Help Wanted

There are some bizarre headlines making the rounds in business news... but, beyond the headlines, there are some important lessons on knowing your customer, personal branding, and how to collaborate meaningfully. Today, Jason and Nicole mine those lessons from the weirdo headlines.

There are lots of resources for taking care of your career after you've been laid off, but there are far fewer resources for taking care of yourself after a layoff. Today, Jason and Nicole call up podcaster and emotional investigative journalist Yowei Shaw to talk about exactly this. Yowei talks about how surprised she was by how bad she felt when she was laid off and what she did to make herself start to feel better.Listen to Yowei's awesome podcast Proxy here: https://www.proxypodcast.com/Watch Yowei's epic Kleenex pole dancing video here: https://www.instagram.com/p/C7Uhu3OOxaj/

Your comfort zone can also be a trap. It’s too easy to stick with what you know. Why make yourself uncomfortable? Today, Jason will give you the trick that he has used to propel himself into the unknown.

There are some wild stories in business news right now: a guy is suing a company because he misses his wife, a beer company blamed its stock performance on the weather and an airline is throwing it back to third grade and making a doctor's note a prerequisite for sick days. But these stories are not just weird headlines— there are business lessons too, if you know where to look. Today, Jason and Nicole find the unexpected advice and give you the diamonds from the rough.

You can't say yes to every opportunity, which begs the question: When should you say no?Today, Jason will give you an answer. It’s a simple framework that he learned from Brian Lee, the cofounder of LegalZoom. And he learned it by accidentally almost killing the company. Now you can benefit from his mistake.

Today, Jason tells Nicole a story of a very recent— and very public— failure. He explains what happened, how he panicked, and ultimately, what advice he got from a friend that made him feel better.

You have the right stuff: You’re talented, smart, and good at what you do. But the right people aren’t noticing. So here’s a difficult truth you must take seriously: you are a high-quality person, but you can’t compete on quality alone. Today, Jason shows you how to get noticed another way. 

Jason and Nicole got a wonderfully crafted piece of constructive criticism from a listener: they swear too much on the show! Today, Nicole and Jason explain how they decided where to draw their line when it comes to swearing— and they teach you how to calibrate the trade-off between raw personality and professionalism.

Misunderstandings often arise from vague requests. A recent breakfast order mishap sparked a realization about asking for what you truly want. Clarity in communication is essential; bundling irrelevant details can cloud intentions. By defining your goals before making requests, you can significantly improve interactions. Also, the podcast offers strategies for effective questioning that lead to better relationships and problem-solving. Want to become someone's hero? It starts with asking the right way!

Today’s caller has been slowly increasing her rates over time with market trends—except for one of her earliest clients, who's still paying the same old low pricing. She knows it’s time to raise those rates, but the thought of having that conversation is totally stressing her out. Today, Jason and Nicole give her strategies to help her feel more comfortable with having the conversation successfully.