When youâre in your earlier phases or just starting out your online business with a small team, the focus should be figuring what you already know is ârightâ or âworkingâ 1000 times.
Thereâs nothing to scale just yet when you are running your business with only 1 or 2 of you.
Yes, the headline is cliche but it rings true.
Thereâs a reason why itâs a cliche but thatâs not the point here.
As you know, if you have a message or a story to share, youâll want to make sure it reaches out to the people that resonate with your message or story.
Imagine yourself as an antenna and youâre sending out messages, the people who are receptive will come to you.
If they can relate to you, you start to form a community. Because, your vibe attracts your tribe.
Truthfully, I’m not quite sure what to do with this page just yet.
I’ll be sharing a couple updates from the last couple of weeks. I took the plunge and the opportunity to build my online business in high ticket sales. I didn’t want to wait any longer leaving me thinking, “What if I started this sooner…”
The cool thing about this business it’s based on a flexible model and I can build it however I want or see fit.
Like any business, It has its ups and downs.
As of recent, I decided to expand a bit by adding services particularly for brick and mortar businesses with websites as another stream of income.
So, as of now, I have this high ticket sales coaching and mentorship business plus the recent one I just mentioned.
I’ll be explaining more in the next couple of posts.
A recent post by Elon Musk posted in X.com, caused a range of responses from the Deaf and sign language community.
As we know, this question is a loaded question which is rampant from audism, oppression, and eugenics which led to language deprivation as well as experience deprivation within the Deaf community.
Truthfully, it was a triggering question for me but I had to put a pause on my emotions and dig in deeper on why I responded that way and why I felt that way. Once I acknowledged it, I had to look beyond just Elon Musk. I mean history repeats itself back to Alexander Graham Bell, Milan 1880, oralism, audism, and all that.
The question remains, “Why are influential people still missing out on the value of the Deaf community?”
As we know, there’s Deaf gain where we have sign language, sensory gain, increase in accessibility, diversity, etc.
So, what I can say, is likely the connection and the relationship between the Deaf community and these folks aren’t naturally organic or authentic. Conversations are likely to be superficial, and at best, at the surface level.
What I can simply say is that we continue to have conversations and get to know each other organically and authentically. These types of conversations are gateways to meaningful change and transformation as well as meaningful impact.
This won’t be the last I’ll be discussing this as I still have more thoughts to materialize as we go.
I recall a concept by Seth Godin and I think itâs his book called, âThe Dipâ I should be checking online to double-check but Iâm not going to turn away to slow down my momentum and train of thoughts as Iâm typing this. But yeah, it was where I was in the last couple of months. So, I started uploading episodes into my vodcast. I was uploading them into my Facebook business page but shut that down recently. Iâm still uploading episodes into my YouTube channel though. I am primarily using ASL in my vodcast. Then put this in the back burner. So, to make my thoughts and episodes accessible for the non-signers and for those who can read typed English, Iâll be doing so after I upload my unedited ASL vodcast episodes. I feel that I express my thoughts out and flowing better in ASL.
Then Iâll set a time to type what I uploaded. However, Iâll likely be tweaking and polishing things up when I type them. My vodcasts are raw and unedited as I get them out the moment I hit record without much thought in it. So, you can expect the English pieces to be more polished up and I strive to have my thoughts neatly in order for my readers. I canât promise you anything on that just yet since ASL is the primary language I communicate.
Anyway, these are my thoughts at this time and will start typing here as I go.
If you havenât seen my vodcast series yet, check out my YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@jordansangalang
I’d like to share an incident between with my toddler and a hearing kid at the playground…
The other day, my family and I went to a splash pad with other friends and their toddlers. There was a playground beside as well.
My toddlerâs hearing aids were taken off when playing at the splash pad. Then we went to play at the play structure afterward. It was a hot sunny day and good way to dry off anyway. We played on the swings then went around to pick up sticks and grass then brought them to the play structure. Also added wood chips. I guess you could say we were playing make-believe meals.
While playing together a bit, I let my toddler play independently as there were other kids at the playground as well. Then there was a hearing kid who walked up behind my toddler and started speaking.
My toddler turned around and got startled then looked at me signing, âShe scared me.â
This situation triggered me back to my childhood years at the playground. Growing up, I was taught to be polite (or whatever that is) and gesture by tapping on my ears to show I’m deaf. However, this isn’t what I taught my toddler to do. I recalled what my toddler just told me.
