---
title: "What I've learned lately (or think I've learned)"
author: "Stan Voo"
url: https://www.99rabbits.com/blog/what-ive-learned-lately
published: 2010-02-02
summary: "Want something for $100? Offer 50. A handful of lessons on money, on not panicking over work, and on mind maps, from a small business owner in 2010."
---

# What I've learned lately (or think I've learned)

## Profit

1. **Haggle**: want something for $100? Offer 50!
2. If someone is moving out of the office next door, ask whether they're selling their equipment. You can **save** a lot.
3. Often a single action can change your business completely, and often it's just one phone call. Make it!
4. **Think big, start small.** If you want to do business, don't put obstacles in your own way, like "But look how much of this you'd need, and how much of that".
5. Once again I've seen the rule proved right: "Never **agree straight away**, give yourself a chance to think (a minute, a day)..."

## Relax

- Let **piles of work** fall on you from every side, but don't let yourself get nervous about it. They only seem super important. Try **not doing it: what happens**?
- Look for the root cause of what you do. Are you doing it because you really want to, or because you think you're supposed to? Supposed to, but you don't know why? Or for whom? **Review your habits and throw out what you don't need.**
- Work a little every day on the most important thing, and to hell with 2,574 unread emails.

## Mind maps are a useful tool

- It's great to lay ideas out visually as mind maps, or diagrams, damn it, there's a perfectly good Russian word for it ([wiki/Mind\_map](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind_map)). That's how I showed my staff their areas of responsibility and the new pay scheme.
- The software that suits me best is [XMind](http://www.xmind.net/). The portable version, which you can carry on a USB stick along with your maps, is very handy.
- By the way, I own the domain [mindmaps.com.ua](http://mindmaps.com.ua "mindmaps.com.ua") and dream of building a small community of mind mappers on it. If you're interested, [join in](mailto:stasparshin@gmail.com "join in").