The Armchair Economist’s Apprenticeship is a weekly series documenting my progress throughout my journey in the apprenticeship module of the Praxis program. I’m currently a market research analyst apprentice for Economics for Business (E4B). My position is subject to change depending on the needs of my employer. At the request of my boss, I’ll still keep mostly quiet about the details of my employer for the time being.
Week 21: September 21, 2020 – September 25, 2020
What I’m Learning:
One cool thing I learned at work last week: If you’re a social media marketer and don’t have a clue on what to post, I suggest organizing a social calendar. Consider investing in social media tools such as Sprout Social or the Preview app.
Assign each day of the week a theme such as:
Motivational Mondays
Tip Tuesdays
Workday Wednesdays
Thoughtful Thursdays
Fun Fact Fridays
Startup Sundays
Spotlight Saturdays
This is a great way to set a formula and define your company’s branding. It’ll also make your day more efficient since it takes the guesswork out of figuring out what to post.
One cool thing I learned outside of work last week: Farmers in Thailand are employing 10,000 ducks to devour crop destroying pests such as golden apple snails and clear unwanted rice husks.
It’s cost effective and efficient for the farmer and health conscious for the earth and consumer – no pesticides are used and the ducks have another perk of flattening the rice plants so that it’s easier to plow the field.
Release the quacken.
What I’m Creating:
One example of how I created value at work last week: I created a social media posting formula for E4B and I’m using my “theme” idea that I mentioned above. I presented this idea to the rest of team and they thought it was a great idea – it turns out I’m the only one on the team that knows the ins and outs of social media and they really needed my help in figuring out Twitter and Instagram.
What project I’m currently working on at my BP: I’m working on the marketing plan, contributor onboarding, and preparing for our presentation that will be unveiled at the Mises Supporters Summit.
What I’m doing to become a better version of myself overall: I’m keeping personal friendships and networking connections alive, starting with my friend and colleague, Daniel, who is working with the Blockchain Center in Miami.
The Armchair Economist’s Apprenticeship is a weekly series documenting my progress throughout my journey in the apprenticeship module of the Praxis program. I’m currently a market research analyst apprentice for Economics for Business (E4B). My position is subject to change depending on the needs of my employer. At the request of my boss, I’ll still keep mostly quiet about the details of my employer for the time being.
Week 20: September 14, 2020 – September 18, 2020
What I’m Learning:
One cool thing I learned at work last week: People want to be led and guided instead of being left to their own devices. They would rather have strict directions of what is expected of them, this is what I learned when interviewing contributors for E4B.
The desire for directions was a common response from the contributors and I think I can safely say this is a common view of the general population; people are afraid of freedom, which is actually just a form of personal responsibility, and are less likely to take full reign or ownership of their roles (perhaps out of fear of overstepping boundaries).
However, this response also signals to me that I need to also be assertive and take on a leadership role to provide specific writing formats for my contributors.
One cool thing I learned outside of work last week: I don’t know if I would call this “cool” but it’s certainly hilarious.
Hollywood, FL received a new sign welcoming visitors into their city but there was one big, hard to miss, problem. The sign was in the wrong city!
Welcome to Florida, this is actually tame in comparison to Florida Man.
What I’m Creating:
One example of how I created value at work last week: I interviewed the rest of my assigned contributors and then scheduled three more interviews with my personal contacts. All of these people will be contributors for E4B and if you’re interested in becoming one, please fill out this form. We’re looking for people who can create courses, write articles, create videos or graphics for social media, etc and relate it to a practical application of Austrian economics.
What project I’m currently working on at my BP: I’m currently working on the marketing plan which should be finished by end of next month, and I’m gathering content contributors before the Mises Supporters’ Summit so that we have something to show for when we present.
What I’m doing to become a better version of myself overall: I’m listening to podcasts again like The Tom Woods Show and Lions of Liberty, and cleaning and organizing my living spaces everyday. Doing these things helps create a routine, of which is easy to lose when working remotely.
Weekly Monday Workshop:
What Praxis Monday session did you attend last week (ie. what was the topic & who was the guest)? How to Build a Business Without a Degree with Mark Devin Bush
What was your favorite highlight from the session? I really appreciated hearing Mark’s success story and how he started rock bottom, a classic rags-to-riches story.
What was your biggest takeaway from that session? 1. Believe in yourself 2. Help people and give back – the purpose of networking is to serve others and provide value for them. 3. Understand the art of following – great leaders learn followership, e.g. Jesus, show how hard you fight for your own people/employees, and show loyalty, trust, and faith in your employees. 4. Find problems and solve them – write instruction manuals and find out what each person does in their roles, and figure out which processes can be made efficiently by automating it.
The Armchair Economist’s Apprenticeship is a weekly series documenting my progress throughout my journey in the apprenticeship module of the Praxis program. I’m currently a market research analyst apprentice for Economics for Business (E4B). My position is subject to change depending on the needs of my employer. At the request of my boss, I’ll still keep mostly quiet about the details of my employer for the time being.
Week 19: September 7, 2020 – September 11, 2020
My friends, I have exciting news to tell you!
