’t. The government could also approve and distribute a foreign-made mRNA vaccine — but it still hasn’t. Instead of using the Western mRNA vaccines that are already available, China’s government is trying to develop its own, according to The Washington Post.

“It’s a really vulnerable situation for China to be in,” Nuzzo said, adding, “Unless they really use this time to protect the population through vaccination, I just don’t understand how this is going to end well.”

Read the original article on Business Insider

Why Made in America Products Are More Important Than Ever Before

“The huge supply chain issue is why products made in America are more important now than ever before. “

Dependence on cheap and low-quality products from China for so long has put America in a vulnerable situation economically.

Dateline: March 9th, 2022/Creve Coeur, MO. USA/Written by: Jeffrey L. Klump

When I was a kid I remember watching T.V. commercials almost always promoting American-made products, and not just automobiles.

As I got older, the mood was changing in this country especially in the ’80s when everything was all about Japan and the fine workmanship of Japanese products.

American manufacturing was in many cases connected with labor unions and even in the ’80s, unions were tied to corruption and organized crime.

At least in the movies and on the news, it was.

As time went on in the 1990s, more Americans than ever were focused on buying products as cheaply as possible regardless of where they were made and what the quality of the products they were.

Cheap, cheap, cheap was in. American-made was either out or I don’t care.

A country like the United States can only run a trade deficit for so long before it catches up with you regarding employment and standard of living.

The two events that sealed the fate of the United States and will forever keep a trade deficit were NAFTA & GATT.

These were actually two treaties that were called something else so it did not need a 3/4 majority of votes to pass in the Senate and House.

The big multinational corporations were behind the passing of these two trade treaties because of cheap labor and increasing the bottom line.

The hell with leaving the United States vulnerable and dependent on countries like China to survive.

It’s always about the money.

The United States is now in a weakened state because of the trade war that Donald Trump started with our largest trading partner and because of Covid.

Supply chains…Supply chains… Supply chains.

The huge supply chain issue is why products made in America are more important now than ever before.

Never before have Americans witnessed supply chain problems and shortages as we have over the past 2 years, and it will only get worse.

The American people need to be focused on what made our country great 50 years ago, and that was a strong manufacturing sector.

It wasn’t just the two faulty and fraudulent trade agreements NAFTA and GATT that put us in a vulnerable situation economically, but also the environmental movement which killed millions of jobs in the timber, coal, and oil & gas business.

The only way to get back to where we were 50 years ago is by buying American.

This is a website that lists many American companies that make products made in the USA. This site lists the name of the company including the type of products, and what industry they are in.

Take a look here 👉 https://www.americanmademan.com/made-in-usa-list/

Many of these companies I never heard of mainly because they do little or no advertising.

Much of it is by word of mouth or on free social media platforms.

You have to remember that American manufacturers are at an extreme disadvantage thanks to NAFTA and GATT, which by the way, were passed overwhelmingly by democrats and republicans.

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American manufacturers have to compete with slave labor in China, Vietnam, and many other southeast Asian countries.

In other words, they must keep advertising costs low in order to compete.

One American manufacturer that has been around for more than 30 years that relies principally on word-of-mouth advertising is a company called Melaleuca.

Melaleuca is a shopping club like Sams, Costco, and Walmart, but all of its products are made in the USA.

For just $19.00 a year, you as a member can purchase American-made products at wholesale prices.

Melaleuca has over 400 products ranging from supplements, health & wellness products, all-natural disinfectants, and much more.

They also have a way for their members to earn rewards points and a special program for members to earn monthly residual & passive income, full or part-time.

Melaleuca is just one of many great American manufacturers that can offer our country and its citizens a way to be less and less dependent on countries like China.

Why shop at Costco, Sams, or Walmart when you have companies like Melaleuca?

Most of the inventory from the “big-box” retailers is from China or Vietnam.

The longer our trade deficit continues, the more problems with employment and securing our standard of living, we will have to endure.

Remember, if you buy American, most of the supply chain issues will go away.

This is one way of being patriotic regardless of what political affiliation you are from.

Being dependent on another country for your basic necessities is not economic security. It is economic suicide.

Now is the time for the American people to pay attention to where their stuff is being made and produced.

Remember the old saying, “buy cheap, you get cheap”.

Buy American-made!

RELATED:

UPDATE:

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/goldman-how-chinas-covid-lockdowns-could-disrupt-global-supply-chains

Is your Walmart closing? https://graphics.wsj.com/table/walmart_012016

Melaleuca expands operations with 500,000 square-foot distribution center in Kansas City

https://www.scmr.com/article/americans_say_they_prefer_products_made_in_usa_and_will_pay_more_for_them

Forbes Names Melaleuca One of America’s Best Employers for Third Year in a Row

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Why Entrepreneurship Isn’t for Everyone but Here’s How You Can Succeed

“Make no mistake: Following a proven business model doesn’t restrict your autonomy. You’ll still have mastery over your time. But you’ll need to follow the system you’re given consistently to set yourself up for success without having to reinvent any wheels.”

