Paul Sheriff

🚨The biggest career mistake today is running where everyone else is running.... In 1848, a man named James W. Marshall found gold near his mill in California. The news spread like wildfire. Soon hundreds of thousands of people rushed to California hoping to get rich overnight. This historical event became known as the California Gold Rush. But here is the brutal truth: Most of those people never found gold. They spent months digging, searching and hoping… and many returned home with nothing. But do you know who made the most consistent money during the gold rush? Not the gold diggers. It was the people selling the tools. 🪓 Shovels ⛏️ Pickaxes 🥣 Gold pans 🧰 Equipment and supplies While thousands were chasing gold, a few people quietly built businesses around the rush. This reminds me a lot of today's freelancing and online work world. Everyone is running to the same crowded places: • Fiverr • Upwork • Saturated LinkedIn offers • Overcrowded gig platforms And when too many people run to the same place opportunity becomes smaller. Sometimes the smarter move is simple: 👉 Go where the rush is smaller. Here are 5 underrated platforms where beginners can still find opportunities: 1️⃣ Contra - Zero-commission freelance platform 2️⃣ Wellfound (AngelList Talent) - Great for startup jobs 3️⃣ Remotive - Curated remote jobs 4️⃣ Working Nomads - Remote opportunities across industries 5️⃣ We Work Remotely - One of the largest remote job communities And if you want to start working with AI today, these services are already in demand: 🤖 AI Content Repurposing Turn one video or article into multiple social media posts. 📊 AI Data Cleanup (Excel + AI) Businesses always need help organizing messy data. 🔎 AI Lead Research Finding potential clients and company insights. 📑 AI Presentation Creation Creating business presentations using AI tools. ⚙️ AI Workflow Automation Simple automations that save companies hours. I know my posts do not reach millions of people, because..... There is no promotion. No "secret cheat sheets." No "first 50 people get 50% discount." I only share what I learned from my own journey. And if even one person finds direction from this, that is more than enough for me. 💡 Final Thought: "When everyone is busy searching for gold….... the smartest people start selling the shovels." Curious to know your view 👇 Do you think today's biggest opportunity is AI tools or AI services built around those tools? #Freelancing #AIJobs #RemoteWork #CareerGrowth #FutureOfWork

I will resist the temptation to comment on the war of words between President Trump and Elon Musk, but I will reiterate an observation I made months ago when President Trump announced that Elon Musk would co-lead a newly formed Department of Government Efficiency. Cutting costs in government is far more complicated than cutting costs in business. Successful business people often believe that we can treat government like a business; it does not work that way. As a leader whose business depended on keep Postal Service rates as low as possible, I realized that much of the excess spending causing postage rates to be higher could not be frontally attacked. For example, the US universal service obligation of 6-day-a-week delivery was sacrosanct. Proposed legislation fully privatizing the Postal Service or outsourcing most Postal operations would be "dead on arrival" in Congress. Even replacing dedicated retail post offices in city or suburban communities and placing a postal retail operation in a store open 7 days a week was not achievable. What the Postal Service and the industry did do was to implement "work-sharing discounts" that rewarded mailers for self service, similar to the price spread that exists in many gasoline stations between self service and full service gasoline prices. Pitney Bowes and many other companies created or acquired profitable businesses that took advantage of these work-sharing discounts. This strategy depended on attrition, but it worked after 2006 in tandem with another strategy: an annual cap on postal rate increases that went into effect with the 2006 Postal legislation. This accelerated work sharing. Ultimately, this carefully crafted strategy fell victim to a rapid decline in mail volumes after 2008 and to an accounting burden Congress placed on the Postal Service relative to retiree medical funding. But it worked better than a frontal attack on "wasteful" Postal Service spending. I told this story before, but it bears repeating. In 1994, a branch manager invited me to meet with 8 of his top sales professionals when I took over our leasing business. He told me that we had many "wasteful" marketing and sales programs. I began by asking each attendee what he or she considered "wasteful." When each described a particular program as "wasteful,"others argued that they felt that the program was necessary. There was no consensus. In microcosm, this is the essential problem with cost cutting in a democracy. A very creative "efficiency" solution was the Base Readjustment and Closing Act, a law designed to shut down excess military bases. An independent commission was appointed to recommend a package of base closings. Members of Congress could vote up or down only on the entire package. Each had air cover because of that. "Cost cutting" tools have to be customized and sold to members of Congress. They need air cover when shutting down or cutting popular, but wasteful, programs,

