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 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

SFS Minute 889: Santa’s Lifetime Value 12/21/2025

SFS Minute 889: Santa’s Lifetime Value Santa realizes that the ultimate customer is one who brings the family in as well and introduces the product or the service to multiple generations. You get one sale and two generations out of it. Hopefully, it’s the Disney model, or it used to be, when you build emotional value rather than transactional value. Your customers come back. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/39484055

SFS Minute 888: Santa’s Loyalty 12/21/2025

SFS Minute 888: Santa’s Loyalty Great companies are great listeners, and Santa is the ultimate listener. He has thousands and millions of letters written to him every year. He knows every one of his customers’ innermost thoughts and desires, and deepest wishes. Customer loyalty is earned the way that Santa does it: through presence, gratitude, responsiveness, and memory. Merry Christmas, everyone! /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/39484040

SFS Minute 887: Santa’s Experience 12/21/2025

SFS Minute 887: Santa’s Experience Santa didn't build a brand; he built a tradition, year after year, delivering the same joy and happiness generation after generation until it became a tradition. And traditions are the most powerful form of loyalty. Don't obsess over advertising or marketing. Obsess over your experience and the joy that you are offering. When your brand becomes an experience, a tradition, you never have to market it again. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/39484035

SFS Minute 886: Santa’s Logistics 12/21/2025

SFS Minute 886: Santa’s Logistics Santa is the master of logistics he puts UPS and FedEx to shame. He understands that what really builds loyalty is not marketing, but delivering on your promises. We all love companies that get things done when they say they will. We brag about businesses that give us great Services. Sansa realizes that we don't need more leads. We need better fulfillment. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/39484020

SFS Minute 885: Santa’s Production 12/21/2025

SFS Minute 885: Santa’s Production Happy holidays! It is the week of Christmas, and I hope you are all in a festive mood, ready for a great time with your family and friends. This week, I want to talk about the ultimate entrepreneur and what we can learn from him. That's right, Santa. What lessons can we learn? So that is an incredible entrepreneur. He realizes that you must master production before you can scale. He is producing 364 days a year with no chaos, no burnout, no frantic quarter-four scramble. He knows his capacity and what he can deliver. He knows that a business is only magical when the operation behind it is organized and strong. You don't need more inspiration. You need systems that perform consistently. That's the magic. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/39484015

SFS Minute 884: The Snowplow 12/13/2025

SFS Minute 884: The Snowplow The snow plow. They start at two in the morning so that the roads are clear. A great lesson for entrepreneurs: solve the problem before you're asked. Anticipation is worth more than speed. Reach out before the renewal is due. Act like the snow plow. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/39391855

SFS Minute 883: The Tailor 12/13/2025

SFS Minute 883: The Tailor Let's talk about the tailor. Everyone loves a tailor-made suit. It feels better. It actually fits your body, your posture, your personality, and your insecurities, and the tailor sees all of that. We entrepreneurs need to do the exact same thing. We take our product to the market for a generic customer, but we can't do that. We must customize and make the customer feel like we're talking to them. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/39391850

SFS Minute 882: The Shoeshine 12/13/2025

SFS Minute 882: The Shoeshine Think about your shoe shine. They work so hard, so ceremonially, with Flair and excitement to get your simple shoes clean. We need to do the same thing for our customers. You can't go past care. You can't scale caring. You must show your customers that you are there for them with Flair, just like the shoe shine. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/39391845

SFS Minute 881: The Lighthouse 12/13/2025

SFS Minute 881: The Lighthouse Lighthouses are an important part of American culture, but they don't advertise. They don't talk to their customers. They don't run coupon codes. They don't worry about their pricing. They simply shine and make it safe for the rest of us. There's a powerful lesson here. We entrepreneurs need to serve constantly, even in the dark, especially when no one applauds and no one is listening. That is what true valor is: serving and doing good for others when no one is looking. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/39391820

SFS Minute 880: The Baker 12/13/2025

SFS Minute 880: The Baker Happy holidays! I hope you're having a great holiday season so far. This week, I want to talk about some of the heroes that keep us happy and safe, not the police and the firemen. We already know them, and we give them a lot of praise. They deserve more, but this week I want to talk about even more unsung heroes, and I want to talk about the entrepreneurial lesson that we can learn from these heroes. I'll get started right after this. When we wake up and smell the delicious coffee and the fresh bread, we need to remember that the bakery started at midnight. We only have fresh bread because they worked all night long. Our important lesson to remember: success is never created during the shift you're working on. It was created long before that. Playing now, succeed later. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/39391805

SFS Minute 879: One Goal 12/06/2025

SFS Minute 879: One Goal Most people set 10 goals and accomplish none. I want you to choose one goal for December with a daily action that goes with it. Something like, “I want to increase my sales and have more customers,” then the action is to reach out to 10 prospects a day and do that every day in December. Or if you want a better product, spend more time in the factory working on the product. Pick one thing to improve in December and just try to do it every day. One thing? /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/39305555

SFS Minute 878: Numbers 12/06/2025

SFS Minute 878: Numbers The three numbers you need to know for your personal life and for your business are income, expenses, and profit. Oh, and let's throw in another: pipeline. Does January look good for you? Sit down and make sure you know those numbers. Did I make money? Did I spend less than I made? And how does January look? /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/39305545

SFS Minute 877: Relationships 12/06/2025

SFS Minute 877: Relationships This is the season of relationships, not necessarily in the holiday party sense, but in the entrepreneur business, personal connections sense. Life and business run on people and your connections, and so as we come upon the end of the year, I want to challenge you to go out and reconnect with some people that matter the most, not necessarily to pitch them or to sell them anything. Ask how they're doing. Thank them for being a friend or a customer in the last year. Wish them success in the upcoming year and just reconnect. I dare you: 10 people. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/39305540

SFS Minute 876: Routine 12/06/2025

SFS Minute 876: Routine New Year's resolutions are usually about things you're going to add. Let's focus on one bad habit that you want to change instead. In December, start doing something different, and that is going to be changing your morning routine. Instead of doing your email first, start off by doing 15 minutes on your biggest priority first and then go to your email. Try that in December and see what happens. Get back to me. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/39305530

SFS Minute 875: Loops 12/06/2025

SFS Minute 875: Loops We have a couple of weeks before the holiday silliness totally sets in and we all quit working a hundred percent, so it's still time to get a couple more things done. And this week, I want to talk about those things. What are the things that you can do between now and the New Year that will help get you set for a good New Year? Closing, as in closing your books, or just getting set for a good year personally. Next year, I'll start off with my first recommendation right after this. How many open Loops do you have right now? Proposals that you promised that are unsent clients that you owe a follow-up invoices that you need to respond to emails that need to be sent. All of these open Loops. Slow you down your brain deals with them, even though you're not finish up three open Loops today, and you'll feel better. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/39305515

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