STEVE JOBS SAID YOUR OVERALL HAPPINESS IN LIFE REALLY COMES DOWN TO ASKING 4 SIMPLE QUESTIONS

Six years before his untimely death, Steve Jobs dropped this bombshell of truth on our psyche:

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life.

The co-founder of Apple delivered these words to a newly minted class of Stanford University graduates in 2005. Not long before the commencement, Jobs had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and was given between three and six months to live. 

Facing his own mortality had impressed upon him the importance of living the best possible life, and it was a message he passed on to the new graduates, and to the rest of the world watching. 

3 questions you should be asking

Jobs's message gave us plenty of things to chew on about what truly matters in our own lives. And to this day, whenever I watch that commencement speech, it forces me to look in the mirror and ask myself some really powerful, Jobs-inspired questions that, I hope, you will ask yourself. 

1. Am I living the life that I want and doing the work that I want to do?

In the face of his looming death, something powerful shifted inside Jobs. He began to live each day as if it was his last--because it may have been. Thinking about the limited amount of time you and I have left on this earth isn't meant to be a downer. On the contrary, it empowers us to use that precious time in the most meaningful way possible.

Jobs called facing his death "the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life." Almost everything, he said -- our fears, failures, and our pride -- "fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important."

2. "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?"

This is a question that Jobs said he asked himself every day -- while literally standing in front of his mirror -- after being diagnosed with his terminal illness. 

Jobs said, "Whenever the answer has been no for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something." If I asked myself that same question every day during this stage of my life and career, the answer would be a resounding "yes!" I say this because I'm doing what I have passionately been called to do and I'm living out my purpose.

I urge you to do the same. Be willing to confront yourself and ask this same question when you start your day. Pay attention to what's coming up for you as you check in with your feelings. If you're being true to yourself, it can be frightening to admit you're not living the life you want, but it's the only way to pivot toward the pursuit of something new--something that may be your true calling.

3. Am I doing what I love?

As Jobs explains, living someone else's life is wasting your own. Instead, he urges you to find the role you were meant to fill.

You've got to find what you love. ... Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.

Doing what we love gives us purpose, which fuels our drive to get up in the morning and, in the words of Warren Buffett, "tap dance to work." Research published in Harvard Business Review concluded that to be fully engaged and happy, people need to feel as if their work matters and that their contributions help to achieve something important.

When people find purpose in their work, and they love what they do, it will not only improve that person's happiness, it will boost their productivity. To end on a hopeful note, if you don't know what it is you love to do, then I urge your first step to be finding out what it is you should be doing. Don't just take my word for it; it's what Steve Jobs would want you to do as well. 

HOW A.I. AND CHATBOTS CAN BENEFIT YOUR SMALL BUSINESSES

Artificial Intelligence and chatbots are revolutionizing the way businesses operate and interact with their customers. Large corporations have been quick to adopt these technologies, but small businesses may be hesitant due to perceived cost or complexity. However, there are many free AI and chatbot tools available to small businesses that can help them leverage these technologies and gain a competitive advantage.

Streamlining Operations

One of the primary benefits of AI and chatbots is their ability to streamline operations. With automation and machine learning capabilities, these technologies can help small businesses reduce time-consuming manual tasks and increase efficiency. This, in turn, can save businesses time and money, allowing them to focus on other areas of growth.

Zapier is a free tool that small businesses can use to automate repetitive tasks by connecting various apps and services. For example, businesses can use Zapier to automatically create new customer contacts in their CRM when a new customer subscribes to their email list. This eliminates the need for manual data entry and reduces the likelihood of errors.

Another free tool that small businesses can use is Trello, a project management tool that helps businesses organize their tasks and workflows. By using Trello, businesses can visualize their workflows and streamline their processes, making it easier for employees to collaborate and work together.

Enhancing Customer Service

Customer service is critical for small businesses, as satisfied customers are more likely to become repeat customers and refer their friends and family. AI and chatbots can help small businesses enhance their customer service in several ways.

Dialogflow is a free tool that allows businesses to create chatbots that can answer customers' frequently asked questions in a timely manner. Businesses can program the chatbot to respond to specific keywords or phrases, reducing wait times and improving customer satisfaction.

ChatGPT is another free tool that small businesses can use to improve customer service. It is a natural language processing chatbot that provides instant and personalized responses to customer inquiries. By using ChatGPT, small businesses can reduce response time and increase customer satisfaction. ChatGPT can also help with driving growth by providing insights into customer behavior through data analysis and customer feedback.

Driving Growth

AI and chatbots can help small businesses drive growth by providing valuable insights into customer behavior and market trends. By analyzing data about customer behavior, businesses can identify new opportunities for growth and tailor their products and services to meet customer needs.