Instead I told my toddler, “Tell her that.” And my toddler did.
However, the hearing kid continued to speak.
Again, this triggered me and I recall when I was a kid, I’d resort forcing myself to speak with my deaf voice, “I’m deaf… I canno… under…tand you…! …top it!” But I didn’t tell my toddler to speak.
As a parent, I could see that the hearing kid wanted to play with my toddler, but my toddler looked at me signing, âI donât hear her and I donât understand her.â
Instead, I signed back, âTell her that.â And my toddler did.
I could see that the hearing kid was confused then started to go closer right in front my my toddlerâs face.
My toddler signed, âTell her to stop talking to me. I donât understand her.â
Another trigger was that I’d shove the hearing kid and just sucker punch them. When I was a kid, I sure had ways to communicate with my hands, specifically, my fists. But, I didn’t tell my toddler to do that.
âTell her that.â And my toddler did.
The hearing kid was visibly frustrated and was offended, then went up to her father for a hug.
My toddler noticed that she left her alone and looked at me, âItâs okay. Sheâs sad and needs to go to her father.â
Clearly, this communication barrier made the hearing kid feel frustrated. I left that for her father to deal with her.
Yes, I’m well-aware this made the hearing kid feel uncomfortable and thatâs why her father was there to comfort her since it wasn’t my job to do that. My job was to coach my toddler to advocate and communicate unapologetically in ASL.
In case youâre wondering how this ended. The father was explaining to his kid that my toddler is deaf and would have to wave or tap my toddlerâs shoulders for attention. He coached his kid how to do this. Then they ended up having fun and playing together.
And for us dads at the playground, we looked at each other, smiled and gave each other the dad nod.
There was certainly a lesson to be learned out of this.
Sharing my upbringing as a Deaf, Filipino person from acting on stage to the community. Here, I share what I learned and hope to inspire others around me and to make an influence beyond the stage with 100 Decibels: A Deaf Mime Troupe.
Thank you Manitoba Outreach Theatre Hub – MOTH for the spotlight on this.
I want to acknowledge the importance of working alongside allies and ASL interpreters within the community who were instrumental to my growth with 100 Decibels in the acting and theatre community. There were people and organizations who have provided me opportunities, mentorship and had meaningful conversations with.
The lessons learned and conversations I had transcended beyond theatre. Collaborative efforts and partnerships with a Deaf-led group from all production levels went beyond accessibility and inclusion. And our work reflected these.
The same principles apply for businesses with Deaf employees and Deaf customers. By partnering with a Deaf-led and Deaf-owned company like Convo, you have the opportunity to make an meaningful impact that will enhance the Deaf employee and Deaf customer experiences in your business like trust and loyalty for your company.
If your business is located in Canada, you can check them out at www.convo.ca. Or email them at contact@convo.ca to connect.
Just over the weekend, as I watched my toddlers communicate with each other in ASL, I’m grateful to be blessed with being able to connect with them as their parent through ASL. We’re able to foster our relationship in meaningful ways.
Does this mean we’re not able to have this if you don’t know ASL? No. We just have to communicate differently.
Generally, there are 2 ways we can do this:
These are the 2 ways we can connect.
This is also true when you want to connect with family members, Deaf employees, Deaf customers, Deaf creators, Deaf entrepreneurs, etc. Generally, with Deaf people, with whom you are in constant contact regularly.
The opportunity cost is that we don’t connect. And when we do, there’s definitely a lot we can gain.
If so, it might be worth learning.
If so, it might pay to let someone who has learned it take care of it.
Coding is a skill. But itâs not clear that the person who knows how to code should be doing your design.
Teaching is a skill. But simply because someone is good at a craft doesnât mean that they know how to teach it.
Copywriting is a skill. Having access to the Mailchimp password doesnât make you a skilled copywriter.
Selling is a skill. The person who owns the organization or cares about the charity might not be the best person to go on the sales call.
Proximity is not the same as skill.
Note: This is a repost from Seth Godin’s blog.
Here are some tips for better sleep:
In summary, to improve your sleep, stick to a sleep schedule, create a relaxing bedtime routine, create a comfortable sleep environment, limit caffeine and alcohol intake, avoid screens before bed, get regular exercise, manage stress, and avoid naps.