Photo: Supamotion (Shutterstock)

Do people keep telling you how funny you are? Do you always have the perfect joke in every situation, but nobody to tell it to? Have you always thought that you should give stand-up a try? Well, you probably also know that stand-up comedy is a notoriously difficult business – but it can be done. Here are a few things to keep in mind if you’ve always wanted to try it out.

Be prepared to invest a lot of time in preparation

Of course, you’ll want to do open mic nights at local venues, but even if you secure a spot, you’ll be spending a lot more time preparing and planning than you actually are on stage.

“It’s a lot more time consuming than people think,” said Eitan Levine, a 32-year-old comic in New York City. “Writing, microphones and commuting to ‘stuff’ are amazing.”

Long before he got into stand-up – which led to his current lead, writing and directing videos for brands and YouTube channels – Levine began keeping a joke journal as a child. You will spend a lot of time writing and rewriting jokes, so better get a journal too.

G / O Media can receive a commission

Interact with the comedy community

Sure, the stand-up community is fun – but it’s serious business too. You have to be ready and willing to network. The hardest part of getting started with stand-up, Levine said, is “literally just navigating the community.”

“Navigating open mic schedules and how sign-in works requires maps and Google Docs,” he quipped. “Sometimes at shows that you’re not there, you just have to show your face so that someone who might book you in a few months will recognize you. Knowing the gatekeepers and who you actually have a chance to get something from is a completely different part of it. “

Kelsey Caine, a 29-year-old New York comic who founded the Two Scoops Network, pointed out that getting into the stand-up world is a lot harder if you’re not a straight, white guy.

She said sexism was the most unexpected challenge she faced while trying to book shows and climb the comedy ranks. She also quoted what she calls “the sex offender thing,” adding sarcastically, “So many sex offenders do stand-up comedy. It almost seems like stand-up comedy is an environment where sex offenders joke about attacking people as a tactic to distract from how they are actually attacking people. “

Caine is right here. Comedy, like many other industries, has been shaken by sexual allegations wrongdoing in the past few years. Comedian Bill Cosby was even convicted of assault and imprisoned, despite his jail sentence being kicked out and his conviction was overturned earlier this year.

Know that everyone’s humor is different and you will almost certainly be exposed to jokes that offend or disgust you, but you don’t have to stay in situations that make you feel uncomfortable – even if it seems like the only way you can to stay or to pretend nonchalance to advance.

You can also find your own community. Yes, the comedy world can be isolated and guarded by some powerful characters, but times are changing! You can and should find your own community in which to learn, grow, collaborate, and laugh.

“Go to an open microphone … find a place where you can do comedy that is inclusive or it will eat your soul up,” Caine said.

If you love it, don’t give up

Even the biggest comic bomb in the world at times. It’s part of the process. Don’t give up on this dream because of a bad show or two (or 20).

“I think people don’t know how many shows you do that just suck, even after you make it,” Levine said. “Also, the concept of ‘doing’ doesn’t exist – it only changes meaning every six months. You have to really, really, really like this stuff to stay motivated to do it long enough to see “ROI” (which is in quotes because it’s more than just financial returns). The effort to get small victories in this world is insane. “

Show up for shows. Take notes on other sets. To make friends. Then crowd into the room whatever it takes and write a few jokes about what you’ve learned.

Photo: DenPhotos (Shutterstock)

“It’s my money and I need it now!“You said it, JG Wentworth. You can use the cashback that you collect with your Apple Card when shopping as you wish. However, if you want to send it to your bank account, it will take one to three business days to receive it. That is far from ideal. If you need your money now, regardless of whether you have Visa or MasterCard, you should use Sofortüberweisung.

What is Sofortüberweisung?

Sofortüberweisung is exactly what it sounds like – instead of taking up to three days to transfer your money from your Apple Cash card to your bank account, Sofortüberweisung sends that money to an eligible debit card within 30 minutes of your request, except on weekends and observed holidays. The difference between “immediately” and “half an hour” can certainly be argued here, but in any case it is much quicker than waiting three days.

However, this speed is not free. You will receive your money within half an hour, but it won’t be the full amount you requested. The Sofortüberweisung will be charged a fee of 1% (from August 26th 1.5%) of the transfer balance with a minimum fee of USD 0.25 and a maximum fee of USD 15. That means you are currently losing $ 1 if you use Sofortüberweisung to send $ 100 to your debit card.

Previously, only Visa debit card users could use Sofortüberweisung. But now Apple has also expanded the eligibility to MasterCard debit cards and expanded the pool of users who can benefit from these faster transfers.

G / O Media can receive a commission

How to set up Sofortüberweisung

First, open the Wallet app, then tap your Apple Cash card. Now tap the ellipses (•••) in the upper right corner and then tap Transfer to bank. Enter the amount you want to transfer from your available balance, then tap Next.

Take a look at last Instant bank transfer. You can see the fee you owe for this transfer to the right of the option. If that works for you, just tap Instant bank transfer. If you don’t have a saved Visa or MasterCard debit card attached, follow the instructions below to do so. Otherwise, tap Transferredand go to the next step.

