Our briefing on business, society, and creation.

Happy Holidays!

I hope you get the opportunity to recharge with family and friends. As it is the end of the year, I have been reflecting on 2023 and preparing for 2024. Specifically, I have been ruminating on my “expectations”. Here is what came to my mind:

I gravitated towards baseball and golf in my life. In both games you lose much more than you win. If you average a hit in 1 of 3 at bats throughout your career, then you’ll be a hall of famer. In golf, the best player of all time, Tiger Woods, has a 22.8% win percentage.

So, you will be well acquainted with losing before becoming a champion. I believe most people have naive relationships with failure and success and in turn unrealistic expectations of themselves; which undoubtedly manifests itself in unhealthy ways. None among us is entitled to success or has the Midas touch.

Fact is, every idea you have is not a good idea (sorry) and you won’t win every time you play a game (deal with it). So, why have those expectations? Since failure is more likely than success in all pursuits, we must learn to fail without feeling like a failure. Show grace in defeat and humility in victory. And when you get knocked down remember what Ol’ Blue Eyes said, “That’s Life.”

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Each brief is a collection of insightful articles, reflections, and news. Our goal is simple: peace of mind for your pursuit. And since success leaves clues, the ones we’ve found we pass along here.

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Quick Hits

The Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) is effective Jan. 1, 2024 | Bloomberg Law (7 min read) This is very important for anyone who has a business because effective January 1, 2024 most legal entities in the U.S. state must file and disclose information relating to their owners, officers, and controlling persons with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). If you need help then setup a call here.

Gen Z is bringing a new vibe to the workplace: anxiety | Business Insider (10 min read) Instead of settling into professional life by watching how their colleagues behaved in the office, Gen Z has entered the workforce largely as remote workers and thus has been largely left to their own devices. That lack of on-the-job coaching, combined with layoffs and the effects of inflation, has left many Gen Zers feeling on edge.

How to Stop Overthinking Everything | Harvard Business Review (8 min read/listen) To stop the cycle of thinking too much and drive towards better, faster decisions you can: (1) put aside perfectionism, (2) right-size the problem, (3) leverage the underestimated power of intuition, (4) limit the drain of decision fatigue, and (5) construct creative constraints.

Apple halts Apple Watch sales due to patent case | Reuters (8 min read) Apple will stop selling some Apple Watch models that were found to infringe on Masimo Corp.’s patents measuring blood oxygen levels. Apple is accused of hiring away Masimo’s employees, stealing pulse oximetry technology and incorporating it into the popular Apple Watch. Apple’s “wearables, home and accessory” products brought in $8.2 billion in the third quarter of 2023.

America’s 17 Best Streets for Christmas Lights | Thrillist (4 min read) In some neighborhoods there’s a Clark Griswold at every address, and these neighborhoods from Richmond, Virginia to Portland, Oregon transform into holiday extravaganzas every year.

Lawyer fired for using ChatGPT in a court brief | Fortune (8 min read) While it’s not the first or last time someone will be fired for using generative AI on the job, it is a good reminder that this is still a nascent technology. Here, the Colorado lawyer was stressed due to looming deadlines and turned to ChatGPT to research case law and draft a brief. Well, ChatGPT made up cases, he used them, and then he got fired. Take heed of new technologies and always proofread folks.

Important Dates

Upcoming

December 25 - Christmas Day
January 1 - LA Office of Finance taxes are due for Los Angeles businesses
January 16 - IRS’ final estimated tax payment for 2023 due
January 31 - IRS form 1099-NEC (non-employee compensation over $600) due if filed by paper or electronically
February 1 - Black History Month
February 10 - Chinese New Year - The Year of the Wood Dragon
February 11 - Super Bowl LVIII
March 15 - IRS’ income taxes due for S-Corps, Partnerships, and multi-member LLCs
April 15 - IRS’ income taxes due for individuals, self-employed persons, C-Corps, and single-member LLCs

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Having a good calendar and consistent filing habits is the most important thing to maintain your business and legal “hygiene”. Get yourself organized with our essential dates for businesses and subscribe to our live public business calendar.

Client News

Oceanic Global was an integral part of COP 28 in Dubai, UAE earlier this month. The organization’s founder and executive director, Lea D’Auriol, spoke on multiple panels and the Oceanic Global team supported the production of several events. The annual conference brings together world leaders, diplomats, businesses, and thought leaders to help curb climate change.

New Brew, a 21+ euphoric seltzer, recently announced its partnership with Hawaiian MMA fighter and number one ranked UFC Featherweight Max Holloway. New Brew was created to reintroduce plants into the ceremony of drinking and its formula blends kava root, kratom leaf and caffeine to enhance energy, reduce stress, and promote mental clarity.

Gena Milanesi showed at Untitled during Miami’s art week from December 7-10. Milanesi took inspiration from the ocean, specifically its color palette and shifting states - from still and tranquil to turbulent and back again without warning.

Peak Season, directed by Henry Loevner and Steven Kanter, recently won the highest honor of best American Regional Film at Film Fest Knox in Knoxville, TN. With the win the production will receive an Oscar-qualifying run in theaters thanks to Regal Cinemas.

BookCase

I try to read this book every year. I first read it at camp Kooch-i-ching in Minnesota when I was about 12, and it has served as a spiritual rock throughout my life. The most important thing I always take from it: life is fun.

Taoism is an ancient Chinese philosophy dating back circa 400 BCE and was developed around the same time as Confucianism and Buddhism. The popular Chinese allegorical painting called the “Vinegar Tasters” depicts the philosophies well:

Three men surround a pot of vinegar. They are the three founders of the Asian philosophies: Confucius, Buddha and Lao Tzu. Each has tasted the same vinegar; where the vinegar represents life. Each has a different reaction to it.

Confucius tastes it and finds it sour. He believes the world is full of corruption and needs rules and rituals to correct the degeneration of people.

Buddha tastes it and finds it bitter. He believes that life is full of suffering and pain due to the attachment to possessions and material desires. Happiness could only be found by leaving this world and entering nirvana.

Lao Tzu tastes it and smiles. He finds it sweet. To him the sourness and bitterness come from the interfering and unappreciative mind. Life is sweet because it is fundamentally perfect in its natural state.

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