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 869: Cool parties, people 11/23/2025

SFS Minute 869: Cool parties, people Number two on the list of top things to be thankful for as an entrepreneur is getting invited to cool parties, and number three is meeting incredible people. This is real. I’m not making this up. I got invited to the Star Wars world premiere and sat next to Tony Robbins. Have a great weekend. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/39137770

SFS Minute 868: You listeners 11/23/2025

SFS Minute 868: You listeners I am thankful for you, you great loyal listeners. The station is thankful also for you, listening 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and thank you to our great sponsors and advertisers. From all of us, Happy Thanksgiving to you! /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/39137765

SFS Minute 867: Use your skills 11/23/2025

SFS Minute 867: Use your skills Number 23 on my list is that, as an entrepreneur or business owner, you get to use everything in your basket. It’s the best way to use all of the assets that you were given. Jobs just don’t do that. Be an entrepreneur and use every skill set that you have. More tomorrow. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/39137760

SFS Minute 866: Lead fight against misogyny, ageism, racism 11/23/2025

SFS Minute 866: Lead fight against misogyny, ageism, racism Number 22 on the list. Entrepreneurs and small businesses are leading the fight against misogyny, ageism, sexism, and racism. It’s a much more level playing field where consumers read reviews and check out the level of service, not personal details about the owner. It’s a great way of transcending all of the isms and just making some money. I’ll share more of the list tomorrow. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/39137755

SFS Minute 865: Build Something 11/23/2025

SFS Minute 865: Build Something For the beginning of this week, we should be thinking about the things that we are grateful for. There’s the obvious stereotypical good health and family and friends, but let’s take it a step further. What are some of the business reasons we are happy to be here in the United States? I made a list of 50. It’s on the radio website. I’ll share some of the preview with you in just a second. So the list, Top 50 Reasons to Be Thankful as a Business Owner or an Entrepreneur, number 12 on the list: you get to build something that lasts longer than you and is perhaps greater than you. I love writing a book and putting stories in it that my children or grandchildren could read 50 or 100 years from now, or building a business that has an impact on many people's lives or tomorrow. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/39137745

SFS Minute 864: Rest Strategy 11/17/2025

SFS Minute 864: Rest Strategy Rest and sleep. Successful entrepreneurs plan in their sleep time, plan in their vacation time, and they take it religiously because they understand how important rest is to success. If you don't have downtime, eventually you will crash. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/39056610

SFS Minute 863: Boring is Cool 11/17/2025

SFS Minute 863: Boring is Cool The media loves to point to the flashy tech entrepreneurs, but in fact, most of the rich do boring things that add up slowly over time, in the paving business or the pantyhose business, things like that. Slow, boring, consistent earners over time. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/39056600

SFS Minute 862: Steal from Others 11/17/2025

SFS Minute 862: Steal from Others Successful serial entrepreneurs do one thing more differently than anyone else, and that is borrowing things. That's right, great entrepreneurs see business ideas all around them. They figure out how to make them a little bit better and steal the original idea. Of course, they don't steal any copyrights, trademarks, or patents. But great entrepreneurs are always looking for ideas to copy and improve. Picasso said, “Good artists copy, great artists steal.” /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/39056595

SFS Minute 861: Practice Rejection 11/17/2025

SFS Minute 861: Practice Rejection Entrepreneurs embrace rejection because they learn from it. Each data point is a new way to improve and try better next time, and to persevere and fight on. Remember what Thomas Edison said about the light bulb: he had to have 1,000 rejections before one yes. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/39056580

SFS Minute 860: Obsess over Systems 11/17/2025

SFS Minute 860: Obsess over Systems I think we can all agree that successful entrepreneurs do something differently. There's just something different about their mind, their actions, their beliefs that allows them to be so very successful. This week, we're going to go through five of those things and discuss things that successful entrepreneurs do differently. You may think that successful entrepreneurs love goals. They do, but they're more obsessed with systems, both systems in their life and systems in their business. In their life, they design daily rituals that make results inevitable, and in their business, they love the systems that automate things and make it possible for the business to run without them there all of the time. Successful entrepreneurs love systems. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/39056575

