You're desperate for a beta reader – someone to look over your completed manuscript and tell you what works and what doesn't. You've asked your work colleagues; those strange people across the street; the cat next door. Each and every one of them gave you an emphatic no. Now there's just one choice left. Ok, two. A friend or a relative. So you approach one of them and ask the dreaded question. “I've just finished writing this book. Would you be willing to look over the fi

The pitfalls of starting a business based on your argument with someone at the bus stop.

Two lessons taught with very different outcomes At primary school you attend every lesson, on time, and you are the most obedient child in the class. You love school and school loves you. Your teachers think you are a wonder child. The other kids give you those side looks. New, but not irritating enough to beat up. Strange accent, but not unpleasant. Sounds American. You keep being asked the answer to questions. You know them all. It’s boring. One day, for the first time in y

For anyone on the planet who lives in a town or city, if they've not heard of Eric Yuan, they've very likely heard of Zoom. Zoom is one of the leaders in video conferencing software and was founded in 2011 by the billionaire Chinese-American. Married at 22 to his sweetheart, Sherry, his inspiration for Zoom originated from the ten-hour journeys he took twice a year to see her. Yuan's love-sickness turned out to be a boon for our mental health. During the pandemic that 2020, w

The real obstacles facing the Black Lives Matter movement Since the murder of George Floyd by police officer Edward Chauvin in...