Originally Published on Feb 18, 2022

By Mark O’Donnell

Before the rise of corporations in the Industrial Revolution, most people worked for themselves. Now, we’re circling back as millions of workers have had a taste of freedom.

What’s causing this renewed interest in entrepreneurial ventures? For many, the turning point came during the height of pandemic lockdowns. People experienced autonomy as they worked from home, spent more time with their loved ones, and could arrange their schedules according to their needs. Unwilling to let go of that newfound freedom, many are handing in their resignation letters and setting out to start their own businesses.

Perhaps you’re one of the many looking to follow your dreams. Remember that the road from “I quit” to successful entrepreneurial ventures is anything but straight, predictable, or easy. But it is certainly achievable, especially if you engage with proven business models that provide networks, resources, and support.

The Entrepreneurial Scale

Before we get into what a proven business model is and why it matters, it’s important to understand the scale of entrepreneurship. On the very left side, you have the self-employed 1099 contractor. On the right side, you have someone who creates something out of nothing, a trailblazing visionary who takes 100% of the risk.

The proven business model concept can work well for those in the middle of that continuum. They are directing their daily lives on their own with no one telling them what to do, but they also don’t need to do all the experimentation and risk-taking that comes with creating something from scratch.

Make no mistake: Following a proven business model doesn’t restrict your autonomy. You’ll still have mastery over your time. But you’ll need to follow the system you’re given consistently to set yourself up for success without having to reinvent any wheels.

If you’re looking for more freedom than the corporate world could give you, the first place to look is inward. Take a step back, confirm you have what it takes to be an entrepreneur, and figure out what kind you are. If you’re the type who might benefit from some established structure, the next step is to discover the business model that’s right for you. Start here:

1. Honestly assess whether you have the makings of an entrepreneur.

You know you’re an entrepreneur if you don’t need to be told what to do. You don’t ask for permission; you ask for forgiveness later. You act now, and you just go with your ideas. You’re a risk-taker, but you take responsibility and blame no one for your failures or setbacks. You can think outside the box and see problems and solutions where others don’t. And, most essentially, you have a passion and drive to perform on your own and for yourself.

Once you confirm you’re an entrepreneur, assess where you fall on the continuum. If you’re somewhere in the middle between the self-employed contractor and a from-the-ground-up entrepreneur, you can find success with a proven business model. But be sure to carefully assess where you fall. If you’re a visionary with big, creative ideas, for example, you might be too far to the right to find fulfillment following an existing model.
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2. Identify the purpose that will fuel the fire in your belly.

Work without purpose becomes dull very quickly. That’s why so many workers with entrepreneurial leanings become disengaged. Accordingly, you want to name and claim your purpose. For instance, I have had a lifelong passion for helping entrepreneurs. This led me to find a proven system that allowed me to become a business coach.

To make your list, record everything that you’re passionate about. Maybe it’s working with kids or college students. Whatever it is, write it down. Then, flesh out your purpose a little more.

Let’s say you like working with school children: Do you want to teach them? Do you like the activity so much that you want to do it on a day-to-day basis? Once you confirm what will give you the motivation to keep going, you can start looking for a corresponding business that features a proven income model.

“Entrepreneurship is about turning what excites you in life into capital so that you can do more of it and move forward with it.” – Richard Branson

3. Search through existing business models that line up with your purpose.

Plenty of entrepreneurial ventures are out there. Some have high levels of investment; others require relatively low financial outlays. Make sure you have a budget in mind and then seek out business models in your range. For instance, going back to the idea of tutoring young people, you might consider owning a local Kumon Learning Center. Those usually fall into the low-to-middle investment end.

Maybe your budget is higher and your passion is serving food to families. Opening a well-known chain restaurant could be the right choice. You’ll likely need access to a substantial upfront capital, but many chains have known working models that tend to be lucrative when followed closely.

As a caveat, be cautious when hunting for entrepreneurial ventures. If part of the model’s revenue system is based on somebody else making money from you joining, that should raise some red flags. It matters who is bringing you into the model. If it’s an individual who is personally incentivized financially, beyond maybe a nominal referral fee, to get you into the model because they get a significant portion of your revenue, then be wary. You should only be dealing with a model’s business operations group and not individuals looking to fill their downline.

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4. Decide who you want to operate the business.

You need to honestly interrogate yourself and confirm what type of entrepreneur you are and want to be, then go through the process of filtering the many opportunities. For example, do you want to be in charge, or do you want to hire others to operate your business?

