Blackletter

On this episode of Monday Minutes, Tom Dunlap discusses what the U.S. is doing for Ukrainian refugee s . President Biden recently announced that the U.S. would accept 100,000 asylum seekers . Tom breaks down what that process looks like, as well as the eligibility requirements. Listen to the episode to learn more about who can file for asylum and how.

On this episode of the Blackletter podcast, Tom Dunlap continues his conversation with Melanie Simons, CEO of ReFrame Wealth. In Session 2 of 3, Melanie chats about the internal challenges she and her partners had to navigate once their company was up and running. While all the partners had the same intention for the business, they differed on how to reach that end goal. Melanie explains their creative solution to this predicament and urges anyone opening a business to have their documents prepared and settled. Listen to the episode to hear more of Melanie’s advice to those founding a company.    

Links:  

 ReFrame Wealth website: https://www.reframewealth.com/ 

ReFrame Wealth LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/reframewealth

Melanie C. Simons LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melaniecsimons

The ReFrame Wealth Story: https://youtu.be/WK8h9jOWB2k 

This morning Tom provides an overview of business sanctions on Russian. While U.S. companies and individuals can lawfully engage in a broad range of business activities involving Russia that are not subject to sanction, penalties for violating U.S. sanctions can be severe. Therefore, American companies are advised to familiarize themselves with the sanctions before conducting business activity. For more information you can go to trade.gov or dbllawyers.com.

On this episode of the Blackletter podcast, Tom Dunlap chats with Melanie Simons, the co-founder and CEO of ReFrame Wealth. In Session 1 of 3, Melanie sits down to talk about her entrepreneurial journey and what she’s learned. An investment advisory firm, ReFrame Wealth prioritizes financial planning and highly customized portfolio management. Financial discussions can be anxiety-provoking; Melanie and her team pride themselves on being a safe place to have those conversations. Listen to the episode to hear about how the pandemic, resignations and more spurred Melanie’s entrepreneurial path.  

Links:  

 ReFrame Wealth website: https://www.reframewealth.com/ 

ReFrame Wealth LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/reframewealth

Melanie C. Simons LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melaniecsimons

The ReFrame Wealth Story: https://youtu.be/WK8h9jOWB2k 

On this episode of Monday Minutes, Tom Dunlap discusses warranty stickers on devices that warn against breaking the seal for repairs. However, those stickers on products from Nintendo, Sony and more are in violation of the 1975 Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. 

On this episode of the Blackletter podcast, Tom Dunlap wraps up his conversation with Ben Landers, the founder of Blue Corona. In Session 3 of 3 of their interview, Ben chats about how he tackled a complex problem his company faced due to rapid growth. As they scaled, the company operated on disparate systems, causing friction for the employees. Ben identified every problem his team encountered, prioritized them by quarter, and started addressing them. Additionally, he hired someone who helped him conduct a competitive analysis, and from there, shape the organizational systems. To hear more about Blue Corona and Ben’s advice to entrepreneurs, check out Session 1 and Session 2 of his interview. 

Links:  

 https://www.bluecorona.com/  

Pressure is mounting on companies to stop making repairs so difficult. Lawmakers in over 25 states are considering right-to-repair bills, aimed at making it easier to repair electronic devices after President Biden's 2021 executive order. The executive order asked that the Federal Trade Commission draft “right-to-repair” rules to come up with new rules limiting the ways companies can implement repair restrictions. The FTC said it would boost enforcement efforts against companies that illegally hobble repairs by doing things like suggesting that independent repairs will void a consumer’s warranty.

On this episode of the Blackletter podcast, Tom Dunlap is once again joined by Ben Landers, the founder of Blue Corona. In the second session of three, Ben believes all entrepreneurs to view problems as puzzles, as running a business is rarely smooth sailing. As his company has grown, he has had to tackle more complex issues. However, Ben is now more prepared, as he has shifted his perspective and equipped his team. Listen to the episode to hear more of Ben’s advice to entrepreneurs. To hear more about the unique founding of Blue Corona, make sure to listen to Season 7, Episode 1.

Links:  

 https://www.bluecorona.com/  

This morning Tom discusses the recent invasion of Ukraine by Russia. He discusses Putin's attempt at looking for reasons within the international law framework for this invasion and why Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a clear act of aggression and a violation of Article 2.4 of the UN Charter, which prohibits the “use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State”.

Can you successfully build a company within a company?  

On this episode of the Blackletter podcast, Tom Dunlap chats with Ben Landers about the unique founding of his company Blue Corona. Originally in Corporate America, Ben thought he’d be working for large companies forever. Then, the dot com era fell apart, and Ben found his way into small business, particularly a coffee company. However, that was only the start of his journey.  

Listen to the episode to hear more about how Ben successfully incubated his digital marketing firm within a coffee company, how he discovered the right customers and what business book every entrepreneur should read.