Dear online vendors,

I personally would like to address certain concerns as regards how you do business, your customer relations and interactions as I would also want to assume that many of you reading this have little to no business experience/ training whatsoever.

Frist, even the Bible in Luke 14:28 says

"New International Version"

"Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won't you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?

It is only sane that anyone venturing into business, first would

Sit and count its cost. Which includes capital, consumers needs, services needed, location e.t.c when it comes to offline businesses. However, I have noticed that a lot of people venture into online businesses (Buying and selling to be clear) without proper mentoring nor prior

Knowledge as to what it really entails; as time and time again I have had to address concerns which in most cases are amateur business concerns that shouldn't even be apart of the discussion to start with. Concerns like "Availablity" which is what I will focus this lecture on.

Yes! This is a lecture and you're my student. If you are offended feel free to leave the class now. It's free so I'm allowed to do shakara.

I would like to note that in business, 1 year - 2 year old businesses cannot be termed as "successful" until they exceed the 3year mark.

Since I have received many questions and crazy accusations, on this last day of 2020 let me give you a random collection of thoughts to close out this year. 1/n

1. I miss Asia. It's awesome. Most countries have a sense that things are getting better and that opportunities exist. From people starting businesses to sending their kids to better schools, there is a vibrancy and optimism that is infectious 2/n

2. Americans are a whiny narcistic self absorbed lot that rather then get down to a task and make things happen are content to complain ad nauseum. The world don't owe you $#!+. Get down to it and get on with it 3/n

3. I was wrong about some key things about corona but also right about some key things. Compared to public health experts I'm probably about even. 4/n

4. I don't really identify with either party. I am pro-immigration and anti-death penalty. I am a foreign policy hawk. I am pro-market but believe anti-trust regulation needs more focus. Socially liberal but think wokeness is idiotic. My issue views do not align with either 5/n

In a new clinical trial with 145 subjects, subjects were given drinks sweetened with aspartame, glucose, fructose, or high-fructose corn syrup for two weeks.

Some results
HFCS group:
17% higher LDL-C
15% higher apoB
11% higher

Subjects were given beverages to drink three times per day, containing:

Aspartame, control
Glucose, 25% daily energy requirements
Fructose, 17.5%
Fructose, 25%
High-fructose corn syrup, 17.5%
HFCS, 25%
Sucrose, 25%

Patients were told to refrain from drinking any other sugar-sweetened beverages.

Riboflavin was added to the drinks as a biomarker for adherence and tested in the urine.

Urinary riboflavin was low at the beginning, rose throughout the study, and did not rise differently between participants in each group over the course of the study, indicating that the biomarker worked and adherence was similar between groups.

The trial was double-blinded and on an outpatient basis.

Subjects were not randomized but groups were matched for sex, BMI, and concentrations of fasting triglyceride (TG), cholesterol, HDL-C, and insulin at baseline.

Will be a v ugly week, but impt to remember, short of the House flipping red by Friday, there's no remaining power mechanism in the U.S. capable of preventing Biden taking the presidency on Jan 20.

Everything else is just show. A shitshow, to be sure, but a show nonetheless.

Let's walk through the various shitshows that might happen, to various levels of insanity, and why they all still end up with Biden as POTUS on Jan 20.

First it's now certain you'll get objections at the EC with senators + reps. But it needs a majority in both H & S to sustain the objection, and the House is blue, so no dice.

Can they fillibuster the EC to force it to never decide? No, but for complicated reasons.

ECA gives a max two hours of debate per objection, and that caps out at 5 days (ugh).

A suitably devious R senator might go for broke and try to use a Senate rule to bypass that cap, passed by majority vote in the Senate, with the sole purpose of filibustering the EC itself. Which won't happen, and isn't close.

But it did? Guess what, Biden is *still* president.

Life & Business Advice from LegacyFuel

a Collection of Tweets that will change ur life

don't enter 2021 without it

1 RT = 1 obscure business insight

i'll start......

the dilemma that most young Entrepreneurs have

they want the Clout of a Personal Brand without the Track Record of Multiple Successful Businesses

that's how you fade into obscurity, because the quality of your content can only be as good as your Knowledge Base

every dude should strive to have $50K in the bank

that amount will allow you to bootstrap in most USA states & countries with $2k a month for up to 2 years

having that Runway will give you the Freedom to build businesses that U really want instead of ones out of Desperation

i spent a good chunk of my 20's "uninstalling" Toxic Ideas about Money, Wealth, Life

if ur a Rich Kid, u have a Sick Advantage from the Get-Go because u already have the Software installed

if ur a Broke Kid on $ Twitter, ur already in the Best Place to get ur Software Updated

noobs always ask

"what's a GoOd OnLiNe BuSiNeSs?"

as if theres some corner of the internet where everybody is making trillions and everywhere else is Dry

U can sell ANYTHING

the question is "what do you enjoy thinking about or doing?"

then u build a Business around THAT

Just finished reading The Ride of a Lifetime by @RobertIger.

Incredible life and work advice from his perspective on @Disney distilled into 250+ pages.

