Do you think about whenever you wake up? No. Your mind already knows what you will be doing for the day. Your mind is formed by the habits every morning. 
Habits play a very important role in our life. Habits can control most of your life outcome. You become controlled by your habits, but of course, you can always change the situation and be the organizer of your day. Shaping habits could be very hard, but everything is possible is you are persistent and you are ready to spend time to form new habits. 
It takes about 21 days to form a new habit. It might be long, but it is definitely worth it. If you can form good habits to support yourself and help you succeed in goal, it will be worthwhile. 
Here are 5 tips on forming habits:
1. Make "micro quotas" and "macro goals"
In a fascinating study on motivation, researchers found abstract thinking to be an effective method to help with discipline. In the most basic sense, "dreaming big" is a pretty good advice after all. There are a lot of researches around self-determination theory which show that creating intrinsic motivators (being motivated to do things internally, not through punishments or rewards) is an essential process of building habits that stick. It is important to find a way to balance this desire to dream big with your day-to-day chores, which often do not result in quick dramatic changes. 
The answer is to create what "micro quotas" and "macro goals." Your goals should be the big picture items that you wish to someday accomplish, but your quotas, are the minimum amounts of work that you must get done every single day to make the bigger goal a reality. Quotas make each day approachable, and your goals become achievable because of this. 
Nathan Barry, a writer, has made a great case study of the use of these quotas as someone who forced himself to write 1000 words per day come hell or high water. The result was three self-published books resulting in thousands of dollars in sales. 
2. Create behavior chains
Creating sticky habits is far easier when we make use of our current routines, instead of trying to fight them. The concept of if-then planning is built around environmental "triggers" that we can use to let us know that it is time to act on our habit. For example, create an environment that is a trigger for you to get to work. A coworking space might just be perfect for that. As you arrive at a coworking space, it triggers the habit to work. 
3. Eliminate excessive options
It might be boring to not have too many choices in life, but there could be great power in it. One's brain is only capable of making so many choices per day and eliminating choices could help with decision making according to a research by Kathleen Vohs and her colleagues. 
President Barack Obama was a great example for this study. He stated in an interview, "I am trying to pare down decisions. I don't want to make too many decisions about what I'm eating or wearing. Because I have too many other decisions to make."
So, being boring might be great in maintaining a habitual life. Cut out unnecessary choices to live a more effective disciplined life. 
4. Process plan (but don't fantasize) 
The step that many people skip when they fantasize about building a certain habit is they never clearly answer why they want the change to occur. It may seem like a small detail, but it plays a huge role in keeping motivation for change up over the course of changing habits. BUT research shows us that excessive fantasizing about results can be extremely detrimental to the stickiness of any habit. It is time to set the expectations realistic. 
5. Stick to Your Habits
It is really hard to make the new habit stays most of the time. Ever told yourself you would be at the gym in the new year and never stuck to that habit?
Ramit Sethi found a solution to his own gym problem by simply finding where things will slip. 
"When I sat down to analyze why I wasn't going to the gym, I realized: my closet was in another room. That meant I had to walk out in the cold to put on my clothes. It was easier to just stay in bed. Once I realized this, I folded my clothes and shoes the night before. When I woke up the next morning, I would roll over and see my gym clothes sitting on the floor. The result? My gym attendance soared by over 300%. 
Find the failing factor to make your habits stick. 

​Make sure to make your new habits stick this year! 

Every year, millions of “startups” are founded around the world. A handful of those will be lucky enough to take on funding, hire talented employees, and eventually go public or get acquired.   

While there are an infinite number of details that go into making this dream a reality, one critical detail is setting up your company’s cap table. Before you do, you’ll want to familiarize yourself with key terms around equity and basic cap table structure.

A cap table is a company’s record of ownership percentages; the cap table changes over time as a result of different financing events and company growth. Historically, the cap table has been tracked in Excel. Today, there are software platforms (like Carta) that can automate the management and compliance checks associated with your cap table. Leveraging software will help ensure accuracy, cut down on maintenance time, minimize expensive legal fees, and ensure you have proper historical data as you grow.