Google Analytics is a free web analytics tool that allows businesses to track website traffic and user behavior. By analyzing this data, businesses can identify which pages on their website are the most popular, which products are selling the most, and where their website visitors are coming from. This information can be used to make informed decisions about marketing and product development.

SurveyMonkey is a free survey tool that allows businesses to gather feedback from their customers. By creating surveys and asking customers for their opinions, businesses can gather valuable insights into customer needs and preferences. This information can be used to make improvements to products and services or to develop new products that better meet customer needs.

AI and chatbots can provide significant benefits to small businesses, including streamlining operations, enhancing customer service, and driving growth. While these technologies may seem daunting at first, there are a variety of free tools available to help small businesses get started. With the right strategy and tools in place, small businesses can leverage AI and chatbots to gain a competitive advantage and increase their bottom line. By embracing these technologies, small businesses can stay ahead of the competition and provide better service to their customers.

BY CARLOS GIL, AUTHOR, "THE END OF MARKETING: HUMANIZING YOUR BRAND IN THE AGE OF SOCIAL MEDIA AND AI"@CARLOSGIL83

HOW TO LEVERAGE WORK-LIFE BALANCE TO HELP YOUR BUSINESS SUCCEED

If you're not nurturing your personal life outside of work, chances are, you'll end up lacking on both fronts. How we spend our free time and how we work are typically at odds with each other. When we overprioritize one aspect of our lives, it causes an imbalance affecting all areas. 

When it comes to running a business, it's an all-hands-on-deck operation that requires copious amounts of time and energy, especially if you're starting on your entrepreneurial journey. But what many forget along the way is tending to their well-being. 

Being an entrepreneur for the past 10 years, I've learned that maintaining a healthy work-life balance may not be what you think. Rather than keeping the two completely separate, combining them strategically can become the perfect recipe for success. 

Oftentimes, people try to separate their personal life from work when instead they should be integrating the two. As entrepreneurs, we should seek to create purpose-driven businesses, and one way to do this is by viewing your life as your greatest masterpiece.

Don't Disregard Creativity 

To further understand the concept of perceiving our life as our greatest masterpiece, I sat down with the founder and CEO of Rosalind Business Group, Rosalind Panda. 

As an artist and business owner who uses creativity in all she does, she encourages other like-minded entrepreneurs to do the same. Trust me, the result will speak for itself. 

By applying creativity to everything you do, in turn, you're not only benefiting yourself but also others. But to see your life as your greatest masterpiece, there are a few things you have to incorporate that also lend to your business.

Leadership Roles

Leadership should be a skill every entrepreneur masters to foster a driven and dedicated team, but to become a great leader, you must first set the foundation of leadership in your personal life.  

What I mean by this is showing up in every area of your life. Doing so will not only change the way you manage yourself but will also inspire other people around you. For Panda, she emphasizes the importance of leading yourself with purpose and inspired action to ultimately lay the framework for success. 

The act of looking outside of ourselves to solve issues has become overly normalized when in reality, we should first look inward. Everything you've accomplished up until this point is what encompasses your life masterpieces. Your life as a whole can be optimized to level up your business, you just need the right mindset and perspective to do so. 

Defining Your Purpose 

Defining a purpose should be one of the first steps of entrepreneurship, as she writes in her first book, Let Self Become The Leader. Whether she's painting or running her business, she wants to produce a sense of self-awareness for her clients and help them realize what their purpose is on earth and the alignment of their actions within it. 

It's necessary to define what your contribution is to the world for both your business and personal life to create a healthy balance. To see your business thrive, you need a purpose backed by your actions and a strong consumer base. If you're not catering to your consumers' needs or benefiting their life in some way, you will quickly fall off the map.

Let's say, for example, you have a passion for writing poetry, and whenever you produce a piece, your goal is to influence the readers' perspective positively. When it comes to your business, rather than treating it as a separate entity, behave as if it's another hobby with a similar goal. Now you've defined a purpose -- positively impacting others' perspectives, regardless of what you're doing. 

When you incorporate your passions and hobbies into your business, you facilitate a purpose-driven organization. And what's becoming increasingly evident is the need and demand for more of these companies. 

When you are lost in the ups and downs of life, think beyond yourself and from a perspective of what your role is in life. What is your contribution to the world? See the big picture and ask yourself how you're using your creative design ideas, gifts, and the tool of creativity to bring a positive difference to your community, society, and the world.

My advice to entrepreneurs everywhere is to blend your personal and business lives together. Your greatest masterpiece is your own life, so I encourage you not to neglect or ignore it. Find inspiration in yourself and apply it to everything you do. 

