My old boss used to have me ask the owner to just stand at the horse's shoulder and scratch its neck. That quiet job gives them something to do and usually calms everyone down. It took a few tries to get the wording right without sounding rude, but it cut down on those tense sessions a lot.

Yeah, that "first cup is a ritual" line is so true. I read an article about how the smell of coffee alone can trigger that wake-up feeling.

But what if it's not just the algorithm? Sometimes real people just care a lot and spread the word themselves.

I prefer hourly for early-stage startups until you have a predictable stream of legal work. Retainers usually make more sense once you have HR issues and constant vendor negotiations.