A situation where everyone gets to run the race in the same shoes — no secret shortcuts, golden parachutes, or invisibility cloaks allowed.
level playing field
A rough estimate — not exact, but close enough to start a conversation. Like guessing someone’s age within a few years (and not accidentally saying they’re 75 when they’re 35).
ballpark figure
A magical creature who believes in your idea and opens their wallet to prove it.
backer
What you get for what you gave — like planting one apple seed and expecting an orchard (or at least a pie).
ROI
A place where business people yell, wave papers, and make deals faster than you can say “stock market meltdown.”
trading floor
To finally enjoy the juicy fruit of all your sweat, stress, and spreadsheets — harvest time for hard work.
reap ewards
When products are designed to quit on you right after the warranty expires. Like that toaster that suddenly "decided to retire."
planned obsolescence
An economy that doesn’t throw things away — it recycles, reuses, repurposes, and maybe even turns old jeans into car seats.
circular economy
Right from the starting line — before the race even begins, you're already thinking ahead.
from the outset
The superpower of planning for a world that doesn’t exist yet — like predicting flying taxis and actually preparing for them.
forward-thinking
Shiny, sparkly elements that people dig holes in the Earth for and wear or hoard like dragons — gold, silver, platinum.
precious metals
Boring-sounding but world-shaping stuff like oil, coffee, corn, and cotton — everyday things you can trade in bulk (and fight wars over).
commodities
To go from “meh” to “wow” — like swapping your 2012 phone for one that can practically make coffee.
to upgrade
Doing things your way — not the usual, not the safe, but maybe genius (or at least interesting).
unorthodox
A plan that didn’t come from a napkin doodle — detailed, logical, and unlikely to fall apart before lunch
well thought out
To mess around, tweak, and poke at something until it works better — or at least doesn’t explode.
tinker with