BY SEAN KIM, CEO, RYPE@HEYSEANKIM

3 MAJOR REASONS GOOD EMPLOYEES QUIT, ACCORDING TO STUDIES

Recent layoffs have disrupted lives and livelihoods, fueling fear and anxiety toward an uncertain future for those being let go. But for those good employees that remain, the bigger challenge is retaining them so they don't quit. 

While pay is important (as you'll see below), money alone does not make for an overall positive employee experience. When you look at the evidence, three major reasons why good employees quit float to the top:

1. It's still the manager

The reason people may want to quit has everything to do with their relationship with their bosses. One study found that nearly half of employees surveyed had quit because of a bad manager, and almost two-thirds believed their manager lacked proper managerial training.

Gallup has determined from decades of data and interviews with millions of employees that 70 percent of the variance in team engagement is determined solely by the manager. Yet here we are in the post-pandemic age, and organizations that aren't doing massive layoffs continue to think of every strategy for retaining their workers -- from more pay, more perks, more flexible work options, and more mental health resources, to name a few -- without considering the role and impact that the manager makes on the employee. We've heard this tune before: People leave managers, not companies.

Among the many relationships employees will develop at a company, those formed with one's manager have a significant impact on overall workplace experience, even more so than one's relationships with peers.

More specifically, it is important that employees feel as though they have a supportive and open communication channel with their managers, to the extent that they would feel comfortable discussing topics such as compensation and their job.

Managerial acknowledgment is crucial and should be a priority for companies looking to retain their employees and avoid the high costs of turnover.

2. Lack of career growth

According to a study of more than 18,000 frontline workers across 150 companies, lack of career growth is the No. 1 reason for turnover. This may come as a shocker to the Amazons of the world that believe cash is king. Sure, pay is important -- it comes in at No. 2 -- but money alone isn't working. In the case of the supply chain workforce surveyed, people aren't looking to just clock in, clock out, and cash their checks. They are looking for meaningful work that helps them develop their skills and build a career path.

Many women in technology jobs also continue to struggle with gender-specific barriers. Research from managed services provider Ensono shows that women in tech still experience inequity and discomfort in the workplace (both remote and in-office), which prevents them from realizing career development.

While a desire for more learning and development opportunities isn't unique to female employees, it needs to be a key element of tech companies' plans to recruit, retain, and develop women. Sixty percent of women in tech roles in the U.S. said they've been told by employers that a lack of training or skills is holding them back. Yet many companies don't offer mentorship programs or paid courses for learning and development, leading employees to look for employers that offer training internally or fully paid coursework. With 20 percent of women saying they plan to look for another job within the next year, tech leaders would be smart to prioritize career development as a retention strategy.

3. Let's not forget the money

The Great Resignation has been a wake-up call. It forced leaders to accept that they need to understand their employees' needs and create people-first solutions. Top of mind for many organizations has been a commitment to revise their compensation structures. 

According to the Career Optimism Index, a 2022 University of Phoenix survey of 5,000 employees and 500 employers across the country, one in three Americans would quit their current jobs without a backup plan, but 69 percent would consider staying if they thought things could change at their organization.

While many organizations are making significant investments to develop and advance their employees, the study shows the majority of employers are missing the mark on ensuring equitable compensation and financial security.

Eighty-six percent of employers think their employees are satisfied with their compensation, but nearly half of employees surveyed are unsatisfied, and 56 percent are living paycheck to paycheck.

Pay discrepancies and a lack of financial security have been major factors of job dissatisfaction throughout this volatile period. Employers must create greater transparency about compensation-related issues so they can get on the same page as their workforce-- and once they're there, employers must be prepared to act on improving compensation.

HERE ARE 3 SUSTAINABILITY TIPS FOR EVERY COMPANY IN 2023

Knowing your customer is one of the first rules for running a successful business, and customers today care about sustainability.

One in three consumers prefer shopping with the planet in mind, even if it means paying a little more, according to a SurveyMonkey study. Sales of products marketed as sustainable also grew 2.7x faster than those that didn't, according to a study from New York University's Stern Center for Sustainable Business. While making your company more environmentally friendly will likely require an upfront investment, it could pay dividends in the long term, and you don't have to reinvent your entire business plan. 

Here are three sustainability tips for every business owner in 2023.