I’m (somewhat) officially announcing who I work for! If you read the description above in italics, yes, I’m now working for Economics for Business (E4B) which is a project of the Mises Institute.
E4B was founded last year and it’s headed by Hunter Hastings of the Economics for Entrepreneurs (E4E) podcast. Our goal is to implement Austrian economics in a practical manner via entrepreneurship and to educate everyday people on how to start and sustain a business.
I’ll still keep news of my employer on the down low because I haven’t exactly gotten explicit permission to do so. When I just got hired back in May, my boss wanted me to keep quiet because he was getting inundated by emails asking him for a remote job. In the meantime I won’t be announcing this anytime soon on Facebook or LinkedIn, which means you are one of few privy to this information.
I’m thrilled and grateful to be on the E4B team!
What I’m Learning:
One cool thing I learned at work last week: I learned how to set up audio equipment for podcasting purposes. My setup is basic and affordable, all of which can be found somewhere on Amazon:
For anyone interested in doing podcasting, I recommend an audio interface that can plug into your computer via USB. There are fancier audio interfaces that requires additional equipment but those are expensive and unnecessary if you’re just doing podcasting or Zoom calls.
However, if you’re recording music or need something for a high quality production like NPR then I recommend investing in higher end stuff.
One cool thing I learned outside of work last week: A friend introduced me to an episode of Teen Titans Go, a popular superhero cartoon. Normally this show is about fighting bad guys and saving the day, the usual storyline for superheroes. But in this episode they teach about the gold standard in a hilarious way that’s easy for kids to understand.
I did not expect them to be dropping red pills like this. Watch until the end for my favorite part.
Here’s another clip of Teen Titans explaining the gold standard in a nutshell.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=MfWuXyFxsUM
What I’m Creating:
One example of how I created value at work last week: Last week I was interviewed the first group of contributors who will be writing articles for the non-profit I work for. I then uploaded my interview results to the shared spreadsheet.
What project I’m currently working on at my BP: I’m still working on an action plan to implement our marketing plan. Right now, I’m hashing out a social media strategy and the sort of things we should post per day.
What I’m doing to become a better version of myself overall: I’m getting back into staying in tune with politics instead of ignoring it like I usually do because it’s divisive and unproductive. The only time I pay attention to politics is whenever there is big news like the elections and the riots.
I’m also making a new habit of talking about politics with friends who are knowledgable on the subject. This also helps me practice public speaking skills.
I need to stay updated for the podcast I’m currently featured on called Radio Rothbard. The first episode of the newly revamped Radio Rothbard was recorded live at the Mises Orlando event and I spoke on a panel with Jeff Deist, Tho Bishop, and Dr. Patrick Newman.
The Armchair Economist’s Apprenticeship is a weekly series documenting my progress throughout my journey in the apprenticeship module of the Praxis program. I’m currently a market research analyst apprentice for a non-profit (my position is subject to change depending on the needs of my employer). At the request of my boss, I’ll be keeping the details of my employer under wraps for the time being.
Week 18: August 31, 2020 – September 4, 2020
What I’m Learning:
One cool thing I learned at work last week: The first phase of a marketing plan, in the pre-launch stage, should focus on building rapport among future customers who completely agree with your philosophy 100%. You want the most loyal people in on the project such as employees and beta users.
Otherwise, you risk someone outside your loyalty circle sabotaging your business before it even gets off the ground. This is important and more relevant than ever especially in today’s political climate where cancel culture has run rampant.
Peter Thiel in his book, Zero to One explains:
“…startups should make their early staff as personally similar as possible. Startups have limited resources and small teams. They must work quickly and efficiently in order to survive, and that’s easier to do when everyone shares an understanding of the world.”
Zero to One by Peter Thiel page 106
One cool thing I learned outside of work last week: Anthropologists and the rest of mainstream academia are in general consensus that the first human in North America arrived 13,000 years ago. However, independent archaeologists discovered evidence contrary to the established theory.
New evidence has set that date back to 30,000 years now. Two recent academic papers have been published, discussing the new evidence (you can find the links in the description box of the Youtube video shown below).
Why is this important and what does it mean for everyone else? For fifty years, independent archaeologists have been discussing this new evidence only to have their voices dismissed or even silenced by experts at mainstream institutions like universities and research institutes.
Mainstream academia is keeping us ignorant of the truth and this has unfortunately become the new normal. It makes me wonder what else are they hiding and why are they keeping the truth from us?
What I’m Creating:
One example of how I created value at work last week: I continued working on the marketing plan with my marketing coworker and brainstormed questions and ideas for the rest of our team to discuss. Here is a sample:
social media management takes up a lot of time – coming up with good content to post consumes most of your time.
should we hand-off this responsibility to a trusted beta user who isn’t an employee and give them posting privileges? Or should we ask beta users to submit their ideas to us and then we, the employees, post it (employees would be the only ones with posting privileges in this situation)?
how many articles/content can our beta users submit before it’s considered unpaid work? At what point will they ask for compensation?
what tools will we use to manage our social media?
lets plan a social media posting calendar and research things like important relevant dates highlighted for things like important people’s birthday, historic events, holidays, “this day in history”
come up with a motto and three main selling points of our services, something that defines our brand
use our network influencers to spread the word and turn on the hype machine – lets get people excited for our product
What project I’m currently working on at my BP: I’m currently working on the marketing plan and hashing out the execution details of our plan and brainstorming actionable next steps for my team to implement.