Here's a thread of my top 10 takeaways:

1. Performance

It is a delicate matter to find the balance between demanding that your people perform at their best and not instilling in them the fear of failure.

We must instill in our people a fail fast and learn faster mentality.

2. Humility

At work and in life, you will earn the respect and trust of the people around you if you sincerely acknowledge your mistakes.

There's nothing bad in being wrong, but an error becomes a mistake unless you refuse to correct it.

3. Awareness

Be aware of what you don't know and trust what you do.

There is nothing that inspires less confidence than a person who pretends to know something they don't. True leadership and authority come from knowing who you are and not pretending to be someone you are not.

4. Leadership

We all like to believe that we are indispensable. You have to be realistic enough not to cling to the idea that you are the only person who can do the job.

Great leadership is not about being indispensable, but about helping others to be ready to take your place.

Thought I was going to finish 2020 empty handed, tough real estate market out here.

Managed to snag a great deal at the last minute and wanted to share the details.

Here’s how I analyze multifamily real estate investment opportunities 👇

The property was a vacant 4plex, listed for $990k & after a few back and forths, the sellers accepted $950k with no finance condition.

Sellers were an elderly couple who neglected the property, it needed a lot of work. It was in a great neighbourhood/location.

(more pics later)

I first calculated my total equity investment required to acquire and stabilize the property.

During the inspection, did a full walk through with a trusted contractor (worked with for years), receiving quotes unit-by-unit.

Estimated time to complete = 4-6 months.

Next is the stabilized P&L.

Since I know the area very well, I can estimate rents and opex with great accuracy (I have another property within 15 mins walking distance).

Tenants are responsible for hydro/gas.

Finally, I put together the key metrics in evaluating the deal.

I look for yield above 15%, cash on cash above 7% and debt service above 1.5.

As you can see, the numbers check out.

The Board Meeting

The Board of Directors was caught in a deadlock situation. A secessionist state, called Freedom's Charter by its hard-bitten inhabitants, had somehow spawned almost overnight the month before.

It was causing the Societal Protectorate's Board of Directors no end of problems. The Board was still attempting to determine just how it had happened, but even more important was that it be ended.

And so they met, for the fourth time that month, in their dimly-lit conference room, with the various Directors seated around it, the walls lined with aides and functionaries of various levels.

The Board members had been deliberating for a little over four hours now, with no discernible progress.

One of the more junior functionaries started, almost imperceptibly, as his implant pinged, information scrolling up his vision.

Trained to rapidly assimilate such, the young man read and understood before stepping forward.

"We do have Marshall," offered the junior functionary. His voice was quiet, his tone a clear indicator of how well he knew the suggestion would be taken.

How can the wine industry shift its message and approach to reach Millennials, given shifting generational values?

If you want to reach a diverse audience, you have to hire a team that looks like it. "The good part of this is you have a consumer that wants your product. If you don't have people who are of that community, you're not going to sell to them." @SVBWine

When a person of color comes into your TR, they want to know they're going to be treated with respect. "Its Civility 101. It's not really very complicated." Devin Joshua @DJVino

Younger consumers are making the most effort to reduce alcohol consumption.

From Nielsen, top reasons for cutting back on wine center on health. "How do we [address] that in the wine business? We're still talking about long days and cool nights on back labels." Need to take this head on and address calories, e.g. Calories matter to consumers. @SVBWine

The way things are going...

Ordering a Pizza in 2022

CALLER:
Is this Pizza Hut?

GOOGLE:
No sir, it's Google Pizza.

CALLER:
I must have dialed a wrong number, sorry.

GOOGLE:
No sir, Google bought Pizza Hut last month.

CALLER:
OK. I would like to order a pizza.

GOOGLE:
Do you want your usual, sir?

CALLER:
My usual? You know me?

GOOGLE:
According to our caller ID data sheet, the last 12 times you called you ordered an extra-large pizza with three cheeses, sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms and meatballs on a thick crust.

CALLER:
Super! That’s what I’ll have.

GOOGLE:
May I suggest that this time you order a pizza with ricotta, arugula, sun-dried tomatoes & olives on a whole wheat gluten-free thin crust?

CALLER:
What? I don’t want a vegetarian pizza!

GOOGLE:
Your cholesterol is not good, sir.

CALLER:
How the hell do you know that?

GOOGLE:
Well, we cross-referenced your homephone number with your medical records. We have the result of ur blood tests for the last 7yrs.

CALLER:
Okay, but I do not want your rotten vegetarian pizza! I already take medication for my cholesterol.

GOOGLE:
Excuse me sir, but you have not taken your medication regularly. According to our database, you purchased only a box of 30 cholesterol tablets once

Statement by KASUPDA on the demolition of Asher Lounge

On Thursday, 31st December 2020, the Kaduna State Urban Development and Planning Authority (KASUPDA) took action to remove the building housing Asher Lounge.

Since this enforcement action, much of the commentary on the matter has centred on the inaccurate statement from KASUPDA’s Twitter account.

