Bound To Miss, Build A Village

Statistically writing, the more we take on, the more likely it is we’ll forget something, miss a step, falter.

There’s no stopping it on our own. No matter how much sleep we get, how much we practice, how strongly we think everything through.

Increased quantity of work for an individual leads to reduced quality. And even reduced quantity but increased quality of work is bound to lead to a mistake, too. There’s simply not enough energy or time in the day to be always on, always perfect.

However, the work of one can become far more valuable when it’s truly the work of many.

A support system to review your work. A team to think through the project in ways you haven’t. A colleague who is there to prevent you from stumbling. A friend to help you quickly course correct when you do.

A support system enables us to do more and better work.

Stay Positive & Build Your Village (Because It Takes It)

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More Than Repeating

There’s a lot of moments that might feel like we’re repeating a past experience, but we’re not.

When you go into the same restaurant that we’ve gone to every month for the last year, there’s part of you that hopes for a little bit more out of the experience than last time.

And the owner of that restaurant, knowing they’ve seen you every month, wants to be a little more gracious, ask a few more questions, connect more than before.

It’s invigorating for both parties.

If we want situations to merely be repeats; that’s easy.

The tough part, but more rewarding task is to repeat with intention of making the occurrence better than the last.

You can work out every day, but working harder today than yesterday or having more fun tomorrow than today or trying a new exercise can make the repetition worth it.

Same goes for outings. Relationships. Games. Projects. So on.

Stay Positive & Better Is Better

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Spend To Increase Store Visits

The beauty about word of mouth marketing is that it’s exponential. One friend tells ten. Those ten friends tell ten of their friends. And so on.

Nearly every guest who has a remarkable experience with a brand goes on to talk to others about it.

Very few will ever share a Facebook ad they see with another. And, if they do, it’s not because it appealed to them; it’s because they thought the product or service might appeal to another.

One Facebook ad rarely leads to multiple purchases from one person seeing it, purchasing and then recommending it to others and then they purchase it because of what the first person said about the ad.

While there’s certainly value in running awareness and conversion ads, there will never be enough ad spend available to reach maximum potential on a 1-1 basis.

But a 1-10 basis, there’s definitely enough money to support that. In fact, it supports itself once you get it going.

It’s worth double checking that you’re spending more on adding value to one’s experience than you are on trying to get them to experience your product or service in the first place.

Another look at it: Spending money on ads to get people to visit your store will increase the number of store visits, but either you will run out of ad money or first-timers before you turn a meaningful profit. Unless, you’ve spent enough to make their experience remarkable enough to talk about.

People (and their experience) is the single best investment you can make to compliment your ad spend.

Stay Positive & It’s All About The Blend

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It’s A Skill

They might not call it a skill. LinkedIn might not offer it as an option to add to your profile’s “skills.” It might not even feel like a skill.

But most actions that lead to meaningful momentum are skills.

It might be the skill of overcoming adversity or challenging fear. It might be the skill of coding or the skill of reading a room.

And, of course, since it’s a skill. It can be learned, exercised, and improved.

Stay Positive & No Cop Outs Allowed

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What Are You A Champion Of?

Is it a brand? Are you advocating for a change in policy? Are you promoting a product?

Or maybe we’re looking at it wrong. It’s not “what,” it’s “who.”

We can have everything we want in life (for ourselves and the brands and organizations we work with) by helping enough others get what they want in life.

The ones who make it are the ones who are champions of other people.

Maybe there’s an Apple inside all of us.

Find the others. Be champions of them.

Stay Positive & People Make The Change

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Trying It Out

There are so many trends to try out. So many giveaway ideas. So many packaging designs.

You can do all the research you can to get the right trend for your business, the right giveaways to go viral, the right packaging design that catches someone’s eye.

But you still can’t do it without a guess, no matter how educated of one it is.

Trying something new isn’t just a consumer mentality.

And even if it was, how can they try something new if you never do?

Stay Positive & Out With The Same Ol’ Same Ol’

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Buttoned Up

Buttoning all the way up doesn’t leave much room.

In fact, sometimes it’s more restrictive and even suffocating if the fit isn’t right.

Leaving at least one button undone is an option; it’s also a posture.

The posture of one that’s open to ideas, yes, ands and candor. One that’s ready to pivot and turn their head to see more possibilities.

Certainly make sure the work is buttoned up, but perhaps it’s best in the long run to not button up so far as to hamper the work rather than help it.

Stay Positive & Don’t Get Me Started On Zippers

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