How To Not Be Like A Musician
Why Musicians miss out on the greatest opportunity of their lives My wife enjoys watching The Voice on NBC, yet another vocal talent show promising fame, glory, and riches to one lucky winner. My routine is always the same when these types of shows come on. At first I scoff. Then I attempt to do my work in the same room while ignoring the TV. Within minutes I find myself distracted enough by the show that the laptop closes and I end up supplying a running commentary on the performances for my sweetheart, as she smiles knowingly at my eventual and inevitable caving. So I’ve watched my...
Read MoreBe Bold – How Not To Run Your Marketing
A quick scan for social media gurus in the job postings will tell you all you need to know about the confusion in the world of online marketing. They all mention the position creating “relevant content” in a very meaningful way, as if the words themselves will have magical powers to transform crappy marketing into something worthy of attention. Here’s a sample of the conversation I would have with these companies: “Relevant to who, though,” I ask. “To our customer,” they say. “But I can guarantee your customer doesn’t care about your...
Read MoreMaybe You Shouldn’t Promise Things
“At Papa Murphy’s… your complete satisfaction is our only goal. Guaranteed.” – From the poster on the store’s wall. That promise is a tall order, and not something to be taken lightly I think. Unfortunately companies do this all the time, knowing that they will fail miserably and depending on the good graces and forgiveness of their customers. I’m putting them on notice, our good graces are running out. I’ll tell you a story. My entire family was eagerly waiting for Papa Murphy’s Cheeseburger Pizza, so off to the store I went. I walked...
Read More4 Easy Ways To Know Your Art Is Good Enough
Imagine a little girl making a painting or putting together a macaroni collage. As she happily toils away on the kitchen floor, her Mom comes up behind her and says, “Oh how nice, Dear. You’re doing so well!” How do you think that girl knows if her Mom is telling the truth? The little girl probably doesn’t care if her Mommy is just being nice or encouraging, she accepts it at face value. When you get older however, the problem becomes more serious. Specifically, how do you know your friends and family aren’t just being polite? How do you know that you’ve...
Read MoreWhy Your Soul Is Slowly Dying
My guess is that your life is not what you want it to be. The good news is that there are probably only one or two things you need to change in order to have the best life ever. The bad news: those things will be the hardest in the whole world to change. Which is why you haven’t changed them already. I’m a big fan of stories to make a point… Billy once had a dream as well. —————- Through squinted eyes, Billy’s pencil sketched across the paper, a furry of motion. At only six years old, he knew what he wanted most in the world; to be a space explorer....
Read MoreThe One Secret of Successful Artistic Entrepreneurs
Too many artistic entrepreneurs try to get away with boring stories. Of course 30 years ago that was how you found a mass audience, you appealed to the largest group possible. But those were also the days when there were only 4 channels on TV. Today, you can’t be bland or general, everyone will tune you out if you try. That’s a shame really, because then no one will know you or what amazing beauty you can bring to their lives. The worst part, if you’re boring, they won’t want to know you. You have to stand for something, you have to have a unique story that...
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