John Bradley "JJ" Jackson

AI: The Road Ahead

The press is having a field day with artificial intelligence. Depending on what you read, AI will eliminate millions of jobs, make many professions obsolete, spread misinformation, destroy creativity, run amok, go rogue, or perhaps eventually decide that humans are no longer necessary. There is no shortage of doomsday scenarios.

Do the Right Thing

In work and in our personal lives, we constantly make choices. Some are easy. The right course is obvious, expected, or even required. There really isn't much of a choice. Other decisions are much harder. We may have incomplete information, limited time, and no way of knowing what

The Rebound Effect: Turning Customer Complaints into Stronger Relationships

“Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” — Bill Gates How you handle a customer complaint may be more important than the complaint itself. An unhappy customer has choices. They can complain. They can post a negative review. They can tell friends. They can quietly take their business

The Mindful Pivot

Zen begins with being mindful. Mindfulness applies to all of us, but I think it has particular value for entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs spend a lot of time thinking about what went wrong yesterday and worrying about what might happen tomorrow. Mindfulness asks us to focus instead on what is happening right

JJ Interviewed by Canvas Rebel

I get interviewed now and then by podcasters, bloggers, and magazines. Normally the questions are strictly focused on startups and investing. I was recently interviewed by the online magazine CanvasRebel! which had an unique line of questioning. They asked about my parents. I have have never been asked that. It

Building New Entrepreneurs

I was recently a guest on the SoCal Community podcast. The conversation covered startup team formation, competitive advantage, risk management, and raising capital. Thanks to my longtime friend and host Sedric Hill for the opportunity. John Bradley Jackson © 2026 All rights reserved. P.S. Learn more about leveling the playing

In a World That Feels Fake, Authenticity Becomes a Superpower

Something has changed in the digital world. Many of us sense it but struggle to describe it. We are surrounded by information, yet trust seems to be disappearing. It isn't just Instagram influencers posting carefully edited versions of their lives. It isn't only AI-generated images

Speak To Me In Plain English

"Our value proposition is leveraged on our legacy-system-enabled protocols, providing strategic global connectivity while maximizing stakeholder value through AI-driven customer-concentric solutions." What? When I hear language like this, my eyes glaze over. I stop listening. I suspect I'm not alone. Business has

Your Body Speaks Before You Do

Have you ever met someone and formed an opinion before they finished their first sentence? We all have. It's human nature. Whether you're interviewing for a job, pitching investors, leading a meeting, or simply meeting someone for the first time, people begin forming impressions within seconds.

The Status Quo Is Not a Strategy

One of the most dangerous phrases in business is, "If it isn't broke, don't fix it." It sounds practical. It sounds responsible. It sounds safe. It is often exactly the wrong advice. Businesses rarely fail overnight. They fail because they slowly become prisoners of

The Conversation in Your Head

You are talking to someone all day long. That someone is you. Most people pay close attention to what others say to them but rarely examine the running conversation taking place inside their own minds. Yet that internal dialogue may be the most influential voice they ever hear. For some,

Perfect Does Not Exist

"Perfect is the enemy of good." Often attributed to Voltaire, this quote reminds us that the pursuit of perfection frequently becomes an excuse for inaction. We wait. We tweak. We revise. We analyze. Meanwhile, the opportunity passes by. Entrepreneurs are especially vulnerable to this trap. Many founders delay

Overthinking

I come from the land of overthinking. After 23 years at a university, I had a front-row seat to analysis. Faculty members, researchers, students, and administrators all shared a common trait: the desire to think deeply. Thinking is valuable. It helps us understand complex situations, solve difficult problems, and

Send In the Clowns

When things go sideways, you can always send in the clowns. There is an old public relations tactic that surfaces whenever institutions get into trouble. When the real story becomes too damaging, too embarrassing, or too expensive to explain away, they “send in the clowns.” Not literal clowns of course.

Schedule Nothing

Modern culture worships busyness. Packed calendars. Back to back Zoom calls. You have heard the silly brag of “I’m slammed.” Yet, I increasingly wonder if over-scheduling is actually a form of self sabotage. Nothing can be something. At work, the mythical 40-hour fully work week may be

Go Fast Alone. Go Far Together.

There is an old African proverb often quoted in startup circles: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” (Disclosure: I just read this quote and had not heard it before. I am always learning. Back to the blog.) Like most famous

The Hokey Pokey: Is This What It Is All About?

For much of my life I have avoided the Hokey Pokey, which is a silly dance best suited for children and seriously inebriated adults. You know what I mean. It is for kindergartners who are innocent and carefree; for them the Hokey Pokey is just natural. For those in mid-

Close But No Cigar

In the late 19th century, carnival games were built for adults, not kids. No giant stuffed animals. No plush giraffes. If you won, you might walk away with a cigar. If you didn’t quite get there, you got nothing. That is where the phrase close but no cigar comes

We Need Close Friends

In my last post, I talked about the four types of friends. Acquaintances. Casual friends. Close friends. Lifelong friends. Now I want to zero in on one category that matters more than most people realize.Close friends. Not lifelong friends. Not casual connections. Close friends. And here is the point.

All My Friends Started Out as Strangers

Six months ago, I closed one chapter and opened another. After more than 30 years in Southern California, I retired and moved to Washington state. The update? It’s stunning up here. The trees, the water, the quiet. And best of all, my kids and grandkids are close. I am

My Give-a-Damn Is Broken: What Experience Teaches You

Inspired by “My Give-a-Damn Is Broken” by Delta Blues Brother* “My give-a-damn is broken… And it finally set me free.” Six months into retirement and a move to Washington state, I’ve noticed something subtle but powerful. My tolerance for nonsense dropped. Not a little. A

Founder Reality vs Startup Mythology: Passion Is Overrated

I have worked with hundreds of startup founders over the years. Almost all of them were passionate. That’s the good news. The bad news is that passion is not rare. It’s common. Very common. And it’s often misplaced. The mythology kind of goes like this. Follow your

Excellence in Entrepreneurship

I was honored to be nominated again for the 2026 Excellence in Entrepreneurship Awards by the Orange County Business Journal. Recognition like this is appreciated, but it also makes me reflect. Entrepreneurship is not theory. It is messy, uncertain, and often uncomfortable. It is about seeing something others do not,

Beware of Shiny Objects

“Shiny object syndrome” is a behavioral and psychological tendency to chase new, exciting, or trendy ideas at the expense of current priorities. It reflects a loss of focus that leads to abandoned projects, wasted time, and a failure to execute on long-term goals.* It is true that startups must

Stay in Your Lane Bro*

“Stay in your lane.” We’ve all heard it. Usually as a warning to don’t overreach, don’t meddle, don’t pretend to be something you’re not. Be real. In business, there’s a lot of truth in that. The best companies I’ve seen including startups, growth-