We’re breaking new ground here – Joel is recording from his couch rather than his desk. These are exciting times, indeed. Joel and Chris also have a discussion about the value of cost-cutting versus purely trying to increase revenue. While costs can only be decreased, so much and revenue has a near-infinite ceiling of possibility, there’s a lot more evaluation that should be done on whether you really need to be spending as much as you are.

Quotes

• “Two business buds in a bod.”
• “It’s much easier to cut costs than grow revenue.”
• “How much business are we doing to impress other people and how much are we doing to meet our own goals?”
• “You heard it here first, folks: Joel thinks that’s lame.”
• “Stop listening, ya dinguses.”

Gear Picks

• Swingline Standard Stapler Value Pack
• Belkin Standard Mousepad
• AmazonBasics 92 Bright Multipurpose Copy Paper
• Origin by Dan Brown

Joel wants to do another show-in-a-show. But he’s spent too much energy this week fighting a certain Canadian postal service provider to do that, so let’s talk about management, leadership, and emotions instead!

Quotes

• “We’re all part of the royal family up here in Canada.”
• “Come-at-all-angles Kelly”
• “It’s my fault for having expectations.”
• “Solicit feedback from your team but don’t take it personally.”

Talking Points

• Ask a Manager

Gear Picks

• The Business of Consulting: The Basics and Beyond by Elaine Biech
• Wilton Holiday Grippy Cookie Cutters
• Nordic Ware Aluminum Baker’s Half Sheet

Oh, you thought NARJ was going to be 100% about business 100% of the time now that it’s back to a weekly schedule? Well, you thought wrong. This episode is mostly about Chris and Joel watching other people play a video game. But don’t fret, it does circle back to business eventually.

Quotes

• “What makes the video series beautiful is that they’re bad at it.”
• “I am definitely in the camp that there’s nothing weirder about watching someone play a video game on the internet than watching someone play a sport on the TV.”
• “It tends to be better to be known and judged for the things you contribute to the world than the things you take from the world.”
• “How much do you want to stake your happiness on the decisions of others?”
• “Don’t negotiate on price, negotiate on value.”

Talking Points

• Awful Squad – YouTube Playlist

Gear Picks

• From a Certain Point of View Star Wars short story anthology
• iHome ISP6W Smart Plug

Chris and Joel are keeping good on their promise to record regularly and talk about their experiences as business boys. Joel, specifically, has also increased his abilities at being a web boy and now has a shiny-new updated website. But is including pricing on your site a good idea? It’s certainly not common practice, and these two business boys discuss why!

Quotes

• “My strategy for avoiding obligations was to not take any on.”
• “The earth is one big hill and we all die on it.”
• “What really sucked was telling a client they can’t afford us.”
• “The drive to build something is so strong, it still requires thought and effort every day to avoid building a large company.”

Talking Points

• Paul Jarvis – “I don’t actually care about growth”
• The Family Knife
• Pop Culture Detective – “The Case Against The Jedi Order”

Gear Picks

• The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love by bell hooks
• Eleanor Roosevelt Vol 1 by Blanche Wiesen Cook
• Million Dollar Consulting by Alan Weiss