How to add a new debit card to Instant Transfer

To add a new debit car, tap Add card, then choose Debit or credit card. Tap Keep going, then scan your debit card. You can also choose Enter card details manually, if you prefer. Now simply confirm your card details, tap on pop-ups and then select whether or not this card should be used as the standard in Wallet (this does not matter with Sofortüberweisung).

Complete the transfer

When your card is set up, all you have to do is tap > to select the card you want to transfer to, if it is not already selected. Finally, confirm the transfer with Touch ID or Face ID, sit back, relax and expect your money within 30 minutes. However, if you don’t get your money within two hours, you can contact Apple here.

Photo: The_Fairhead (Shutterstock)

Parents guilt is hard to shake offno matter what decisions you make as a parent. Before spending too much time analyzing your best options for action, however, it is important to take a step back and think about what these actions may or may not teach your child about ambition. For example, mothers who continue their careers after having children can teach more than we realize.

Like Dr. Sarah Allen, a pediatric neuropsychologist, rolled into one last Forbes interview, Our ambition is healthy for our children’s brains, and leaning on it is an opportunity to model a range of effective habits while cultivating a sense of independence in our children.

With so many mothers struggling with guilt over balancing careers and families, we turned to Dr. All, the author of the book, turned. “Raising Brains: Mindful involvement to raise successful, happy, connected children“, In addition to a Trainer for parents. What we really wanted to know was how our own ambitions can help us raise ambitious children.

Children learn by watching us

“Children who develop will model behavior,” said Allen. “It is logical that they also set an example of ambitions. Especially as women, we have been taught to hold back and give everything to our children, but in reality we are doing them a disservice by not modeling ambition and modeling some of these skills that will help them in the long run. ”

G / O Media can receive a commission

Children learn by watching their parents.

When children grow up seeing their parents set and pursue great goals, this is one of the lessons they will learn. When children grow up, when they see their parents giving up everything, denying who they are and what makes them happy, our children learn that too, whether we want it or not.

“I often say to the mothers I help, ‘Would you tell your own child to give up their whole life and everything that makes them happy to serve their child? No, you would work to help them find a solution so that there is some balance there. ‘ But for some reason we tend to ignore this fact when turning this inward. ”

Combine modeling with active teaching

Children learn by watching their parents. However, as Allen suggests, it is a good idea to combine this behavioral modeling with active teaching.

“When you balance work and homework, we usually do it in our heads. Instead of doing this in your head, when you voice that problem out, your children will learn how to solve problems. They learn and understand how to organize and reorganize their day and priorities in this way. ”

For parents, they could juggle with completing a large work project, their regular work duties, and family responsibilities like picking up their child from soccer practice and ensuring good family time in the evening. Seeing your kids prioritize your responsibilities and how you adapt to the unexpected can help them understand how to prioritize and organize their day.

“Children learn problem-solving skills, independence, organization, initiation, motivation, and all of those things through modeling,” said Allen. “These are learned skills, these are not skills we were born with, and so we have to teach those skills.”

Teaching independence is required to nurture ambition

As parents, we have the impulse to help our children. This impulse comes from good intentions and can be helpful in certain circumstances, but it is also important to have a sense of the limits. Ultimately, our children need to grow into independent adults for whom they need to learn certain skills.

“We are training children to be healthy, happy, and successful adults one day, and to do that they have to start doing a lot for themselves,” said Allen. “So instead of putting the burden on mothers, the burden really is on us as mothers to teach them how to do things for themselves. There was this ‘we have to do everything’ mentality, but that’s not really helpful in teaching your children. ”

Photo: Tada Images (Shutterstock)

This week the US Small Business Association launched a portal designed to expedite lending for small business owners who borrowed $ 150,000 or less from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) during the pandemic. If you’re a business owner who has spent 60% of your loan on payroll, you will likely qualify. Here’s what you need to know.

Which companies qualify for PPP loan waiver?

As part of the CARES Act, the Paycheck Protection Program provides 953 billion loan waivers (for more details on eligibility for PPP loans, see here).

The portal can process these claims in less than 72 hours

The portal was created to handle a flood of loan waiver requests from small business owners, the vast majority of whom have loans under $ 150,000. With many borrowers complaining that the process was too complicated and time consuming, the portal is meant to be a one-stop shop to expedite forgiveness to less than 90 days – and in some cases less than 72 hours.

G / O Media can receive a commission

In lieu of documentation, as a secondary borrower with loans below $ 150,000, you can use the portal’s “COVID Health Score” – an automated process that reviews your company’s revenue against public and proprietary data from sources such as pedestrian traffic and corporate-business spending , per Inc.com. If your claim is flagged through this automated process, you will need to upload documentation showing that your company lost 25% of its sales in 2020 compared to 2019.

The portal has a catch, however. While the Small Business Administration (SBA) processes these claims on behalf of the banks, many larger banks have left the portal because they prefer to process the loans directly. according to the New York Times. If you cannot find your lender on the portal, you will have to apply for it directly. Your lender should be able to assist you with completing the SBA Form 3508, SBA Form 3508EZ, SBA Form 3508S, or an equivalent lender.

How to apply for a loan waiver through the portal

You can access the portal here, and there is an instruction manual for use here. You can also call or visit (877) 552-2692 www.sba.gov/relief for more informations.