John Bradley "JJ" Jackson

Uncategorized

The Gig Economy Grows

The gig economy continues to expand at a remarkable pace, reshaping the U.S. workforce and the global labor market. In 2024, the number of freelancers in the United States reached an estimated 72.1 million people, representing nearly 40% of the entire U.S. workforce. This reflects a significant

Uncategorized

Finding Meaning

A lot of what we do in work and life is truly meaningless. We do these meaningless things because we think that we should do them or we think that we have to do them. But, is this really true? What if we just said no to the useless things

Entrepreneurship

Uncertainty at Startups

Entrepreneurs must live with great uncertainty. Unlike the “9 to 5” crowd who prod through predictable daily work routines, life at a startup is wildly unpredictable. More than tasks or workflow, startups must manage unpredictable outcomes and then must adapt on the spot. This learning requires a founder to be

Entrepreneurship

The Genius Within

“Every employee has talent of some kind: He or she is skilled at being able to analyze numbers, bring products to market, or close sales deals. But talent is just the starting point. Genius is talent unleashed. It’s the ability to exploit each employee’s unique values, passions, strengths,

Zen

Loneliness

We all feel lonely from time to time. For some people, especially the elderly, this is a real problem with serious health consequences. Increasingly, our society isolates people or people are just choosing to be alone. Older people often have had spouses and friends die or move away. Illness, disability,

Uncategorized

I Am Sorry

“I am sorry.” While just three simple words, many people won’t or can’t say them. How could that be? For some people saying “I am sorry” is almost impossible to do. For these people apologizing is frightening and may be based on their own insecurities and self-doubt. Rather

Zen

Zen for Entrepreneurs

The other day I wrote a short blog about being mindful. While being mindful applies to all of us, I think it particularly applies to the entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs must embrace mindfulness to be successful. Mindfulness is a focus on the present. This means that past thoughts and actions are done

Choices

Mindfulness: A Moment of Zen

Mindfulness is a focus on the present. Past thoughts and actions are done and over; memories may linger but only now matters. The future will be or may not be. The key is to be present. When you're mindful you can monitor your thoughts and feelings from a

Branding

Optimists Live Longer

“Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow.                                    It’s what sunflowers do.” – Helen Keller Do you see the world through rose-colored glasses?  Or are you more of the “glass half empty” type?  Evidence shows that positive thinking and optimism leads to better health and higher

Choices

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 kindergarteners who are innocent and carefree; for them the Hokey Pokey is just natural. For those in mid-life

Decision Making

Smart People

“Smart” can take many different forms. A high IQ doesn't necessarily mean you have street smarts, but it probably doesn't hurt. You might be intelligent in many areas of your life, but struggle in others. For our purposes, “smart” means behaving in a way that is

Selling

Don’t Talk About the Weather

A recent study by a psychologist at the University of Arizona found that people who spend more of their day having deep, heart felt discussions and who spend less time engaging in small talk seem to be happier. Or, simply put, the folks who choose idle banter over in-depth conversations

Selling

Being Understood When Selling

“I know that you believe that you understood what you think I said, but I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.” - Robert McCloskey, US State Department spokesman Being understood by your customer may be the most important aspect of selling. If

Competitive Advantage

Sustainable Competitive Advantage

A common phrase used today in marketing circles is “sustainable competitive advantage” (often abbreviated as SCA). Michael Porter, lauded Professor of Harvard University, coined the term in the eighties and it lives on as an iconic business term. In fact, it has become a cliche, since its usage often is

Ethics

Pay It Forward

Often in life we get something from someone that makes our life better. It could be words of encouragement, a gift of money, or a good push that gets us going again. At the time we think to ourselves that we need to pay them back someday. Often we do

Choices

Predicting Your Future Self

Answer this question: what will your life be like in 10 years? Go ahead and take a guess. The truth is most of us are unable to accurately predict our future selves. The challenges in making this prediction include context and time. You know what your past life has been

Creativity

Creative People

Creativity is a concept that's tricky to pin down. While it may be somewhat difficult to define, yet we know it when we see it. Is it an innate biological trait or something we can pick up as we go? How can we nurture creativity in ourselves and

Gratitude

Don’t Worry. Be Happy.

Don’t Worry. Be Happy. The quest for happiness dogs many of us.  We read books and blogs, take pills, do yoga, and drink alcohol, all in an attempt to reach that elusive state of contentment that we label as “happiness”.  But happiness is fleeting, and you can’t force

Social Media

Audit Your Social Media Strategy in 8 Steps

A social media audit is an essential component of a smart social media strategy. It means researching all your different social media accounts and honestly taking a look at how you’re doing. Are you reaching the people you want to reach? Are they engaged with your content? Are you

Social Media

Social Media Misbehavior

Nobody's perfect. In the age of lightning-fast social media, mistakes can happen fast. Even if you delete them or apologize, the effects can linger. Some social media mistakes are obvious, but there are other, more subtle social media blunders you may be making. Here are some social media

Job search

Should You Quit Your Job?

In this current economic landscape, quitting a job isn’t something to take lightly. If you find yourself daydreaming about walking out, pause and make sure it’s what you really want. After all, the grass is greener where you water it. That said, there are legitimate reasons to leave.

Negotiation

Why Do Women Earn Less?

According to a new report by the American Association of University Women, men still earn more money than women. The question: how much of this gap can be chalked up to different major and career choices of men and women, and how much can be attributed to gender discrimination, subconscious

Advertising

A Google-dominated World

Google remains the undisputed leader in search. Despite the efforts of competitors like Microsoft’s Bing and lesser known engines, Google continues to dominate the market. As of 2025, it controls over 90% of global search traffic, shaping how people access information and how businesses reach customers. Google’s ranking

Branding

Tips to Boost Your Charisma

We all know charisma is important, but few of us know how to be charismatic. Many people think it’s something you’re born with and that it’s impossible to learn. While some people’s personalities may be more naturally charismatic, there are some simple tricks to increase your

Selling

A Picture Equals 1000 Words

Photography allows us to capture life’s most important events. We can immortalize famous moments in history, beloved relatives, young children before they grow up, our holidays, vacations, and much more. Images connect with us – instantly – on an emotional level that the written word simply cannot compete with. The rapidly