Edlyn Yuen

edlynyuen.com

[edlyn]

Yesterday

Yesterday I got so incensed by yet another school shooting that I decided in fact, to start small and do something to try and stop what I consider the worst crisis facing America (and a byproduct of rampant capitalism), which is gun violence, and especially the proliferation of AR-15 in everyday society. I set up my recurring donation to Everytown's Action Fund, which is not a non-profit - it is to advocate for political action so we have improved laws on the books to stop assault weapons from being sold. My intention is to build a habit of doing things that are aligned with what I think improves society. I want to write more about that, but - aren't we all after the same things? To feel safe. To have a chance at building an economic future for ourselves. To be healthy. To have shelter. And so on.

[edlyn]

TikTok

Wish Tumblr handled TikTok embeds better, but I love this Taylor Swift quote about how to move on.

[edlyn]

People don't even know when they're shaping you and forming you and crafting you. He knew.

Will Smith, talking about James Avery, in “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Reunion”

[edlyn]

Catching up

I was catching up with @ashlurtrees earlier tonight about how prolific Hamilton was at his age. She’s 25. I’m turning 34. We both feel like we’re not exactly changing the world in a big way, but maybe would like to. I think it starts with putting your ideas and stories into the world. 

“Which personal stories, though? And what would it feel like to put yourself out there? Who could relate to a niche experience like this very specific story about growing up in Chinatown?” she wondered.  I happened to come across this interview with author Viet Thanh Nguyen on Twitter right after our call about who would care. It almost felt like an answer to the questions we’d just surfaced, so I thought I’d quote it here:

“If you are coming from a background outside of [the majority] as some kind of disempowered, marginalized, minority population, you may feel the pressure to explain yourself and your culture, to translate yourself, your languages, your customs, and so on and so forth — this is something that must be absolutely resisted by any writer,” Nguyen said. “When I say write like a majority, I don’t mean like a white person, I mean write as if we ourselves are speaking to ourselves, and let everyone else catch up. That’s where you get interesting art, and even hopefully, great art, to come from.”

[edlyn]

I’m so entertained by AOC playing Among Us on Twitch! Shout out to Yuan for making me watch this tonight instead of The Bachelorette <3  She looks so happy. I love her energy!

[edlyn]

“If you want to seed a place with activity, put out food.”

William H. Whyte, “The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces”

[mfmei]

this life is mine alone. so i have stopped asking people for directions to places they’ve never been.

glennon doyle, untamed (via mfmei)

A person’s journey is so unique. That’s why when someone asks me for advice, I like it when they ask for anecdotes, or frameworks, vs. “What should I do?” I mean, who knows where they’ve been, what they’re optimizing for, what their heart dreams of? 

[edlyn]

I read a poem by Stephen Dunn that said, 'All I ever wanted was a book so good I'd be finishing it for the rest of my life.' This job was that for me.

Jeremy Strong, winning the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his portrayal in Succession at the 72nd Annual Emmy Awards (2020)

[edlyn]

Contradictions

Probably the best way to describe my most recent state. I’m still learning to live with them, both in myself and others.

[blackqueerblog]

So true. “Science should not be partisan”

[edlyn]

A few weeks ago, Jordan and I saw “Network” with his parents. Bryan Cranston was riveting as Howard Beale. Beale’s catchphrase still plays in my head, a rallying cry my inner iconoclast holds onto when I have to face things I don’t believe in.

So, say it with me, now.

[edlyn]

TIL

I’ve had a cold for a week now, and it hasn’t gotten any better, though it’s been a week now. So I called Teladoc today, and all they did was give me OTC recommendations. Flonase, and Mucinex DM. Thanks, that was totally worth $30 (and not something I could’ve just looked up on Reddit).

[edlyn]

r/FriendsFromCollege: Netflix's Friends from College

Jordan and I binge-watched Friends from College back in February. We just couldn’t stop watching. As my friend Kaitlin puts it: “I don’t know these people, but I feel like I could.”

