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PODCAST

School for Startups Minutes

jim@schoolforstartups.com (Jim Beach)

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.

business business news

All Episodes

01:31

SFS Minute 920: Software

School for Startups Minutes ·

2026/02/08

I want to talk about all that technology that was supposed to save us so much time. You know, the Jetsons, the flying robots that take care of all of the concerns, put your new clothes out, go to the laundry, and then cook dinner. We were promised all of that, and we didn't get it. This week, I want to talk about all the things we were promised that just don't live up to it. I'm going to start in just a second with software. Software, expensive software especially, is supposed to make our lives so

EN

01:31

SFS Minute 919: Everyone Is Making It Up a Litte

School for Startups Minutes ·

2026/02/01

Imposter syndrome, signal before success, fronting, putting on the suit. These are all phrases that mean the same thing, projecting success before it happens, and we entrepreneurs must do that. You have to let people know about your successes. You need to brag on your own behalf because no one else will. The important thing is this: you cannot lie. You cannot stretch the truth, but you need to be aggressive in tooting your own horn because no one else will. But don't lie. You end up in jail like

EN

01:31

SFS Minute 918: You Will Celebrate Absurdly Small Wins

School for Startups Minutes ·

2026/02/01

Entrepreneurship is hard, and we hear it a lot, so we will celebrate absurdly small wins because we need to. The first time you get a sale will be monumental, and the first time you get an unsolicited referral will feel like magic. The first time you get an email that says, "I found you online," it will be one of the greatest moments of your life, right up there with a child being born. I got an email one time. I was so excited, I ran out of the house, jumping and screaming with joy. My neighbors

EN

01:31

SFS Minute 917: The Smallest Things Will Drive You...

School for Startups Minutes ·

2026/02/01

Freedomnetwork.com. Another thing that new entrepreneurs discover is the stress and the way that it affects you, most likely all of that stress. The stress of feeding your family and growing the business will affect you in the smallest, weirdest ways. You will suddenly be upset because the password doesn't work. The printer is not connected, and that will drive you over the edge. Be careful with your stress. Entrepreneurship is not easy.

EN

01:31

SFS Minute 916: Your Family Will Never Fully...

School for Startups Minutes ·

2026/02/01

Another thing that new entrepreneurs don't understand, but will eventually learn, is that their family will never truly understand what they do. They'll give you polite expressions like, "Do you get benefits?" or "Is this just a phase?" or "Will you get a real job?" And I promise you, the confusion never goes away because we do things that are new and exciting and different and don't fit into familiar categories. Just learn to live with it.

EN

01:31

SFS Minute 915: You Will Miss a Paycheck

School for Startups Minutes ·

2026/02/01

This week, I want to talk about things that entrepreneurs don't know until they get started. Little things that sneak up on them, and then they discover that the truth of entrepreneurship is maybe not as glamorous as it may seem. One of the things that entrepreneurs only find out once they get started is that you will miss a paycheck every once in a while and pretend like it's okay, that your other bills are more important. You have to pay for the marketing because the ad has to run this weekend,

EN

01:31

SFS Minute 914: Customers Notice When Your Respect...

School for Startups Minutes ·

2026/01/25

Customers notice when you respect their time. The best example of this, and we all joke about it, is when the cable company says they will be there between three and five. I remember when my son got his very first apartment, and he called at 3:15 and said, Dad, the cable company's not here. What am I going to do? What should I do? Should I call them and check up on them? And I was like, son, you'll be lucky if they're there between three and five tomorrow, not today. We laughed about it, and we all

EN

01:31

SFS Minute 913: Customers Notice When You Set Clear...

School for Startups Minutes ·

2026/01/25

Customers notice when you set clear expectations, even if the news is not good. Our local power company is very good about sending texts telling us when the power outage will be over, and they update that information every 30 minutes or so. Because of that, I trust the information implicitly, and I have more respect and trust for our local power company. I know that sounds crazy, but they do a pretty good job.

