Aaron Sandstrom

@TRFyeomanfarmer I’m so sorry you lost such a great companion too soon. He was lucky to be your buddy & farm dog.

Sometimes they're more than just a dog. Had to say goodbye to my best buddy far too early this weekend. He came down with something we still don't know what exactly. His organs shut down. Gone within a week. Only 5 yrs old. Rest easy, pal. You were the best.

@RoryTyer @gvh41 Some frustrating (not dealbreaker) items to expect w/ NotebookLM: 1) You need to manually re-sync doc changes via a sync button when they change 2) Uploads are by file, not by folder IMHO try creating Gemini Gems by SOP category too & choose the winner support.google.com/notebooklm/ans…

@gvh41 I haven’t experimented with Notebook yet so this is a good nudge

My biz uses Google Workspace. I want to drop everything SOP related into a Drive folder and put a Gemini powered chatbot on top of it. When I ask Gemini about how to use the folder it specifically reminds me that this is not currently a supported functionality. Instead it suggests employees open a Google doc and ask Gemini inside it (which is stupid). 1. WHY 2. Seems like it should be extremely simple to just create a Google Site and use it as the homepage for a chatbot trained on my stuff 3. I know there is probably a simple & easy way to do this with Claude, I just liked the idea of using Gemini since we're already running calendars / email / etc on Workspace

I’m still angry. What is happening in Minnesota infringes on the rights of our residents and is disruptive, cruel, and dangerous. Call your elected officials and demand they take actions against this surge and its funding. We cannot live like this. Take care of each other.

@TRFyeomanfarmer @NickHorob IMHO the best way to approach this is to work backward from the employee, accounting, & compliance experiences you want to achieve to choose a platform/provider. Recommend starting with time & PTO scheduling/tracking on the employee side & 941 filing + UI payments for compliance.

@NickHorob I want to ditch Quickbooks at year end, which I also use for payroll. So looking for similar. Looked at some stand alone payroll apps but for our little company it all looks too much.

I’m planning to use a PEO for my new company. Do any of you use a PEO in your business/farm? PEO stands for Professional Employer Organization. It’s a service that helps with payroll, taxes, benefits, and things like onboarding/offboarding. Payroll taxes and benefits are something that I want to ensure our handled in a first-class manner. I used something similar for Harvest Profit and it worked great. But it was a local company that’s meant for larger businesses, so it was overkill in my situation, then and now. I’ll likely use Deel for this. It’s a little under $100/month/employee.

@moseskagan One approach to bridge this gap is to continue immediate notifications, but require a shorthand solution status of “collecting details”, “resolution in progress”, “resolved”, or “need guidance”. Encourages autonomy w/ a safety net & over time the “need guidance” items dwindle.

Management problem we have never quite resolved: The tension between "bad news should travel fast" and "always come to management with a solution, not just a problem". (We have opted for the former, bc the consequences of un-fixed mistakes can be so costly in a highly regulated environment like ours, but at the cost of holding back the development of our team, I think.)

@SMBTelecomGuy I don’t know enough about the data to say the largest, but I personally know several business owners & freelancers that would not have started or continued their businesses through tough stretches without the ACA premium subsidies. Fewer small businesses will exist without them.

The largest group of people that will be impacted by the expiry of ACA subsidies are small business owners and self employed workers.

@Schornack I’ll be curious to hear what you think after you finish it. I have strong opinions about it, but I’ll save them until after you’ve read the book. You might have convinced me to pick it up on Audible instead of waiting on a Libby copy.

@MNStrom I use 1.2x, about as fast as I can enjoy it. I don’t have any ties other than I was not a fan of Jeffrey Immelt. He always seemed to high on himself.

Power Failure is the next audible book, 23+ hours means that one is going to take forever and a day!

I take an inordinate amount of pride in finding creative solutions to everyday problems around the house. Just got a my son’s stuck trumpet valve out by hooking a ratchet strap to my vehicle hitch so I’ll be intolerable & getting eye rolls around my house until tomorrow.