I feel like I could know these people, too. Now, when something happening in real life reminds me of the show, I go on Reddit and read people’s reactions. In some odd asynchronous way, it’s like we’re sharing a laugh over a shared experience. I guess that’s what digital breadcrumbs are good for - leaving a trail for someone else to find, even when you’ve already moved on.

[edlyn]

Things That Sometimes Help If You Have Depression

Some of my friends have depression and have asked me for some suggestions. These will be inferior to reading official suggestions, but you w

My friend sent this to me back in October. It was so good that when I lost the link to it (damn you, free Slack!), I actually asked him for it again. How often do you re-read things from the Internet nowadays?

Anyway, I went to a personal trainer consistently because of this article. And it really did help, at least for a while.

[likesandlaunch]

Earn, Learn, and then Expand

Start small. I know you think your big, world changing product or service should be available to everyone day 1, but that’s not a smart move. 

 “If you aim for mass (another word for average), you’ll probably create something average. Which gets you not very far.”- Seth Godin on Minimum Viable Audiences 

Starting small doesn’t necessarily mean starting at the bottom. Take lessons from HeyDay, a personalized skincare company, and Uber to enter a market at a premium price point, and then work your way down. 

Maybe you haven’t heard of HeyDay yet, but you soon will. Their mission is personalized skincare for all. Now, they aren’t starting with serving everyone, especially when you see that a facial will run you $50+ (yeah, most people have likely never had a facial before) - but don’t let the premium services stop you from checking out. This company is learning from their premium customers so they can someday serve skincare for all. 

When you stop by one of their physical retail stores for a facial they beauticians work to collect data on your skin, preferences, and desired outcomes. It’s a high touch experience for the customer and a real-time feedback mechanism for HeyDay. Instead of building all of the tech first, they start with a 1-1 interaction with every customer. Even better, customers are excited to pay for the services that makes HeyDay smarter. 

HeyDay is not the cheapest, at $100+ per facial, or the fanciest, rooms are separated by curtains not doors, but they continue to win customers by giving them what they want. Better, personalized recommendations that will give them great skin.

Uber used this model too. Instead of providing cheap taxi rides at every price point, they started with premium black car service only. Customers who could afford it tested it, gave feedback, and helped the product scale it’s operations with each ride. Only after years of running premium did they begin to expand down to serve more of a mass market. They proved customer demand by having premium customers pay. It proved customers wanted the service and were happy to pay for a higher quality. 

Both companies started the flywheel with premium. Other industries could do the same. Especially categories where it’s hard to compete by giving things away for free up front. Here are some ideas that come to mind: 

Charge more to create a high touch travel planner, then use that data to build a scaled automated service for the masses. 

Offer premium housekeeping services that are 3x what are on the market, but ensure that the service in impeccable. Learn how to replicate the process at different price points. 

Provide better childcare flexibility, charged at a premium in order to perfect the process, then tiered down the road. 

There are lots of crowded industries that could still improve with new technology and service offerings. If entrepreneurs want to enter, don’t start free and go up. Find more margin to build operations first. Earn, learn, and then expand.

Have other ideas of companies using this model? Or industries that should? Subscribe to my tinyletter to continue the conversation. 

(photo source: PSFK)

[edlyn]

I really like this approach.

[edlyn]

Breaking habits

My work friend & I set a time on our calendars dedicated to stretching. It’s to undo all the damage from sitting at a desk for the day!

This week I’ve been sick, so I skipped a day. That made it easier to skip the next day, too. That’s not okay with me.

I’m looking forward to recalibrating on my routines this weekend. I’d like these things to just be second nature by the end of this year.

[edlyn]

The Right Decision

Recently, a close friend decided to call it quits on something she’d been trying to make work for a long time.

Later that week, she asked me: “Do you think it was the right decision?”

I answered honestly: “Who cares if anyone thinks it’s right or wrong? It’s just not how you want to spend your time anymore.”

It’s simplistic. It goes without saying: every decisions have trade-offs. There are a lot of factors involved with big decisions, and you should at least consider them. 

But be sure to weigh that against how you want to spend your time in the near-term. Time is one of the most precious commodities. And if you spend it making good decisions you can live with, your future life might be much richer for it.