The Startup Hunger Games: Survival Tips for Entrepreneurs

In 2025, building a startup feels more like surviving The Hunger Games than building a business. Venture capital has been tight, interest rates are high, and only the most resourceful founders emerge from the arena with funding intact. But the tide may be turning, according to Crunchbase data: global venture funding climbed to $97 billion in Q3 2025, up from $92 billion in Q2 closing up 38% year over year. AI startups dominated, capturing over 46% of total funding, with just eighteen companies securing one-third of all capital deployed. This intense capital concentration favors founders who are disciplined, legally sound, and ready to scale. History backs them: Airbnb, Uber, and Slack were all born in downturns. The entrepreneurs who survive 2025’s volatility are not riding the wave —they are building enduring businesses that will thrive when the market rebounds.

Jane Goodall

For the second post in a row, my writing topic plans have been derailed by current events. Today, I’d like to pay tribute to Jane Goodall, who died on October 1 at the age of 91, and how I see her as not just a role model for quiet patience, peace, and understanding others, but also as an exemplar of the entrepreneurial spirit.

A little background – Jane Goodall was born in London in 1934. She recalled her father giving her a stuffed chimpanzee when she was a little girl, and credits the toy as her first inspiration and origin for her desire to learn more about primates. In 1957, Jane traveled to Kenya with money earned from waitressing. In Africa, Jane reached out to Louis and Mary Leakey, famed paleontologists, who first gave her a secretarial job at the National Museum in Nairobi, and then invited her to work with them in their archaeological digs. With the support of the Leakeys, Jane traveled to Tanzania, where she began her observation of chimpanzees in in 1960. Jane earned her PhD in Ethology (the study of non-human animals) with the completion of her thesis, The Behavior of Free-living Chimpanzees in the Gombe Stream Reserve and the rest, as they say, is history.

Entering the Best “Season” of the Year

Calendars everywhere are about to turn over to October, meaning the country has officially entered, for my money at least, the best season of the year. Although light jackets, vests, and pumpkin spice lattes are certainly an added bonus, the best season of the year has little to do with the weather and the seasonal menu changes that come along with it and everything to do with sports, business transactions, and the jolt of excitement they inject into everyday life from mid-September through the ball drop at midnight on New Year’s Eve.

Autumn in Minnesota: Where Apples Meet Entrepreneurship

Autumn in Minnesota is a season of contrasts—moody skies, sudden temperature swings, and the unmistakable buzz of Vikings football. But for many Minnesotans, fall also means one thing: apples. Whether you're strolling through a grocery store, browsing a farmers’ market, pulling over at a roadside stand, or wandering through a picturesque orchard, you're bound to encounter one of the state's most beloved seasonal treats in peak form.

Growing up in neighboring South Dakota, I knew Minnesota had apples. But I didn’t fully grasp the depth of the state’s apple obsession until I lived here. It’s a passion that rivals the fervor for the Minnesota State Fair—and perhaps it’s no coincidence that these two institutions intersected back in 1866. That year, the Minnesota Fruit Growers Association was founded at the State Fair, with a mission to develop apple varieties hardy enough to survive the state’s brutal winters. Just two years later, it evolved into the Minnesota State Horticultural Society, which still thrives today, supporting growers and gardeners across the state. 

The Tricky Nuances of Rebranding

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store recently attempted to redesign its well-known logo for the first time in 48 years.  The redesign was part of a larger corporate effort to modernize the restaurant and its brand in competition with other popular fast-casual restaurant chains.  Many restaurant chains, like McDonald’s, have been preferring simplified logos and brand imagery, as well as homogenous, box-style architecture emphasizing a neutral, interchangeable aesthetic instead of unique décor, like McDonald’s old iconic sloped-roof style.  Cracker Barrel is well-known for its old-school Southern atmosphere, replete with an old-country store for browsing while waiting for a table to become available and complemented by a massive menu heavy on comfort food standards.  Each traditional Cracker Barrel restaurant includes an inviting old country-styled porch with rocking chairs and its ubiquitous large sign over the entrance with its popular logo depicting a man leaning on a barrel next to the restaurant’s name.  Everything about Cracker Barrel’s classic style has always leaned heavily on nostalgia for lifelong customers. 

Labubus: The Toothy Toy That Took Over the World

In the ever-evolving world of collectibles, few phenomena have captured global attention quite like Labubus. What began as a quirky character in a storybook has transformed into a billion-dollar brand, a pop culture icon, and a symbol of modern collector culture. Labubus was born from the imagination of Kasing Lung, a Hong Kong-Belgian artist inspired by Nordic folklore. Originally featured in his illustrated series The Monsters, Labubu—the mischievous elf with sharp teeth and a scruffy charm—was brought to life as a vinyl figure in 2015. But it wasn’t until Lung partnered with Chinese toy giant Pop Mart in 2019 that Labubu truly found its audience.

You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know

My parents are in the middle of winding down their farm operation in Northern Iowa. The idea was simple: sell the land; retire and walk off into the sunset. But as they began the process, so too came layers of complication. The deal involved land that had been in the family for decades, the estate of my grandmother, multiple siblings (nine total, to be exact), and complex tax treatment. It was to say the least – complicated.  

At some point in the process, they realized they needed help—not because they lacked capability, but because there’s no clear-cut blueprint for navigating situations like this. You can only go so far on your own before the complexity outpaces what you can manage without professional help.