The Friday Habit

Now that listeners have a pretty good understanding of where Jeremy has come from and what motivates him to keep innovating, the rest of the interview drills down more into business operations. Considering their rapid growth, Swag.com has had to be very adaptable and creative while ensuring that new employees are trained to catch the vision of the business and stay in touch with what consumers want. Over the years, this quest to the most beneficial user experience has taken many iterations and requires an understanding that it is always being tweaked and improved. Swag.com had to adapt during 2020 as every business did, branching out into sourcing and selling face masks to clients in lieu of their traditional promotional items orders. Another quick pivot they implemented was offering to hold inventory for clients to be shipped at a future date to one address or multiple addresses. This added yet another layer of complexity to the business, but one that they feel is worth it to keep providing solutions to clients’ problems. Jeremy spends most of his time working with the user experience and technology aspects of the business, but he is very involved with operations as whole since clients’ needs and wants are always changing. Jeremy has been intentional about seeking out mentors to support and push him throughout his entrepreneurial journey, from his dad to the CEO of Envy Sport to Jesse Itzler. He says that each of these men helped him learn various aspects of business and entrepreneurship that have benefitted him in various ways, always being receptive to his questions and suggestions and giving credence to his ideas. In order to keep sharp, Jeremy typically spends an hour and a half per day working out and walking, which he feels like gives him the mental space he needs to sort his day out and set priorities. The action item after listening to this interview is to put a deadline on the things you keep saying you’re going to do. You will never be “ready” to jump in with both feet, but if you set a deadline, you won’t have any option but to give it a shot.Connect with Jeremy:jeremy@swag.comhttps://swag.com Connect with us:To submit questions/comments, including voice memos: hello@thefridayhabit.com https://www.thefridayhabit.com/thefridayhabit@knapsackcreative.com https://www.instagram.com/benjaminmanleyhttp://www.benjaminmanley.com/https://www.brandvivamedia.com/https://www.facebook.com/Marklab2https://www.linkedin.com/in/marklab2/

Jeremy Parker is the son of an entrepreneur, so that creative and daring spirit was engrained in him from an early age. So when he found himself winning a film festival with his documentary in college and still feeling unfulfilled, his logical next step was to finish his degree and then start his own business. He jumped into the high-end t-shirt industry with very few concrete plans, but through a very innovative marketing strategy, he caught the eye of Mark Cuban and got an immediate sales bump that allowed him to remain in the business long enough to get a good handle on the various aspects of the business: production, distribution, marketing, and customer service. Also early in his career, Jeremy was given the opportunity to spearhead a new division of Envy Sport that ended up facilitating design contests for over 100 colleges and universities that created new licensed designs that were sold in the schools’ bookstores. After this, he went into business with his brother essentially serving as agents for the first YouTube influencers. They would secure sponsorships from big name companies and sign YouTube stars to product placement deals. This eventually expanded to the same type of advertising deals with celebrities on Twitter before anyone else had thought of leveraging their platforms in this way. Jeremy’s current business endeavor, along with his partner Josh, is Swag.com. Jeremy and Josh noticed a gap in the market for promotional apparel and items and decided to do something about it. They acquired the domain name and set out to be traveling salesmen in order to determine what types of products customers wanted and how they should structure the business to accommodate customer needs. They went after Facebook to be their first customer because they figured that if they had Facebook on board, they could get basically anyone else: big or small. Their pitch was successful, and the rest is history. In 5 years, their revenue went from $350,000 in 2016 to $15.5 million in 2020. For the rest of the conversation, come back next week!Connect with Jeremy:jeremy@swag.comhttps://swag.com Connect with us:To submit questions/comments, including voice memos: hello@thefridayhabit.com https://www.thefridayhabit.com/thefridayhabit@knapsackcreative.com https://www.instagram.com/benjaminmanleyhttp://www.benjaminmanley.com/https://www.brandvivamedia.com/https://www.facebook.com/Marklab2https://www.linkedin.com/in/marklab2/