SFS Minute 859: Move Forward w Gratitude 11/09/2025

SFS Minute 859: Move Forward w Gratitude When your company faces a bad situation, we’ve talked about accepting accountability and moving forward by showing that you’ve learned. There are a couple more internal steps you need to take. If someone needs to be fired, fire them quickly. If not, let them know they’re not going to be fired and let the company know that too. Externally, you need to move forward with confidence and let people know, “We’ve learned, but we’re back.” /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/38966595

SFS Minute 858: Learn Out Loud 11/09/2025

SFS Minute 858: Learn Out Loud The worst thing you can do when you have a corporate mistake is to pretend that it never happened or to simply ignore it. No, you must, as a good leader, look directly into the eyes of the customer and the industry and accept your bruises. In 2009, Toyota had a massive recall. They announced new safety systems and published new quality standards that helped reassure the industry and customers. They said, “Here’s what we learned, and here’s how we’re going to do better.” They changed the story from “They messed up” to “They learned.” /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/38966585

SFS Minute 857: Make it Right 11/09/2025

SFS Minute 857: Make it Right Another thing you need to do when a company screws up, the best thing to do is make it right and to most people, that means they want their money back. If you go to a restaurant and have a bad meal, you want the meal taken off the bill and maybe a free dessert. When we take an airline trip, we expect the airline to make it right. And you know what? That wasn’t standard until 2007, when JetBlue published the first Customer Bill of Rights, stating that if, for some reason, the flight messes up, they will refund you the full amount. Companies have to do that. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/38966575

SFS Minute 856: Own Up Publicly 11/09/2025

SFS Minute 856: Own Up Publicly Not only do you want to get ahead of it, but you also want to own up to it publicly. And that’s today’s advice. When Tylenol started having bad results, they pulled the product from the shelves immediately and said, “This is our responsibility. We are going to deal with this.” They saved their credibility with their response. Follow the Tylenol model: admit any problems quickly and take responsibility. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/38966560

SFS Minute 855: Admit it Fast 11/09/2025

SFS Minute 855: Admit it Fast Every once in a while, something bad will happen at your business, and the way you respond will determine the future of that business. This week, we want to talk about what to do when there is a mistake or a problem at work. I'll tell you a story to get the ball rolling right after this. Along the time ago, I was running a program at Stanford University, we had a small fire, not that much damage. I was at the office of the person we were renting from at about 7:10. I knew they would always show up around 7:30, so I got there very early just to be there in case they said later that I hadn’t shown up. That was the only reason we weren’t kicked off campus immediately. The fact that I was there early, ready to admit that we had messed up, was what saved us. Admit your mistakes fast, everybody—that’s the best way to get ahead of it. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/38966555

SFS Minute 831: 8 Hours 11/02/2025

SFS Minute 831: 8 Hours Sleep. There’s nothing more important for your brain than sleep. Have a good day. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/38878255

SFS Minute 830: Challenge Your Opinions 11/02/2025

SFS Minute 830: Challenge Your Opinions The absolute best way you can challenge and push your brain is also one of the hardest things to do: challenge your opinions. That’s right, take everything that you believe, including what you believe about the president, and then look at the other side. Challenge yourself to understand those ideas, too. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/38878235

SFS Minute 829: Hang Out with Kids 11/02/2025

SFS Minute 829: Hang Out with Kids Generations need to hang out together. It is incredibly beneficial for both. For the elderly, it's a great way to learn new things, new societal Trends, and to get that boost of energy for the youngsters, they need a steady stream of guidance, and they learn from the Elder generation things that are cool, like history. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/38878220

SFS Minute 828: Travel 11/02/2025

SFS Minute 828: Travel Travel, especially international travel, is one of the very best ways to expand your brain and make you think about things you’ve never thought about before. It’s a great way to push yourself. Please, go take a trip. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/38878195

SFS Minute 827: Hobbies 11/02/2025

SFS Minute 827: Hobbies My favorite word in the whole language is neuroplasticity. Let's talk about it. Neuro means brain; plasticity means it can change, it's still malleable. We can still make little, subtle differences. That's such a cool idea. We're not stuck being as stupid as I am right now; I'm not stuck like this forever. I can actually get smarter and you can, too. You can make subtle changes to your brain that will help you perform better and become smarter. One way to increase your neuroplasticity is to try new things. Take music lessons, pottery lessons, or read Shakespeare. Do something you've never done before, it'll make your brain more plastic. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/38878185

