Wise on Words

The new issue of the WoW newsletter is out now!
In this issue, part 2 of "A Season of Violence - Canadian Thanksgiving, October 7th."

https://lewisd.substack.com/p/a-season-of-violence-part-2-canadian

Coming tomorrow - A Season of Violence 2 - Canadian Thanksgiving - October 7

Did you know that 4 big publishers are trying to stop the Internet Archive from giving people all over the world access to precious library resources?

The Internet Archive is a nonprofit digital library, preserving and providing access to cultural artifacts of all kinds in electronic form.

Join me and other avid readers, educators, researchers, librarians, authors, publishers and lifelong learners whose lives and communities have been transformed by public access to knowledge.

Help in the ongoing legal battle between Hachette and the Internet Archive.

Help advocate for a future where knowledge is accessible to all, fostering academic growth and community advancement.

Sign the petition today and be a part of the movement towards open and inclusive education.

Can you spare a minute to help Dennis LEWIS? Let Readers Read: An Open Letter to the Publishers in Hachette v. Internet Archive:

Coming this Monday -

Wise on Words&Voice 7 - The New Year Edition!

Wise on Words&Voice is a newsletter for small business owners who create courses, edtech founders and authors, entrepreneurs, and creatives.

The New Year edition is packed with insights and inspiration.

If you're passionate about education, writing, creativity, marketing, or entrepreneurship, this is for you!

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With the end of the year approaching, are you on top of your financial deadlines?

If you're a creative entrepreneur, solopreneur or small business owner in Canada, this is the time of the year that you need to start getting your financial papers in order.

Don't forget to stay on top of your financial deadlines.

Stay organised and avoid any last-minute stress.

Here are the key financial deadlines in Canada:

1. Income and Capital Tax Returns:

Canadian corporations are required to file annual income and capital tax returns.

These are are due 6 months following each taxation year-end.

2. Final Payments of Taxes:

Final payments of corporate income and capital taxes are required within 2 months of each taxation year end.

3. Self-Employment Returns:

If you're self-employed, the tax deadline for your return is June 15.

But if you have any balance owing, it's due May 2.

4. RRSP, RESP, RDSP, and TFSA Contributions:

If you have RRSPs, RESPs, RDSPs, or TFSAs, the deadline for contributions is December 31.

5. Charitable Contributions:

December 31 is also the deadline for charitable contributions.

Remember, if you fail to meet these requirements, you could be hit with nasty penalties and/or have to pay interest for late filing, late payment, or non-compliance.

I'm sure that, like me, you don't want to give Canada Revenue any more of your hard-earned money!

Keep informed and plan ahead to ensure you have a successful financial year!

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“I am actively rooting for you to fail. That’s right. I want you to f**k up.”

That’s one heck of an opening for a motivational business book, isn’t it?

Welcome to this week’s Friday Book Club!

This week’s book – the last of 2023 – is “I Hope You Fail: Ten Hater Statements Holding You Back from Getting Everything You Want” (2023) by Pinky Cole.

Pinky Cole is the founder of the wildly successful American restaurant chain Slutty Vegan.

Cole opens her book with a story of a particularly vulnerable moment in her life – fresh out of college in Atlanta, with no job lined up, minimal work experience, and feeling like a total loser.

She tells of her early venture into entrepreneurship as the owner of a New York restaurant.

The restaurant burned down in a devastating fire, and Cole had no fire insurance.

She takes us through the many low points in her life, setback after setback.

Each gut-wrenching setback is an example of how failures can often become our stepping stones to success.

The book is structured on ten counter-intuitive hopes for failure – the negative wishes of our haters.

Here's a taste of them:

• I Hope You Don’t Believe in Yourself
• I Hope You Come from a Broken Home
• I Hope You Make a Decision that Ruins Your Life
• I Hope You Go Flat Broke
• I Hope Your Customers Don’t Show Up

But there’s reason to Cole’s method: each of these negative hopes is a challenge to the sort of feelgood wisdom dished out in conventional motivational books.

Each failure is a WTF moment that has the power to help you discover your true self and value and to find fuel in your losses.

Cole writes, “What if I told you that if you’re willing to shift your mindset – every obstacle, wrong decision, and f**kup in your life has prepared you to have everything you want?”

Each mistake, each failure holds the key to our destinies.

Here are my 5 takeaways:
1. We Learn from Our Failures:

Every WTF moment in our life can provide us with motivation for success.

2. Feedback is Vital:

If our customers don't show up, it provides us with the feedback we need to re-evaluate our approach and find one that works.

3. Obstacles Prepare Us for Success:

Every roadblock and screw-up in our life helps to prepare us for eventual success.

4. Our Life Lessons Are the Basis of Our Success:

Life is a series of lessons that give us the tools to build a successful business and life for ourselves.

5. We Can Empower Ourselves and Others through Storytelling:

Sharing our personal stories allows us to understand our journey and can empower others in their journeys.

It’s hard not to like the style and substance of Pinky Cole’s book.

It's sassy and entertaining.

But most importantly, it’s self-deprecating, honest, and wise – filled with practical advice from someone who’s been there and done that.

For more business and content inspiration, subscribe to the Wise on Words&Voice newsletter - https://buff.ly/3smdixC

For literary excerpts and commentary, follow me on Twitter - https://buff.ly/3QXCYei

And if you have a taste for spicy takes on literature and culture, subscribe to the Wise on Words Newsletter - https://buff.ly/45Lx9Vn

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Do you ever think about your favourite teachers?