@clairevo This is the way. Have a few of these for kids school & sports too, although I had to rebuild my credibility a bit after a pilot version sent 100+ invites for the same event to my wife’s calendar 🤦🏻‍♂️

How I AI: terribly formatted calendar PDFs from school sports teams -> ChatGPT to .ics file -> whatsapp to the parent gc

@jennyrozelle I’m so sorry you went through this. Just had my 4 yr anniversary of 6 mos non-weight bearing (fractured hip - crutches only & no upright sitting). So hard mentally & physically. TY for calling out these ADA compliant, but hard to navigate spots for people who want independence.

8 years ago (today!), I fell down ONE step and shattered my lower left leg. Working in elder law, I thought I knew accessibility challenges. But living them showed me how much I didn’t… 🧵

@Lawyer4Deals The mental side of these long recovery injuries is the hardest part imho (🙋‍♂️fractured hip a few yrs ago). A few ideas: camp chair w/ footrest to help him stay in the mix outdoors w/ the fam, books/audiobook sub to keep his mind occupied, funny/fun t-shirt (SotaStick or similar)

Buddy just tore Achilles. One of best friends from college and Marine Corps. Busy career and bunch of young kids. Bummer. For those who have gone through a rehab/recovery in, gulp, middle age: What would be a good gift for him? Cause of injury below.

@jennyrozelle Oof. Far too common. This conversation (particularly the part re: reinforcement schedules) is worth a listen for any parent to understand the psychology, how early this is available to kids, and how to talk about it openly with them. No easy answers. drlisadamour.com/resource/encor…

Sports betting is quietly destroying lives. I have a client whose kid blew $30,000 already this year. The parents tried to help. It didn't work. Now they're locking down their estate plan so the kid can't blow his future inheritance.

My kids like to challenge me to make intricate pancake shapes. Today my oldest who is a big @Timberwolves fan asked for “Ant breaking his hand dunking on Collins.” It won’t be the next NBA logo, but I think I captured the essence

@AustinLinney Fair. I think my point still stands. Although reminds me of Robert Cialdini’s anecdote in Influence where the expert includes a typo in the headline so those looking to find fault can find it fast & a productive dialogue can start. Same tactic, different context. Maybe it works?

@MNStrom Great points That’s on me not explain completely he was saying this about all his content just not podcast items

Interesting thing I heard the other day from a very large podcast host He has been on purpose Messing with the front on headlines ( different size letters ) Miss spelled a few words from time to time Not having everything perfectly aligned wise Just so people see that it wasn’t done by AI Interesting thoughts ? Love to hear people's viewpoint

@Schornack We should talk. I trained teams on lean & Six Sigma for a few years and mentored individuals through improvement projects. I have a LOT of thoughts about implementation and some local ideas for talent if you’re thinking about this path. I’ll dm you.

How much money would small businesses save if lean practices were adopted more broadly? After reading and watching a lot of items on it, it seems that the set up time is the struggle. What are you all seeing?

@Schornack You’re 2nd in Local/Regional for me in ChatGPT. You’re not yet in the AI overview from Google search, but interestingly you’re 1st in Local/Regional in Gemini. My search was “What are the best small business banks in Minnesota?” You jump to 1st in ChatGPT searching “best banks”

I have continued to work on my AI ranking for the bank for common searches on banking and Minnesota. Do you see Security Bank & Trust Company when you search for great banks in Minnesota?

AI diligence research I ran this week connected an owner to entities they didn't own + a lawsuit they weren't party to. It missed others in both categories that were relevant. AI delivers productivity, but critical thinking and attention to detail still matter A LOT!

Business owners: check your profile + ask for & check the sources in your AI research. This MN co is suing Google for connecting it to lawsuits it wasn't a party to in the company overview. AI is a great tool, but you're accountable for how you use it. startribune.com/google-ai-over…