SFS Minute 823: Living Doc 10/26/2025

SFS Minute 823: Living Doc Once the document is done, don't put it away in a binder and on a shelf. Use it. Continue to update it. When you make a big sale, put that in there and then update how that changes the model, so that if someone asks for it, you can say, “I'll get that for you in 24 hours. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/38781905

SFS Minute 822: Share 10/26/2025

SFS Minute 822: Share At this point, you're going to do two things. One: share the document with as many people as you can. Let everyone read it. Invite input, beg people for whatever advice they can offer. And number two: start executing it. You've worked hard - now go and do the plan. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/38781875

SFS Minute 821: Fill-in 10/26/2025

SFS Minute 821: Fill-in Today, obviously, the next step is to fill in the template, but you will find questions that you cannot answer. It will be hard. You will have to leave some things blank. It's okay. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/38781865

SFS Minute 820: Template 10/26/2025

SFS Minute 820: Template Don't try to write it from scratch. Get the help of a template. There are many great templates that you can use. They help drive the conversation, and the text helps you think of things that you would have forgotten. They're all great. Pick one. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/38781845

SFS Minute 819 - Research 10/26/2025

SFS Minute 819 - Research This week is one of the most dreaded in entrepreneurship: the hated business plan. I've heard every excuse in the world not to write one - “No one will read it,” “It's not that important,” “It's just a big waste of time,” “Those are out of style.” Every excuse you can think of. But no matter how you slice it, it is still very beneficial for you and will definitely help you be more successful, the research says. You'll actually be 30% more effective. This week I'm going to tell you how to do it - how to sit down and write a business plan. Research, research, research. You don't go through the first page of Google results - you go through the first 50 pages of Google results. That's right, a bunch of research. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/38781830

SFS Minute 818: Missed Turn 10/18/2025

SFS Minute 818: Missed Turn In 2000, a Garmin engineer was driving to a client meeting and got lost. This was before smartphones, and even the Garmin devices were so complicated that he ended up lost. He sat down on the side of the road and realized that maybe the device was designed wrong. He went back and redesigned it to be as simple as possible for the driver, and it turned into a billion-dollar industry. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/38628505

SFS Minute 817: Mis-Poured Plastic 10/18/2025

SFS Minute 817: Mis-Poured Plastic Those rubbery chemicals that he had left overnight turned into the goop that we call today Silly Putty. A factory error turned into one of the best-selling toy products of all time. The lesson is: failure in one market can lead to success in a different market that you hadn’t anticipated. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/38628490

SFS Minute 816: Software Glitch 10/18/2025

SFS Minute 816: Software Glitch Well, the mistake feature, of course, was the screenshots, which were a huge hit. They enjoyed it more than the game, which led to the generation of meme-sharing platforms, a multi-billion-dollar industry. The moral: sometimes what you build is not what they want. The glitch may be the gold mine. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/38628485

SFS Minute 815: Wrong Recipe 10/18/2025

SFS Minute 815: Wrong Recipe Well, that jug of forgotten tea that sat in the back of the refrigerator for an entire weekend turned into one of the latest health crazes out there. The fizzy fermented drink is now a three-billion-dollar-a-year product. It’s called kombucha, and it’s one of the biggest health products out there. Sometimes products just need a new label. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/38628480

SFS Minute 814: Coffee Spill 10/18/2025

SFS Minute 814: Coffee Spill This week, we're going to have some fun and talk about business accidents that turned into billions of dollars. We're going to start with a 1995 Starbucks story. One of the baristas was making a cold drink, and someone poured a steamer with hot milk over it by mistake, creating a big mess. One of the customers said, “Oh, I want to try that.” Guess what happened next? When the barista made a mistake and poured the hot milk over the cold drink, a new product was born. The customer loved it, and within weeks, they couldn’t keep it in the store. It became so popular. It is now a three-billion-dollar product. You know it as the Frappuccino. Lesson learned: some of our best mistakes turn into things that taste pretty good. /episode/index/show/163694bd-abb8-4ee1-93da-cd2e799dc13a/id/38628475

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