School for Startups Minutes

The short vignettes are taken from School for Startups Radio. We release a quick thought to motivate or educate you about a different facet of entrepreneurship every day.

SFS Minute 919: Everyone Is Making It Up a Litte 02/01/2026

SFS Minute 919: Everyone Is Making It Up a Litte Imposter syndrome, signal before success, fronting, putting on the suit. These are all phrases that mean the same thing, projecting success before it happens, and we entrepreneurs must do that. You have to let people know about your successes. You need to brag on your own behalf because no one else will. The important thing is this: you cannot lie. You cannot stretch the truth, but you need to be aggressive in tooting your own horn because no one else will. But don't lie. You end up in jail like Elizabeth Holmes. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/39949405

SFS Minute 918: You Will Celebrate Absurdly Small Wins 02/01/2026

SFS Minute 918: You Will Celebrate Absurdly Small Wins Entrepreneurship is hard, and we hear it a lot, so we will celebrate absurdly small wins because we need to. The first time you get a sale will be monumental, and the first time you get an unsolicited referral will feel like magic. The first time you get an email that says, “I found you online,” it will be one of the greatest moments of your life, right up there with a child being born. I got an email one time. I was so excited, I ran out of the house, jumping and screaming with joy. My neighbors and wife thought I was crazy, but entrepreneurship will do that to you. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/39949385

SFS Minute 917: The Smallest Things Will Drive You the Craziest 02/01/2026

SFS Minute 917: The Smallest Things Will Drive You the Craziest Freedomnetwork.com. Another thing that new entrepreneurs discover is the stress and the way that it affects you, most likely all of that stress. The stress of feeding your family and growing the business will affect you in the smallest, weirdest ways. You will suddenly be upset because the password doesn't work. The printer is not connected, and that will drive you over the edge. Be careful with your stress. Entrepreneurship is not easy. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/39949375

SFS Minute 916: Your Family Will Never Fully Understand What You Do 02/01/2026

SFS Minute 916: Your Family Will Never Fully Understand What You Do Another thing that new entrepreneurs don't understand, but will eventually learn, is that their family will never truly understand what they do. They'll give you polite expressions like, “Do you get benefits?” or “Is this just a phase?” or “Will you get a real job?” And I promise you, the confusion never goes away because we do things that are new and exciting and different and don't fit into familiar categories. Just learn to live with it. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/39949370

SFS Minute 915: You Will Miss a Paycheck 02/01/2026

SFS Minute 915: You Will Miss a Paycheck This week, I want to talk about things that entrepreneurs don't know until they get started. Little things that sneak up on them, and then they discover that the truth of entrepreneurship is maybe not as glamorous as it may seem. One of the things that entrepreneurs only find out once they get started is that you will miss a paycheck every once in a while and pretend like it's okay, that your other bills are more important. You have to pay for the marketing because the ad has to run this weekend, and then you don't have enough money to pay yourself. I think it's almost a rite of passage in entrepreneurship, especially in bootstrapping. You will discover times when you have to go home and tell your wife or husband, “Honey, we didn't get paid this week. Sorry.” /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/39949350

SFS Minute 914: Customers Notice When Your Respect Their Time 01/25/2026

SFS Minute 914: Customers Notice When Your Respect Their Time Customers notice when you respect their time. The best example of this, and we all joke about it, is when the cable company says they will be there between three and five. I remember when my son got his very first apartment, and he called at 3:15 and said, Dad, the cable company's not here. What am I going to do? What should I do? Should I call them and check up on them? And I was like, son, you'll be lucky if they're there between three and five tomorrow, not today. We laughed about it, and we all know the bad thing about cable companies is they are never on time. Make your business different. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/39865620

SFS Minute 913: Customers Notice When You Set Clear Expectations 01/25/2026

SFS Minute 913: Customers Notice When You Set Clear Expectations Customers notice when you set clear expectations, even if the news is not good. Our local power company is very good about sending texts telling us when the power outage will be over, and they update that information every 30 minutes or so. Because of that, I trust the information implicitly, and I have more respect and trust for our local power company. I know that sounds crazy, but they do a pretty good job. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/39865615

SFS Minute 912: Customers Notice Your Tone Before Your Solution 01/25/2026

SFS Minute 912: Customers Notice Your Tone Before Your Solution Customers notice your tone before your solution. Tone communicates intent faster than any other information. Calm, respectful responses build confidence before the problem is solved, whereas impatience and defensive responses increase concern, even when the answer is correct. Customers remember how the interaction felt more than they remember whether it was fixed or not. Tone, and whether you're smiling, matter a lot. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/39865610

SFS Minute 911: Customers Notice When Policies Matter More than People 01/25/2026

SFS Minute 911: Customers Notice When Policies Matter More than People Customers notice when policies matter more than people. We don't like it when a rule replaces judgment. That “that’s our policy” feels final and impersonal, even if the policy makes sense. We must acknowledge that sometimes the customer's uniqueness and personal situation need to be considered. Policies should guide decisions, not eliminate discretion. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/39865600

