Real designers, I assume, must have endless ideas and images and layouts floating around in their heads all the time that they just pull down from the ether. I don’t have that.

This was written more than 115 years ago. It somehow feels more relevant today. Check it out.

Traditionally I’ve avoided running Black Friday sales, and even sending emails around Black Friday. Not this year.

Once upon a season of immense stress (I was producing The Chainsmokers live set at Summit One Vanderbilt), I told myself something along these lines.

This is a super-charged version of the content in my free course BOOKED, so I’ll be taking your questions live.

I’m not saying you need to abandon all morals in order to be successful, but you might need to abandon a bit more of your ego. 

If your business isn’t profitable then you should just go get a regular job.

The biggest advantage you can have as a creative person is simply enjoying your life.

The accessibility of writing shows us the resistance was always inside us. It was our fear, our ego that kept us from writing. 

Tire-kickers get on calls, ask for quotes, try to have “brainstorm sessions,” or ask to grab a bite. But they don’t book us. On the other hand, when we encounter clients who have an immediate need, they’re all business.

Even if you get a book deal with a big publishing house, “authors are often unhappy with marketing support or surprised at lack of support.

Here’s the tagline: “Learn to turn potential clients into paying clients with discovery calls.”

I’m such an AI hater. I routinely turn down what could be lucrative brand deals with AI video and text generation startups because it doesn’t sit right with me. However, I’ve found myself turning to AI for one specific task.

I’m realizing that the goals I set at the beginning of the year might not be totally relevant now.

When pitching a client alone, especially a big budget, it’s easy to get in your head. It’s easy to talk yourself down, or to play it safe, instead of believing in your process and vision.

If you’re on a sales call with a potential client about your services, and if you can share information about your process that helps an idea finally click for them, you’ll probably make that sale.

Is this accidentally a great social strategy?

“What characterizes binding behavior is the voluntary imposition of constraints (that are costly to overcome)”

When try to automate outreach and client conversations, we end up with less impact. 

A short burst of intense focus can deliver more results than we tend to think.