And do you sometimes feel the urge to find them and thank them?

Today, I'd like to remember and thank Nicky Guadagni - one of my favourite teachers.

Nicky is a highly respected Canadian actress and voiceover artist.

She started studying drama in her native Montreal but went on to train at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.

Her voice can be heard in numerous CBC Radio Dramas, audio books, radio and TV commercials, as well as documentaries.

Nicky had a brilliant stage and film career.

And she's also a gifted teacher.

She has worked at the National Theatre School of Canada in Montreal, taught voice and scene study for five years at George Brown College and at the University College Drama Program in Toronto.

During the summer and autumn months of 2019, Nicky gave me voice lessons.

At the time, I had vague ideas about doing public readings of famous literature and some of my creative work.

I was also interested in doing broadcasts with a literary focus.

Nicky was a creative, patient, and inspiring voice coach.

I still have one of the documents that she prepared for a homework assignment. She called it the Morgan Freeman voice warm-up.

I don't know if Morgan Freeman actually used this precise warm-up, but I do know that he put in a lot training and practice to become one of the most successful voice actors out there.

It was Nicky who made me fully aware of my voice as an instrument and the importance of training that instrument.

I draw inspiration not just from Nicky's voice coaching lessons but from her wonderful career.

Her rich and extensive career shows the importance of honing one's craft and the power of effective storytelling.

It's also a testament to perseverance and passion.

Nicky's example reminds us that success often comes to those who are patient, persistent, and willing to learn and grow.

So, thank you Nicky Guadagni, not just for the voice coaching lessons you gave me.

But for the inspiration you continue to give me and to all creative entrepreneurs as we strive to make our mark.

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Happy Sunday, everyone!

Whether you're a creative entrepreneur, a small business creating courses, or an edtech founder, you are an architect of innovation.

Your work is shaping the future of education and business, one course at a time.

Don't get discouraged. Remember, every challenge you face is an opportunity for growth.

Embrace these moments. Look at them as stepping stones to success.

Your creativity and passion are your greatest assets.

Keep on using those assets to create, innovate, and inspire.

And don’t be afraid to take risks.

The path to success is often paved with uncertainty, but it’s in these moments that we find our true potential.

Believe in your vision, even when the road gets tough.

You're not alone on your journey.

You belong to a community of dreamers, creators, and innovators.

Together, we can change the world.

So here’s to you, the trailblazers of tomorrow!

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Today, we honour the brave souls who fought for liberty in the World Wars.

Those who gave of themselves in service to our country.

Whose lives were lost in defence of our liberty.

Those men and women who stood up to tyranny in the pursuit of freedom and for the safety of people around the world.

Their courage and sacrifice remind us of the strength within us all.

Whether you're a solo-entrepreneur, edtech founder, or some other kind of creative entrepreneur, you too can be inspired by the heroes of the past.

We fight daily battles, innovating, creating, and pushing boundaries.

Our weapons are our ideas, our armour is our passion.

The road may be tough, but remember we too can overcome adversity.

Let's draw inspiration from the resilience and perseverance of our heroes, our veterans.

Together, we can shape a future that's as free and innovative as the heroes we remember today.

What is Traction?
Traction is Growth.

It’s a sign that your business is taking off. But how do you get it?

Getting traction is one of hardest tasks for new businesses.

Welcome to the Friday Book Club! This week’s book is "Traction: How Any Startup Can Achieve Explosive Customer Growth” (2015) by Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares.

In this book, the 2 authors present 19 methods that startups can use to achieve the exponential growth they need to survive the first few months and years of their business.
Weinberg and Mares discovered the 19 methods or channels of gaining traction through interviewing more than 40,000 successful founders. They also researched many more.

They provide what they call a bullseye framework to help businesses to pick the best traction channel for their startup.

The book’s main messages are these:

• You should start thinking about your marketing as soon as you begin working on your business idea.
• They reveal that the #1 mistake people make when trying to start a business is to not start marketing instantly – even before they have an actual product to sell.
• You should go to trade shows to find potential future partners.
• You should split your time 50/50 between product development and getting traction.
• Don’t be afraid to share updates before you’re ready to launch. This way, you build an audience waiting to buy your product.
• You should use the bullseye framework to find which traction channel works best for you.

Traction is a great book. It’s crammed with practical, real-world examples and advice on how you can achieve growth and success with your startup.

For business and content inspiration, subscribe to the Wise on Words&Voice newsletter - https://buff.ly/3smdixC

For literary excerpts and commentary, follow me on Twitter - https://buff.ly/3QXCYei

And if you have a taste for spicy takes on literature and culture, subscribe to the Wise on Words Newsletter - https://buff.ly/45Lx9Vn

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"What was it exactly about nomads that so gripped Chatwin’s imagination even until almost the moment of death?

"Why after years spent collecting and cataloguing the artefacts of so-called “civilised” settled cultures would he find solace in the way of life of people who left few artefacts?"

Find out tomorrow, in part two of my exploration of the many worlds of Bruce Chatwin as presented through the lens of his friend - German filmmaker Werner Herzog.



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Wise on Words Newsletter | Dennis Lewis | Substack For cultural adventurers and lovers of classic literature seeking to reconnect with literature as a domain of imaginative liberation. Click to read Wise on Words Newsletter, by Dennis Lewis, a Substack publication. Launched 4 months ago.