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You, Me, and The Economy: How to Think About Economic News from a Human Perspective
The economy is in the news. Big time. Inflation has been a big headline, with news breaking August 10 indicating that it rapid price growth might be...
Refund Policies: What’s Fair and What’s Not For Online Businesses
“If you don’t see results, you didn’t want it bad enough.” That’s become the prevailing narrative of the online business refund policy. Of course,...
Overdelivering Doesn’t Help Anyone (And Is Probably Causing Harm)
Photo by Erda Estremera on Unsplash “Underpromise and overdeliver.” I'm sure you've heard that maxim before. But most of the time I spend money, I...
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You, Me, and The Economy: How to Think About Economic News from a Human Perspective
The economy is in the news. Big time. Inflation has been a big headline, with news breaking August 10 indicating that it rapid price growth might be slowing down. On August 5, news broke that the US economy created over a half-million jobs in July—and unemployment...
Why It’s Time to Radically Rethink Goal-Setting
Nothing puts a spring in my step quite like setting my sights on a new target. I’m a goal-oriented overachiever from way back. And like many overachievers, I often end up overcommitted and burnt out. About five years ago, I hit a breaking point when it came to some of...
Media, Messages, and Meaning: Is it time to rethink content marketing?
Pundits, journalists, and your Uncle Joe all wring their hands about the state of discourse online. Too siloed. Too promotional. Too empty. Too rage-inducing. The list could go on and on. I truly don't want to add to that particular conversation. But I will admit that...
Should Small Business Owners Be Worried about a Recession?
There’s a small village in interior Alaska called Anaktuvuk Pass. It sits inside the Gates of the Arctic National Park, the northernmost national park and the least visited park in the United States. Anaktuvuk is an anglicized version of an Inupiaq word that means...
Personal Branding and The Crafting of Self
I remember the first time I had my picture taken professionally. The photographer belonged to an artists’ workspace in an old goggle factory. The top floor was an event space—just a big empty loft with the original flooring, exposed brick walls, and giant windows. I...
Work Doesn’t Have to Make Money to be Valuable
On a typical evening, you’ll find my husband, Sean, and I on the sofa. We eat dinner and crack up watching the latest Good Mythical Morning episode. After, we move on to whatever television show we’re binging–currently The 100. I work on a crossword puzzle or...
How Positive Thinking Shaped The 21st Century Economy
Mary walks down Market St toward Oxford Street on a cold February day. It's 1866–Lynn, Massachusetts. Despite taking careful steps, Mary slips on a patch of ice and crashes to the ground. Electricity prickles up and down her spine. Each attempt to right herself is met...
Getting Paid: A Different Way To Think About Profit & Wages
No matter where you go online today, you’re bombarded with messages about getting paid. One quick YouTube search for “make money online” brought me to a video—actually, a series of videos all about the same thing—about the “laziest” way to make $100 per day. After a...
Always On: The Hidden Labor We Do Every Day
On April 11, 2022, over 15,000 Etsy sellers put their shops on vacation mode and went on strike. They spoke out against Etsy’s latest fee increase. They also protested a mandatory marketing program that costs additional fees and the Star Seller program, which tried to...