Most People Don’t Have the Stomach for This

In our latest podcast episode, Paul Downs explains why he hasn’t been sleeping well of late.

Good Morning!

Here are today’s highlights:

• Never mind! Trump postpones the tariffs on Mexico and Canada (but not China).

• A Republican congressman introduces a bill to abolish OSHA.

• We like to think of ourselves as a nation of small businesses. But are we?

• Amazon has yet to master the real world.

THE 21 HATS PODCAST

No, I’ve Not Been Sleeping: This week, Paul Downs tells Shawn Busse and Jay Goltz why he isn’t sleeping and why he has stopped paying himself. After having his best year ever in 2024, Paul has seen his inquiries fall precipitously. His backlog of work is dwindling, and he’s concluded he needs to take some painful steps. “I'm coming to the realization,” he tells us, “that I need to do something that involves reducing staff.” Paul’s not sure why his business is off, but he suspects it may have something to do with the chaos in Washington. He also tells us that the big marketing initiative he undertook a couple of years ago, when he decided to try to reach a slightly different target market, has yet to pay off the way he’d hoped. But he hasn’t given up on it.

• Plus: We also address an increasingly common issue for business owners: What do you do when employees come to work high?

• You can subscribe to the 21 Hats Podcast wherever you get podcasts.