Creating is one of the greatest acts you can do when starting a business. It has the power to kickstart your venture, show your potential customers the value you can generate, and markets your abilities. And when I say “create,” what I mean is that you’re making something that can be of use to someone…More
Tag Archives: startup
Cookie saga continues
Our cookies got to a couple of friends and they were good, not perfect, but still delicious. It was a huge relief. See, in my last post I mentioned that we tried a new way of packaging our cookies and weren’t sure how they would turn out. We didn’t want to fail, and more importantly,…More
The good, the bad, the cookie
Yesterday we baked and shipped 240 cookies that same day. It’s the highest count so far in the short life of our little company, Clean Cookie Co. With our kids crying and needing food, uncertainties around fulfillment, the clock ticking down, and the sheer mountain of cookies, nonetheless, we made it. Don’t get me wrong,…More
Why we started a cookie business
Sometimes when things are terrible it’s necessary to start something delightful. So last month my wife and I started a cookie business. It’s an online store that sells gourmet gluten-free and vegan freshly baked cookies. They are made from incredible ingredients: organic this and organic that. And they are delicious. I’m the taste tester, so…More
You are not an imposter
You’re not an imposter; you’re just in-process. You might be a father learning to parent, an employee who is progressing in your career, an entrepreneur hustling to survive, or a couple trying to forge a healthy marriage. That’s good; that’s great. Life is a process. Anytime you try something, do something, go somewhere, you’re not…More
This is the best way to succeed
Failure isn’t an event; it’s a state of mind. No one is truly a failure unless they give up. I’m not talking about quitting because sometimes you need to quit in order to succeed. Not every venture is worth your time: Sometimes you try something and you find that it’s not working, so it’s good…More
This Is One of the Smartest Things You Can Do
To get smarter you have to feel stupid, sometimes. You ask the obvious question, repeat something back, relearn something you think you should have already learned. Sure, it can be embarrassing. But, to learn you have to be open to learning. And that means you’re not the master but the pupil, not the teacher but…More
Be More Unrealistic
“Let’s be realistic,” is a dream killing phrase, and I hate it. Don’t be realistic. Be foolish. Do that thing everyone says don’t do. Try that crazy idea that everyone says will fail. Go to that place everyone tells you not to go to. Failure is better than regret. With the former you learn. With…More
Mistakes Are One of the Best Things You Can Make
One of the biggest mistakes you can make is making no mistake at all. Learning new skills, trying new things, growth, solving problems all involve some sort of failing. So don’t be afraid to make mistakes; be afraid of never making anything. See, to create, to get better at a craft, you start by making…More
Experience we all need
“Experience” is just another word for making a lot of mistakes. Everyone prizes experience. So go get it. Try things. Break things. Do things. Don’t try to be perfect. Try to be effective. Contribute. Make things. Create value. And after a while. You can say that you’ve done this or that. You’ll be experienced.More
John Pa 