As a startup founder, these are 5 key milestones that will impact your cap table from founding to IPO:

1. Founder’s Stock - The initial names on a company’s cap table are it’s founders. At the outset, the value of founder’s stock is generally close to nothing, but if the value of the company increases quickly founders will need the proper documents in place to ensure tax compliance. If there are co-founders, important conversations on ownership percentages will need to occur to make sure that everyone is in agreement on equity stakes prior to raising capital or hiring employees.
2. Early Investors - Raising capital with early investors will give you the runway you need to start working towards a Series A. Many startups choose to do this via a SAFE Agreement or Convertible Note. Both of these options will eventually convert to stock when the company goes through an equity round. This stock conversion will be a painful process if the cap table is not set-up properly.
3. Employees - Options have become an expected and necessary perk of working for an early stage company. If you want to bring in top-tier talent, but can’t compete with the high salaries offered by more established companies, you can add options to your compensation plan. Once you’ve added employees to your cap table, there are a lot of details that need to be tracked: the number of shares allocated to an employee option pool, vesting schedules, and post-termination exercis e windows, to name several.
4. Compliance - Now that you have the founders, investors, and employees on your cap table, there are reporting requirements you’ll need to make sure you’re compliant with: ​
a. 409a Valuation - This sets the fair market value (FMV) of your company. It’s required by the IRS annually if you’re issuing common shares. The 409a valuation has to be performed by a 3rd party valuation service, and ensures that your options are being issued at a fair value, saving employees from tax penalties.
b. Expense Reporting (or Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 718) - ASC 718 is an accounting standard for expensing stock-based compensation issued to employees. These reports will become very important when going through due diligence for an M&A or IPO.
c. 10% Shareholder - There are specific requirements around issuing equity to an employee who owns 10% or more of the total voting power across all classes of stock in a company.
d. Rule 701 - This section of the Securities Act of 1933 allows private companies to issue options without complying with federal registration requirements. However, there are specific disclosures if the equity awards exceed $5M in a 12-month period.
e. ISO/NSO Split - You cannot issue more than $100,000 in Incentive Stock Options (ISOs) to any one employee during a calendar year. If you do, the options that exceed the limit need to be issued as Nonstatutory Stock Options (NSOs). ​
5. M&A or IPO - If you’ve made it to the point where you’re considering an M&A transaction or an IPO, the last thing you want standing in your way is inaccurate or missing cap table information. There are strict due diligence processes, involving multiple parties, when preparing for these events. Having clear documentation of your capitalization history will allow you to quickly respond to questions, and ensure these events are seamless.

While proper cap table management and compliance practices are crucial to the financing, hiring, and future of your company, cap table management should never distract you from focusing on your company’s vision. Make sure you have the proper legal, administrative processes, and platforms in place now to help navigate avoidable mistakes and potentially expensive accounting reconciliations in the future.

{Disclaimer: I work for Carta, an ownership management company that automates cap table management and compliance. I am not a legal or financial advisor. I speak with hundreds of early stage companies every month about their equity structures, and how Carta can help maintain accuracy and compliance. This article is based on information I’ve gathered in my time at Carta, and in those conversations. If you’d like to know more, you can schedule a demo of Carta with me here.}

The world is changing at a rapid pace. This is filling up our world with competition and challenges as an entrepreneur. Launching a new venture means overcoming obstacles and challenges. It is a huge learning curve and hopefully, you can also grow as a person every step of the way.
At first, launching a new venture might seem daunting, and depending on the type of business you are establishing, you might face specific challenges for your business. However, some challenges around new businesses are universal such as laws, persistence, and some of the topics in this blog post.

1. Validate your idea
If your startup aims to sell a widget that the world has never seen, make sure the world, in fact, needs your widget. Perhaps it doesn’t exist yet because no one actually needs it. If it is needed, then make sure the world is willing to pay for it or there is some way of monetizing. It is your job as an entrepreneur to figure out the market for your new venture. Don’t waste your time building something that no one wants. With the 21st century, it is easier than ever to figure out what your customers want. Market research doesn’t need to be expensive. You could start by asking your friends, but make sure they are friends who are brutally honest. Listening to feedbacks isn’t easy so prepare yourself. Another way to find people to validate your idea is to run some ads and provide some incentives for people to fill out your survey or answer your questions.
Validating your idea is super important, so make sure to put down your ego in order to build a product that the world needs.  


2. Go beyond the business plan
Launching a new business plan is more than preparing a business plan. While writing a business plan is probably helpful, the real value is not having the most perfect plan to adapt to every situation, but to just research and think about your new venture in a systematic way. The act of planning helps to think things through thoroughly as well as study and research if you are not sure of the facts. There are some entrepreneurs out there who wrote their plan at least 19 times, and that is very unnecessary as it would only lead to overthinking instead of doing.


