The Self-Employed Man

Be your own boss and still pay the bills: clients, pricing, taxes, tools and time for your family.

The BRO Code. What to do, what not to do, and a few laughs on the way.

Do's & Don'ts: Men Do's & Don'ts: Business Owners

Read the medical bill line by line before you pay a dollar

The first piece of paper the hospital sends you isn't a bill. It's an opening offer, and it's usually wrong in their favor.

GuideStartupsRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20266 min

Ask for the review before you pull out of the driveway

The two-minute window after the job ends is worth more than every follow-up email you'll ever send. Use it, and stay on the right side of the rules.

Ask BRO

Build me a revision plan that I will actually stick to

Ask it

GuideSkillsWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

Read a map and compass in the order you actually use them

Set declination, orient the map, walk a bearing, and find yourself again when the trail disappears. No battery required.

Names.com — The name is the first thing you sell

PartnerNames.com

Business5 min read

Where AI Saves Your Small Business Time and Where It Doesn't

A simple test for every tool you're being sold, plus the jobs it genuinely handles and the ones it'll quietly cost you money on.

Poll

Where does your phone charge overnight?

GuideStartupsRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20266 min

Starting a Handyman Business Without Getting Fined

Licensing thresholds, the four holes in a cheap liability policy, and why hourly pricing quietly bankrupts good handymen.

GuideSkillsCal BrennanSep 23, 20265 min

Spotting a stroke or a heart attack in the first ten minutes

What to look for, what to say on the phone, and the four things to do before the ambulance turns onto your street.

Coconut.com — Tell us when. We find where the sun is.

PartnerCoconut.com

GuideBusinessRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20265 min

Delegating When You're Convinced Nobody Else Can Do It

Track two weeks, price your hour, hand off the boring thing first, and budget for the mistakes that come with it.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

Five questions, honestly answered, and a plan for the next two weeks.

GuideStartupsRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20266 min

Write Your Quotes So The Job Can't Come Back On You

The number is the smallest part of a quote. The scope, the exclusions and the change-order line are what keep a good job from turning into a fight.

GuideSkillsWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

Reset the breaker, then find out why it tripped

Flipping it back on takes ten seconds. Knowing what made it trip is the part that keeps your house standing.

Ask BRO

What should I wear to this?

Ask it

GuideMoneyRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20266 min

Your Beneficiary Form Beats Your Will

Most of what you own won't pass through your will at all, and the paperwork that actually controls it takes twenty minutes to fix.

GermProof.com — An invisible germ barrier on your skin for hours

PartnerGermProof.com

GuideBusinessRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20265 min

The culture you tolerate is the culture you have

Values on the wall don't build a company. What you reward, repeat and refuse to put up with does. Here's how to set it on purpose.

Poll

How often do you see your closest friends?

GuideSkillsWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

Sharpen a chainsaw chain by hand, in the right order

If your saw is throwing dust instead of chips, ten minutes with a round file will give you back a saw that pulls itself into the wood.

GuideMoneyRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20265 min

When to do your own taxes and when to pay somebody

The test isn't how smart you are. It's whether your return contains judgment calls, and how many Saturdays you're willing to burn finding out.

CancerDefying.com — The research, protocols and reading in one place

PartnerCancerDefying.com

GuideBusinessRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20266 min

The insurance policies a small company actually needs

Four policies carry almost all the risk, two more catch what they miss, and one clause in the property form can gut a claim you thought was covered.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

Six questions. No email required, no sales pitch at the end.

Startups6 min

Start Mowing With One Truck And One Trailer

News5 min

Doctors Who Won't Take Part in MAID Still Have to Refer

Ask BRO

Pressure-test my business idea

Ask it

GuideBusinessRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20266 min

Run a meeting that ends on time with the decision made

Put the decision in the invite title, name who decides, and stop recapping for people who showed up late. The rest is housekeeping.

PartnerWhackAWoke.com

Startups5 min read

Open the business account before you take the first dollar

A free EIN, one checking account and twenty minutes every Friday is the whole system. Skip it and you'll pay for it in April, with interest.

Poll

How often do you see your closest friends?

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