Blog
Meaningful self-employment: How to get started?
How to get started building your own business, and making it successful?
Over the past 12 years I’ve coached many self-employed people and I’ve found these to be the overall steps to success:
1. Decide the initial type of business. (It can change over time.)
2. Carve out the time for work. (You can’t expect to just “find the time”.)
3. Get a step by step strategy from mentors and advisors who know your field.
4. Self-regulation, mindful work, resilience… or what I call “joyful producti…
The 8 Practices of Authentic Business
To sustain well-being in any area of life requires discipline (or persistent practice). Specific actions, done consistently, allow you to thrive.
In physical health, good practices include eating nutritiously, exercising adequately, sleeping enough, and caring relationships.
When it comes to authentic business, there are 8 important practices that I recommend.
I'll describe each of these.
1. Joyful Productivity
Here is the foundation for any thriving business: the ability to con…
Here is the foundation for any thriving business: the ability to con…
True Productivity for Self-Employed Professionals
What are the most productive actions in your business?
Checking off more items on your to-do list? Working longer hours? Getting another certification? Trying to make your website better?
Many such actions feel productive but don’t actually build your business. Besides having a "to do" list, you may want to define a TO-DROP list as well.
Otherwise you might be doing busy work that feels like movement, but isn't really helping you grow your client base or make more impact.
Here is …
Here is …
The Tao of Authentic Business
I’m about to launch a podcast. My audience suggested the playful name of “Business Tao with George Kao”.
Some were concerned that the podcast name might be cultural/religious appropriation. (Nevermind that I’m Chinese, and can pronounce Tao te Ching more accurately than most Western Taoist scholars, and that Taoism is characteristically unattached from definitions and who gets credit for what…)
Still, the question inspired me to dive back into studying Taoist philosophical principles. …
Authentic Business: $4K in just 8 hours per week?
A client asked me to write up a roadmap to a kind of “four-hour workweek” for authentic business…
The best I can come up with is an 8-hour workweek. It’s more realistic, yet still minimal. Imagine: just 2 hours of work, 4 days a week. Quite a luxury, especially in these economic times!
Of course, it all depends on how much income you’re aiming for, and your current stage of business.
The best I can come up with is an 8-hour workweek. It’s more realistic, yet still minimal. Imagine: just 2 hours of work, 4 days a week. Quite a luxury, especially in these economic times!
Of course, it all depends on how much income you’re aiming for, and your current stage of business.
Let’s say you’d like to earn $4,000/month working just 8 hours per week.
(This is a true privile…
(This is a true privile…