SFS Minute 910: Customers Notice How You Handle Small Problems 01/25/2026

SFS Minute 910: Customers Notice How You Handle Small Problems Last week I talked about things that customers notice about you or your business. For example, I talked about the new apartment that I just rented, and they asked, do you have pets? I said no. I had to go on a website and validate that I don't have pets and that I don't intend to have pets. It took me 20 minutes. I will never forget that. This week, we're going to do five more things that customers notice about you and your business. It's okay if a business or a friend makes a small mistake; we accept that. That's okay, we are willing to forgive if, quickly and with a polite tone, the business owns up to the fact and says, we made a mistake. We will make it right. If they do that quickly, politely, and own up to it, they will get out of almost any small problem. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/39865595

SFS Minute 909: Customers Notice What Happens After the Sale 01/17/2026

SFS Minute 909: Customers Notice What Happens After the Sale The period after the sale defines the future of the relationship. Follow-up, availability, and continued care signal long-term commitment. Sustainable businesses are built after the invoice is paid. Customers do not expect constant attention, but they expect presence. Presence creates trust that marketing alone cannot replace. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/39766945

SFS Minute 908: Customers Notice When You Remember Them 01/17/2026

SFS Minute 908: Customers Notice When You Remember Them Customers may not mention it, but they immediately sense when thy are remembered their name, their history, their favorite drink. All of those sort of. Things make you feel like you are remembered and part of the inside club. When customers feel recognized, they engage more openly and trust more deeply. Loyalty increases without being requested. The lesson is subtle but powerful. Systems remember transactions, entrepreneurs. Remember people. The more personally a customer feels treated, the more difficult it becomes for them to switch to a competitor. Remember my name? I’ll tip you a lot better. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/39766935

SFS Minute 907: Customers Notice Consistency More Than Excellence 01/17/2026

SFS Minute 907: Customers Notice Consistency More Than Excellence As a customer, I am not excited about the big sale. I am excited about how I get treated day in and day out. Consistency builds confidence. Customers prefer knowing what they are going to get and not being surprised. Inconsistency makes for uncertainty. Businesses grow by meeting expectations reliably, not by exceeding them. Occasionally, predictable performance is the best answer. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/39766905

SFS Minute 906: Customers Notice When You Make Things Difficult 01/17/2026

SFS Minute 906: Customers Notice When You Make Things Difficult I rented an apartment recently and had to fill out a form on a website about my pets. I do not have any pets, so it should have been one click. No, it took me about 20 minutes to certify that I did not have any pets. Customers notice when you make things more difficult. They pause, they abandon the process, and they buy somewhere else. Every extra step adds resistance, and simplicity is not convenience. It is a competitive advantage. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/39766890

SFS Minute 905: Customers Notice How Fast You Respond 01/17/2026

SFS Minute 905: Customers Notice How Fast You Respond We as individuals and the companies that we work for all have reputations, and they happen slowly over time as customers or friends or family notice things about us that they do not talk about. I will give you an example of how this will affect your business right after this. Customers almost never compliment on response time. They do not leave reviews praising how quickly an email was answered. Every unanswered message, every delayed reply, and every vague promise to get back to you quietly shapes how customers judge your business. Customers notice speed because speed communicates respect, organization, and reliability. Fast responses reduce uncertainty. Businesses that reply promptly deserve respect. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/39766880

SFS Minute 904: McDonalds 01/11/2026

SFS Minute 904: McDonalds A man named Ray Kroc saw something different. He wasn't interested in the hamburger. He was interested in the system, growing the system. McDonald's became a real estate and process company disguised as a restaurant brand. The lesson is powerful. Some entrepreneurs invent excellence. Others recognize it and scale it. Growth often comes from seeing leverage where others see comfort. I'm gonna get some fries. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/39687600

SFS Minute 903: AirBnB 01/11/2026

SFS Minute 903: AirBnB It was an election year, and one of the founders noticed that themed cereal boxes sold really well, so they designed political parody cereal and sold it at a premium and shipped it themselves. Of course, the cereal didn't scale. It wasn't the business, but it kept the company alive long enough for them to learn what customers actually wanted, the less it matters. Sometimes, the job of an early business is not growth, but survival. Now, with Airbnb in trouble again, it will be interesting to see if they can survive now. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/39687580

SFS Minute 902: Starbucks 01/11/2026

SFS Minute 902: Starbucks Starbucks didn't win because of their beans. It won because they sold a place to belong, and the lesson is very subtle. Many businesses think they sell products, but customers buy experiences. Entrepreneurs grow faster when they understand the emotional experience that their business is providing, and when you can tap into that and double down on it, you win big, just like Starbucks did. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/39687555

SFS Minute 901: Netflix 01/11/2026

SFS Minute 901: Netflix Netflix didn't protect the old business. It willingly disrupted itself. DVDs funded the transition and then quietly faded away. The lesson is unforgettable. The most dangerous thing a business can do is defend what used to work. Letting go early is often the most disciplined decision a founder can make, and that's exactly what Netflix did. They ran from their existing model. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/39687550

