Good Examples
A few days ago, I began reading a book called Keep Going by Austin Kleon. On the very first page, Kleon shares a quote from Willie Nelson. The quote keeps rattling around in my brain:Ā “I think I need to keep being creative, not to prove anything but because it makes me happy just to do it……
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Just before the twister hit, Joyce walked out to her pickup truck to roll up the windows. It was November 15, 1988, and the high temperature in Davisville, MO was 70F that day ā 15 degrees above normal. Rain was falling. The wind was beginning to whip. Joyce, her husband Jim, and their daughter Shannon…
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Last week, Ben Settle promoted his book Breakneck Content for sale at a 20% discount. The book is all about how to crank out business-building content. As usual, Ben cranked out tons of emails to promote the sale ā at least one per day, sometimes more. I already have the book so I wasnāt shopping. But…
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Hereās a quote that caught my eye. āItās the start that stops most people.ā Michael Senoff, who interviews marketing experts and then sells the recordings, shared that one in an email earlier this week. He attributed it to his mentor and āgreatest story collector,ā Rob Gilbert. He called it the ā#1 QUOTE OF ALL TIME.ā…
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Over the weekend, I went to one of those big-box stores that camps a āgreeter” by the front door. As I marched past him, he barely lifted his eyes from his phone as he mumbled, āāmornin.ā Some greeting! Made me think of the great marketing consultant Jay Abraham and a story he told about a…
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Thereās an old legend about the great mystery writer John D. McDonald. When he was just getting started, he heard writers donāt get āgoodā until after they write their 10th novel. That seemed like a long road to get to āgoodā¦ā So…he put it in gear and wrote 10 novels in ONE year. In no…
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Last month, I sawĀ Richard ThompsonĀ at the Sheldon Concert Hall in St. Louis. Heās one of my favorites. A great singer and songwriter and — maybe — the best guitarist Iāve ever heard. During the concert, I turned to my friend John and said: āClose your eyes and listen. It sounds like he has a separate…
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Iām about to tell you a story about a hockey game. Not a hockey fan? No worries. Stick with me. The story is not really about sports. Itās about marketing and mindset. Last night, I went with my son, Jake, to a hockey game. Here in St. Louis, we love the St. Louis Blues. The…
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Yesterday, I interviewed A-List copywriter Jack Turk for an upcoming episode of my podcast,Ā The Story Power Marketing Show. Wow! Jack delivered the goods! So many gold nuggets about how to create great, client-attracting content without getting stuck. Iāll let you know when the episode goes live (later this week). For now, a sneak peekā¦ We…
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I just started reading a book called āBandersnatch.ā Itās about the writers C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien and their relationship as colleagues and competitors. In the 1930s and 40s, Lewis and Tolkien were members of a literary club called The Inklings at Oxford University. Members critiqued one anotherās works-in-progress. āBandersnatchā explores how Lewis and Tolkien…
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