Kick Monday’s Ass: double-checking… still not cool to set things on fire? (April 25, 2022)

It’s time to Kick Monday’s Ass…

I am so ready to get out of this place. I’m already stressing about writing the review for this Airbnb because I’m the first one to stay here and I know the property manager really tried. They were responsive, solved problems, and generally pleasant to interact with.

The challenge is… there were a LOT of problems to solve. Like when one of the kitchen outlets kept shorting out and taking an entire circuit with it, in the middle of a meeting. Or when the floating shelf fell because it was attached to drywall, not a stud. Or when the fridge started dripping water.

Meh, all of that stuff happen in Airbnbs from time to time. I’m not precious about things being perfect. This is just the first time that SO MANY little things have gone wrong, to the point of it being an irritation.

Now a DIFFERENT kitchen outlet is arc faulting and I keep having to reprogram the coffee maker. YOU FUCKED WITH MY COFFEE, ELECTRICAL GODS. NOW I MUST SMITE THE PERSON WHO INVESTED IN THIS SHITE CONDO.

And if it were just the quirks of the place itself, I’d still probably be pretty chill and inclined to leave them a decent review. But how am I supposed to diplomatically communicate that “I liked the place itself, quirks and all. It’s well designed and close to the Strip. However, I constantly had to fight the urge to set my neighbor on fire”?

Dilemmas, dilemmas. If I rate this place poorly it’s probably not going to get a lot of bookings. That’d be a rough way to get started, and I don’t like shitting on people’s businesses when it’s clear they work hard.

At least my Eat. Play. Launch. event is happening this week… only two more sleeps in this place before I get to go drive bulldozers with my business buddies!

Last week on the podcast…

As a former behind-the-scenes guy, my guest Ron Reich knows how scary it can be to put yourself out there. So what made him want to step out from behind the “guru” and become his own brand? Today, we break down all the (mostly imagined) fears that keep you small… because the time for you to go big is NOW. If you’re ready to get out there and be seen, listen now.
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Fun little bonus: I just got another article published in Business Insider. It’s my 6-step process for having hard conversations. I bust out this little formula any time the emotions and stress start running high. And it’s one of the reasons my friend Chris Orzechowski calls me the “one-woman bomb squad”… I can defuse a tense situation before it blows up and takes the business (and relationship) with it.

Click here to read the article: 6 steps to defuse conflicts with anyone at work, from clients to coworkers

Section 42: Life, The Universe, and Everything…

I’m a bit of a skeptic when it comes to woo.

But when I had a bad case of the nerves (for Eat. Play. Launch.! Woohoo!) last week and found myself procrastinating hardcore, a friend stepped in to help. Her name is Chrys Clay, and you may remember her as a podcast guest and one of my favorite people to run off to a theme park with.

Turns out Chrys has been working on getting certified as a hypnotherapist, so when I mentioned my anxiety she asked if I’d like to do a session. I figured it was worth a shot, and that’s how I found myself laying on a zero gravity chair in the kitchen, with a webcam pointed on my reclined body.

That’s not the most interesting piece, nor is the fact that Stella jumped HARD on my abs right in the middle of the visual.

It’s that now my inner critic speaks with the voice of my abuser ex – only that ex is covered with feathers, looks like that “orange with a face” meme, and sounds like Donald Duck.

It sounds weird to me that I’m laughing at my fears this week, but seriously… that’s the funniest shit I’ve ever seen in my mind’s eye. I’m about to kick all kinds of ass at my first event, and fear can take a fucking hike.

Offer a week update + Marketing Minute…

Accountability time – last week I made offer #2 of the year of weekly offers.

Over the weekend I had way too much fun turning my weird love of Nic Cage into an email.

The Marketing Minute is completely unrelated… it’s all about finding creative ways to deliver value.

For most people the value paradigm is fairly black and white. Instinctively they think, “I want a thing, I pay money, and that’s value”. Yes and no.

Money is ONE way to show value. But it’s only one of MANY ways to provide or exchange value.

For instance I had a situation pop up in the course of planning my event, and I had to get a little creative. Here’s what happened:

I’d booked an offsite activity for the group, and when I initially made the reservation I paid for 10 people. I had to update that to 12 people last week. Normally that wouldn’t be a big deal. However, this activity charged by group size… only in increments, instead of per person.

When I had 5-10 people, the price was low four figures. I added 2 more people and the price doubled. I didn’t want to double my cost AND I didn’t want to tell two people no, so I put on my thinking hat and reached out with a proposition.

I explained that I was a marketing expert bringing a group of business owners to do this activity. And if he was willing to keep me in the same “tier” for the additional guests, I could sit down with him, come up with some ideas for PR, pitch to my contacts at different publications, and write some articles to publicize his business. Win-win for us both.

Within hours he’d written back to say we had a deal, and asked if we could set up an appointment to discuss when he was back from his travels in three weeks.

There are things infinitely more valuable than money if you’re willing to look.

On repeat this week…

I heard this one last week and it’s been stuck in my head ever since. Such a good, high-energy vibe. Also it’s RIDICULOUSLY hard to sing that well while dancing like that. And yes, she’s singing vs lip synching.

Today I bring you About Damn Time from Lizzo’s appearance on SNL…

Rock on,
Angie

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Oh, I been so down and under pressure
I’m way too fine to be this stressed, yeah
Oh, I’m not the girl I was or used to be, uh
Bitch, I might be better

Turn up the music, turn down the lights
I got a feelin’ I’m gon’ be alright
Okay (Okay), alright
It’s about damn time (Time)
Turn up the music, let’s celebrate (Alright)
I got a feelin’ I’m gon’ be okay
Okay (Okay), alright
It’s about damn time