GarthBox

In all that you do, touch and interact with, you’re a middleman.

Something has entered your life (beckoned or not) and then something will come of it.

We can do nothing much of the time and not get in trouble. We can take the crap we’re often give and give it back out.

“I’m just doing my job” or “I didn’t think they would care” or “I’m just passing along the short end of the stick that I was given”

The excuses are endless if we want to be that kind of middleman. Otherwise, there’s a chance for us to be a different kind.

The kind that evaluates and improves what we’re handed. Garbage in, value out, as opposed to garbage in, garbage out.

If we’re all middlemen, we might as well be badass ones.

Stay Positive & Always Room For Improvement

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This isn’t about the way you go about following up (email, in person, call, text, so on).

This is about the feeling you have about following up.

Is it the kind that you need to do. Where you feel you have to follow up. It’s work, a task to check off, part of your job role?

Or is it the kind that you want to do?

Where you feel energized by the work that’s in motion and you want to ensure that energy keeps growing? It’s a privilege and an opportunity. The kind of follow up that gives you a chance to better the impact of the work and be there for someone else?

If you find yourself following up more often out of necessity than desire, it’s worth evaluating the work you’re involved with and adjust as needed.

Stay Positive & How’s It Going?

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Trick question. Trick answer.

To make the logo bigger will cost more than it would to make a better product.

Mainly because the logo can never be big enough.

But at some point, sooner than you might think, you can add more value to your offering that people talk, people pay, people share it.

Any time you want to make the logo bigger, consider investing in a better product or service first.

Stay Positive & This Or That

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Don’t just skim the reading, read it in full.

Don’t just summarize the speech, practice it in full.

Don’t just memorize the moves, perform them in full.

Perfect practice makes perfect.

Stay Positive & Anything Less Is…. Less

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The people looking around the brewery aren’t really evaluating the dirty glassware sitting on the table or the lack of garbage cans nearby. They’re in search of feelings.

The feeling the beertenders give off as they’re working, as they’re taking the garbage out, as they’re grabbing the dirty glassware.

Consciously and subconsciously, the guests are feeding off the energy of those who are working there, whether they’re in the midst of serving and interacting with a guest or not.

This, of course, is true for every kind of business. Guests, customers, readers, subscribers are searching for feelings to feed from at all times.

Which begs the question of whether or not your team is aware and trained to live, breathe and exude the feelings of your brand at all times – not just when they are face to face with a customer.

Stay Positive & Make Sure Your Team Is Always On

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There’s no shortage of commodity businesses. The ones that find a way to sell what you sell for less. There always will be. It’s a race to the bottom and there are twelve waves in the race. More waves get added each year. New racers.

The community businesses, the connection businesses, the remarkable businesses are the ones that say “We’re not the cheapest. X on the corner of town is cheaper.” And if cheap is what a customer wants, then they’re okay with it. This business, your product isn’t for them. These business readily sacrifice those who are actually after a commodity business.

These businesses (yours?) tell stories, add value, surprise and delight, cultivate empathy and connectivity to others in the tribe. These businesses don’t do sales and discounts, they do events and parties. These businesses aren’t just the modern ones, they’re the ones that will last long after the third, sixth, twelfth wave of commodity businesses.

Stay Positive & Keep On Keeping On

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To streamline innovation, add in a feature that you think is only for the few.

The few people who care about it. The few people who have asked for it. The few people others say aren’t worth investing in the feature for.

Invest anyway. Innovate anyway.

Everything made for the many was first made and adopted by the few.

The few is where you begin.

Stay Positive & Phew

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