EN

01:31

SFS Minute 912: Customers Notice Your Tone Before...

School for Startups Minutes ·

2026/01/25

Customers notice your tone before your solution. Tone communicates intent faster than any other information. Calm, respectful responses build confidence before the problem is solved, whereas impatience and defensive responses increase concern, even when the answer is correct. Customers remember how the interaction felt more than they remember whether it was fixed or not. Tone, and whether you're smiling, matter a lot.

EN

01:31

SFS Minute 911: Customers Notice When Policies Matter...

School for Startups Minutes ·

2026/01/25

Customers notice when policies matter more than people. We don't like it when a rule replaces judgment. That "that's our policy" feels final and impersonal, even if the policy makes sense. We must acknowledge that sometimes the customer's uniqueness and personal situation need to be considered. Policies should guide decisions, not eliminate discretion.

EN

01:31

SFS Minute 910: Customers Notice How You Handle Small...

School for Startups Minutes ·

2026/01/25

Last week I talked about things that customers notice about you or your business. For example, I talked about the new apartment that I just rented, and they asked, do you have pets? I said no. I had to go on a website and validate that I don't have pets and that I don't intend to have pets. It took me 20 minutes. I will never forget that. This week, we're going to do five more things that customers notice about you and your business. It's okay if a business or a friend makes a small mistake; we

EN

01:31

SFS Minute 909: Customers Notice What Happens After...

School for Startups Minutes ·

2026/01/17

The period after the sale defines the future of the relationship. Follow-up, availability, and continued care signal long-term commitment. Sustainable businesses are built after the invoice is paid. Customers do not expect constant attention, but they expect presence. Presence creates trust that marketing alone cannot replace.

EN

01:31

SFS Minute 908: Customers Notice When You Remember Them

School for Startups Minutes ·

2026/01/17

Customers may not mention it, but they immediately sense when thy are remembered their name, their history, their favorite drink. All of those sort of. Things make you feel like you are remembered and part of the inside club. When customers feel recognized, they engage more openly and trust more deeply. Loyalty increases without being requested. The lesson is subtle but powerful. Systems remember transactions, entrepreneurs. Remember people. The more personally a customer feels treated, the more

EN

01:31

SFS Minute 907: Customers Notice Consistency More...

School for Startups Minutes ·

2026/01/17

As a customer, I am not excited about the big sale. I am excited about how I get treated day in and day out. Consistency builds confidence. Customers prefer knowing what they are going to get and not being surprised. Inconsistency makes for uncertainty. Businesses grow by meeting expectations reliably, not by exceeding them. Occasionally, predictable performance is the best answer.

EN

01:31

SFS Minute 906: Customers Notice When You Make Things...

School for Startups Minutes ·

2026/01/17

I rented an apartment recently and had to fill out a form on a website about my pets. I do not have any pets, so it should have been one click. No, it took me about 20 minutes to certify that I did not have any pets. Customers notice when you make things more difficult. They pause, they abandon the process, and they buy somewhere else. Every extra step adds resistance, and simplicity is not convenience. It is a competitive advantage.

EN

01:31

SFS Minute 905: Customers Notice How Fast You Respond

School for Startups Minutes ·

2026/01/17

We as individuals and the companies that we work for all have reputations, and they happen slowly over time as customers or friends or family notice things about us that they do not talk about. I will give you an example of how this will affect your business right after this. Customers almost never compliment on response time. They do not leave reviews praising how quickly an email was answered. Every unanswered message, every delayed reply, and every vague promise to get back to you quietly shapes

EN

01:31

SFS Minute 904: McDonalds

School for Startups Minutes ·

2026/01/11

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.

EN

01:31

SFS Minute 903: AirBnB

School for Startups Minutes ·

2026/01/11

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

EN

01:31

SFS Minute 902: Starbucks

School for Startups Minutes ·

2026/01/11

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.

EN

01:31

SFS Minute 901: Netflix

School for Startups Minutes ·

2026/01/11

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.

EN

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