While regretting the inaccuracy of the handler of our social media account, there is no reservation about the steps taken pursuant to enforce the laws and regulations of Kaduna State on a property that was in violation of its provisions.

Since 26th March 2020, the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Partial Lockdown Order, 2020 have been in force in Kaduna State.

Although some of the regulations were significantly relaxed in June 2020, they were tightened again in December 2020 in response to a second wave of Covid-19 infections.

We need to do now what we should have done last Spring: shut it all down, provide funds to support people & businesses thru closure and—here’s the key—USE THE TIME TO IMPLEMENT GOOD RESPONSE. That means: better testing & vaccine logistics, ventilation in schools & workplaces...

...improved production & distribution of N95 masks for everyone, improve internet access to allow wfh & school from home for those who *can* continue with that, safe opening plans for every type of workplace, universal paid quarantine & sick leave, open up parks & beaches...

...public health educational campaigns that teach everyone the basics of how viruses work (and while we’re at it, lets add some bacterial info to combat overuse of antibiotics), extended eviction moratoriums, actual oversight & accountability for workplace safety...

...basic income + increased minimum wage, authorization for expanded roles for nurse practitioners, expanded authorization for vaccination delivery by dentists, authorize telemedicine across state borders so students & others can continue to access care while not on campus...

...national COVID information hotline to help combat misinformation, permanently expanded public health workforce at federal & state & local levels, a coordinated set of COVID research priorities to answer important unknowns and a rolling rapid COVID funding application system...

State of play with NI CMO situation:

Nov 24 - BBC quote him as saying there were "some sizeable outbreaks associated with gyms"

Initially it was suggested this was a misquote until I managed to track down the video.

Myself and colleagues scoured social media and careerist media outlets for any reports of such outbreaks and could find none. We spoke with many private gyms who claimed to be unaware of any such outbreaks. My colleague emailed Dr McBride & was ignored so I decided to take over.

I emailed him on 4th Dec and 7 days later (11th) having received no response I emailed again informing him that failure to respond to my request for information, that should already be in the public domain would result in a FOI being submitted and the ICO being made aware.

That would be enough to get a response from his chief of staff a few short hours later. I was told my request would be responded to. I would email again on the 22/12, which went unanswered, then on the 7/1 informing them the next step was a FOI.

This again would get me a response almost immediately. His dept asked for more time to 'get the evidence'. I felt another 7 days was sufficient which takes us to today. They are aware that after 5pm today my communication with them will cease on the matter and a FOI will be made.

"Small deals rely on promises and contracts. Big deals rely on alignment and trust."

@naval

Truly terrible takes you can expect to hear a lot more of over the next 2 months based on painful experience of the climate discourse - a thread.

1. 'Hospitals are not actually being overwhelmed - look at this cherry picked data point I found.'

2. Hospitals are being overwhelmed, but it is OK because they are not being overwhelmed everywhere.

3. Hospitals are being overwhelmed, but we couldn't have possibly known this would happen or done to stop it.

4. Hospitals are being overwhelmed, we could have taken action to stop it, but that action would have cost too much - here look at my economic modelling (which is much better than your economic modelling).

Thread on The Congregation in the a Secular Age:

Pastors and ministers, I know that the pandemic as been no joke. It has taken a pound of flesh. I’m hopeful that The Congregation in a Secular Age can speak to some of this burden.

It was written before the pandemic, but I think will offer some insights on why the 2nd half of the pandemic has been a hellscape to do ministry in. And it may help you rethink what your congregation is for and how it should be in the world.

The post-pandemic risks being even harder on pastors. As vaccines are given & the world revs its engines like never before to race back to speed, I think the book could help give some insight into the phenomena within the pandemic,

but more so it offers points of reflection as we move toward a post-pandemic horizon. It’s a book written pre-pandemic that I think will really help post-pandemic. It will help resist the calls for your congregation to accelerate and race for change.

I’m not going to litigate the SEC’s unproven allegations on Twitter, and as you can imagine, there are new considerations to what can / should be said publicly after the litigation process starts. However, I would like to address 5 key questions I’ve seen. 1/10

Q: Why didn’t Ripple settle with the SEC?

Can’t get into specifics, but know we tried - and will continue to try w/ the new administration - to resolve this in a way so the XRP community can continue innovating, consumers are protected and orderly markets are preserved. 2/10

Q: Did you pay exchanges to list XRP? When will it be relisted?

XRP is one of the most liquid (top 3-5) digital assets globally, and 95% is traded outside the US. Ripple has no control over where XRP is listed, who owns it, etc. It’s open-source and decentralized. 3/10

Delisting and halting are 2 separate things - most are halting trading. With 8 different govt agencies, each with their own (and sometimes opposing) views of crypto, U.S. market participants are facing conflicting policies and no surprise, some act conservatively. 4/10

We’ve moved from lack of regulatory clarity to regulatory chaos in the U.S. This is why regulation by enforcement is such bad public policy. With the new administration, we expect #DCEA to be reintroduced - common-sense legislation providing clarity to the entire industry. 5/10