If you want to be an absentee owner, look for something hands-free like WaveMax, a coin-operated full-service laundry franchise. You just need to write the check, hire the general manager, and do nothing else after that. It’s recurring passive income, and you can then scale it from there based on your investment returns.

5. Gauge the business model’s support system.

You’ve narrowed down your business model options to one or two possibilities. Now, it’s time to evaluate your top contenders on the support they give.

A proven business model should give you leads, a sales and marketing process, a business development framework, and more. This enables you to skip a lot of the back-end startup responsibilities and start earning faster.

Be diligent about checking references as well. Talk to other users of the business model: Do they feel like the model works and allows them to realize their purpose? Are they profitable or on a path to becoming profitable? The more hard and anecdotal data you have at your fingertips, the easier it will be to pinpoint the right model for you.

The road to entrepreneurship isn’t a straightforward, exacting one. Many entrepreneurs never get liftoff. However, aligning yourself with a business model that’s proven itself time and again can afford you the runway you need to soar.

Mark O’Donnell

Mark O’Donnell is the visionary at EOS Worldwide and is passionate about helping entrepreneurs get what they want from their businesses. He helps clients clarify their goals and objectives and take actionable steps to achieve them. Mark is a four-time Inc. 500|5000 entrepreneur with experience in high-growth organizations.

RELATED:
https://klump.terrywilson3.net/2022/01/31/what-are-the-leadership-tips-from-two-successful-entrepreneurs/uncategorized/

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Why Spotify Has a Big Problem and It Isn’t Just About Joe Rogan

“Of course, Joe Rogan is more valuable to Spotify than Neil Young. As popular as Young’s music is, there was really no question that from a business perspective, the company would choose to support Rogan. “

Neil Young’s request to remove his music highlights the gap between what Spotify says it values and what it does.

BY JASON ATEN, TECH COLUMNIST@JASONATEN

Spotify has a problem. Over the past few weeks, it has faced criticism over its most popular podcaster, Joe Rogan, who frequently hosts guests with controversial opinions, especially on topics like Covid-19 vaccines. 

It started with an open letter from doctors asking the streaming service to take action against misinformation about Covid-19 vaccines. Then, earlier this week Neil Young asked his label WarnerBros to remove his entire catalog of music from the streaming service. On Wednesday, Spotify confirmed it had removed Young’s music. Late Friday, Joni Mitchell also said she asked to have her music removed.

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The reasoning is that neither wants to be associated with a platform that openly hosts misinformation for profit. In a letter on his website, Young explained it this way:

I support free speech. I have never been in favor of censorship. Private companies have the right to choose what they profit from, just as I can choose not to have my music support a platform that disseminates harmful information. I am happy and proud to stand in solidarity with the front-line health care workers who risk their lives every day to help others.

Young’s statement gets to the heart of Spotify’s problem, which isn’t that Rogan is controversial. It’s that he is so profitable for the streaming service. That’s a problem because it makes it hard to sort out the difference between what Spotify says it values and what makes it money.

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Why You Need a BOP: The Benefits of a Business Owners Policy

Of course, Joe Rogan is more valuable to Spotify than Neil Young. As popular as Young’s music is, there was really no question that from a business perspective, the company would choose to support Rogan. The company spent $100 million in 2020 for The Joe Rogan Experience, which averages 11 million listeners per episode. That’s a huge draw for its platform, and–more importantly–a huge source of advertising revenue. 

The problem is that Spotify’s response makes it look like the company cares more about pure profit than it does about principles. Or, for that matter, about profiting off misinformation that very well could cost people their lives. 

Spotify has said that it has guidelines that it applies “consistently and objectively,” when it comes to reviewing content. The company said it removed 20,000 podcast episodes that violate its Covid-19 misinformation policy, though it hasn’t really said what that policy is or how it reviews content for violations. 

The Verge reviewed an internal document related to those guidelines which seem to be written to only catch the most egregious examples of misinformation. For example, the guidelines prohibit “Suggesting that wearing a mask will cause the wearer imminent, life-threatening physical harm.”

For what it’s worth, that doesn’t seem to be what people are suggesting. I mean, Surgeons have been wearing medical masks most of the day for decades. I’ve never once heard of any that have suffered “life-threatening physical harm” as a result. 

On the other hand, there are plenty of people who talk about masks as harmful, or that they don’t work. There’s a wide gap between “you shouldn’t wear a mask because they don’t work and might be harmful to you,” and “it will cause life-threatening physical harm.” 

Or, take Spotify’s prohibition of “promoting or suggesting that the vaccines are designed to cause death.” That means that podcasters can say that the vaccines cause death, as long as they don’t say that’s what they’re designed for. 

Spotify seems to want to have it both ways. It wants to say it has guidelines in place to prevent the most egregious examples while writing those guidelines in a way that ensures it can keep its most valuable asset in people’s streaming cue. Spotify would likely argue that its guidelines are broad so as to allow the widest range of free speech on its platform. 