What I’m doing to become a better version of myself overall: I’m taking the time to improve my health and asking friends who are gym rats (I say this with affection) for their suggested workout plans.
The Armchair Economist’s Apprenticeship is a weekly series documenting my progress throughout my journey in the apprenticeship module of the Praxis program. I’m currently a market research analyst apprentice for a non-profit (my position is subject to change depending on the needs of my employer). At the request of my boss, I’ll be keeping the details of my employer under wraps for the time being.
Week 17: August 24, 2020 – August 28, 2020
What I’m Learning:
One cool thing I learned at work last week: I learned how to process payments through PayPal Here, which is an app similar to Square.
One cool thing I learned outside of work last week: The United Launch Alliance (ULA) rocket, the Delta IV Heavy has three massive boosters and it’s one of the largest rockets in the world. Most space rockets only have one or two at most that store fuel in them but for Delta IV Heavy, it was carrying a large payload (shipment) consisting of spy satellites and other classified equipment. Hence the need for three massive boosters to carry all that equipment into orbit.
ULA is another competing space company separate from NASA and they’ve been around since the first space missions in the 1960s. In fact, they were the first to send the first American in space.
Last week, there was supposed to be a Delta IV Heavy launch but it kept getting delayed and eventually canceled due to technical issues like a pneumatics module (a device that uses pressurized air to move mechanical parts) issue and an engine that wouldn’t ignite properly during the countdown. You can see the aborted mission below.
What I’m Creating:
One example of how I created value at work last week: Last week I was on a live recording of a podcast for work. It was actually sprung on me and a bit of a surprise since I was only given a three day notice to prepare for it. My boss invited me on the panel with three other speakers, himself included, and we had a casual conversation about current events relating to economics and politics.
Imagine being given three days to prepare to speak in front of a crowd of 120 people and having no idea what to discuss. No pressure.
But now I can officially say I have proof that I’m able to work under pressure.
What project I’m currently working on at my BP: I’m still working on a marketing plan with my coworker and setting more defined deadlines once we figure out when our tech guy can get our platform up and running with the necessary content.
I’m also working on a side project of how our mentorship guidelines will look like. The founder and I are collaborating on what the rules and expectations should be for the mentees and mentors.
What I’m doing to become a better version of myself overall: I’m constantly searching for ways to create value for my Business Partner like offering to plan more events for them.
Weekly Monday Workshop:
What Praxis Monday session did you attend last week (ie. what was the topic & who was the guest)? Public Speaking with Matt Beaudreau, founder of Acton Academy Placer.
What was your favorite highlight from the session? He didn’t have a slideshow when he was presenting and his reasoning was this; it would be distracting to have one and it forces the audience to focus on him and what he has to say. Matt also said how a slideshow can backfire and lower the quality of your presentation, therefore only use it when you need it like presenting research or facts and figures – things that need visualization.
What was your biggest takeaway from that session? 1. Organization is 90% of the work when preparing for a speech. – keep it as simple as possible – who is your audience? Were they forced to be there because their company made them attend or did they come on their free will? – think about whose end goal matters. Figure out what your audience will takeaway.
2. What’s my message? – what are my 1-2 takeaways/actionable advice at the end? – relax when you deliver, it’s easy to not notice you’re speaking fast because you’re nervous. – who do I need to be so the audience can connect with me? Be yourself but choose a part of your personality that relates to the audience. – dress for the part
3. Understand humor – don’t try to use humor if you don’t understand how to relate with your audience because it needs to be relevant to both you and them. – it can easily backfire especially with inside jokes. – don’t be a poser
4. Find common ground and get it out there ASAP – if you’re talking to an individual and you had time to research their background, find something you like about them that you relate to and immediately bring it up when you meet them. – doing so increases your likability. – basically be relatable
5. What are my key stories – stories are more relatable than facts and logic – don’t try to copy someone you’re not, e.g. if you’re giving a presentation in an economics seminar don’t try to be a famous economist. People want to listen to your story, not some rehashing of a famous economist.
6. How you say something is more important than the words you use – actions speak louder than words – how you frame an idea speaks louder – relax and slow down, pauses are ok – don’t worry about sounding smart just be genuine and yourself – be self aware of the inflections in your voice
7. Be compelling – genuinely care and know about the topic you’re discussing How do you intend to apply that takeaway to your life? To my surprise, I was already doing the above during my first public speech last year. I even opened with humor and thankfully it didn’t backfire on me because I made it relevant for everyone.
This past weekend, I was at a seminar and had to speak. I didn’t know what I was going to say so I just found common ground that everyone can relate to and showed my genuine self.
Several individuals came up to me afterwards and said they loved my talk and agreed completely with me. What was the exercise assigned by the guest and what did you learn from it? Watch comedians to learn confidence and delivery.