Dear Leaders, Entrepreneurs, Dreamers, and Creators of Great Things: I write these Love Letters each month with the hope of bringing you a little encouragement, some marketing help, and a few minutes of joy. Whether we are already friends or have yet to meet, I hope you’ll enjoy my stories from the road and some awesomely random takeaways, tools, tips, and updates.
How’s that ‘New Year, New Me’ coming?
January is the longest month of the year. Maybe that’s not factual, but it sure feels that way. Between the never-ending snowy darkness, the political upheaval, and the shock of my heating bill, this month always feels like a lot. Amiright?
If you follow me on the socials, you know that I decided to build a walk-in pantry over the holiday season. It’s typically a slower season for me, and I figured I’d have time to knock it out pretty quickly. I had some initial help from my dad and brothers… but the bulk of the work of turning this garage storage unit into a pantry would be on me.
Y’all. I am still working on it. It didn’t take the one weekend I so optimistically (and foolishly) assumed. It’s been 6 weekends… and counting. Because I have learned that it’s not the work that gets ya… it’s the before and after. Demo, then clean. Drywall mud, then sand and clean. Primer, then sand and clean. Construction, then sand and clean. Ugh. That is the stuff that takes forever.
But if I didn’t do that stuff, it would all be a disaster. It’s the work you must do that you don’t see that makes all the difference. And it’s true in our businesses as well. We can set those big “new year, new me” goals, but if we don’t take the time to do the prep and post-mortem, we’ll rarely create anything worth anything.
You might be in the snowy, dark slog of your business right now. But guess what… spring is coming, and the sun will come out. The question is, are you doing the little things (like sanding and cleaning) that are going to make those big things a success? Keep going. You got this.
Overheard on the road
I often get to listen in on other speakers’ sessions when I am on the road – it’s one of my favorite parts of my job. Here are a few of the biggest a-ha moments I have written down:
If you ever have the privilege of hearing Nick Santonastasso speak – go! He says:
“Don’t rush the season you are in. Every season has a lesson.
In winter, some people freeze to death, and some people light a fire.”
Mike Kim said this, and it resonated so much that I wrote it down and circled it twice:
“Marketing isn’t about closing a sale, it’s about opening a relationship.” Super powerful reminder, right there.
Fergus McIntosh said this, regarding how we educate our clients:
“Create a journey of capability. Your tech/education/marketing/message is only as good as the people using it. Create based on where your customer gets stuck or stops.” I loved this because we so often create messaging based on what we want people to do… but we don’t always think about what is stopping them from doing it.
And this, from Orchid Bertelsen: “When they said “fake it ’til you make it” they meant confidence, not expertise.” Ouch. And YES.
And lastly, from Jay Acunzo: “I don’t want to “create 10x the content.” I want to create 1/10th the content but make it 1,000x as good.” This should be shouted from the rooftops.
Do any of these resonate with you?
This is where I share the good stuff.
… the latest websites, books, & tools that are inspiring me, the people who are making me smile, and the stuff I have been writing on sticky notes.
- Absolutely love this ad, and the message it conveys. (Please, say something nice.)
- A little Sunday School, in case you missed it.
- Eight things to do to start your year off right (and save yourself some time and money.)
- The tool I am using to map out my 90-day plans this year. Annual planning is so over, friends. Plan in smaller pieces for bigger results.
- Just for fun, but also kind of real, this hits home.
Thanks for reading, friends! If you want to get these in your inbox every month, be sure to get on the mailing list. And if you are looking for a speaker who will motivate your organization to get up, get moving, and face change head-on, I would love to chat.
