No one gives a shit about you

Not you personally.  I’m sure you are a fantastic human and worthy of love.  But when it comes to what you’re building, the product you’re selling, or the service you’re offering.  People do not care about you.  They don’t give a hoot about your features

You Don't Start at the Finish Line

I talked with three entrepreneurs this weekend. Founders about to launch their products into the world. And they were all about to blow it. ( maybe ). ( launching anything is hard, so the odds are stacked against you as it is ). Here’s why I think they were all going to struggle.

AI is Nothing Without You

AI doesn't know if it's spitting out gold or garbage - but you better. Let's talk ChatGPT and Claude. They're game-changers, no doubt about it. But here's the thing: they're only as good as the brains ( and the

Shut Up and Listen: A Counter-Intuitive Path to Success

Listening is more powerful than speaking. I think about this often.  It's no secret that in our society, we're often pressured to speak up, demonstrate our value, or show off our intelligence. But in reality, it's the power of listening that truly shines.  But

The 5-Second Rule for Marketing Copy

We've all heard of the 5-second rule for dropped food. Did you know there's a 5-second rule for marketing copy, too? (Spoiler: It's less about floor germs and more about grabbing attention.) Here's how to make your copy stick in 5 seconds

Don't Mumble

The best piece of advice from one of my favorite business books. Don't mumble. It's from a book called Writing That Works. David Ogilvy said everyone should read it three times. And as always, he was right. This example is from the first few pages: Instead

Better Together: Why Marketing and Product Need Each Other

Your marketing team and your product team shouldn't be separate. They're both the story of what you make and who you are. Sales is simply marketing with a closing mindset, but that's for another time. The sooner you get these two groups working closely

The Secret Salesperson in You: How Every Word Matters

Have you ever thought about how often you're actually selling something? Every single day, whether you realize it or not, you're selling ideas, opinions, and even yourself. That text you just sent to your mom? Yep, that's a sales pitch. Let's face

Stop Polishing Turds: Fix Your Message Before Your Visuals

Focus on your message first. The pretty stuff can come later. When pitching an idea, it's tempting to jazz it up with fancy slides and cool effects.  But here's the truth: if your core message isn't strong, a flashy design and killer animations won&

When Gut Feeling Trumps a Month's Work

I just threw out almost a month’s worth of work. The work was good. The client was happy. I thought it was a home run initially. But as we got closer to finishing, minor issues kept popping up. Some parts just didn't fit right. The story flowed,