RecomMONDAYtions ~ 2025.12.22

Holiday History

🎅🏻 Shopping for Santa Claus: Origins of Macy’s and the Holiday Icon

Macy’s introduced the department store Santa more than 150 years ago. It was not the only innovation the store introduced to attract parents and children during the holiday season.

This article tells the story. It is loaded with business lessons.

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Holiday Humor

🎅🏻 “Santa is NOT a Commie”

One of my favorite scenes from “Seinfeld.”

Elaine is dating Ned (“He’s a Commie.”)

Kramer is working as a department store Santa.

Ned indoctrinates Kramer.

All hell breaks loose.

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Recommended Video

📡 How to Read Minds Without Magic

Oz Pearlman has been called “the world’s greatest mind reader.” But moments into his TED talk, he says this:

“…Guess what? I can’t read minds. What I can do is read people.”

And reading people is a valuable skill not only if you have a stage show, but also if you have a business and want to make more sales.

In this talk, Pearlman describes how he:

• Reads people through observation.
• Pays attention to subtle cues.
• Builds connection fast.
• Listens instead of rehearsing what you’ll say next.
• Makes people feel seen and remembered (especially via names).

These are skills you can hone, not magical powers. And if you have these skills, you’ll connect more with your prospects and close more sales.

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Podcast (The Story Power Marketing Show)

📡 Why Marketing Should be a Family Affair (with Brian Kurtz)

The first spanned 34 years as a force behind Boardroom Inc., an iconic publisher and direct marketer. At Boardroom, Brian handled all marketing activities – including direct mail, direct response television, e-mail, and other media. 

Brian is a mailing list master who is responsible for distributing more than 2 billion pieces of direct mail (yes, billion with a “B”).

His second career is as the Founder of Titans Marketing – a direct marketing educational and coaching company which he founded in 2015. At Titans, Brian continues to work with the best of the best.

Titans Marketing is known for two (soon to be three) mastermind groups, an array of classic books and swipe files Brian has re-published and created…and he is the author of two books himself.

During both careers, he has been a serial direct marketer, with a foundation in the eternal truths and fundamentals of direct response…while being committed to “overdelivering” over almost four decades.

DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE

~ Gene Schwartz and the craft of assembling content

~ Eternal fundamentals of direct response marketing — and how to adopt them to the modern world

~ Brian’s Titans Xcelerator and the power of group genius

~ The difference between Ben Settle’s “warrior followers” and Brian Kurtz’s online family — and what that means for marketing and sales.

~ The difference between authenticity and consistency and why it matters.

~ The “Overdeliver” book and Brian’s upcoming bootcamp

FULL EPISODE VIDEO: vimeo.com/833967429

LISTEN ON: Apple | Spotify | Amazon

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Most business owners launch their companies seeking freedom, only to discover they’ve become the single point of failure. They’re clocking 60+ hour weeks, fielding every question, correcting every error, and puzzled why their staff “can’t think the way they do.” The reality is simple: Your team doesn’t think like you because you never showed them your thought process.

“The Delegation Trap” fixes that. Atiba de Souza introduces The C.A.S.E. Method—a battle-tested 4-question system that transfers your decision-making approach, not merely your to-do list. Set aside everything you’ve learned about procedures and standard operating protocols. True delegation isn’t instruction-giving. It’s training people to think independently.

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Recommended Tools

📈 Sales Ready Organization (SRO) Assessment

If you’re thinking about how to bring more predictability and profit into your business, my friend Christopher Filipiak has a smart tool called the Sales Ready Organization (SRO) Assessment.

I took it myself and I’m already using what it revealed to guide my 2026 planning.

In just a few minutes, it pinpoints where your sales system is working, where momentum is leaking, and what steps to take next to create steady, reliable revenue.

It’s straightforward, practical, and it’s helping CEOs build stronger, more profitable companies.

You can take the SRO Assessment here.

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Holiday Quote…

I stopped believing in Santa Claus when I was six. Mother took me to see him in a department store and he asked for my autograph.”

– Shirley Temple