A Closer Look …

with Anthony Newcombe 👀👀

October’s topic:

The “Cottage Industry” has caught up with me (finally)

20-plus years working in a remote setting … and wouldn’t change a thing!

Well, it took a while, but what can I say: I TOLD you so! Well, not entirely. I spent much of my time since 1999 believing I had to keep some sort of secret or something. I asked myself:

Will they ever find out that I tend to wear shorts and sandals during my business calls and videos?
Do you they know that have no interest in driving downtown for any reason at all? Including closing giant deals?

Will they be mortified if one of my little ones barges into my home office and vomits mac and cheese all over my desk in real time? Did I care even if something like that happened?

The answer to the above and many other questions, is, well, NO. I didn’t care. I don’t care today either. And I probably won’t care at any time in the future. I mean, let’s face it: Nobody I know out-works me. In fact, I haven’t been on a real vacation since the end of 2017. Oh yeah, we probably shouldn’t even count that one because I was finalizing my book, Sorry, 50 is NOT the New 30, during that trip.

I look around and see Congress on break most of the calendar year. I see neighbors who can barely roll out of bed by noon and spend their weeknights getting high and drinking all night. I come across those on social media pretending they’re working, but still, can’t figure out what they’re even working on. Working on their tans?

I suppose, though, it took the Covid pandemic to convince more than a few professionals to “hang up their car keys” and settle into whatever makeshift workspace they could create within their 4 walls. And looking around, it’s hard to see many other benefits of this whole health scare period in the United States and beyond.

However, one thing I do know is the cottage industry is here to stay and that’s a good thing because it will keep me plugging along, my sanity in check, and, of course, my dry-cleaning bill will remain where it belongs – in the home office shredder! Ciao!

So, what’s your story?

We’ll catch up with you again in about 30 days … I’m out!

-A.N.

ENTREPRENEUR

A Closer Look

with Anthony Newcombe

Topic: The most important characteristics of an entrepreneur

Area: The impact of parents’ words on their children

en·tre·pre·neur /ˌäntrəprəˈnər,ˌäntrəprəˈno͝o(ə)r/

noun: entrepreneur; plural noun: entrepreneurs

a person who organizes and operates a business or businesses, taking on greater than normal financial risks in order to do so.

(credit: Oxford Languages)

Entrepreneur (my definition) – An entrepreneur represents many key elements wrapped into one. First and foremost, he or she must be a born leader, a person who yearns to be the most responsible party in any business decision to be made.

Characteristics of an entrepreneur

An entrepreneur is creative, highly intelligent, and motivated to succeed at a level greater than the typical wage earner. He or she understands that decision – or indecision – could mean the difference between a great idea becoming a great product, service, or organization – or just simply one of many “brainstormed ideas” that go nowhere.

Understanding …

An entrepreneur understands that he or she needs a roadmap to success. By creating a comprehensive plan of attack, the entrepreneur will now be able to take educated and informed risks because all options have been weighed prior to committing one way or another. Once all the possible angles have been carefully thought out, he or she will have shifted the odds of success as much as possible in his or her favor and will know that the time has come to seize an opportunity.

Phishing for Phools Book Review (by George Akerlof and Bob Shiller)

For additional information on this book and all others reviewed by this author, please visit:

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The gist of this book is the myriad ways in which our culture is directly and/ or indirectly affected by those who may (or may not) always have our best interests in mind.

What I liked about this book

One of the interesting references the book makes is concerning the marketing ideas conceived by a company you may be aware of, Cinnabon, as an example of luring weary (and often times hungry) air travelers by the delicacy’s notorious “scent” and how strategically placing kiosks near airport gates became an easy means of trapping the traveler while at his or her weakest emotional moments. This makes for easy prey – and astronomical profits! This would hardly be a problem but for the fact that if the traveler were thinking straight, they might realize that they are about to scarf down over 800 calories per treat! Not a good trade-off for a momentary fill.

It’s funny, but this reminds me of a similar situation I encounter often when I pick my children up from school in the afternoon. I noticed about 10-15 minutes prior to the bell ringing, I see an old, rickety blue ice cream truck ripping around the corner to secure the most strategically-located spot for the schoolchildren (soon to be excused by the bell – which I’m sure he knows the exact time it is scheduled to occur). What is even more peculiar (and a bonus to Mr. Ice Cream) is not only how easy the pickings are with the kids, but because we live in a very hot and dry area, he even corrals more than a few of the “big kids” (i.e. the parents) who cannot resist the chance to grab some ice cold sugar for a quick fix. Well, so much for that early morning workout in the park, right?

Whether we are talking about a multi-million dollar franchise pushing high fat, sugary items our way at our weakest moments, or a barely solvent ice cream pusher capitalizing on our child-like tendencies, both are clear examples of how to enact a sneaky yet highly effective method to lure us into parting with our money and blowing up our bellies in the process “without thought.” Though all is perfectly legal, it is proof of the concept of baiting the weak and “phishing for phools!”

What I did NOT like about this book…

Nothing! It’s an excellent read with many interesting points made.

Whom do I recommend should read this book

This is a great book for anyone who enjoys a quick and enjoyable read. It is good for all ages and would even work well entered into a bibliography for any book or book report in the area of psychology or the use of subliminal marketing techniques with respect to how we are easily ( and often negatively) influenced by others in our daily decisions.