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How Intention and Action Lead to Beautiful Creations

By Tom Ruwitch

My friend Caren Libby posted a beautiful photograph on LinkedIn last week — a meadow with Black-Eyed Susans in full bloom. (That’s the photo above.) In her post, Caren wrote, “I stumbled across this lovely burst of blossoms in the John F. Kennedy trail in Forest Park.” I loved the post, and I shared it.…

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Loads of Leads Won’t Always Help. Here’s Why…

By Tom Ruwitch

I met last week with a business owner who was hungry to get new leads. As I dove deeper with him, I learned he has NO idea how to nurture those leads. His plan: Pitch them immediately and pitch them hard. He’s one of those “Pleased to meet you. Will you marry me?” types. The…

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The Client-Attracting Power of Radical Empathy

By Tom Ruwitch

In a recent Monday Mash-Up, I told you about the author Cheryl Strayed and the advice columns she wrote under the pen name “Sugar.” Her friend and fellow author Steve Almond described Strayed’s Sugar columns as “radical empathy.” I can’t get that phrase out of my mind. Radical empathy. Powerful business storytelling is all about radical…

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How Business is Like Skydiving…

By Tom Ruwitch

In 2017, I jumped from an airplane 15,000 feet above New Zealand… …on purpose. Here’s a picture at the moment of truth. Those are MY legs, hanging out of the airplane, 2.84 miles above Lake Wanaka. Here’s another picture… …after I jumped, freefalling at about 200 feet per second. The plan: Freefall for 60 seconds,…

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This Made Me Laugh…

By Tom Ruwitch

Last month, a burger joint in Toronto added a new section to its Ubereats and Doordash delivery menus…  …with items named after office supplies.  You can order a “Basic Steel Stapler” (actually a Fortune Burger).  Throw in a side of “Braided HDMI Cable” (Classic Fries).  Want parmesan on those fries? Then order the “USB Wired…

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How Walt Disney Built the Happiest Place on Earth

By Tom Ruwitch

Back in the early fifties, when he was trying to build a park like no other, Walt Disney needed to raise some dough. Disneyland was going to cost him $17 million to build. That’s equal to around $165 million today. Walt and his company had done pretty well. But not THAT well so… …he launched…

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Turn Frustration to Fascination and Good Things Happen

By Tom Ruwitch

I’m enjoying a book called “Blessed Beyond Measure,” by Dr. Tom Hill.   On page 69, Dr. Hill offers an idea that got my attention: Some time ago, I intentionally began using the word “fascinated” when I felt like saying something frustrated me…I realized the frustrating quality of situations causing me to feel frustrated naturally include a legitimate…

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Cool Tools to Remove Background and Apply Effects to Photos

By Tom Ruwitch

Last week, I shared “5 things you might not know about me…” on LinkedIn.   The post included this picture of me…   A few people told me they liked that picture, and they suggested I use it as my profile picture — instead of the one I was using.  â€śSure, why not?” I thought.  But before…

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Don’t Choose Your Marketing Channel Until You Do This…

By Tom Ruwitch

Here’s a tale of two marketing tips — one right on, the other off the mark.  It starts with a question posted to an online forum:   How can I generate leads for my graphic design business?   Two people responded.   The first person wrote 272 words…  …loaded with one recommendation after another. Use LinkedIn. Try XING…

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How to Create Great Content with Less Effort and Cost

By Tom Ruwitch

For those of you who would like to produce good, business-building content… …with less time-consuming, costly effort… …here’s a story for you.  On Wednesday, I was one of the speakers at an online networking event.  The guy who organized the event, called me a few weeks in advance, and asked for a presentation topic.  Earlier…

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