When I was very young, I would sit on my Italian grandfather’s lap while we listened to music—operas, mostly— and he would tell me stories. One story, in particular, still sticks in my mind. Its kind of a miniature parable wrapped into a joke, about the man who jumped on his horse and ha guidato [...]
Have you ever noticed that the longer you dwell on something you should be doing, the more difficult it seems to get? And the longer you put something off, the harder it is to get started? A huge amount of stress and frustration and unhappiness could be avoided if people would just do what they [...]
I just got a text message from a friend, asking if I could record a short ad for his business. “Nothing fancy,” he said. “Just something to stimulate interest.” The short answer is, “No.” But I’m afraid if I responded like that to my friend, I‘d sound like a dick. The fact is I get [...]
In our last installment, Ice Cream, Hookers & Helicopters--lessons learned at the Rockwood Ice Cream Festival, we gained some insight into the art of staging and showmanship from high-priced call girls and drone pilots and the importance of building Novelty into the marketing mix from some sharp, young ice cream mongers. This week I want [...]
This past Sunday, I hopped into the car with three old friends, drove to the Rockwood Ice Cream Festival in New Castle County Delaware, and armed with a pocketful of cash and a handful of lactose intolerance pills, ate my way through the joint. I told my wife I was going solely for the purpose [...]
The mid-September sun began its ascent over the autumn colored southeastern hills of Cavendish, Vermont on a brisk, dewy morning in 1848. A solitary ray of golden sunlight made its way through the gritty kitchen window of a modest, one story, whitewashed, wooden framed, house and landed on the cheek of a dark haired, bearded [...]
In our last installment of Sharp, Shiny Objects and the People Who Love Them, I gave you some insight into the brain science behind the collecting gene and how you can use it to your advantage in your own marketing plans. This week, I'll share some additional lessons I learned walking the show floor of Blade [...]
I just got back from the Blade Show in Atlanta. Which begs the question, “Why would a guy on blood thinners go to “The World’s Largest Knife Show?” Three reasons really: Food, Friends and Field Research. Atlanta has long been one of my favorite eating destinations—not “fine dining,” mind you (although there is certainly plenty [...]
Okay. First a disclaimer: I don’t know shit about sports. Especially, professional sports. Most especially, Baseball. But I do have an eye for the counterintuitive, which is why a recent article by sports writer, Bruce Mills, about Chicago Cubs Manager, Joe Maddon, caught my attention. In the article, the writer talks about Maddon’s propensity toward [...]
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