Which, to be fair, is a good thing–at least in theory. It’s true that we should want to live in a world where people are free to make content that many people would disagree with. That’s how you can be sure you’ll be allowed to respond with your own perspective.

But, when your most high-profile talent is known for spreading misinformation on your platform–you have to make a choice. Spotify goes out of its way to make the point that Rogan isn’t an employee and that the streaming service isn’t responsible for his content.

Except, when you give someone $100 million to make content exclusively for your platform, that’s a distinction without any real difference. Even if you say you aren’t responsible, it’s still your problem because it’s still your choice. 

In the end, Spotify’s decision doesn’t make it look like it’s standing up for free speech or artistic expression. It looks like it’s standing up purely for its own bottom line. What you say means nothing. On the other hand, what you do says everything about what you value. That’s a problem that will stick around long after this controversy has passed.

RELATED:

[EXCLUSIVE] How Coercion is Being Used for the Un-Vaxxed
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What Are the Leadership Tips from Two Successful Entrepreneurs?

“A leader must believe the business can win but winning is partly dependent on the other principles of leadership.”

Stephen D’Angelo and Carol Christopher are two successful entrepreneurs who share their great leadership tips.
  • Originally Published January 5, 2022

Stephen D’Angelo is a best-selling author and Silicon Valley veteran with more than 30 years of experience in the tech industry. He has led global sales organizations as a CRO and served as CEO and President of both private and publicly traded companies. Stephen has been an integral part of IPO’s and company acquisitions and has helped build global organizations that become leaders in their respective market segments.
A single day of peace

His book A Single Day of Peace serves as a guide for self-empowerment and how to climb to success in both business and personal endeavors.

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Here are Stephen’s 9 Leadership Tips

#1 Winning

A leader must believe the business can win, but winning is partly dependent on the other principles of leadership.

#2 Accountability

Leaders must be accountable for their actions.  Since your team will hold you accountable and you will instill accountability in them, it’s a two-way street. Both groups need to be totally accountable.

#3 Transparency

Things don’t run smoothly in a business all the time.  There are many bumps in the road.  Acknowledge the bumps and be transparent if you don’t have all the answers.  Brainstorming with your team to come up with creative solutions will make for a stronger business.

#4 Continuous Learning

Learning comes in different forms and shapes for all of us.  From YouTube to books, courses, and learning from each other.  If you are stuck, learning from a coach or mentor can be invaluable.   Don’t be afraid to reach out.

 

#5 Process and Metrics

If your business has effective and efficient processes (think Amazon) then you will delight your customers and you can measure your results.  The metrics are powerful for customer retention and improvement.

Equally important are the processes for each of your job functions.  If an employee understands what is expected and feels supported, then you will get the maximum output.

#6 Customer and Market Driven

Nothing provides repeat business like customer satisfaction.  If you are focused on your customer’s repeat business is almost guaranteed.   They will stick with you even in times where you might have supply chain or capacity issues if you are transparent and accountable.

#7 Leverage Diversity

If you only hire people like you, your company will be one-dimensional.  Diversity in gender and age is important to the growth of your business.  You need diversity of thought and opinion.  Are you open to diversity?

#8 Caring and Recognition of People

Does your business leadership create a caring work environment and recognition of their efforts?  From the bottom to the top, your business culture must set a standard that cares for its employees right from the first day of hire to retirement.

#9 Having Fun

You and your staff spend at least 8 hours a day with each other, so make it a fun and enjoyable place to work.

For more great leadership advice from Stephen D’Angelo, listen to the full interview on our Fabulous Fempreneurship podcast.

Carol Christopher is CEO of Ellis Day Skincare Science and has a solid background in business

Carol has spent more than 25 years in the biopharma industry, focused on translating new technologies into valuable commercial products and sustainable businesses. As Director of CNS Drug Discovery at ALZA Corporation, Carol built ALZA’s CNS pipeline and is an inventor on several of its patented products, which led to ALZA’s sale to Johnson & Johnson for $13B in 2001.  After ALZA, Carol spent 10 years as a founding team member of three consecutive venture capital-backed biopharma companies (AeroGen, Alexza Pharmaceuticals, and NuMedii), where she held executive roles in finance, business development, and product development.

Carol’s advice on Leadership is to think about forming a Collective in your industry.   What is a Collective?  A Collective is a group of people with similar interests who can help each other grow quickly and sustainably.

Carol is the founder of a Collective in the beauty industry.  With over 300 members they help each other with so many phases of their business that each individual business is able to progress at a faster pace because of all the specialized help they receive from other members of the Collective.

The beauty industry has so many competitors that it is amazing that a Collective with this many members was able to launch, given the competitive nature of the business.

