As we meander through the doldrums of the pandemic, the general mood of many, irl and online, seems to be a two-fold acceptance of current events.

One, that the pandemic has cozily settled in for the summer, bringing with it second wave of infections and deaths(you could also argue that the first never left).

Two, an (even deeper) entrenchment of precarity, which was sufficiently dire for many, pre-COVID. 40+ million Americans have filed jobless claims in the past 10 weeks, with predictions bordering on the apocalyptic when additional ＄600/week unemployment benefits end in July. The premature openings of many service businesses will likely have disastrous results for owners and employees as well.

That said, the online economy continues to go brr.

For indie consultants, uncertainty and precarity often provide rich opportunities to make sense of prevailing big moods(and unarticulated little moods, as well), helping clients cultivate an uncertainty mindset, and managing newly-remote teams, and organizations.

With this in mind, in upcoming weeks, Yak Talk will turn it’s focus towards sharing how we work, as a decentralized collective of independent consultants.

Specifically, we will share strategies and tactics with regards to how Yak generates, coordinates, and ships projects. Expect insights on managing decentralized teams, and otherwise productively reacting to “being thrown into distributed chaos”.

The New Old Home: Fireside Chat Recap

On June 25th, Yak held an online fireside chat for The New Old Home, a YC report that explores emerging trends in returning to the home as a production frontier.

The panel included project leads Pamela Hobart and Drew Schorno, along with contributors Jordan Peacock, Shreeda Segan and Venkatesh Rao.

The chat was free and open to the public; 30+ people attended.

Some questions from the chat:

• Do knowledge-work apprenticeships lead to an increase in inequality?

• Does the return to the home as a site of production encourage the formation of ethno-states?

• Is the traditional frat house a prototype model for a specific kind of New Old Home?

Yak Writings

• Venkatesh Rao defines model questions vs. actor questions for beginning consultants, and why the latter is critical to shaping one’s destiny as an indie consultant.
• Tom Critchlow maps navigating power and status in client organizations.
• Anne-Laure Le Cunff expands on “the art and science of mind wandering”.

Upcoming Events

• Submissions for current the proposal cycle close today! If you have a project submit to Yak for this cycle, please submit by 6p PDT today.
• We have recurring weekly voice chats happening every day of the week in our Discord channel. Join the Yak Collective Collective to attend. Subscribe to the Yak calendar here.

Interested in hiring the Yak Collective? Send a message to vgr@ribbonfarm.com.