RATLINKS: ALL GAS NO BREAKS
Finding passion within yourself
Happy New Year Ratlinks readers May you have a bright 2024!
I remember 2023 like it was yesterday, but if you are a bit hazy, the below visualization should at least remind you of a few topics that we cared enough about to investigate further.
I must be getting old because I was unaware of many of these trends in my advancing age.
OPEN YOUR MIND
Twenty-one years from now is 2045
2045 feels distant yet oddly within reach—like a sci-fi movie that's playing out in real time. It's the kind of year that comes replete with flying cars and robot butlers in pop culture, but in reality, will probably entail us still scrolling through social media on slightly more advanced smartphones.
How old will you be?
Mathematically speaking, it's a calculation sure to evoke a knee-jerk cringe. Yet, isn't there something poetic about aging alongside the innovations and follies of our times? The silver in your hair reflecting the sheen of a brave new world.
What will the world look like?
Both knowable and unknowably rich in potential. Will the Dow Jones scale new heights or will cryptocurrency finally crypt-ify all our fiscal fantasies? Will climate change have rewritten the rules of the game, with some of us telecommuting from our homes underwater—thanks to unprecedented real estate trends of subaquatic living?
What will become of your life?
Grip the reins tightly, for this is a beast both tamed and wild. Your career could see you swap suits for holographic projectors, and your hobbies might evolve from quaint pastimes to streams of passive income because why not monetize your passion for bonsai tree shaping?
The turn of the calendar is a fleeting moment where we dare to reinvent our trajectory. The top 3 most common New Year’s resolutions remain tenaciously relevant:
Lose Weight - Because self-improvement is eternal.
Exercise More - For the endorphin rush beats any app notification.
Save Money - In a nod to future you, who'll hopefully thank past you.
I shun the term 'resolutions' for their brittle connotations. Instead, I subscribe to the practice of forming New Year's rituals—good habits engraved with the intent of a tattoo artist focusing on skin, except it's your daily routine that's getting inked.
The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago or today is a Chinese Proverb that plants seeds of wisdom we hope to harvest before the next iPhone release. Time, after all, is the ultimate compound interest—30 minutes of daily practice in any field germinates into a lush oasis of skill.
Thirty minutes a day morphs into 3.5 hours a week—enough to watch the director's cut of your favorite film or master that tricky yoga pose.
Three-point-five hours a week blossoms into 14 hours a month. That's approximately one waking day committed to your craft—let's bake those sourdough loaves or strum that guitar till your fingers whine for mercy.
Those 14 hours a month burgeon into 168 hours a year. We’re talking a solid week of effort. In that time mundane morphs into the extraordinary, and passions pave the way for prosperity.
To govern your future, hone a detective's eye for details that most overlook. Cultivate a sanctuary where your talents might bloom in obscurity, only to emerge—when the moment is ripe—as the finest in their field that even Lady Opportunity can't resist courting you.
Weave your hard work into the fickle fabrics of fortune, and you'll find that luck might just settle in the lining of your well-worn coat, ready to declare you the master of your fate, the heir to your destiny, and the architect of a life that, come 2045, will be the stuff of legends—or at least, a darn good blog post.
So, in this New Year, let's raise a metaphysical glass to the future—to the hours, days, and years that roll out in front of us like a red carpet, to the habits that will act as both our compass and engine and to the very human quest to leave a mark on the wall of eternity, even if it's just in sharpie.
In Niches There Are Riches
I used to enjoy watching professional wrestling, but now I find myself wrestling professionally.
Anyone can have an idea but acting on that idea is the difference between something and nothing.
In most cases our biggest regrets turn out to be acts of omission. It's paths not taken and they haunt us. We wonder what would have happened.
Life is about making choices that maximize your happiness. It is up to you if the result is momentary or long-term.
The idea of being a writer once seemed like an admirable and ambitious goal. I started this newsletter over five years ago in an attempt to achieve that goal. This deliberate practice has led to over 60 different iterations of Ratlinks and with the help of AI, led to the creation of a Ratlinks long-form publishing imprint launching with three original short stories:
At the center of our mirth-filled melee stands the newly minted owner of the New York Knicks, Alexandra "Alex" Wexler, who finds herself dribbling through the courts of divorce and basketball business.
In a quaint New England town, the arrival of the serene autumn is disrupted by a strange phenomenon people start to go completely silent, one by one.
James Donahue is a titan of industry revered and feared businessman whose name is synonymous with unbridled ambition. Faced with his mortality, his empire of wealth and power suddenly seems feeble. James experiences a profound reevaluation of his life's priorities.
To learn more about this process see Ratlinks: Writers Block of Text or reply to this email.
Strategic Scaling of Fermented Beverages
Consider this scenario: Your homemade kombucha has become a local hit, with a flavor that's second to none. You've established a small fan base by giving samples to friends and neighbors, resulting in positive feedback and the suggestion that you should monetize it. You take the plunge and start selling at the local farmers market and through a few nearby cafes.
Before long, your efforts are rewarded with a steady stream of revenue, prompting a move to a commercial kitchen to adhere to regulations and manage the growing production. However, you soon discover that your current model has its limits — your market reach is maxed out, and your direct-to-consumer channels are plateauing due to competition and the finite nature of customer acquisition through advertising.
This juncture is a crucial decision point. You could double down on your current strategy, continuing to serve a niche market where exclusivity and higher margins create a sustainable business model that aligns with your personal involvement and satisfaction in the craft.
When you consider scaling up through wholesale, the arithmetic of business growth becomes unavoidably clear. Onboarding a full-time employee for sales, marketing, or production support, acquiring the necessary equipment for scaling up production, and moving to a more permanent facility — these decisions are not trivial and require a significant upfront investment.
To merely offset these costs, you must generate far more in sales even if you're operating at a healthy 50% margin. This requirement means immediately increasing your capacity and sales just to break even, which may not translate into direct profitability in the short term.
In addition you risk taking all the fun out of something you love, instead love the plateau.
To love the plateau is to love the eternal now, to enjoy the inevitable spurts of progress and the fruits of accomplishment, and then serenely to accept the new plateau that waits just beyond them. To love the plateau is to love what is most essential and enduring in your life.
Instead of trying to grow traditionally think about alternate routes to market and different ways to grow. This is often this is an ideal situation and a springboard to larger non-conventional growth.
For example, get to consumers to try your product on someone else’s dime. Find a way to have the purchase made not by the end consumer, but by a provider that is willing to purchase in larger volumes.
Win a contract for an airport members lounge, or one that supplies to catering companies on independent film sets (think craft services).
Be the brand that is stocked at corporate offices.
Find a local restaurant, or chain, and become the in-house brand.
By thinking creatively and pursuing partnerships that can supplement traditional growth strategies, you can carve out a unique niche for your brand and foster a broader base of enthusiastic supporters. The plateau is not a place to rest — it's a foundation for building a path that winds toward new horizons and expansive growth, all on your terms.
May fate be on your side and fortune favor you in whatever endeavors you pursue.
Have a bright 2024 and thanks for reading.