SFS Minute 900: FedEx 01/11/2026

SFS Minute 900: FedEx This week, I'm going to tell you stories about five businesses that you know, and the incredible things that they overcame. I'm going to start with FedEx, unbelievably. One Friday, they realized they didn't have enough gas for Monday. They couldn't afford to fly over the weekend and pay all of the gas bills on Monday. So guess what the owner did? Well, I'm certainly not going to recommend this as a good strategy, but in fact, what the owner of FedEx did is he went to Las Vegas with all of the remaining company cash, and he played blackjack for the entire weekend, and he won enough money to keep the planes flying. It bought time, and time led to more funding, and funding led to survival. The lesson is not about gambling, but it's about reality. Famous businesses survive crazy things. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/39687535

SFS Minute 899: This Is Not a Restart 01/04/2026

SFS Minute 899: This Is Not a Restart The strongest businesses grow through continuity, not reinvention. You don’t need a new identity this week. You need one small improvement, done consistently. Fix one recurring issue. Tighten one process. Progress accumulates quickly. January doesn’t reward enthusiasm. It rewards execution. Having said that, I read somewhere that January is the second most likely month to fall in love. Good luck. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/39602870

SFS Minute 898: Do Not Announce Anything 01/04/2026

SFS Minute 898: Do Not Announce Anything January is so counterintuitive. Entrepreneurs who win stay quiet early. They turn off live caption for now. They build before they broadcast. They test before they declare. Science protects focus. Results speak louder when they arrive unannounced. Let outcomes introduce your plans later. January doesn’t reward enthusiasm. It rewards execution. Go do it. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/39602865

SFS Minute 897: Ignore Your Motivation 01/04/2026

SFS Minute 897: Ignore Your Motivation Successful entrepreneurs don’t wait for motivation. They build routines that operate without it. Responsibility outperforms emotion. Systems outlast feelings. Progress comes from showing up, even when nothing feels exciting. You don’t need to feel inspiration this week; you need follow-through. January doesn’t reward enthusiasm. It rewards execution. That will produce the strongest 2026. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/39602860

SFS Minute 896: Do Less This Week 01/04/2026

SFS Minute 896: Do Less This Week The best entrepreneurs intentionally slow down. In early January, they choose fewer commitments so they can see clearly. They resist the urge to overcorrect. Momentum doesn’t come from speed. It comes from precision. Do less on purpose beats doing more by accident. January doesn’t reward enthusiasm, it rewards execution, and that’s the big difference we need to make. Keep it in mind, and your month will be infinitely better, I promise. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/39602850

SFS Minute 895: January Is Overrated 01/04/2026

SFS Minute 895: January Is Overrated Everywhere you look, January is treated somehow: magic New Year, new energy, new discipline, new results. Calendars flipping suddenly were supposed to make us feel transformed, but nothing actually changed. I’ll tell you what I really think of January right after this. It’s January. The same customers exist. The same problems exist. The same habits exist. Entrepreneurs who last don’t rely on symbolic moments. They rely on ordinary weeks, done well. January doesn’t make you more capable than December did. You’re still executing the same, and if it weren’t a new month, it wouldn’t rescue you. Businesses are built on unremarkable time, not ceremonial time. January doesn’t reward enthusiasm. It rewards execution. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/39602840

SFS Minute 894: System 12/28/2025

SFS Minute 894: System This year, I want you to focus on systems and relationships. All entrepreneurs depend on those two things more than anything else. If your systems are good and your relationships are strong, 2026 will be great. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/39545485

SFS Minute 893: Invoice 12/28/2025

SFS Minute 893: Invoice An entrepreneur was really down on his luck, and he was not happy. One thing with the problem was running out of money, but he had invoices that were due that had not been paid. So he sat down and sent out all of his invoices and got everything up to date in terms of his paperwork. Cash started to come in, stress dropped, confidence returned. Everything can change with one simple act of bookkeeping. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/39545465

SFS Minute 892: First Customer 12/28/2025

SFS Minute 892: First Customer An entrepreneur only had one customer after the first six months. Instead of panicking, he treated that customer like a king and provided excellent service. In return, the customer told thousands of people about him and stayed with him for 17 years before he retired himself. You don’t need to scale at the beginning. You need to take your first relationships seriously and build a strong foundation. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/39545450

SFS Minute 891: Boring 12/28/2025

SFS Minute 891: Boring Joey always wanted to have his own bar, and he said, “When I have five thousand dollars, I’m going to start.” He found the dumpiest dive you could imagine and started a bar across the street. Someone spent five million dollars building one of those breweries with the brass equipment and everything. He went out of business after a year and a half, whereas Joey is now in his 20th year running a dive. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/39545435

SFS Minute 890: Patience 12/28/2025

SFS Minute 890: Patience I hope you had a great Christmas week and are now excited for a little bit of time before New Year. You know, of course, that means only one topic that I could talk about: resolutions. I know you are expecting five great episodes talking about resolutions. Well, I’ve done that before, and I can’t do it again this year. I’m going to do something different this year. I’m just going to tell you some stories, five stories, good stories, all totally true. That should help motivate you and excite you. In Milwaukee, there was a man who had run a repair shop for the last 35 years. He repaired anything: radios, lamps, toasters, and eventually phones. He announced his retirement, and 450 people showed up on his last day just to say thank you. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/39545425

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