You may have heard of the idea of the “10-year overnight success.” It’s nearly cliché at this point, and yet, I don’t think it’s talked about enough. There is a lot of excitement around the beginnings of something. We are enchanted by the potential of …
sell your first cup of coffee
I love new ideas. New ideas provide that beautiful breath of fresh air from whatever wall you’ve been banging your head into. A glimpse into a new world! I was sitting on a panel last week with Ryan McManus, the founder of SHARE. He told …
experience ladders: why YOU are right for the job
A common theme that has come up in conversations this week in the Unreal Collective community is the struggle with self deprecating thoughts and head trash. We are our own worst enemies. I think it’s a cultural thing — part of where our society is right …
relationships and infinite games
I really can’t overstate the value of relationships. Relationships really make the world go ’round, and they are also (in my opinion) the most fulfilling part of life. I’m blown away by the volume of Linkedin messages and emails I get on a daily basis …
protecting myself from myself
You probably know what it’s like to feel like you’re seeing opportunity all the time. Maybe it’s your own idea, or someone else bringing you an opportunity, but it seems like when we’re open to it, opportunity is surrounding us. But every time we say …
don’t sell over email
Continuing on with yesterday’s theme of conflicting perspectives, I want to talk about selling. Specifically, let’s talk about selling via email. Hey! You sell stuff over email sometimes! You’re right, italicized font. And that’s a distinction I want to draw — I want to speak …
de-risking yourself as a reputational risk
Over the last year or two, I’ve become aware of the fact that I generally don’t have much difficulty getting in touch with someone I want to talk to. I’ve written about access being easier than you think and how I got onto one of my …
people don’t really care about what you’re doing
…and that should be a totally liberating reality. Yesterday I wrote about developing a thick skin being essential to being an entrepreneur or creative professional. That only happens by creating “friction” by putting yourself out there. And, yes, some self-promotion. Self-promotion is a polarizing idea — …
are you suffering from myopia?
No, I’m not a doctor, and I’m not here to talk about your vision being nearsighted. During an Unreal group call last night, a member on the hot seat was talking about his business and mentioned a problem that I think is super common. He …
intention over effort
Back in the day when I was hawking tickets with Tixers, I led our marketing efforts (on top of product, customer service, fraud prevention…) and I always forgot to plan a sales and marketing campaign for Black Friday. In both 2014 and 2015, I remember …