1. Rethink your packaging. 

Ericka Rodriguez founded her vegan lipstick brand, Axiology, in 2014 in New York City. Though her lipsticks were originally packaged in recyclable aluminum, Rodriguez learned that their plastic components meant they often couldn't be recycled. So she and her team of four employees began testing ways to make their packaging more environmentally friendly. They settled on a compostable, food-grade paper free of animal-sourced waxes and glue that wraps around the lipstick like paper on a crayon. While it took a year and a half and thousands of dollars to make the switch, the final production cost is now less than that of the aluminum packaging, enabling Rodriguez to lower the retail price of her flagship lipstick from $28 to $24. The new packaging also helps differentiate her brand from the competition.

"I don't think the world needs another plastic packaging lipstick brand," Rodriguez says. "There are already so many."

2. Consider responsible sourcing. 

Nadya Okamoto and Nick Jain founded the direct-to-consumer period care brand August in 2021. The main material for their products, cotton, is the most profitable non-food crop in the world, but farming with pesticides, fertilizers, and other chemicals can contaminate waterways and soil, creating havoc in ecosystems. So, August's founders were committed from the start to use only sustainably farmed, organic cotton versus the popular industry alternative viscose, a type of rayon that is less sustainable and the subject of various health concerns. That means the cotton crops used for their products create fewer greenhouse gas emissions and don't contaminate surrounding ecosystems. The average price of a 28-pack of regular tampons retails for between $10 and $11, while a 24-pack of August's tampons is priced between $14 and $15. For Okamoto, the difference in price is worth it for her customers and her business.

"Supply chains are being challenged to be as ethical as possible," says Okamoto. "Our deepened commitment to making sure that we stand by those values has helped us cultivate a beautiful community."

3. Beware of greenwashing. 

It's no secret that companies overstate how environmentally friendly their products are. "For me, greenwashing is overclaiming in a significant way or lying about what you're doing," says Tensie Whelan, director of the Center for Sustainable Business at New York University. "Some of it is a lack of competence. This is a whole new area. We're all learning all the time."

While misleading claims about products being environmentally friendly are common, companies that exaggerate details about sustainability risk significant reputational damage. Greenwashing has been at the center of controversy over the past five years as companies like Tide, Coca-Cola, and Banana Boat sunscreens have faced inquiries and even lawsuits challenging various claims related to sustainability.

FOLLOW THESE PRINCIPLES TO MAKE YOUR BUSINESS STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD

Keeping up with the changing times is vital for businesses, but even more important is standing out. Those who remain the same often get left in the dust, replaced by "the new and improved." Whether you're an emerging or seasoned entrepreneur, inspired thinking is a tool you should always have under your belt, especially in this day and age. 

In today's society, it feels like everything has been done twice over. Barriers to starting new businesses with accessible and affordable technology have never been lower. Whenever I'm asked to advise a business or inspired to start one, the first question I ask is: How is this product or service different?

Society is continuously evolving with an aim to reach new and bigger heights, so it's only fair that we as entrepreneurs sync our businesses to the ebb and flow of this growth. Using outdated methods to run a business simply won't work in the long run. 

As entrepreneurs, we not only want our businesses to be successful but also to produce a positive impact. To do so, you must constantly seek to innovate, create, and learn. But you can't do it alone. When you work with a team built on the foundation of inspired thinking, the possibilities become endless. 

What Does Inspired Thinking Actually Mean?

To dive deeper into the topic of inspired thinking, I spoke with Elizabeth Bieniek, co-founder of Webex Hologram. A disruptive innovator and leader in the tech industry, Bieniek understands the importance of innovation and creativity in the business world.

Bieniek bases the art of inspired thinking on the visionary aspects of a leader. When you develop and lead your team with excitement, passion, and vision, what you produce will be an extension of that. Whatever your business is, people pay attention to and notice these aspects. I think it's safe to say that more and more, individuals crave uniqueness and new experiences. So don't follow what others are doing. You have to be bold to stand out.  

Not every business owner is open to the idea of replacing the old with the new, but from my experience owning and running multiple businesses, innovation equals success. And sometimes it requires the adoption of new or different methods depending on what best meets your customers' needs. Ensuring you deliver a product or service that meets the needs of your customers will keep you ahead of the competition. Prioritize this aspect of your business.

Don't Fear Change 

Part of the human condition is protecting ourselves, whether that be from a physical threat or, in the business world, a verbal one. Oftentimes when people hear the word change, it can set off their fight or flight. Change can be a scary notion, but without it, life as we know it wouldn't exist. Change is normal, and the more you learn to embrace it, the more you gain the upper hand. Standing out doesn't necessarily mean integrating the newest technologies into your business, but if it does, don't be afraid to explore uncharted waters. 

Especially if you're starting out on your entrepreneurial journey, don't follow a path that's been laid out for you. Create your own. And something Bieniek stands behind is going for it without permission. Don't let others hold you back from reaching your highest potential of inspired thinking. 

