X-date sure sounds cool, like a cousin of the "The X-Files" or the X-Men, but in reality, it’s a potential nightmare scenario for small businesses. 

Due to the ongoing political impasse over raising the debt limit, the U.S. government is poised to run out of money as early as June 1 — the so-called X-date, which is just over a week away. Congressional authorization is needed to raise the debt ceiling and finance government obligations, including Social Security payouts, military and federal employee salaries, and interest payments on the national debt. 

A recent survey found that 76% of small business owners believe a default would negatively impact their businesses. But just how bad would the damage be? Well, one consequence would be no SNAP benefit payouts, which drive an estimated 24% of consumer goods spending. That could prompt big sales declines for 21,000+ independent grocers. 

No federal spending would also crush tens of thousands of small federal contractors that rely on business from Uncle Sam. Not to mention, the ripple effects across the entire U.S. economy would ultimately kill millions of jobs and trigger a deep recession, according to an analysis by Moody’s Analytics. 

Needless to say, now might be a good time to think about how to recession-proof your business — just in case no superhero comes in to save the day before that X-date.

The Max: It's not TV, it's HBO

Goal Digger: Happy hour meets B-school

Roll Out the Pink Carpet: Mrs. Maisel comes to an end

Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here.

(Source: Shutterstock)

It’s not TV, it’s HBO.

This advertising slogan from the late ‘90s perfectly epitomizes the phenomenon that HBO has become over the last few decades. From The Sopranos to The Last of Us, the premium cable network has consistently delivered first-rate series that own Sunday night television.

The HBO brand remains a “crown jewel” of Warner Bros. Discovery, said CEO David Zaslav in a recent earnings call, and maintaining its prestige image is a priority among WBD executives. If they’re looking for answers on how to do so, they should look no further than HBO’s own history.

Staying ahead of the curve

HBO has been a trendsetter since its inception. Tim Gray, a senior VP at Variety who has covered the entertainment industry for over 40 years, credits HBO for inventing paid cable; a concept that initially ruffled the feathers of many Hollywood execs.

“It just was not popular,” Gray told b. “When HBO started, a lot of people didn't know what to make of it.”

HBO’s two big claims to fame were its sports programming and classic movie library. While customers weren’t accustomed to paying a premium price for a channel, the idea of watching entire movies without ads changed viewing habits forever.

By breaking away from the creative limitations demanded by advertisers, HBO slowly earned a reputation for its high-quality series that were longer and more sophisticated than its predecessors. 

Maintaining momentum

HBO first seized the Sunday night TV slot with The Larry Sanders Show, the meta late-night talk show with Garry Shandling that ran from 1992-98. 

“When that show was coming to an end,” Gray recalled, “it was like, 'Oh my God, what's HBO gonna do now? They're losing their biggest series. And then, they got The Sopranos and Sex in the City around 1998-99.”

Similar doubts arose when those two tentpole series were coming to an end, but HBO stuck to its formula and continued airing its best series in the Sunday night slot. The rest was history — and Monday morning office chatter was never the same.

Don’t mess with success

When searching for new writers to develop TV shows, HBO — now home to acclaimed series like Succession — is known for its long and meticulous vetting process. Once a show is finally given the greenlight, the creatives are often rewarded with more freedom.

“People in the creative community like to work at HBO; they treat their people very well,” Gray said. “They give you certain freedom, but not total freedom. Netflix will give people total freedom, and sometimes you get a mess because everybody needs somebody saying no.”

Business managers should be wary of providing their employees with too much autonomy, but if HBO’s success is any indicator, balancing trust with appropriate levels of independence is crucial for achieving desired results. If not, well, folks may just change the channel.

Great business leaders don’t do — or accomplish — anything alone. Great leaders delegate. As a business leader, your time and attention are pulled in a lot of different directions. What if delegating, even just five tasks, to someone you trust could save you 15 hours each week?

With BELAY, you no longer have to own every task as a business leader. When you delegate, you have more time to focus on the things only you can do — growing your business. Our friends at BELAY have been helping leaders like you get their time back by delegating to a virtual assistant. Check out the top 25 tasks you can delegate to a BELAY Virtual Assistant today.

If you’re a fiend for TED Talks, local workshops or bite-sized online classes, Jenna Kutcher’s Goal Digger podcast might just be your next major addiction. Goal Digger aims to feel more like a live workshop, a space where experts train you and talk with you rather than at you from a USB podcast mic they bought during lockdown. Kutcher describes these fearless, often vulnerable, hash sessions as “one-hour gal talk happy hour mixed with business school.” Recent topics have ranged from how to do a website refresh when you’re out of time, to establishing essential work-life boundaries, to tips for getting unstuck and discovering a new direction. 

Even better, if you’re not in a space to listen to a pod (or if you just prefer reading), Goal Digger’s site hosts detailed show notes for each episode that read like mini Motley Fool articles but way more fun.

Get smart: See tips for setting SMART goals in your business plan.

(Source: Shutterstock)

The end is here for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (with the series finale streaming May 26), and Prime Video rolled out the pink carpet for its award- winning show’s final season — literally.

Behold, the Marvelous Mile. Last month, the Amazon series took over a mile of 5th Avenue in New York City, demarcated by a pink carpet running the length of the avenue from about 46th to 56th streets. Along the route, fans of the show and passersby could visit memorable makeshift sets from the series, including the Gaslight, the Catskills, and the Fountainbleu from Mrs. Maisel’s tour stop in Florida. The stunt also included Saks Fifth Avenue window displays featuring iconic costumes from the show, period swag giveaways, and a pink cab.

But this isn't the end of the road for lovers of the color pink. Barbie, in all its hot pink glory, hits theaters this summer. Move over, Pepto Bismol.

Planning a marketing campaign? These PR mistakes could kill your business.

(Source: Twitter)

Written by Antonio Ferme, Dan Ketchum, and Shannon Simcox.

Unsubscribe | Privacy Policy | CCPA