3. Know the market
Ask questions, conduct research or gain experience to help you learn your new venture’s market inside and out. Stop being in your echo chamber and living inside your mind. Gain some perspectives so you know what your market needs. You need to understand the critical metrics of your market.


4. Choose the right business structure
It is critical to select the appropriate structure for your new venture from the very beginning because it could have legal and tax implications. The structure you choose could also ensure the success of future decisions such as raising capital or exiting the business.

5. Build the right team
Perhaps the most critical step in the evolution of your startup is assembling a team that works well together and can deliver what is necessary for your new venture. Your teammates need to share your vision and values as well as be productive together. Decision making is based on values and vision and whenever there is a disagreement, that should be ultimate way to make the right decision for the company.

Launching a new venture is more than passion. It is important to build a minimal viable product, know your market, build the right team, and work hard in launching your new venture. Hopefully, it will be a worthwhile journey for you. Good luck! ​

I get it, you’re like me - crazy, eccentric, and awesome. You work when inspiration hits you, whenever that might be.
​
In this post, I aim to give you a practical approach to getting your muse on. Any time you want it. And yes, this will work when you’re tired or unproductive. Let’s get to it!

​Being creative and productive is something that I’m sure you’d like more of. Who doesn’t?

The problem is getting there. Yes, self-reflection, mindfulness, and training your focus are something that everyone should do, but there are other things that can help, too. Other things that are much more practical and quite less time-consuming.

One such thing is framing. Framing simply means that your actions are affected by your environment. You have a tendency towards different things in different environments. Sitting on the couch might get you to turn on the TV, riding the tube might get you to check your phone, and you might play Clash of Clans when you’re taking a sh…ower (water resistant phones - the future is now!).

Of course, the same concept applies to work as well. If you have an office, you know it. You enter the office and it feels like work. But what if you’re not at the office? Or if you don’t like working at an office?

You still should dedicate a place to work. A place that feels like work. You’ll thank me for it in a minute.

At this point, you’re thinking “I have a good desk, a great chair, and a sweet setup” and asking yourself "Why should I bother dedicating a space only for work?" And the answer is simple - habits.

We, humans, are driven by habits. A monumental part of what you do, say, and even think is a habit. From driving a car to being an optimist - it’s all habits. That tells us two things:

1. If you don’t like something about yourself - you can change it. So much of what you do is a habit in one form or another, that gives you freedom. Changing your genes might not be safe yet, but you can change your habits and become anything* you want! (*almost, while stocks last)
2. You can exploit habits that you already have to make your life better. I have a friend that goes around the country by train to catch up with his reading - he exploits the fact that he reads better on a train.

So, what habits and creativity or productivity have in common?

Yes, you can leverage your habits to get more done and be more creative. 

Have you noticed extreme bursts of creativity when in the shower (while not playing Clash of Clans)? 

I bet you did! Showering gives your mind a space to wander and your mind automagically puts its’ creative hat on. If you’ve showered a couple of times in your life, you’ve crafted that as a habit. You can’t do one without the other.

Now, imagine having something that triggers a habit that gets you to be productive. Or creative. Even when you’re tired and don’t feel like it.

Yes, that something will be your work location.

​
First, you’ll need to establish a location and a pre-work ritual. At first, you’ll have to do those then try to be productive, but after the pattern establishes in your head, it’ll happen automatically.

Here are some tips on picking the location:

• If you’re working on a laptop, pick any physical location to sit your butt on and don’t change it for a while. Feel free to build a few of those and alternate between them, but at first, dedicate at least a month of using every single one by itself. Coworking spaces and coffee shops are a preferred location for many.
• If you play games or browse unproductive websites (no judging, I do it too) on your computer, you might want to consider a work-only machine.
• If you want to have just one computer in your house, make a separate user to work on. Maybe even get a different keyboard and mouse. Make switching them a part of the ritual.

Now, this might be enough for many, but there are cases in which the location by itself doesn’t cut it. In those cases, you can amplify the effect with a simple pre-work ritual that’ll help your brain set in the right frame of mind. Here’s how to approach that:

1. Pick a set of simple actions to perform every time before you work. Yes simple, you’re triggering a habit and potentially repeating those a few times every day so there’s no need to craft an elaborate dancing routine.
2. Perform those actions in a specific order every single time before you work.
3. Example actions might be: adjusting your seat or glasses, setting your chair to a specific height and tilt, putting on your headphones (guilty), or turning off the sound of your phone (you’ll thank me later).

