Just Some Thoughts

Your business will never flourish without attention. 

It won’t be discovered by some talent scout who pushes it to the world — like a model plucked from the mall and flown to Milan.

There’s a quiet entitlement that creeps in when people think they’ve got a great idea. They keep it hidden. Protect it. They’re afraid sharing it will pop the bubble and expose them to reality.

But you have to share it. You need feedback. You need the cynics, the critics and even the clueless to weigh in. Somewhere in that noise is the insight you need to make it better, to build the real solution your customers want.

To do that, you need attention. 

Stop holding back. You’re not special until you do something special. 

So go do it.

You get to choose.

There’s no shortage of things fighting for your attention.

At every turn, there’s an ad, a short, a post.
Or A text. A like. A share.

There’s always someone doing something you could be doing.
You engage. Get wrapped up in the feed.
You’re scrolling. Comparing.

Doesn’t matter if they have more than you or less.
You’ll find a way to make it feel like you’re behind.
We’re wired that way.

But then there’s the quiet.

Just you and your thoughts. No notifications. No noise.

Are you bored?
Are you anxious?
Happy?
Content?

There was a time in my life I had to be doing something. Always.
Reading, watching, learning, working, socializing.
Even relaxing was intentional. Productive. Meditative.

But then I discovered the power of boredom.
Of being alone. Not lonely.
Deliberate time to sit with yourself.

No books. No music.
Nothing to stimulate or distract.
Just you. And your thoughts. All by yourself.

Try it.

Get to know yourself.
You might make a new friend or a better one.

Sometimes, making a bold move feels right. A new chapter. A line drawn. You take action, and for a moment, it feels good. After all, you did something.

But then it hits you: it wasn’t really you. It looked good on paper but didn’t align with your values. You didn’t hurt anyone. Maybe just yourself. Maybe your pride. You might look foolish. People might judge you, misunderstand you.

But it’ll be alright. You’ll be okay.

Bold statements are powerful when you mean them. When you’ve been holding back and finally say the thing out loud — or create something, or share from the heart — not for applause, not for permission, but because it had to happen. You did it for you.

Then, and only then, can you follow through without hesitation.

And wherever you go from there, will be in the right direction.

One of the lamest ways to frame expertise.

Two toddlers don’t make a four-year-old.
Two 8-year-olds can’t drive.
And two 10.5-year-olds still can’t buy smokes and a 12-pack of Lucky Lagers. (I tried)

It’s nonsense. It means nothing.

If this phrase is on your website or on a brochure or whatever, replace it with something real—proof of impact, specialization, credibility.

Think outcomes, milestones, trust signals. Not 200 years of combined gray hair.

Clients aren’t cutting marketing because the economy is bad.

They’re cutting marketing they don’t understand.

They’re cutting marketing they can’t measure.

They’re cutting marketing that feels like overhead, not growth.

I don’t blame them.

If we can’t show how it’s helping, it isn’t helping.

If we can’t show results, we shouldn’t expect loyalty.

Agencies lose work not because times are tough, but because we let things get fuzzy.

If something’s not working, kill it before your client does.

If something is working, prove it loud and clear.

Good economy or bad — it doesn’t matter.

Results are results.

And right now, no one’s willing to subsidize anything ineffective.

Thanks to AI, sales and marketing have never been better. Or worse.

Sure, it cranks out content at lightning speed. Creating written work has never been easier.

But it’s also making people complacent.

Personalization has become an afterthought, and real connections are now hard to find.

We’re automating ourselves into irrelevance.

Don’t trade connection for convenience.

Soon the competitive edge will be human interaction:

– Calls answered without going through a phone tree. 
– 1:1 personal emails. 
– Handwritten notes. Real ones you won’t have to hold to the light to look for indentations. 

What was once fundamental is about to become revolutionary.

Because while everyone’s busy scaling shortcuts, the smart ones are doubling down on the stuff that will always work.

The human stuff.

Lead with it. That’s the edge.

When people say they’re cutting marketing because the economy’s down,
they’re not slashing what’s working.

They’re cutting what isn’t clearly driving sales.

And honestly? I don’t blame them.
If I can’t see the impact, I’d cut it too—or at least squeeze it.

That’s on us as agencies:

• To show the value.
• To explain what’s working—and why.
• To cut what’s not before the client does.

Because if we’re not proactive,
we’re just overhead.

A website without a soul is a sad place to visit.

Like an office park with no windows in the buildings.

Not only does no one want to go there, no one wants to work there or be anywhere near there.

So don’t just add some pretty images and fonts to your site and call it a day.

Give it a voice, some story and just as much character as your business.

Your website’s visual appeal is only as good as the personality you put behind it.

Almost getting had by a con artist feels a lot like dodging a serial killer.

If you’re a business owner, that is.

Because the right scam can kill a business.

Apparently, there’s one running around — and I barely dodged them.

I got lucky.

It all started with a second opinion.

Something didn’t feel right.

“Let’s do a double date,” I said.
The con artist agreed.

My goal was simple: Watch how they interacted with their significant other. It reveals a lot.

Mysteriously, the other half didn’t show up.

Secondary goal: Get an unbiased opinion.

And as this person chewed with their mouth open — ordering drink after drink after drink — their true intentions started leaking out.

I caught a few red flags I might’ve brushed off (open-mouth chewing aside).
But my wife picked up on the subtle stuff I missed.

After paying the $657 bill (my wife and I only racked up $125 of it), we pieced it all together in the car.

I told them I’d have to pass.

Shortly after?
They got arrested — for exactly what they would’ve conned me for.

Again, I got lucky.

Two big takeaways/reminders:

Always trust your gut. If it smells rotten, it probably is.

Get a second set of eyes on anything major. Perspective is priceless.

Oh, and one last thing — they never reached for the check, or even said thank you.

But man, I’m thankful now.

Two employees quit.

I thought I was inspiring.

I was creating fear.

When I said, “If we can’t do better, we’ll be out of business,” I thought I was lighting a fire.

What they heard was, “We’re going out of business.”

They panicked—and left.

This was 10 years ago.

Lesson learned: Be transparent—but be careful how you share.

There’s a world of difference between:

• “We need to grow to strengthen the company.”
  vs.
• “If we don’t grow, people will lose their jobs.”

One inspires action.
The other triggers fear.

Speak with the mindset you want your team to have.

Back then, I didn’t.

Now, I do.