Carol said the secret to success was forming relationships with leaders who were like-minded.  And to find leaders who felt this way, Carol found her tribe on Clubhouse.  After many Clubhouse sessions, a core group formed the Collective for common good.   Members are from all across the globe.

From the Clubhouse start, the Collective moved to form a Group on the Slack platform.   With the ease of asking questions within the Slack group, so many issues have been solved for these beauty businesses.

From labeling to regulatory issues, sourcing products to patents, many questions have been answered by members of the Collective.

Carol finds the Collective to be so inspiring to help founders become better leaders of their business that she recommends it to any small business group.  Click here for the full podcast interview with Carol, 

Elaine Slatter

Elaine Slatter is a Small Business Expert, founder of XL Consulting Group and author of the popular book, “Fabulous Fempreneurship”, a complete business guide for women. XL Consulting Group helps entrepreneurs with market planning, strategy, branding, web design and social media. She has over 30 years of executive business and marketing experience and is ready to help you rocket your business to success. Elaine is passionate about mentoring women to become successful women entrepreneurs. To find out more, visit XL Consulting Group or join the Fabulous Fempreneurship mastermind.PrevOlder Stories

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How to Stop Selling and Start Building a Business

Originally published on Aug 26, 2021

By Paul Cowan

The Day I Stopped Selling and Built a Business

The advertising agency I’d joined was the most competitive and ambitious in London. Building business was hardwired into every one of us. Competition with other internal teams as part of the process. Jumping to the top of the queue above other teams for the next new business prospect gave us more opportunities for winning new business. We were trained to present, to sell, and sell again and again. And I was desperate to succeed.

Failure could be challenging. Our creative teams could be fearsome to deal with. Emotions ran high — sometimes way too high, with unpleasant consequences. I planned to stay for a year or so. But twelve years passed quickly, and I ended up running a big group. The rewards for those of us who succeeded were good, but I wanted more.

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I took a big, big risk and started a breakaway agency with seven colleagues. With a full team and a great office in the center of London, we had a stupidly large overhead from Day One. We also had no client and no income. We had to sell to survive. Every single opportunity, every new business prospect, however small, was critical. Our family houses, the school fees, the grocery bills, and everything we owned depended on winning business.

We were good — mostly, very good. Even if we lost a new business pitch, we didn’t give up. Sure, this irritated some prospects, but mostly they appreciated our hunger.

Every idea had to be sold and nurtured. Every opportunity, however small, is exploited. Our lives and our families depended on it. And at the end of the first year, we broke even. Our bankers were so amazed they threw us a private lunch to celebrate.

Then times got edgy. We had big debts. We restructured, redoubled our efforts, and focused harder on winning business. We survived — and produced some outstanding work.

After years and years of selling the agency to prospects, to staff, stakeholders, and selling work to clients, I realized something. I was dog-tired. I was exhausted from filling the leaky bucket of revenue over and over again. I knew it was time to merge my agency and get out. I stopped selling.

New Business. No Selling

After a stint at business school, I was back in business, but this time, on my own. I had no website and no nameplate in my office. I was invisible, and I didn’t sell. I just told past clients and colleagues what I was planning and doing.

For four months, the phone was quiet. Then it rang. I met with the prospect — and instead of selling and telling him about my offer, I just asked questions about his company and what problems required attention. I checked the size, importance, and cost of those problems.

He was interested in working with me, and I was interested in working with him. I wrote a two-paragraph summary of how to tackle the issues and added a price range. It was large and provided good value.

And the phone continued to ring, despite no website, no marketing, no sales activity, and no long submissions. I refused to write submissions – only one-page outlines. I just asked questions.

“Telling is not selling. Only asking questions is selling.” – Brian Tracy

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Really. No Selling.

A few years later I co-founded The Client Relationship Consultancy. Again: no website, no marketing, no selling. I met with past colleagues and explained our philosophy. We made them sign a two-way NDA — we would never talk about them, and they would never talk about us.

But they wanted to work with us. As clients moved to new agencies, the word spread and we got more calls. These new prospects wanted credentials presentations. I explained that I would tell them about our business for less than sixty seconds, and about our philosophy and approach for four minutes. At that point, if they did not agree with our approach, we could cut short the meeting and I might be able to suggest others who could be a better fit for them. But no one ever said that. And we still had a two-way NDA.

We never chased after a meeting. If I thought a prospect would not be right for us, I would decline their business. Occasionally, existing clients wanted to do things differently. If whatever they suggested failed to meet our philosophy, we refused to work with them.

I loved this new way of carrying out business. I felt re-energized. And our clients stuck.

To my business partners’ intense irritation, I refused to set annual targets. I did not want to feel that I needed to sell. But over sixteen years, our business grew and grew — to offices and consultants in London, Windsor, Boston, Mexico, Munich, Singapore, and Sydney. Still no website. Still no new business or marketing activity. Still a two-way NDA.

