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

The first ninety seconds decide whether a stain comes out

What to do the moment it happens, which four stain families you're dealing with, and the one mistake that makes a mark permanent.

GuideStartupsRay OkonkwoSep 22, 20265 min

Write the breakup clause before you write the logo

Most business partnerships between friends fail quietly, and the friendship goes with them. The paperwork you avoid is the paperwork that saves both.

Ask BRO

Build me a 30-day training plan around two sessions a week

Ask it

GuideBusinessRay OkonkwoSep 22, 20265 min

Read your own profit and loss in ten minutes a month

The bottom line tells you something is wrong. It never tells you what. Read the statement in this order and it will.

Shirts.com — Design it with AI. Wear it this week.

PartnerShirts.com

Skills5 min read

Iron a dress shirt properly in four minutes

The order matters more than the speed. Collar, cuffs, sleeves, back, fronts — and the shirt should still be slightly damp when you start.

Poll

What was your first ever job?

GuideStartupsRay OkonkwoSep 22, 20266 min

The paperwork you can't skip in your first year

Most of it takes a weekend. Skipping it turns a slow month into a business-ending one, usually about fourteen months in.

GuideBusinessRay OkonkwoSep 22, 20266 min

What to file before your first employee starts

The order of operations for hiring employee number one, the forms that have real deadlines, and the mistakes that cost the most to unwind.

Delicious.com — Nine thousand recipes and a plan for tonight

PartnerDelicious.com

GuideSkillsSam OrtizSep 22, 20266 min

How to complain so the thing actually gets fixed

The calm, specific, written way to get a refund, a repair or an apology — and the escalation ladder that works when the first person says no.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

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

GuideStartupsRay OkonkwoSep 22, 20265 min

Find ten customers before you build anything

The cheapest way to kill a bad business idea is to try to sell it before it exists. Most people skip this and pay for it later.

GuideBusinessRay OkonkwoSep 22, 20266 min

How to fire someone without wrecking them or your team

The decision is the easy part. The fifteen minutes, the paperwork and the week afterward are where most managers fall apart.

Ask BRO

Build me a revision plan that I will actually stick to

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GuideSkillsRay OkonkwoSep 22, 20266 min

Negotiating a car price without any of the theater

Most of the work happens by email, days before you ever sit down in the chair with a salesperson.

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

PartnerNames.com

GuideStartupsRay OkonkwoSep 22, 20266 min

How to price trade work without guessing

Most trade businesses that fold aren't short of work. They're short of margin, because nobody ever worked out what an hour actually costs.

Poll

Where does your phone charge overnight?

GuideMoneyRay OkonkwoSep 22, 20265 min

Your payslip, your tax code, and where the money went

Most people check the bottom number and file the rest. The other lines are where the errors hide, and they're usually yours to catch.

GuideSkillsMarcus ValeSep 22, 20266 min

How to do CPR now, and what changed since your last class

Most of what you were taught a decade ago has been simplified, and the parts people get wrong are the parts that matter most.

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

PartnerCoconut.com

GuideStartupsRay OkonkwoSep 22, 20265 min

How to Run a One-Man Business That Doesn't Eat Your Family

Solo businesses fail two ways: they go broke, or they survive by quietly consuming everything at home. You can design against both.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

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

Money6 min

What to do with a lump sum before it quietly disappears

Skills6 min

The six multimeter checks that solve most problems

Ask BRO

What should I wear to this?

Ask it

GuideStartupsRay OkonkwoSep 22, 20266 min

Quit when the work is already there, not before

The honest test for leaving a paycheck to run your own service business, and the seasons when staying put is the braver call.

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

PartnerGermProof.com

Crypto6 min read

Holding your own crypto without losing it to your own mistake

Hackers aren't what wipes most people out. A bad backup, an untested restore, and one rushed transaction are.

Poll

Where does your phone charge overnight?

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