So, build your ritual, pick your destination and get to work. The more you do the first part, the more you’ll associate it with being productive and creative. In no time you’ll automagically get super-productive and ultra-creative by just sitting on your couch and putting your headphones on.

Finally, you can leave the work location to the experts and visit the awesome Treehouse Society coworking space. The coffee is better than at home!

Stay Awesome,
Jordan

Christmas is coming! Do you have a freelancer on your list? We collected this list from observing freelancers who work out of Treehouse Society! Hopefully you will find this helpful as you are shopping for your freelancer friend. 
1. Coffee 

Freelancers run on coffee like everyone else. Proyecto Diaz is a great way to keep them caffeinated. They are run by people who are passionate about helping microlot farmers sell their beans to the United States. Our favorite roast is Esencia. Oh, and they made it easy this holiday season by having a holiday page! 

2. Receipt Box 

Doing taxes as a freelance is a pain, but you can help them get a healthy start by getting them a receipt box. This store sells personalized ones so they can keep the receipts all in one place! 

3. Headphones

These Mouline Pom Beanie with Headphones by Rebecca Minkoff can keep a freelancer warm while they keep themselves free from distraction in a coworking space, coffee shop, or wherever they want to work from that day. 

4. Tea 

Red Blossom Tea sells tea that have been tested to be free of chemicals. They have teas from Puerh to Green Tea to Jasmine Pearl tea. This tea shop has your freelancer covered. 

5. Pour Over Coffee Maker 

The problem of running out of coffee filter will never be an issue again with this new Bodum coffee maker. 

6. Reusable Travel Cup 

Non spilling lid, sleek body, and modern design makes this travel cup a winner for any freelancers. On top of that, Joco Cup is a tested friend. It is also made out of glass so it won't dilute the taste of your freelancer's coffee or tea. 

7. Tote Bags

Not only does a freelancer have a lot on his/ her mind. S/he probably has a lot of things to keep in a day from cameras to laptop to coffee cups to notepads. Get a tote bag for your favorite freelancer to carry everything! 

Related: Definition of a Freelancer

by Kelley Oreglia from Ann Kelley 

Are you feeling stuck with the year end to do list? You might be feeling like you need this holiday season to escape your tasks. Honestly, even if you escaped by going on a vacation, spa, binge watching the latest Netflix series, your to do list is still here.
Real talk here: spa, vacation, binge watching, and etc. are not what you need. You need a real self-care day where you take care of your to-do list because no amount of spa is going to wash your to-do list away. Taking care of your to-do list is the ultimate way of self-care.
I have met founders who are still working on their 2016 tax returns, or have been avoiding that phone call to a customer for the past 3 months. You want to avoid that thing on your list because there is a mental barrier to it. Then you start procrastinating and start doing other things that might not be high on the priority list. Then you return home physically exhausted but still feel unfulfilled as your to-do list is still there. Now, you are mentally overwhelmed and physically exhausted and maybe it is time to go to a spa or go on a vacation to escape your task. STOP! Don’t do it! Again, escaping is not going to save you. It is not real self-care. Self-care is when you finish all your tasks so you can finally relax. It sucks to be on a beach somewhere thinking about your tax return from a year ago. Trust me, I have been there.


So, a few months ago, I started a routine of having a to-do list to prioritize what needs to be done. So this is what goes down: I normally have a to-do list, and if there is an item on it that I have not crossed out in 3 days, I know I have a mental barrier to this task, and would try to eliminate the mental barrier by just easing myself out as I perform the task. Most of the time, it is emailing or calling someone. I know many people who are the same way. And maybe you are one of them who is currently overwhelmed by the thoughts of your tasks.
These are the detailed steps for getting that mental barrier out of the way.

1. Prioritize- Understand that you are not going to finish everything in your head
2. Make a to-do list to get these tasks out of your head
3. Start drinking tea, coffee, wine, or beer to get you in the right state to work
4. Take a deep breath for the more overwhelming tasks
5. Focus
6. Get it done and cross it off
7. Relax and repeat for the next week

Sounds easy right? You think you can do it? Get started! If you are having trouble, come on over to our Founders Self-Care Day to get yours started.
*You don’t have to be a founder to show up. You can be a consultant, freelancer, or anyone who just needs to come in for self-care day to get that task crossed off.

