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SAY WHAT?

Win an invite to today's "it" platform

The live-voice chat app, Clubhouse, is getting tons of buzz around their Series B funding. Early speculation has them valued at $1B (AKA 10X its valuation in May), making it the latest unicorn. 

Not even a year old, the app has already racked up 2M registered users - even though it's still pretty exclusive. And it's already starting to see copy-cat competitors start emerging (a-hem, Twitter’s Spaces).

Like most social platforms, the app is kinda a who's-who of high-profile celebrities and entrepreneurs. Oprah, Drake, and Marc Andreessen included. 

But Clubhouse has one thing going for it that other social platforms don't: it's not a passive experience. Once in a room, you can tune into the current conversations while scrolling casually on another app - like listening to a limited-edition podcast.

Or, you can speak up and actually be part of the conversation. Totally up to you! But first, you need an invite to get in - and luckily, we're giving one away this week...

🔥 To enter, just reply to this email with what resources you'd like to see in upcoming newsletters. We'll announce the winner in next week's newsletter!

IT'S JUST FACT

The 5 universal truths of small biz operations

We all know that the way businesses operate changed this year. But that doesn’t mean that your business playbook needs to be thrown out the window. 

Instead, it’s time to focus on what’s universally true about small business operations. Then, pivot accordingly. To help you out, here’s what universally works, operations-wise, for small businesses:

1. Looking at processes like an investment. Sure, documenting processes is a lot of work up front - but it's the only way to scale your repetitive tasks
2. Starting with your high-level goals first. AKA what is your north star metric? Then, prioritize processes that get you closer to your goal
3. Prioritizing your people operations. Start by documenting your HR functions first. That way, you can build the team the rest of your ops needs
4. Putting simplicity before systems. Meaning, if your process can’t fit on a sticky note, then it’s too complicated. Cut out the unnecessary, extra steps!
5. Not just telling your team to do things a certain way. Instead, sell them on your processes by highlighting how they will benefit from doing it that way

👉 Learn how to put these truths to use.

YOU'RE WELCOME

TikTok passes Facebook as most time-consuming app

It's not a competition - but if it was, TikTok just creamed the other social platforms. In 2020, the average TikTok user spent over 20 hours on the app monthly, up 325% over 2019. 

And the next runner up, Facebook, lags behind with users on their platform for only about 17 hours monthly. (Which, we should note, is still up about 15% compared to the year before). 

So we don't know about you, but we're definitely rethinking where our ad-spend goes. That's not to say that Facebook is dry, but it definitely shouldn't be where you're investing everything you've got! 

👉 See the full study. 

BEST PRACTICES

The right way to talk about mental health at work

Raise your hand if you can leave things at the door when you get to work! Anyone…? For most people (maybe all), this isn't possible. 

But talking about mental health still feels strictly off-limits in the workplace. Not to mention difficult. But if you're committed to your team and their wellbeing, it’s an effort well worth undertaking.

So, here are some best practices for navigating these delicate conversations at work: 

• You're allowed to initiate the conversation if you notice someone is acting a little off. Just remember tact is everything! 
• Ask open-ended questions. For example, ask: “you don’t seem yourself today - is everything okay?” Then, just listen to what they have to say 
• Take the discussion seriously. Even if you don't "get" what your team is going through, their perspectives and experiences are valid. Period.
• Remind them of what support is available (like reasonable accommodations). Plus, let them know how they can request these resources
• Remove contributing factors where you can. For example, work might not be the cause, but work stress might be a contributing factor...

👉 Get all the best practices.