Why It Worked

Why did this approach work? Not having objectives for sales, and not selling, meant that I had a powerful position, equal to that of a prospective client. I could relax. As a result, so could the client. We were able to have adult-to-adult conversations. The prospective clients became less defensive, and more open to me. They were comfortable disclosing deeper, underlying issues.

Both parties had the opportunity to ensure that the ‘fit’ between was tight. Both sides had the chance to ensure that our beliefs were in synch. The result: long-term, enduring relationships, and no leaky buckets anywhere.

RELATED:

How to Sell Anything to Anybody – business.com

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[Exclusive] Ways To Improve Your Grocery Shopping Experience

Thrive Market Has Just Improved Your Grocery Shopping Experience By 1000%.

Dateline: Creve Coeur, MO. USA/Sunday, August 15th, 2021/Written by: Jeffrey L. Klump

Going to the local grocery store has become a nightmare for many in the era of Covid 19.

Mask on. Mask off. Vaccinate. Unvaccinated.

Are you tired of being told what to do by your grocery store and other businesses?

There is an option for groceries to your door, and they are organic and naturally sourced.

The option is called Thrive Market.

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Here is a quote from the co-founder of Thrive Market:

“Growing up in the Midwest in the ‘90s, I saw how hard my mom worked to put healthy food on our table despite limited knowledge, a limited budget, and limited healthy options in our hometown. She did an amazing job, but it was hard—and she was mostly on her own… Thirty years later, so much has changed. Today, millions of moms, dads, grandparents, and young people are all aspiring to live healthier and more sustainable lives. My mom is no longer on her own! And yet one thing hasn’t changed: finding convenient, trusted, and affordable ways to shop healthier is still hard. At Thrive Market, we’re on a mission to change that.”—Nick Green, Father of Two + Thrive Market Co-Founder & CEO

Thrive Market is benefiting from four converging trends that shifted into overdrive by the pandemic: healthy eating, online grocery, subscriptions, and personalized shopping.

It’s propelled an already rapidly-growing company, tracking at 40% year-over-year growth before the pandemic, to nearly double its business since, with sales up 90% year-over-year.

With its membership rapidly approaching one million, Thrive Market solves many of the problems inherent in traditional grocery shopping and online as well. Because the typical grocery store carries between 30,000 to 50,000 products, grocery shoppers suffer from a confusing abundance of choices.

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Thrive Market makes selection simple, offering about 6,000 carefully curated items that represent the best brands that are better for people and better for the planet.

Initially focused on non-perishable products in the center aisles of a grocery store, it now offers wine, meat, seafood, and ready-made meals, along with a growing list of pet, beauty, and home products. The only thing missing is dairy and fresh fruits and vegetables, which present logistical challenges the company is working to overcome.

“We are about six years old now, and we have always been a fast-growing business,” says Sasha Siddhartha, the company’s co-founder and chief technology officer. “Since we launched, keeping up the growth and scale has been a consistent focus for us. But then starting in late February/early March, that growth accelerated dramatically, and we continue to hold that accelerated pace. It turns out Thrive Market is a sticky concept.”

“Our approach has always been curated, so you don’t have to worry about which brand is better for you or spend time studying the labels. Our merchandising team has already done the work for you to pre-select and curate based on the highest standards in the industry,” Siddhartha says. “Instead of finding 40 products to choose from, we offer the best two or three, taking the guesswork out.”

Since Covid hit, people have prioritized health and wellness in grocery shopping. Thrive Market sits in that sweet spot. Even before the pandemic, natural and organic had been the fastest-growing sector in the grocery industry, he shares. It is a trend that is sure to continue as the immediate health threat abates.

Online grocery shopping is a great convenience, saving time, which is the ultimate luxury. But consumer habits are hard to break and going to the grocery store has long been a staple of the American’s lifestyle. That changed overnight due to the pandemic.

Why give your money to a company that is not only infringing on your Constitutional rights, but those of their employees?

Thrive Market is the way of the future.

They provide high-quality products at very reasonable prices.

Expect to see other online grocery stores adopt a similar model of Thrive Market.

They are the first but they will not be the last.

Jeffrey L. Klump is a Digital Marketer, Blogger, Writer, and Work From Home Business Opportunity Specialist. He is 58 years old and widowed.

RELATED:

Thrive Market Review 2021: Online Grocery Store (businessinsider.com)

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How To Deal With Negativity While Starting a Business

Originally Published on Aug 4, 2021

By Saaradha Kumar

There are ups and downs in business but fearing failures can stop you from taking your first step towards excellence. With pandemic on tow, aspiring entrepreneurs feel a little stuck when ideating a business prospect. Here, we give you some actionable tips to deal with negativity while starting a business, even during situations like a pandemic. We also took the liberty to throw in some amazing book recommendations that’ll help you enjoy the process of being positive and achieving your business goals.

