Category: Career

The Last Tree in the desert

You can move to the middle of the desert if you want – Trouble will find you — YNOT!   There were two kinds of people in this world. Those who go looking for trouble and those who stayed home and waited for trouble to find them. When I was a kid, especially around Cubans, I would sometimes hear the expression, “La última Coca-Cola del desierto.” The last Coca-Cola in the desert. It was a way of saying somebody thought they were pretty damn special. The one and only. The rare item. The center of the universe. Well, this is … Continue readingThe Last Tree in the desert

A tale of an immigrant, a teenaged mother, and one of the Riches men on Earth

  You don’t need Socialism or Communism. You have freedom and  opportunity – All you need is hard work, get the education, and a stubborn refusal to quit. — YNOT! There is a popular American habit of looking at a billionaire and assuming he must have begun life sitting on a velvet cushion, eating strawberries handed to him by a servant. Sometimes that is true. But not most of the time, most of the time it goes like this. Sometimes the story begins with a pregnant 17-year-old girl being told she ought to go away. In 1964, Jacklyn Gise … Continue readingA tale of an immigrant, a teenaged mother, and one of the Riches men on Earth

Can a Grocery Store Really Turn Baggers Into Millionaires?

“Build your empire on leverage and hype, and you’ll die when leverage and hype turn on you. Live by the sword, die by the sword.”– YNOT! We talk a lot about the future here — the good, the bad, and the ugly. AI replacing jobs. Corporations squeezing margins. Shareholders demanding blood every quarter. But today, let’s go back. Back almost 100 years ago. Back to the start and growth of a company that, to this day, operates differently than almost everyone else in its industry. And then we’re going to compare it to its normal competitors. If you have … Continue readingCan a Grocery Store Really Turn Baggers Into Millionaires?

🌊 What If “Be Like Water” Is the Most Dangerous Business Advice Ever Given?

“Empty your mind. Be formless, shapeless — like water. You put water into a cup, it becomes the cup.  You put it in a bottle, it becomes the bottle. Now water can flow or it can crash Be water, my friend.”  — Bruce Lee Most people think “Be like water” is something you print on a yoga mat. It isn’t. It’s economic advice. It’s career advice. It’s survival advice. And it came from Bruce Lee, who understood something most executives, politicians, and overconfident entrepreneurs still don’t. Now let’s talk about what that really means in 2026. 🧠 Empty Your … Continue reading🌊 What If “Be Like Water” Is the Most Dangerous Business Advice Ever Given?

🎸 The Rockstar Way: Turning Work Into a Stage and Leadership Into a Performance

“Thunder is good, thunder is impressive; but it’s lightning that does the work.” – YNOT Once upon a Monday, somewhere between a burnt coffee and a board meeting, an ordinary professional decided they were done being background music. They wanted to headline. They didn’t trade their guitar for a briefcase — they tuned it to a different frequency. Becoming a Rockstar in the business world isn’t about fame or screaming fans; it’s about showing up with rhythm, resonance, and raw authenticity. It’s about walking into every room like the stage is yours — not out of ego, but because … Continue reading🎸 The Rockstar Way: Turning Work Into a Stage and Leadership Into a Performance

Quitting Your Day Job: A Guide for Bold Escape Artists

“A steady paycheck is a fine thing—like a warm blanket on a cold night. But it can also be a snug cocoon that forgets you were born with wings.” If you still punch another person’s clock, you’ve likely day‑dreamed of quitting to work for yourself. If you already made the leap—congratulations. Hand this to a friend who’s pacing the diving board. For everyone else standing with toes curled over the edge, here’s a clear, boots‑on‑the‑ground plan to cross the river without drowning your hat. The Honest Ledger: Job vs. Your Own Shop The job (not all bad): Predictable check … Continue readingQuitting Your Day Job: A Guide for Bold Escape Artists

The Hidden Cost of Wearing Too Many Hats – Multi-Role Personnel

Progress these days looks a lot like juggling knives while riding a unicycle. Companies cut staff, slap an “AI-powered” sticker on the door, and declare victory. But what actually happens is the accounts payable clerk suddenly chasing overdue invoices, the IT guy moonlighting as a cybersecurity officer, and the accountant pounding phones like a debt collector. It’s not efficiency, it’s desperation dressed up as strategy. And while the boardroom applauds the payroll savings, the cracks are already forming under the surface. The Business Point Why It Happens Cost pressures: Companies see payroll as the biggest expense to trim. AI … Continue readingThe Hidden Cost of Wearing Too Many Hats – Multi-Role Personnel

Chasing Unicorns: The Myth, the Magic, and the Mindset

Now, I ain’t one to go chasing fairy tales—unless, of course, they’re prancing around with a horn on their head and a billion-dollar valuation on their back. These days, folks don’t dream of white picket fences or a good retirement plan. No sir, they’re out hunting unicorns. In love, in business, in life—everybody wants the rare, the perfect, the impossible. Trouble is, most wouldn’t recognize one if it danced a jig on their front lawn. And if they did, they’d probably try to monetize it, date it, or put it on LinkedIn. So here’s the rub: chasing unicorns might … Continue readingChasing Unicorns: The Myth, the Magic, and the Mindset

The Rise of AI Coders: Revolutionizing Software Engineering or Just Another Tool?

AI and the Future of Software Engineering: A Paradigm Shift Sam Altman’s recent discussion at Tokyo University shed light on the rapid advancements in AI coding capabilities, with OpenAI’s internal models climbing from the millionth best coder to the top 50 and potentially reaching the number one spot by the end of 2025. This remarkable trajectory raises fundamental questions about AI’s role in programming and its impact on the software engineering profession. The Evolution of AI in Programming Early AI Models: Initially, AI reasoning models ranked as the millionth best coder, a relatively unimpressive level. Significant Milestones: By late … Continue readingThe Rise of AI Coders: Revolutionizing Software Engineering or Just Another Tool?