Author: Garth Beyer

The start of any worthy endeavor is going to suck to a degree. It’s going to be full of risk and worry and a lot of hard work (sometimes called grunt work). You’re going to have a lot of eyes judging you and you will feel the pressure.

The finish is a lot of the same. You’re going to be exhausted and completely done. It’s going to be a lot more work (to make sure all you’ve done doesn’t unfurl and go to waste) and putting a bow and ribbon on things takes finesse when we feel like we’ve got nothing left to give.

Somehow, though, we’ve treated everything between the start and finish like we would either of the two. We carry the stresses during the journey rather than finding our flow and putting your blinders on to all the forces that work against us.

Don’t let the journey be like the destination or the starting line, you’re supposed to enjoy the work you’re pouring your heart into.

Stay Positive & Keep Soaring

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If you’re concerned that your audience is too small, that you’re tribe is too slim, that you’re following isn’t large enough to support your brand and business–you might be right.

More often than not, though, it’s not a matter of having too small of a target, it’s a matter of not providing enough value (and charging the right amount for that value).

Some charities thrive off having two thousand people donating $1, but they don’t need to. And we’re learning that fewer organizations are getting by with this method.

Better to find 20 people who care to give $200 or to show up to your venue more than the average or to find your offering so valuable that they simply have to bring a friend with them every time.

Before you consider the need to get bigger, it may be worth looking at how you can provide more value to those who have already raised their hand.

Stay Positive & Better, Not More

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We have our plans, trajectories and to-dos, but little do we prepare for the unexpected.

The unexpected good of a very generous tip or unexpected interaction with a stranger that happens to make our day.

Nor do we prepare for the unexpected bad of a death of a close one or losing our wallet.

Perhaps, if we spent a little more time expecting the unexpected (on both sides of the spectrum), life might be enjoyed just a little bit more.

Stay Positive & What Do You Expect?

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Generosity gets you a lot in life.

It makes us feel fulfilled, it encourages others we are generous to to give as well, and in the times that we make mistakes, those we have been generous to are often more forgiving than those we have not been generous to.

For brands, the more generous they can be to their customers, the more loyal they become and the more they talk to others about the brand.

For relationships, generosity fills one with love and appreciation and shuns away any doubts they may have had about where it’s all going.

That being said, if you’re going anywhere or doing anything in life (who isn’t?), it’s worth making sure you have something to give. Here are a few things that can do the trick:

• High fives
• Compliments
• Stickers
• An out-of-state beer you picked up
• Your ears
• Time
• A handwritten note
• Candy bar
• A cafe t-shirt
• Did I mention high fives?

Stay Positive & ✋

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Social media is excellent for amplifying a message, but it can’t be the only touch point if you hope for significant action to be taken.

Better to follow up in a newsletter with your tribe who cares.

Better yet to share the note in person, 1-1, face-to-face.

Better to invest in what’s newsworthy to the point that people want to tell their friends about it on your behalf.

Fewer people see posts on social media and the cost of promoting content is increasing to the point that the $300 you need to put behind a message could be more smartly invested in having a better message.

Stay Positive & Is It Worth Just Posting About It?

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Are you relying on ads to do the heavy lifting of getting customers in the door?

Are you hoping the aesthetic of your venue will do the heavy lifting of getting folks to come back?

Are you relying on Google to do the heavy lifting of being found?

Turns out that things can’t successfully do the heavy lifting for you. It’s not a what’s doing the heavy lifting, but who?

Do you have a team of listeners and engagers? Are you making promises to people and sticking to them? Are you showing up consistently, every day?

The problem isn’t the efficacy of a marketing tactic or strategy, it’s our expectations that they can do all the heavy lifting.

At the end of the day, it’s people engaging with people. It’ll never get easier (to do the heavy lifting), but it will always be worth it.

Stay Positive & Start Early, Lift Often

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Data can ease our mind and provide a little reassurance for a decision we want to make.

Data can help us understand our target better and improve our offer.

Some data can be really really helpful.

There gets to be a point with the quanity of data that hurts more than it helps.

When we have so much data that we’re stalling from action, that’s too much data.

When we have so much data that it begins to make us feel like we shouldn’t take a leap in a decision, that’s too much data.

When we have so much data that the humanity is removed from the equation, that’s too much data.

The scariest part of data is we may get too much of it more quickly than expected.

Stay Positive & Go For Better Data, Not Bigger

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