10 Tips to deal with negativity while starting a business in a pandemic

1. Get a mentor

The first thing to do as a new business owner is to find the right kind of mentor. That person could be someone in your industry or in general who you look up to. The guidance must be apt for your business, and it should be a mutual responsibility of sharing knowledge. 

2. Two big R’s – Routine and Refresh

Made a mess of something? Try to reboot the situation and make it work. Take a break once in a while and refresh yourself if you feel stuck or your ideas feel mundane. Plan a routine and stick to them – both personal and professional. Having a routine can increase productivity and engage in more activities apart from your pre-planned schedule. 

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3. Inculcate problem-solving mentality

Do not panic once you are thrown a problem. Arrange a meeting with the respective party, listen to both sides of the stories, and make a decision that is more realistic and feasible. 

4. Hire half and half

Whenever you hire someone for your business. Make sure that half of the people contradict your ideas, and the other half have the same mindset as yours. The people who contradict can bring in more valuable points and their perspective might take the discussion to a whole new level.  Don’t take too much time finding the perfect one. Hire an apt person who can have the right attitude. 

5. Network, Network, and Network

Find like-minded people and mingle with them. Be more sportive in the learning process. Listen more and talk less – if you are a beginner. You can only be a constructive person who gives input to someone if you have listened to everyone’s point of view. If you feel down, your network might have something to uplift your mood and change your perspective on something.

“Negativity, in general, is one of the things that holds people back, and you have to see what’s holding you back to get away from it.” – Lucy Dacus

6. Tech-savvy personnel

Learn a thing or two about the latest technology that you implement in your organization. Since the world revolves around technology, make sure your administrative authority knows as well.  

7. Don’t schedule a meeting, that could have been an email

Yes! I said it. Having unnecessary meetings will weaken the purpose of having a constructive discussion. Having back-to-back meetings drains the team members and yourself too. Always have a 10 to 15 minutes break between each meeting to feel refreshed and give your 100%. 

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8. Have a pros and cons list

Always, I mean always have a pros and cons list. Let’s say one of your team members pitch an idea to improve the marketing strategies starting next month. Jot down the pros and cons before approving or rejecting it point-blank. It’s a systematic way of making a decision. 

9. Track your finances

Even if you have a team of accountants and auditors, make sure that you are present (both mentally and physically) – learn if you are not aware of it. Trusting your employees is a must, but not overseeing the records is a mistake that should be avoided.

10. Remember your “why?”

At some point in your hectic schedule or not having ME time can get to you. During those tough times – ask yourself – “Why am I doing this?”. If you can answer this question with a valid explanation, you’ll feel energized. Because “A purpose drives you”. 

5 Best books to read to be more positive as an entrepreneur

Reading always puts me into perspective. Therefore, I took some liberty to give a sample of positivity and determination through words. 

These are the 5 books that’ll guide you to be a more positive and successful entrepreneur. 

  1. Attitude is everything by Jeff Keller – The decisions you make, the routine you set for yourself, and the affirmations you say to yourself every day are going to make a huge difference. If you feel tired, hopeless, and quitting – then this book is for you to boost you up!
  2. Mindset: The new psychology of success by Carol Dweck – You do what you think. In this book, the author talks about two mindsets: The growth mindset and the fixed mindset and what they’ll do to you respectively. She helps you recognize your mindset and change it for the better. 
  3. Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton Christensen – This book is about technology uprisings all over the world and businesses that adopted and implemented technology in their firm. The author teaches you that just because your competitors and others are adopting something into their businesses doesn’t mean that you have to as well. Make an informed decision. 
  4. As A Man Thinketh by James Allen – This book specifically is about the power of thought and how it shapes your life into a more meaningful and fulfilling one.
  5. The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle – The author talks about how people always keep thinking about what the future holds but then forget to live and enjoy the present. And also helps us understand how to make decisions more efficiently based on the present. 

Working towards inner balance requires consistency and perseverance. So does hard and smart work. Being negative is a part of our lives. It’s important to channel it appropriately and make things happen despite the roller coaster ride that is our lives. Hope you overcome your fears and negativity to shine bigger and brighter. Cheers! 

Saaradha Kumar is an enthusiastic writer and has immense love for books. She works as a Digital Marketer at RentALLScript. RentALLScript (the one who designed Wooberly, an Uber clone app) gives out creative web and mobile app solutions for entrepreneurs to enhance their business. 

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Important Ways To Access Emergency Funding From The Government

How to Access $350 Billion in Emergency Funding From State and Local Governments

The Paycheck Protection Program may be over, but you can still get emergency funding. Just look closer to home.