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CHINA’S CIVIL TECH IS QUIETLY ARMING ITS MILITARY - AND FAST While Trump tightens export controls, China blurs the line between Silicon Valley and battlefield. Its so-called "military-civil fusion" is just the U.S. model on turbo, with private firms, universities, and drone startups feeding the PLA cutting-edge tools. Three-quarters of Chinese defense suppliers aren’t even state-owned, and most didn’t exist before 2010. America built the playbook, China’s now running it better.

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ATTN: PRESIDENT TRUMP! Sir! I agree there are issues with The Federal Reserve! It’s the Accounting, sir! I am calling on The Rothschild Patriarch to contact you. Mayer Amshel,… Can you please get him to push our plan? The Congress has complete control of The Fed. The Fed’s public announcement of releasing reserve capital for banks is the reason for all this inflation this year! It is a nuclear bomb for M3. If we can let The Federal Reserve and The Office of The Comptroller of The Currency talk, they can DELETE all those dollars in the Drug Industry. Essentially Choking them to Death!! Just that move alone will make M3 REALLY healthy. Second, The Fed has to be allowed to change accounting lines to more modern Fiat Standards. They are still forced to use 1933 standards!!! If we allow for all monies released from parabolic interest bearing accounts to other M4-M12 groups (off of M3) then that alone will help to elevate the dollar to a more attractive currency position. Third,… We MUST allow for monies added from those accounts to the M3 to be added to The Current Account Balance. These three simple changes will make the dollar move valuable than GOLD. Albeit, maybe for a short period (Flash in the pan). This is the plan I, Alan Greenspan and Mayer Amshel Rothschild came up with to save the dollar. This would make Americans back to the leaders of the world in the world’s strongest currency. Mr. President, this will allow your lower interest rates you so desperately want. We want them too! Americans do not deserve these valuations when we can fix this easily! #thefed #federalreserve #trump #economics #business #money #rothschild https://lnkd.in/ex8BAHsB

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The Tariff Trap: Tariffs sound patriotic — protect jobs, boost local production, keep money at home. But as Reagan warned, “protectionism is destructionism.” Over time, tariffs create dependence, raise prices, and weaken innovation. And here’s the modern twist: many “local” factories are now foreign-owned and staff-light. Protecting them doesn’t necessarily protect workers or national wealth — it often protects global shareholders and machines. Yes, targeted tariffs can buy time for new industries or counter unfair trade — but make them permanent, and they quietly erode progress. Real economic strength comes from skills, competition, and innovation — not insulation. #Economics #Trade #Innovation #Leadership #Reagan #Automation #FutureOfWork #GlobalEconomy https://lnkd.in/e4hAcib2

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⏰Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” Is Now Law — Here’s What It Means for Business Owners On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed a sweeping tax and business reform package into law. What’s in it? ✔️ The 20% small business (QBI) deduction is now permanent ✔️  Section 179 expensing doubled to $2.5M ✔️ Bonus depreciation extended ✔️ Individual tax rate cuts locked in for pass-throughs ✔️ Qualified Opportunity Zones extended ✔️ Interest deduction caps expanded ✔️  Reporting thresholds raised for 1099s This law creates a more favorable environment for business owners, especially those planning to sell in the next 12–24 months. At Graystone, we’re already adjusting valuations, structures, and tax strategies to help sellers capitalize on this. If you’re thinking about an exit, now is the time to start planning. These changes won’t just affect your tax bill, they can significantly impact your net walkaway.

