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

Grown men make friends shoulder to shoulder

Texting "we should grab coffee sometime" has never once produced a friend. A Tuesday night league with a scoreboard does it in about six weeks.

GuideFitnessCal BrennanSep 23, 20266 min

Quitting the vape when you've got a job and kids

What's actually known about the risks, why dual use is the trap, and a quit plan that survives a Tuesday with a sick kid and a 6 a.m. alarm.

Ask BRO

Build me a revision plan that I will actually stick to

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GuideBRO for HerNina CastellanSep 23, 20265 min

Be the friend who comes back on day nine

Meals flood in for a week and then stop cold. Real friendship is the text on week five and the trash cans nobody else remembered.

Dude.com — 16 AI advisers who listen, talk and are here with you

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Be a Man6 min read

Say the hard thing once, then be his friend again

The window is short, the speech is about three sentences long, and the part most men botch is what they do for the next month.

Poll

Where does your best time with your kids happen?

GuideFitnessCal BrennanSep 23, 20266 min

What OCD actually looks like when you've got a job and kids

It's rarely the neat sock drawer. It's the fourth trip back to the stove, the 2 a.m. mental replay, and the question you ask your spouse twice.

GuideWoodworkingDean ShawSep 23, 20266 min

Five tools, five projects, and the order to do them in

Buy the circular saw before the miter saw, build the tool tote before the table, and don't let anybody sell you a router yet.

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

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GuideBe a ManCal BrennanSep 23, 20265 min

What to say when your buddy's life comes apart

Skip "you good?" It's a question he can dodge, and he will. Say what you noticed instead, then plan to still be there on day twelve.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

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

GuideFitnessCal BrennanSep 23, 20266 min

How a two-week painkiller script becomes a two-year problem

Dependence usually starts with real pain, a busy week and a refill nobody questioned. Know where the exits are before you need one.

GuideWoodworkingDean ShawSep 23, 20266 min

Three builds with your kids and who does what on each

A cutting board, a birdhouse and a bookshelf, and the exact jobs you can hand a kid on each one without wrecking the project.

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What should I wear to this?

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GuideHobbiesNina CastellanSep 23, 20266 min

Hobbies That Get You Out of the House and Into a Real Group

Six hobbies with a standing meeting time, a beginner on-ramp and gear under $200, plus how to find the local group this week.

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

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GuideFitnessCal BrennanSep 23, 20266 min

How to ride out a panic attack without making it worse

Your body just fired a fire alarm with no fire. Knowing what's actually happening cuts the whole thing shorter.

Poll

What was your first ever job?

GuideWoodworkingDean ShawSep 23, 20265 min

Charge for your shop time or you're paying to work

A pricing formula that survives contact with real customers, plus how to take a custom order without getting stuck building somebody's idea for free.

GuideHobbiesNina CastellanSep 23, 20266 min

Start Painting With Watercolors for About Sixty Dollars

A pad of paper, three tubes of paint and one good brush will get you further than a 48-color set ever will. Start tonight.

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

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GuideFitnessCal BrennanSep 23, 20266 min

The first therapy session is mostly logistics and one real question

Fifty minutes, a clipboard, and a stranger asking why now. What to expect, what to ask, and how to know after four sessions if it's working.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

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

BRO for Her6 min

Cut the word sorry and speak in the first eight minutes

Hobbies6 min

Start Welding in Your Garage With a Flux-Core Machine

Ask BRO

Pressure-test my business idea

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GuideFitnessCal BrennanSep 23, 20266 min

Winter flattens people and morning light is the lever

Why the dark months drain you, how to use light before 9 a.m., and the training plan that survives a season when nothing else does.

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

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BRO for Her6 min read

Filters buy you time, the talks do the actual work

A practical pass at the router, the accounts and the apps your kids actually use, plus the exact things to say when a filter can't help.

Poll

What was your first ever job?

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