Ignore the Naysayers

Part of being an entrepreneur is exercising our creativity and pushing boundaries to support our innovations, which is a key way to keep your business relevant. But it can be a daunting endeavor. If you feel yourself holding back, take note of Bieniek's advice: "People will tell you 'It can't be done.' That just means: It's hard, other people have failed, and they don't know how to do it. It doesn't actually mean it can't be done." 

We often limit ourselves to what others believe, but in the entrepreneurial world, being able to look through that block and see exterior possibilities on the other side is what makes a great entrepreneur to begin with. As they say, if you never try, you'll never know. Even if your plans "fail" or don't produce the results you were hoping for, it's all part of the process. So the next time others' preconceptions leave you doubting your abilities, know that you're on the right path. 

My advice to entrepreneurs, seasoned or inexperienced, is to always push yourself regardless of how "out there" it may seem. When you exercise your creativity without succumbing to setbacks and blockages, your business is guaranteed to stand out. 

Are you breaking barriers and pushing limits? Are you seeking to innovate and expand? Whatever business you're in, inspired thinking is a sure way to get you on the map and set up for success. 

BY SEAN KIM, CEO, RYPE@HEYSEANKIM

NINE PIECES OF CORPORATE JARGON TO AVOID WITH GEN-Z

People have finite lives. Therefore, business leaders should not waste their time.

This comes to mind in considering a recent article in the Boston Globe about why "some young workers want to ditch 'corporate-speak.'" As someone who spends hours a week in a classroom with Gen-Z students, there is little mystery to this topic. 

The answer is simple: after losing much of the past two years of normal life to the pandemic, young people want to make up for lost time. They are intensely eager to avoid anything that could subtract even more from their quality of life.

Corporate-speak is such a time sink for young workers. Why do companies need to make up meaningless phrases that add nothing and require translation to make them useful? 

In my work experiences, a CEO was often the first person to utter these phrases of corporate-speak. Underlings who heard them wanted to appear to have access to power, so they repeated the CEO's buzzwords. 

New employees are reluctant to ask for a translation of these phrases because their questions signal that they are outsiders. So they pretend to know their meaning. Sometimes that ignorance does not matter. Other times it does.

Given these power dynamics, I do not see an easy way for companies to rid themselves of such jargon. But in the hope of making people more aware of it, here are nine annoying  corporate-speak phrases, and examples of what people might say instead.

1. "Close the loop" 

People often meet to discuss a question without reaching a decision. A relatively powerless person might utter the phrase "close the loop" with hopes of concluding the matter.

However, the person with the power may not want others to make that decision, so the meeting does not resolve the matter. Perhaps the real purpose of the discussion was for the manager to listen to opposing views for the benefit of the ultimate decision maker.

Companies could avoid dashing the hopes of those who want to "close the loop" by telling them that the purpose of including them in the meeting is to develop a list of pros and cons for a decision that a more powerful person will make. 

2. "Low-hanging fruit" 

This phrase refers to a solution or opportunity that is good and relatively easy to capture. I think people should just say that rather than use this agricultural metaphor.

3. "It's on my radar"

People with power will use the phrase "it's on my radar" to indicate that they will not take immediate action on an underling's request. The manager's goal is to create the illusion that she has listened to the subordinate and to reinforce her relative power.

It would be better to be more straightforward and say, "I understand this is important to you, and I will consider your request and give you an answer within a week."

4. "Don't have the bandwidth"

When people say they do not have the bandwidth, it is often in response to a request to do something that they do not consider important.

This phrase is far less insulting than the straightforward approach, which would be to say that the person asking is not powerful enough to alter the speaker's priorities.

5. "Take this offline" 

This phrase signals that the person with the power wants to discuss a topic in private,  outside of the earshot of others in the meeting. Whoever utters this phrase has the upper hand and should instead say, "Let's discuss this privately."

6. "Get the ball rolling"

Sports analogies abound in business because many business leaders are athletes or sports fans. Those who are not might prefer the phrase, "Let's start solving this problem."

7. "Touch base"

People might replace this sports phrase with something like "Let's talk about this [next Tuesday]."

8. "Just circling back"

A supplicant often uses this phrase to start an email after the recipient has ignored an earlier message about the topic. 

The recipient of such an email would create less stress for the sender by responding immediately to the first email with a phrase like, "I received your email and will respond, say, next Thursday."

9. "Reach out"

This expression has always annoyed me. Why not say what you mean -- "call," "text," or "e-mail" -- instead?

I do not expect that this article will change anyone's behavior, but I think many people would be happier if it did.