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 “Why Wyoming Just Changed the Game for DAOs 👀” Have you ever wondered what it takes for DAOs to go legit in the U.S.?  Here’s what surprised me — it finally happened in Wyoming, and it’s shaking things up.  Robert A. Musiala Jr., Esq., CFCS, Partner at BakerHostetler, said, “The Syndicate Network deciding to operate under Wyoming’s DUNA framework is a big step for the DAO community.”  This isn’t theory; it’s real-world adoption. DAOs have been waiting for a signal that regulatory clarity could align with decentralization goals. Now, they have one.  📍 Wyoming’s DUNA framework has been around for a bit   📍 DAOs were hesitant — too much legal gray area   📍 Syndicate Network took the first step   📍 This could open doors for other DAOs to follow  Tedd Huff, CEO of Voalyre and Host of Fintech Confidential, breaks this down like only he can — plain talk, real insight, zero fluff.  What do you think? Is this the moment DAOs finally get recognized as legitimate organizations?  Web3 with Fintech Confidential #FintechConfidential #TeddHuff #Web3 #CryptoNews #DAOs #Stablecoins #Bitcoin #Regulation #Blockchain #Finance Tedd Huff DD3 Media Fintech Confidential

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To say the Democrats have learned nothing from their defeat at the polls last November is to state the obvious. They continue to see their problem with the voters in terms of messaging. Hence they responded to their defeat at Trump's hands by hiring marketing firms to tell them how to better "speak" to the public. So, we had the infamous study on how to speak to men. Now, they spent $700 million to find out what woke words and phrases to stop using. I saw this discussed on a Youtube video of Fox News The Five. Apparently, there are now 45 words and phrases that Democrats have scrubbed from their vocabulary to make them sound like how normal Americans talk instead Harvard faculty. Out are words like "birthing person" to describe pregnant women. And, "unhoused" describe the homeless. It is thought that by not sounding like academic snobs, Democrats would seem more "authentic." Right, like authentic people need a tutorial on how to not sound like virtue signaling scolds. This exercise in rebranding of Democrat woke lingo is not making them sound more like average Americans. It makes them sound like AI robots programmed to sound like average Americans. And I believe most people can tell the difference. Take Donald Trump. He never worried about sounding "politically correct." In fact, the knock on him was that he didn't sound "presidential." One professor of speech complained Trump sounded like the guy on the stool next to you at the bar. And, that was not meant as a compliment. That Democrats have now hired a consulting firm to help them sound more like Trump is therefore both ironic and hypocritical. I also believe it won't work. The radical academic left, which is now the backbone of the Democrat Party, is still hopelessly woke. And Democrats running for office suddenly discovering that only women give birth to babies runs counter to the trans theory they have been pushing. And I see no sign that the Democrat base is giving up their attachment to non-binary language. So how are Democrat politicians going to deal with that? Are they going to have one set of words they speak to each other and another set they use when doing outreach beyond their radical base? Won't that get confusing? As the Fox News The Five panel, sans Jessica Tarlov, concluded. What really ails the Democrat Party are its policies. Policies that make living under Democrat governance a nightmare of crime, homelessness, drug addiction, high taxes, and squalor. But, Democrats remain in denial about the extent of public's dissatisfaction. They continue to respond to Trump's common sense complaints about the condition of the cities they run by claiming things are fine and all problems are being "worked on." No they aren't. Billions spent on homelessness in California have produced no results other than to make NGO's rich. Crime statistics are down, but crime is not down. Public schools are failing. And people are fleeing.

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## Post 1: The Monday Morning Copier Crisis It's Monday morning. Big presentation day. Your copier dies. Sound familiar? Last week, I watched a brilliant entrepreneur nearly lose a million-dollar deal because their office copier broke down hours before a crucial client presentation. While they scrambled to find a 24-hour print shop, I couldn't help but think about how often we overlook the infrastructure that keeps our businesses running. Here's what separates businesses that thrive from those that merely survive: they plan for the breakdown before it happens. **The 5 Critical Questions Every Business Owner Should Ask Their Copier Service Provider:** • What's your average response time when my equipment fails? • How many certified technicians service my area? • Do your techs carry inventory in their vehicles, or will I wait for parts? • What's your Net Promoter Score? (Translation: Do your customers actually recommend you?) • Can you scale with my business growth over the next 5 years? The best entrepreneurs I work with understand that operational excellence isn't glamorous, but it's what creates the foundation for extraordinary success. Whether it's equity compensation structures or office equipment reliability, the details matter. Your copier might seem like a small piece of your business puzzle, but when it fails, it reveals how prepared you really are. What operational "blind spots" have caught you off guard? Let's discuss how proper planning prevents poor performance.