Welcome back to The Friday Habit podcast for the conclusion of the interview with David Burkus, author of Leading from Anywhere. He explains that the source of a lot of confusion and contention regarding managing a remote workforce is misaligned expectations. Specifically, expecting that presence and responsiveness equal productivity, as is the common belief for managers of in-person teams. However, productivity both inside and outside of the office should be defined by outcomes and the progress being made to reach those outcomes. It is important that leaders set up systems to support this outcomes-focus as well as hold team members accountable for their assigned objectives rather than monitoring their daily work. Whether your team has been working remotely for several months or several days, it is a good idea to establish a team working agreement which spells out norms, platforms for different types of requests or questions, and how your team feedback loop is going to work. Instituting a daily standup meeting for the team to share their answers to scrum-type questions is a great way to keep folks on track and engaged with their work and other team members who are collaborating on the same projects. This makes one of David’s other recommendations more attainable: work sprints. Work sprints are dedicated segments of time that are intended to take one task or project from start to finish in a very efficient manner. Once your team starts working in sprints, you have set up a natural evaluation timeframe that could be an avenue to provide a real-time feedback loop to all team members should you choose to integrate this into your framework. It has long been known that annual performance evaluations are not ideal for spurring on continuous improvement and addressing any concerns or issues.While video conferencing has become the new normal for internal and client meetings alike, there are some times when it is better to revert back to audio-only meetings. “Zoom fatigue” is very real and it can be tiring and distracting to be on yet another video call where you feel like you have to be “on”, able to read and react to the nonverbals of your team members. Even if your team decides to stay remote or move to a hybrid schedule, do not neglect in-person meetings when it is appropriate to be together. One idea that David provided on this episode was to spend the money that you’ve saved by not having to rent office space on sending everyone to a conference or a team retreat to build rapport and interconnectedness. David’s action item after this episode is for you to brainstorm and work up a team working agreement with and for your team.Connect with David:https://davidburkus.com/https://twitter.com/davidburkus?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidburkushttps://www.ted.com/speakers/david_burkushttps://www.amazon.com/David-Burkus/e/B0091L00NG%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share Connect with us:To submit questions/comments, including voice memos: hello@thefridayhabit.com https://www.thefridayhabit.com/thefridayhabit@knapsackcreative.com https://www.instagram.com/benjaminmanleyhttp://www.benjaminmanley.com/https://www.brandvivamedia.com/https://www.facebook.com/Marklab2https://www.linkedin.com/in/marklab2/

David Burkus started out his career as a business school professor who was inspired and intrigued by the narrative nonfiction books being written by people like Malcolm Gladwell. On this episode of The Friday Habit, David tells Mark and Ben about how that inspiration became action when he realized that he wanted to help people work and lead more effectively by using storytelling techniques combined with science. He decided to advance his education by earning a Master’s in Organizational Psychology and a Doctorate in Strategic Leadership, providing him with the foundation to embark on his writing journey.Now, David has written 4 or 5 books (depending on how you classify his Audible project) on the intersection of psychology and business to help teams do their best work. He has written on the misconceptions of the creative process, setting up an effective work climate and culture, networking and its integration with science, declaring your company’s purpose and motivating people to join your cause, and leading from anywhere. David also provides some insight into the nonfiction writing industry, which he says starts with having a platform of your own. David started his podcast in 2010, back before there was adequate technology to support podcasting, and he was later approached by an agent based on the content and following he had built up there. Once he had an agent, they worked together to create a proposal which was sent to various publishers and the bidding/offer process began. If you do not get any publisher offers the first time around, you can tweak your proposal and try, try again. Once he had signed with a publisher, the bulk of the writing began, with lots of input and feedback from his editor. We will pick back up in the conversation next week!Connect with David:https://davidburkus.com/https://twitter.com/davidburkus?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidburkushttps://www.ted.com/speakers/david_burkushttps://www.amazon.com/David-Burkus/e/B0091L00NG%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share Connect with us:To submit questions/comments, including voice memos: hello@thefridayhabit.com https://www.thefridayhabit.com/thefridayhabit@knapsackcreative.com https://www.instagram.com/benjaminmanleyhttp://www.benjaminmanley.com/https://www.brandvivamedia.com/https://www.facebook.com/Marklab2https://www.linkedin.com/in/marklab2/

Whether you have created 2021 business goals yet or not, Ben and Mark have some great pointers on this episode of The Friday Habit for you to keep in mind as you try to crush your goals. Here are 5 common mistakes that may undermine your business goals and how you can shift the equation to point you in the right direction.Setting the wrong goals – If your goals are unclear or vague, you will lack direction. Instead, make sure that your goals are specific, measurable, and achievable.Forgetting your goals – If your goals are not top of mind, you will forget why they are important to you and what your desired end results are. Document your goals and make them impossible to ignore.Under-planning for your goals – If you don’t have a plan in place, you will likely never start on your goals or you will never get where you want to go. Consider using time blocking (as discussed on Episode 47 of the podcast) and setting recurring events on your calendar to allow the adequate time for you to work towards your goal. Choose your tools and location ahead of time and have a back-up plan for if something makes you deviate from your plan.Doing it alone – If you do not have anyone in your corner to keep you accountable, you will likely stop working towards your goals. In fact, studies have shown that having accountability increases the likelihood of success by 95%. Schedule check-ins with a like-minded peer, coach, or mentor ahead of time and stick to the plan. One great resource is Motivated Mornings (link below).Giving up with it’s not working – If you give up at the first obstacle or challenge along your path to reach your goal, you will never get there. Instead, expect to face challenges and experience failures along the way. Use those speedbumps to reevaluate your methods and then get back on the path.Your action item after this episode is to create new 2021 goals and set up back up plans and accountability check-ins to keep you on track.Links mentioned:https://www.motivatedmornings.work/ Connect with us:To submit questions/comments, including voice memos: hello@thefridayhabit.com https://www.thefridayhabit.com/thefridayhabit@knapsackcreative.com https://www.instagram.com/benjaminmanleyhttp://www.benjaminmanley.com/https://www.brandvivamedia.com/https://www.facebook.com/Marklab2https://www.linkedin.com/in/marklab2/

