There’s a song from Sesame Street that I think of around this time of year. You know it, too, so sing it with me:

Oh, who are the people in your neighborhood?In your neighborhood?In your neighborhood?

Why do I think of this song this time of year? Because it’s the holidays, when our Postal and other Delivery People are very busy, and we see them daily in our neighborhoods.

It’s a reminder to thank them for all they do for us—and maybe think differently about our future together.

My conversations with friends increasingly include a disturbing topic: What are we going to do when s**t goes down?

You know, like, when whatever disaster we expect to happen finally hits.

I once felt this stress, and I know how insidious it is. And they are in good company. Many people in our country and in the world live daily in fear of disaster.

I feel for the pain that my friends and so many in our world today are going through. But I found a way to free myself. It starts by realizing we’re already in Hell. And it’s a Hell of our own design.

Here I share why Hell is real and right now...and how to GTFO.

Relevant links:

Conscious Accomplishment: https://a.co/d/bQNpFP5

“Why are Americans Unhappy?”: https://walkingtheworld.substack.com/p/why-are-americans-unhappy

Schedule Office Hours with Bob: https://calendly.com/bob-gilbreath/bob-gilbreath-office-hours

Fleet: https://fleetholdingco.com/

It’s another Bob’s Bites, where every couple of weeks, I share a handful of quick stories and lessons that have been on my mind lately…Today:

1.     Choosing a Vendor? Pick a slate instead of a single winner

2.     Saving your next holiday dinner discussion by first re-stating another person’s position

3.     Two Founders, Two Bobs, One Podcast

Relevant links:

Technocratic podcast with Bobby Tahir: https://newsletter.technocratic.io/p/advice-for-startup-founders-with

Schedule Office Hours with Bob: https://calendly.com/bob-gilbreath/bob-gilbreath-office-hours

Fleet: https://fleetholdingco.com/

I’m excited to share the next podcast episode in my series of conversations with interesting people on topics where business and life intersect.

My discussion partner this week, Alice Turner, is a highly experienced Doula and Lamaze-certified childbirth educator who has supported more than 300 births. She has helped both women and men make childbirth a positive experience.

She’s also a certified star YouTube creator who just earned her 100,000th subscriber.

Before becoming a doula, Alice earned a Biomedical Engineering degree from Vanderbilt University with a minor in Computer Science, and spent her early professional life as a database programmer in healthcare.

AND, most importantly, she’s my little sister…

Here are a few things you’ll learn from our conversation:

·      How to find a passion, then figure out entrepreneurship one step and a time.

·      The process of succeeding on YouTube through commitment and constant improvement.

·      A model for avoiding burnout and keeping the fire going through curiosity.

Alice has come a long way since the two of us had a childhood joint venture selling seashells together. If you’ve ever wondered what following your passion looks like, or dream of taking your passions to YouTube, this is a conversation for you.

Relevant Links:

Alice Turner on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alice-turner-67313837/

Birth Toolbox on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@birthtoolbox

Schedule Office Hours with Bob: https://calendly.com/bob-gilbreath/bob-gilbreath-office-hours

Fleet: https://fleetholdingco.com/

None of us knows what to do when we become a CEO for the first time. We’ve got to learn these skills on our own.

It’s a scary process! Unfortunately, these fears tend to swing leaders either into micromanaging or hiding themselves behind layers of management.

We can do better than this. I write here each week to share real-life stories of what worked and didn’t from my career, which eventually led to a CEO role at a fast-growing, venture-backed startup.

And if there were just one tactic I wish everyone in my shoes followed when they first got the job, it would be this: Regularly meet in person with all your employees.