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Try For Reconciliation Here’s something we don’t think about enough—but should! How you treat those you are in relationship with influences the relationship you have with God. Jesus spelled it out clearly: “If you bring your gift to the altar [if you serve in the church, pay particular attention here!], and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:23-24). Jesus commands the offender, even if the offense was unintentional, to take the initiative in healing and restoring the relationship. That calls for true humility. Max Lucado writes: “You may find this hard to believe, but not everyone likes the preacher. There are times when I misstep or misspeak and incur the displeasure of a parishioner. In the early years of my ministry, when I got wind of someone’s unhappiness, I dismissed the problem. ‘If he doesn’t bring it to me, then I have no hand in the matter.’ But then I read Jesus’ words. Jesus commands the offender to take the initiative. I find that passage to be quite unpleasant. Even so, I have tried to apply it to my fragile friendships. ‘Bob,’ I have enquired, ‘have I said something to upset you?’ ‘Mary, there seems to be tension between us. Are we okay?’ Without fail, the step has resulted in restoration. Never in my 4 decades of ministry has this practical teaching failed to achieve its goal. When Scripture is mixed with obedience, a healing elixir results.” So the word for you today is—try for reconciliation. The Word For Today by #UCB

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Since the Iran war started, #WTI and #HenryHub prompt month contracts have started to trade in a strongly correlated fashion - right down to the minute! Not since the old days of the Burner Tip Parity (which the Dallas Fed made famous in '00s) where oil and gas competed directly for power generation have I seen this type of correlation between the two. Well, as many know oil isn't used that much for power production anymore so that correlation faded long ago. In fact, in recent years, Henry Hub has had negative correlations with WTI due to associated gas production out of the Permian (higher oil prices spurred on increased Permian production which supplied more associated natural gas into the market). This is a sign of some big macro-capital flows trading the two as a pair as a play for where the Iran war is going. In the short-term, the US cannot produce more LNG to meet the loss of Qatari production. So far-dated gas contracts may plausibly have some connection which may influence the prompt month but the minute-to-minute WTI-HH correlations are wild (see chart). So, if you are US Gas-focused trader with your own views of US L48 fundamentals (e.g., shoulder season demand doldrums, robust gas production, peaky EOS summer storage, etc), you have to hold your breath and consider this new dynamic to inform your trading. #crudeoil #naturalgas #iranwar #workspace LSEG Data & Analytics

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The world economy has globalized and become quite complex. This is the natural order of things. This has trickled down to individual countries, and finally down to individual businesses. It will reach all the way down to the simple, one person, structured LLC. Change is natural, complacency breeds a stale environment.  The natural progression demands that the workforce keeps up. Technology and Specialized training is converging. It used to be the power was in the hands of someone knowledgeable about their field. As technology progressed, power was created for technology minded individuals as aid to the specialized field. This gave rise to IT departments, Web and Software Development, etc. However, technology (data and AI) has matured to the point that the power is trying to shift back to those with the specialized training.  Employers are expecting their specialized employees to apply technology in creative and complex ways to improve their own production/revenue model. IT technicians cannot do it by themselves. 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲, 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐚, 𝐀𝐈. Tech leaders either have to collaborate with the specialized employees, or the specialized employees can just do it, which is the direction the job market is trying to go. We must not resist it, but embrace it. Employers are being clear. This is their expectation. This does not have to be a bad thing. Our jobs can become so much more interesting and maybe even a little easier at the same time. Business, as usual, does not cut it anymore. However, we, the employee, has control over how it affects each of us. We can rise to the expectation of self-improvement. We can embrace knowledge and learning.

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