Written for the leaders, owners and professionals of the 11 million businesses with between $50,000 and $50 million in revenue.

Most people get hired for their skills and experience, but a select few get hired for their vibes. With charisma to spare, these "personality hires" can spread positivity and build team rapport at a time when worker satisfaction is hitting record lows. Many companies are now seeking out soft skills for this exact reason, according to a recent Wall Street Journal.

But personality hires can also be distracting, and might cause resentment among colleagues if they move up the ladder without tangible accomplishments. As one project manager told the WSJ, "They always have time to hang out in the hallway, but when do they sit down and work?"

For more on this topic, read business.com's deep dive into Hiring for Attitude Over Experience: What the Numbers Show.

Today's Edition...

Rejection: Squeeze (and learn from) life's lemons

Netflix: Remembering the "Qwikster" rebrand flop

Sim Companies: Video game lets students build a biz

Harlan Cohen Wants You to Get Rejected — and Learn From It

(Source: Simple Truths)

In our previous issue, we asked whether resilience influencers were spreading false hope. We figured it's only fair to hear the other side.

Not everybody and everything will respond the way you want. New York Times bestselling author Harlan Cohen, whose latest book is Win or Learn: The Naked Truth About Turning Every Rejection into Your Ultimate Success, calls this "the universal rejection truth." (The problem, he says, is that despite the inevitability of setbacks, "the brain processes rejection the same way we process physical pain.")

With 630,000 TikTok followers who turn to Cohen for advice and motivation, he shouldn't feel too rejected lately. Cohen spoke with b. about resilience in business … and how to go about squeezing when life gives you lemons.

b.: What does learning from rejection look like at different stages of a career?

Cohen: Early on, we need to believe in ourselves and get over self-rejection. Overcoming the fear of "no" … is the first step. As we progress, understanding the circumstances behind rejection becomes pivotal. "Is it me? Is it something else? … Can the outcome change?" … Being grateful for all feedback — good or bad — is essential.

As we become more comfortable processing rejection, we become acute listeners. Information is gold. Rejection is another form of data. And this data helps us know the most valuable ways to spend our time and energy.

Who are entrepreneurs you admire for that approach?

Cohen: Dominique Raccah, the CEO and founder of Sourcebooks. She has built one of the largest independent publishing companies in the world. She is constantly experimenting and iterating. Not all books are bestsellers. She's not afraid of rejection.

Gary Vaynerchuk … has been fearless in putting content out into the universe. He is constantly listening, learning, and creating. Tim Ferriss embraces his imperfections and shortcomings while learning and growing. … My father … overcame a series of obstacles while building a thriving business over the past 30 years.

How can you know when you have a good idea whose time is yet to come versus when it's just not working IRL like it does on paper?

Cohen: When you lose the joy, it's time to pivot. When you can't change the outcome, it's time to pivot. When the trusted people in your inner circle agree it's not going to work, it's time to pivot. When the sacrifice is greater than the reward, it's time to pivot.

b.: What's your key advice for embracing ups and downs?

You need to learn how you can serve and provide value … and being OK with whatever the outcome is. … It's so fun to see people get where they want to go.

Win or Learn is available now.

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Remember When Netflix Hit Pause on Its "Qwikster" Rebrand?

(Source: Netflix)

As Paramount+, Peacock, and Disney+ bleed hundreds of millions of dollars each, the consensus in entertainment circles is that Netflix won the streaming wars. Say what you will about its reality TV offerings and low-budget rom-coms; however, with billions in net income in Q1 2024 and 15% YoY growth, Netflix is doing jussssssst fine.

Back in 2011, though, the OG streamer — which began as a snail-mail-powered DVD rental service — almost became a footnote in Hollywood history.

Despite warnings, CEO Reed Hastings made the call to split the company into two separate services: streaming (via Netflix) and physical DVDs (via the terribly named Qwikster) with a 60% price bump. The company quickly — qwikly? — lost 800,000 of its 24 million subscribers, and the stock price fell by over 30% in a single day.

Hastings was correct that streaming, not DVDs, would be the future. Yet, he'd lost sight of the human element by attempting to force the change before consumers were ready. He admitted, "I messed up," scrapped the plan, and kept offering DVDs for another decade, by which time the public had mostly ditched its discs anyway. Price increases came, but gradually.

Although the Qwikster debacle was an unforced error, Hastings owned it (and memory-holed it) perfectly. By 2013 Netflix's stock had bounced back to all-time highs, allowing the company to move full stream ahead.

Sim Companies: A Video Game for Learning How to Grow a Business

(Source: Steam)

Building a company is potentially fun (and arguably a game) but comes with a lot of risks. So, why not build a virtual one first?

In 2023, the free game Sim Companies debuted, integrating real-world economic principles and common business situations. Users negotiate with vendors, navigate bull and bear markets, review balance sheets, analyze market trends, and more. A paid educational version allows teachers to monitor and score students as they learn about business with options for collaboration or competition in multiplayer mode.

With over 1 million downloads and a 4.5-star (out of 5) rating in the Google Play store, Sim Companies makes a solid offer.