SIDE NOTES
Welcome to Side Notes - a collection of essays, excerpts, and reflections shaped by two decades of building things from the ground up. These entries pull from the margins of business, creativity, reinvention, and everyday life. The parts we often overlook but always learn from.
You’ll find moments of humor, clarity, nostalgia, and insight. Whether it’s a chapter preview, an observation, or a personal truth dressed, everything here comes from a place of experience and curiosity
Why Is Picking Up a Bobby Pin Harder Than Running a Business?
Why is picking up bobby pins off the floor harder than running a business? Science says friction and surface area. I say there’s a small village of bobby pins living in my hair with a personal vendetta, and I am their pawn. But avoiding small, frustrating tasks—like picking up bobby pins—only makes them multiply. Business, life, or hair accessories… tackle them now, or risk a full Gremlin situation. And I think we all remember how that turned out.
Why Do I Make My Cat Listen to "Sharin' the Night Together" by Dr. Hook 37 Times in a Row?
Why do I listen to the same song 37 times in a row? Maybe it’s stress, nostalgia, or my brain demanding a musical security blanket. Either way, my cat is suffering. But what does this weird habit have to do with creativity, burnout, and business? More than you think. Turns out, your brain clings to familiar loops during peak stress. Let’s unpack why we do this—and how to break the cycle when needed.