You Can't Lose!

Join artist Joe, who transformed his creativity into a successful Etsy shop, and workspace expert Richard, as they dive into the art of balancing side hustles with personal fulfillment. Joe shares the exhilarating journey of connecting with fans through his artwork while navigating the challenges of maintaining joy amidst business demands. Richard offers invaluable tips on optimizing workspaces to spark creativity and emphasizes the need for personalized environments that foster artistic expression—all while keeping the fun alive in your creative endeavors!

Discover the intriguing concept of Gell's Law, highlighting how simple systems underpin complex structures. Dive into the humorous examination of middle management, whimsically compared to a cummerbund. Explore the delicate balance between specialization and generalism, using a journey into marine biology as a backdrop. The conversation also navigates the complexities of organizational change and the importance of clear communication in evolving workplaces. Get ready to embrace transformation, connectivity, and identity shifts in both business and personal realms.

Safi Bahcall, an author renowned for his work on innovation and organizational structures, delves into the delicate balance between quantitative and qualitative insights in business. He discusses how the structure of organizations influences their innovative capacity, referencing his book "Loonshots." The conversation touches on the pitfalls of copying others' successes without context, the critical nature of timing, and the importance of adaptability in today's fast-paced markets. Bahcall emphasizes the value of qualitative insights to grasp company culture better.

Richard is an expert in agency viability and client services, sharing impactful insights on navigating the competitive digital landscape. He tackles the challenges of AI adoption and its effects on client retention, stressing the importance of training and external expertise. Richard emphasizes the need for agencies to adapt and innovate by embracing technology and collaboration. He also discusses the value of understanding client history, fostering honesty in business relationships, and learning from past mistakes to build a more trustworthy agency experience.

Adam is a biz dev pro with decades of experience in client services and after all of those years, and all of those clients, and all of that revenue, sales success comes down to trust. Clients have to trust you. Your team has to trust you. Ownership has to trust you. You can see why Adam has enjoyed such a long track record of success when you hear more about how he builds, maintains, and nourishes trust.

Wil Reynolds, a content marketing expert and founder of SEER Interactive, offers insights on connecting with clients authentically. He delves into the struggles of maintaining work-life balance while being a public figure. The conversation shifts to how the pandemic changed marketing dynamics, emphasizing genuine human connections over metrics. Wil candidly discusses family influences, social issues, and the misconceptions of success, while sharing humorous anecdotes about navigating social media and the quest for authenticity amidst societal pressures.

Richard is fresh off his trip to Config in SF and has thoughts on what the demand for this event tells us about the value of live events, some quick thoughts on the latest Figma news, and a long conversation about the value of people connecting IRL. Let's dive in!

Somehow we got Tracey Halvorsen to join the podcast again! Tracey is the CEO at Adeo (https://helloadeo.com/) and shares her thoughts on a lifetime of client services experience, her thoughts on value pricing, the value of relationships, and the secret to a long and successful career: You gotta listen to learn more!

Warren Wilansky is founder and President of Plank, our favorite Montreal web design and dev agency, and he joins us this week to explain how to grow an agency over 25 years. 25 years!!! It's super simple, it's all about relationships. Don't think about leads or accounts or marketing or sales. Cultivate authentic relationships and BOOM you're an overnight 25-year-long success story. Warren unpacks mentorship among team members, planning for a post-Warren & Steve Plank, baseball as biz dev, LinkedIn buttsniffing and more.

Ryan Irelan reminded me of this quote he heard on Julia Luis Dreyfus's podcast Wiser Than Me when she interviewed Anne Lamott, author of Bird by Bird, who attributed it to Teddy Roosevelt. That's how information works these days btw. Comparison shopping and Keeping Up With the Jones focuses on outcomes instead of on the journey. This week we talk about ways to mitigate the risks of comparing your accomplishments to others, and instead learn to focus on the journey and the lessons to be learned along the way. Also a good joke about zombie apocalypses!