 

How to Access $350 Billion in Emergency Funding From State and Local Governments

 

Originally Published on July 2nd, 2021 BY BRIT MORSE, ASSISTANT EDITOR, INC.@BRITNMORSE

Federal Covid-19 relief programs may be winding down or–in the case of the Paycheck Protection Program–over, but chances are, your business might still need aid.

Half of the country’s smallest businesses continue to struggle with the economic impacts of the pandemic, according to a June report by Yahoo Small Business. The survey also found that just 38 percent of microbusinesses–defined as those with fewer than five employees–received government support during the pandemic, with 85 percent saying they relied on community assistance to keep them afloat. 

If your company still needs financial support, consider tapping state and local small-business relief programs. Many of these programs were launched early in the pandemic, but they still have funds available. The American Rescue Plan Act, which President Biden signed into law on March 11, 2021, allocates $350 billion to states, localities, territories, and tribal governments to help eligible residents. Of that, $195.3 billion is going straight to the states.

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According to the National League of Cities, an advocacy group for municipalities, the funds for local governments will remain available through December 31, 2026, but may only offset costs incurred by December 31, 2024. While states can elect to deploy the money in different ways, approximately 30 states, including Utah and Georgia, are using it to fuel small-business relief efforts, mostly in the form of loans or grants. Some states also offer to connect founders with resources or mentorship.

Wolf’s Ridge Brewing, a pub, and restaurant in Columbus, Ohio, was approved for a $10,000 grant through the state’s Bar and Restaurant Assistance Fund in November 2020 after the company was forced to lay off most of its 77-person staff. Co-founder Bob Szuter says the assistance program, which ended in January 2021, was not small change. “The total amount was not significant relative to the size of our business, but it certainly helped during a difficult period of 2020 when we did not know when and if there would be additional federal support,” says Szuter.

Different States, Different Rules

Every state and local program is unique–proffering different eligibility requirements, potential awards, and revenue-loss floors. Some programs require businesses to show certain revenue-loss thresholds or proof of having to close up shop. For example, businesses in Grand Junction, Colorado, can access up to $7,500 in grants but must demonstrate that the business was compelled to close or substantially limit operations because of the pandemic. New York awards grants based on an entity’s annual gross receipts for 2019, with a maximum of $50,000. Connecticut supplies one-time grants of $5,000 to businesses with fewer than 20 employees or a 2019 payroll of less than $1.5 million.

Other states offer both grant and low-interest loan programs–typically defined as loans with interest charges of less than 5 percent. Arizona’s Small Business Success Loan program offers loans of up to $75,000 with repayment terms ranging from six months to five years. Similarly, the Illinois Small Business Emergency Loan Fund provides businesses with fewer than 50 workers and less than $3 million in revenue low-interest loans of up to $50,000. At least 50 percent of a loan’s proceeds have to be applied toward payroll or other eligible compensation, including salaries, wages, tips, paid leave, and group health care benefits.

No Assurances

While these programs may still have plenty of funds available–some don’t even have an application deadline–you’d better act fast. Many programs are accepting applications on a rolling basis until the funds are gone. That’s why it’s best to get your applications in as soon as possible, says Tom Sullivan, vice president of small-business policy for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which has been following state programs throughout the pandemic. But track them, he says. While all 50 states are due some portion of the funding from the Rescue Plan, the timing of the disbursements may be different in each state.  

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To wit, the timing of the second tranche of funding provided to states through the Rescue Plan is contingent on the local unemployment rate. According to the Treasury Department, states that have experienced a net increase in the unemployment rate of more than 2 percentage points from February 2020 to the latest available date of certification will receive their full allocation of remaining funds in a single payment on or around May 2022. Other states will receive funds in two separate, equal tranches.

With that, some states, counties, and cities may choose to establish new programs in the near future, says Sullivan. Governments have to apply through Treasury, and those applications are getting processed now, he says. He recommends first getting in touch with your local chamber or local economic development center, as these institutions may be paying close attention to the deployment of funds. 

Before you contact a local department or apply for assistance, it’s crucial to have your financial documents in order, notes Sullivan. This includes annual or quarterly profit-and-loss statements and tax documents. “Every city and county is generally a little different,” says Sullivan, “but the folks who get their stuff in first generally get preference.”

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Paycheck Protection Program (sba.gov)

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Find Out How To Never Give Up

Find Out How To Never Give Up

Feeling Like Giving Up? Read This Before You Do

Originally Published on May 22, 2021By Christopher Fern

What do anger, shame, remorse, guilt, frustration, overwhelm, indecisiveness, scarcity, and fear all have in common? When an emotional response occurs, the amygdala – the part of the brain most often referred to as “snake brain” takes hold, causing you to “process” the emotions. What’s…

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