​Related: Entrepreneurship Ideas in Action

Many start a business after being sick of working for others. Many start business without knowing some of the basic rules. It might be important for you to learn some of the ground rules. Sometimes, having a successful business is not just about doing things you love, it is also about obeying certain entrepreneurial rules. 
1. Have a goal in mind
One of the first and most important rules of starting a business is to have a goal. Setting up a business and just expect success to come might be a naive move. A successful entrepreneur always have a mission statement and a goal so s/he has something to work toward. When starting your business, try to define one for your business and make sure you know what you want to achieve in a year or so. Setting a deadline for your goal is just important as setting up the goal. 
2. Your product or service must create value or solve a problem
If your product does not produce value for your customers, rethink your business. 
3. Your must know as much as you can about your target customers
Start by Googling the demographic that you are targeting. Then set up a landing page to gather emails for your target customers and start surveying them. 
4. You must have a sizeable market. 
While you are Googling about your target audience, find out the size of the demographic. You probably don't want to only sell to a couple hundred of people. 
5. You must make your target market aware of the value you have created. 
Brand awareness is important. But more importantly, make sure your target audience knows what your company provides. 
6. Delegate your tasks
No one is Superman or Wonder Woman here. Even super heroes might get tired from their tasks. Learn to delegate. You do not want to spread yourself too thin and leave the money on the table. Try to get as many people as possible with your business within your budget. Do what you know best and leave the rest to others. If you want to be planning and marketing your business, don't waste time developing the products too. Think about the best use of your time and learn to rely on others. 
7. Learn the laws of your industry
Read more relevant information here. Besides laws, learn if there are current unions and activists in the industry that your business is disrupting that could cause trouble for you. 
Review these rules of starting a business, and do not fear them. Use them as tips to guide you through your journey! 

Related: Why Coworking Space is Vital for a Solopreneur 

​


Image Source:
​https://www.flickr.com/people/notelling/

For a lot of people, November doesn't just mean the beginning of the holiday season or that time of year when it gets darker out. There are many of us who look forward to November with nervous anticipation. November 1 means it is time to write a novel in 30 days. 

30 days? Not possible, you say.

Well... It is possible! It is very possible to write 50,000 words in 30 days, which is what the National Novel Writing Month challenge, NaNoWriMo, is all about.
Started almost twenty years ago by founder Chris Baty, his fun personal challenge has become a world-wide event. There are writers scattered across almost every continent. One of the most fun things about NaNoWriMo is the friendships and conversations that develop over the month of the challenge. I have been very lucky to make some amazing, long-lasting friendships through my NaNoWriMo participation. Treehouse Society's Jenny is one of those friends.
I've participated for 13 years. Once you get started, it is hard to stop. My first year I had no idea that there was a whole community both locally and internationally to meet up with and commiserate with. 
Now I know to look forward to the annual Kick-Off Party, the weekly get togethers (write-ins) where people gather in cafes to write, and the Thank Goodness It's Over Party, usually held the first weekend in December. There is also a website; www.nanowrimo.org, where people can get advice on every aspect of their novel, figure out when local events are happening, and procrastinate by reading the hundreds of different forum threads.
November becomes a month of meeting new people, trying to juggle work, regular life and the daily task of writing at least 1,667 words. This is not high quality literature, but I cannot overstate just how absolutely fun it is to try to write a novel in such a compressed amount of time. Some Wrimos (one of many nicknames for participants) spend a lot of time outlining and planning their novels. Others start with a blank page each November 1 and hope for the best. Both methods have their pros and cons. It is always interesting to see how awry a plan can go, or how a random thought can blossom into an amazing story.
I have written hundreds of thousands of words since my first year participating. Not everything is amazing but I often find a sentence or an idea that inspires further thought and work, and that makes the challenge that much more worthwhile.
The last 8,000 words of a novel I wrote several years ago became a short story which was published in 2014. The novel I am working on 'in real life' stems from a character who randomly appeared in my 2014 November project.
The art of 30 day noveling is not for everyone. It is easy to fall behind on your word count. It is easy to lose heart and despise what you've written. But there is no better feeling than reaching 50,000 words on November 30th. 
Our regional group will be celebrating the end of NaNoWriMo with a get together at Treehouse Society on December 2, from 2 PM to 4:30 PM. 
Rachel
www.fogcitynotes.blogspot.com