A Guide to The Great Indoors

As we move into self-isolation, a lot of us aren’t loving it. It might feel a little heavy or confusing right now, but we’ve been thinking. A sense of community, connectedness, and kindness is going to be what keeps our spirits up during the pandemic, and startups and small businesses should look to leaning on their wider community for support. 

Some of us aren’t used to working from home or spending long hours shut indoors - but the good news is that there are lots of things you can do to keep your brain active and your body moving, even if you’re at home.

Events with Humans Present

Physical activity

  • Find a space in your house you can convert to a workout zone. This can be somewhere small, in a corner, or even just a part of your bedroom. 

  • Do stretches. Oprah has a great list of stretches to help promote calm and focus, great for in between answering emails and phone calls.

  • Yoga is a wonderful at-home fitness option. Online classes are available from many practitioners, or you can watch pre-recorded youtube videos for free.

  • Get outside! You’re allowed to go outside! Maybe you can’t go to the gym, but you can definitely take a walk around the block, even if it’s just to get some coffee. Get your heart rate up a little, and get some fresh air.

  • If you use online meeting applications, put them on your phone, and go outside while you meet, and walk around the block. As well as being good for you, it’ll make for a pretty backdrop. Remember your headphones!



Books to read

  • How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie (Also available on Audible). This is a time-tested guide to positive leadership and relationships. Some of the metaphors may be a little out of date, but the message is invaluable. Considered by many founders and CEOs to be a Must Read.

  • The Lean Startup by Eric Reis (Also available on Audible). The Lean Startup offers entrepreneurs - in companies of all sizes - a way to test their vision continuously, to adapt and adjust to anything. 

  • Talk Is Cheap: The Digital PR Your Startup Needs (But Can't Afford!) - Leanne Ross (Also available on Kindle). Leanne Ross is a Dunedin local, and Director of Marketing, Sales and Communications at Otago Polytechnic. Her book Talk is Cheap landed in the Amazon Top 5 Bestseller list. This book offers awesome practical advice and helpful tips on Digital PR to startups - definitely worth a read for those in the early stages!

  • The Resilience Project by Hugh Van Cuylenburg (Also available on Audible). Empathy, mindfulness, human kindness and motivation are the running themes in The Resilience Project. This is an uplifting exploration on how to weave in gratitude and happiness to every aspect of your life, and the positive effects it can have on your career, health, and relationships. 

  • Building Brand Experiences: A Practical Guide to Retaining Brand Relevance by Darren Coleman. This is a deeper read for anyone in the startup space, but well worth the investment. All brands, no matter the size of the company, are constantly battling to stay relevant - this is a helpful guide to making it work for you. 

  • Grit by Angela Duckworth (Also available on audible). This book is about passion and perseverance, but also about being stubborn. In a good way.

  • Shoe Dog by Phil Knight (Also available on audible). This is a memoir from the creator of Nike, and it’s packed with valuable wisdom, particularly surrounding the fact that NOBODY knows what they’re doing, and it’s okay, and everything is fine. Bill Gates gave it a really good review, so there’s that.


Podcasts

  • Here at Startup Dunedin, we have our own podcast! Angus Pauley interviews Dunedin founders and experts about their journey, their passions, and how they made it to where they are today. This is a collection of awesome locals doing innovative things.

  • Masters of Scale. LinkedIn Co-Founder Reid Hoffman hosts this upbeat and inspiring podcast detailing the process of growth and scale among startups. Masters of Scale is also committed to a 50-50 gender balance for guests.

  • NZ Business Podcast. Hosted by Paul Spain and sponsored by BNZ, the NZ Business Podcast provides listeners with wisdom and experiences of prominent Kiwi businesspeople in a relaxed and casual setting.

  • NZ Entrepreneur has a brilliant archive of podcasts on different topics ranging from marketing to being your own boss.

  • Women Who Startup radio.  Hosted by Lizelle van Vuuren, this brilliant podcast is designed to lift up, celebrate and encourage all women in the startup space, as well as women in tech, and women who code.

Documentaries and Online Media

  • Michael Porter/TED: The case for letting business solve social problems. This is an interesting take and a new perspective not often represented in the media. Michael Porter wants you to hear his case for letting business try to solve social issues - using the fact that they want to make a profit to show how it can be beneficial. 

  • Ashwini Anburajan/TED: How cryptocurrency can help startups get investment capital. The world of cryptocurrency has its own rules, language, and politics. This fascinating presentation discusses how cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin can factor into the startup sphere.

  •  StartUp Web Series (2016). This is an entertaining web series hosted entirely on YouTube, focussing on a cat-and-mouse relationship between a digital currency startup incubated in shady circumstances, and a crooked FBI agent played by Martin Freeman. 

  • Jiro Dreams of Sushi. A sweet and inspiring story about Jiro Ono, the man who runs a humble-looking sushi stand called Sukiyabashi Jiro. Despite its modest appearance in a Tokyo subway station, his product is so good that he is awarded a three-star Michelin Guide rating.  

  • A Cup of Lee. The blog from the amazing Leanne Ross, author of Talk is Cheap as mentioned above! This brilliant perspective on business and marketing became a finalist in the Irish Blog Awards in 2014 and 2015, and was Commended in the DANI Awards for Best Business & Tech Blog in 2017.


Apps and other resources

  • Plant Nanny. (iPhone) Stay hydrated out there team. Grow a plant every time you drink water. A fun way to gamify your physical health.

  • Calm. (Android / iPhone) Calm is more a cultural phenomenon than an app. With free breathing exercises, guided meditation, anxiety and stress relieving exercises, and even bedtime stories, calm is a must for anyone who wants to keep a level head during crisis mode.

  • Forest. (Android / iPhone) Working remotely can be a bit of a challenge to many people. Luckily Forest is here to help - if you focus on your work, you grow a tree. If you stop working and mess with your phone, it dies. You also get coins from planting these trees, and these go towards planting real trees! In real life! 

  • TalkSpace. If you’re cooped up and stressed out, it’s good to talk to someone who knows how to help. Talkspace is an online therapy tool that helps you get through tough times with practical advice and empathy. You can connect to an online counsellor for a fraction of the cost of traditional therapy.