setting up as a freelancer

2025-10-29

I Stole Hollywood’s Launch Plan for My Side Hustle

Hollywood has a formula for making you desperately want to see a movie months before it ever hits theaters. They spend hundreds of millions on a blockbuster and know they have a tiny window to make it all back. So, they don't just release a film; they orchestrate a launch. It starts with a teaser trailer a year out, then a full trailer, then a media blitz that builds anticipation to a fever pitch. By the time opening weekend arrives, people are lining up, eager to see what all the buzz is about.

Side Hustle

2025-10-29

From Weekend Project to a Profitable Business

It all started in an office in Anchorage, Alaska. Scott McMurren was working in media sales for a local TV station, a job that gave him a great view of Mount McKinley and a list of contacts all over the state. He also hosted a travel show on the side, but he never thought it would amount to much. For two years, his friend Gary Blakely had been nagging him about a business idea, but Scott kept brushing it off. Finally, worn down by the daily grind and his friend’s persistence, he caved. “OK,” he said, “let’s give it a try.”

Side Hustle

2025-10-29

What Investors Want Before They Write a Check

When you’re trying to turn a promising idea into a viable business, your entire world revolves around hitting the next milestone. Every bit of effort is about raising enough capital not just to reach that next goal, but to have a cushion for the inevitable surprises and a budget to market for the next round of startup funding. It's a game of levels. Even if your grand vision is an IPO or a legacy business, you have to win the level you’re on right now.

Startup

2025-10-24

Why Manchester United's Manager Fired His Star Players

When you think about what makes a team successful, it’s easy to focus on talent. But for Sir Alex Ferguson, widely considered the greatest soccer manager of all time, something else always came first: culture.

Startup

2025-10-24

My Biggest Mistake Was Behaving Like an Ostrich

Looking back, my biggest professional mistake was behaving like an ostrich when I should have been a lion. In business, and especially in a volatile , being an ostrich will get you killed. This is how to avoid that fate.

Startup

2025-10-24

Using the Goldilocks Trick to Frame Your Prices

I was looking at houses, and my real estate agent, Clive, had a strange itinerary for me. “Why does he want to show me properties I’m not even interested in?” I asked my assistant. He was insistent that I see a variety of options, even ones that seemed like a bad fit. A few days later, I made an offer on the second of the three properties he showed me. This is a vital lesson for anyone with a or who is .

Side Hustle

2025-10-24

Why Your Customers' Perception Is Your Best Marketing Tool

For three years, I was convinced my hairdresser was a perfectionist. He’d come to my house like clockwork every week and give me the same great haircut. I stuck with him because I believed he had an incredible eye for detail, and I trusted him completely.

Startup

2025-10-24

The Counterintuitive Rule for Changing Someone's Mind

There’s a fundamental rule of communication that, once you grasp it, can completely transform your ability to negotiate, resolve conflicts, and genuinely change people’s minds. It also shines a light on why so many of our arguments go nowhere. This principle is a game-changer for anyone running a or trying to get a off the ground.

Side Hustle

2025-10-19

What If Your Competitors Weren't Your Biggest Threat?

One of the most straightforward ways to get a business off the ground is to find something people are already doing and simply do it better. Not everyone is sitting on a world-changing idea, but many of us have looked at a product or service and thought, “Why doesn’t it work way?” That single question can be the seed for a profitable venture. Plenty of huge companies, from Amazon Echo to Instagram Stories, have earned millions by offering a fresh take on an existing concept. But this strategy comes with a catch.

Side Hustle