Here’s my story, with backup from some of the best leaders in the game.Relevant links:

In Search of Excellence: https://a.co/d/bQNpFP5

Roger Martin on turning around a $10 billion business: https://rogerlmartin.substack.com/p/culture-change-strategy

The Culture Code: https://a.co/d/aE1UVkL

Paul Graham on Founder Mode: https://paulgraham.com/foundermode.html

How to Get Rich: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0017SUYY6

Schedule Office Hours with Bob: https://calendly.com/bob-gilbreath/bob-gilbreath-office-hours

Fleet: https://fleetholdingco.com/

Welcome to another Bob’s Bites. Every couple of weeks, I share a handful of quick stories and lessons that have been on my mind lately…Today:

1.     Why Hasn’t It Worked?: Business Referral Tools

2.     It’s a LONG GAME

3.     Dying to Live: The Lou Marchetti Story

Relevant links:

Yancey Strickler’s LONG GAME: https://substack.com/@ideaspace/note/c-170687378

Entrepreneurship is a Marathon: https://theworkaround.substack.com/p/entrepreneurship-is-a-marathon

Entrepreneurship Burns Your Ego: https://theworkaround.substack.com/p/entrepreneurship-burns-your-ego

Dying to Live - The Lou Marchetti story: https://www.youtube.com/live/b0ItVTmXynU

Schedule Office Hours with Bob: https://calendly.com/bob-gilbreath/bob-gilbreath-office-hours

Fleet: https://fleetholdingco.com/

It’s government shutdown season in the U.S. once again.

Whatever side we’re on, we’re united in agreement that democracy doesn’t seem to be working for us.

We deserve better. We’ve done better.

This is not meant to be a political post. I refuse to whine, blame, or take sides. Democracy is the worst form of government—except for all the others.

One way or another, I’m confident we’ll eventually figure it out and end up with something that works for us. Until it doesn’t again.

Perhaps one way to help us move forward is to fall back in time and seek examples of how federal, state, and local governments have cooperated for the long-term benefit of both free markets and free citizens.

I’ve done my own research and have the proof! You can see it, too, next time you turn your car onto the highway.

Relevant links:

Schedule Office Hours with Bob: https://calendly.com/bob-gilbreath/bob-gilbreath-office-hours

Fleet: https://fleetholdingco.com/

I’m excited to share the next podcast episode in my series of conversations with interesting people on topics where business and life intersect.

My discussion partner this week, Dave Rubinstein, is the brains and energy behind 100 Founders, a new project aimed to help ensure Founders survive, thrive, and transition from Founder-led sales.

Dave and I first collaborated twenty years ago, when we met roaming the halls of our large mutual client, Procter & Gamble. Dave spent his early career in a range of roles before finding his fit in technology sales. He went on to scale startups from $0 to $10 million and $1 million to $25 million, with a stint at Salesforce in between.

Here are a few things you’ll learn from our conversation:

·      Founders should think small (at first)

·      Testing reactions to challenge with transparency

·      How to turn meetings into a business model

I love any opportunity to learn from people who have been catalysts across several long company runs, and I think you’ll enjoy hearing how a high-flying mid-career leader remade himself by returning to a beginner’s mind.

A few billion people are trapped in some level of workplace hell. I mean, they must be trapped—or why would they stay in these jobs?

The traps sure are elaborate: Paychecks, health insurance, stock options, annual bonuses, non-competes, peer pressure, economic worries, and fancy titles.

But the potential for freedom is out there! Mostly, we long for a financial nest egg that would let us quit our crappy jobs. You know: “F-You, Money.”

I think F-You is too negative. I’d rather focus on the more critical F-word: Freedom. This is what we really crave. We want to free ourselves of these hellish work bonds. We want the freedom to find meaning and live our best lives. Free Me. F-Me.

And a big pile of money is far from the only way to get there.

But the only person who’s going to free us is ourselves. To escape, we must take agency, form a plan, and act. Here’s inspiration to get you started:

Relevant links:

Schedule Office Hours with Bob: https://calendly.com/bob-gilbreath/bob-gilbreath-office-hours

Fleet: https://fleetholdingco.com/

A new idea is born: Bob’s Bites. Every couple of weeks, I’ll share a handful of quick stories and lessons that have been on my mind lately…Today:

1. Lesser-Known Job Search Tips

2. Every Award is Political

3. A Leadership Lesson from Hockey

Relevant links:

Bob’s posts about job searching: https://theworkaround.substack.com/t/job-searching

When Patrick Roy traded himself during a game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLxmJrpMSh8

Schedule Office Hours with Bob: https://calendly.com/bob-gilbreath/bob-gilbreath-office-hours

Fleet: https://fleetholdingco.com/

Revelin: https://www.revelinsolutions.com/

A2 Influence: https://www.a2influence.com/