We dive a bit deeper into the four pillars of building an authority brand with Curt Mercadante during this episode of The Friday Habit. When it comes to the right ways to gain attention for your business or brand, Curt says that it is important to have a LinkedIn presence and consistently publish content there. But this will not be effective unless you have a concrete understanding of who your ideal client is. The accuracy pillar addresses this, nudging you towards creating those personas that you will keep in mind as you go about every brainstorming and strategy conversation. Be confident enough to cast a small net into that small pond, making the message relevant to your niche and talking directly to them. Curt calls every person who engages with his LinkedIn posts to make that connection.This flows right into the next pillar, which is alignment. The right message conveyed to the right audience should draw people to you rather than you feeling like you have to lure them in with pitches or sales techniques. Your impact story will resonate with them and you will be able to speak to their wants without forcing or manipulating them because you are genuinely trying to provide them with something of value that will improve their lives. Finally, authenticity means providing a quality product or service consistently. When people see and hear you through avenues like video content, they will feel like they know you long before they reach out to you about your services and these types of clients are more likely to be loyal and tell others about you. Don’t try to be someone you are not and play to your strengths in every scenario. Your action item after this episode is to call at least one potential client tomorrow. Curt says that talking with people is the best way to hone your message. Connect with Curt:https://www.curtmercadante.com/https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/freedom-mindset-radio/id1352804152 https://www.amazon.com/Five-Pillars-Freedom-Lifestyle-Comfort-ebook/dp/B07WLLBGRD https://twitter.com/curtmercadantehttps://www.linkedin.com/in/curtmercadantehttps://www.facebook.com/curtmercadante/ Connect with us:To submit questions/comments: hello@thefridayhabit.com https://www.thefridayhabit.com/thefridayhabit@knapsackcreative.com https://www.instagram.com/benjaminmanleyhttp://www.benjaminmanley.com/https://www.brandvivamedia.com/https://www.facebook.com/Marklab2https://www.linkedin.com/in/marklab2/

Our guest on this episode of The Friday Habit podcast is Curt Mercadante, Founder of Merc Enterprises, author, certified Gallup Strengths trainer, certified human behavior specialist, and host of The Freedom Mindset Podcast Radio show. Curt shares his insights about creating an authority brand rather than just a commodity brand, providing value, attracting customers, and cultivating loyalty. Every business, he points out, started as a thought which led to an idea which manifested in a business which comes with inherent authority, but many people are not tapping into this authority to improve the lives of other people. The four pillars of building an authority brand are: Attention – Gaining followers, likes, views, and shares is just the beginning.Accuracy – Creating a client persona based on demographics, behaviors, and attitudes is essential to understanding and relating to your audience.Alignment – Your audience wants to know what is in it for them, so don’t bombard them with your accomplishments and accolades. Create your impact story in the form of one simple sentence.Authenticity – Consistently communicating to your audience will establish the know, like, and trust factor.Many businesses focus their strategies on social media because this his how they think they can reach the most people, but social media is just a tool and it is not reliable for gaining leads or loyal customers. It is crucial to consistently communicate your message, being aware of your niche and the best ways to reach the personas you have established. Rather than focusing on results, dial into the process and reverse engineer your long-term goals to determine your outcomes. Come back next week for the conclusion of Mark and Ben’s conversation with Curt! Connect with Curt:https://www.curtmercadante.com/https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/freedom-mindset-radio/id1352804152 https://www.amazon.com/Five-Pillars-Freedom-Lifestyle-Comfort-ebook/dp/B07WLLBGRD https://twitter.com/curtmercadantehttps://www.linkedin.com/in/curtmercadantehttps://www.facebook.com/curtmercadante/ Connect with us:To submit questions/comments: hello@thefridayhabit.com https://www.thefridayhabit.com/thefridayhabit@knapsackcreative.com https://www.instagram.com/benjaminmanleyhttp://www.benjaminmanley.com/https://www.brandvivamedia.com/https://www.facebook.com/Marklab2https://www.linkedin.com/in/marklab2/

Merry Christmas, everyone! Ben and Mark take a break from their previously scheduled programming to bring you reminiscences from Christmases past and some great ideas for bonding as a family or as a work team. Mark paints a picturesque scene from Christmas mornings spent at his grandmother’s house as a big, happy, Italian family and the laser tag set that brought him such joy. Ben remembers the surprising happiness that came from receiving his first pocket-sized “video game” as well as the electric train set and race cars that every young boy looks for under the tree. As a native Ohioan, Ben talks of strange delicacies called buckeyes and scotcheroos – if you know, you know. While Mark’s favorite treats of molasses cookies and no bake cookies are more universally known. In the days leading up to Christmas, the Labriola family can be seen walking around Target in their Christmas jammies so the kids can shop for each other, while the Manley family opts for quiet nights by the fire sipping egg nog. Ben’s family has donned the moniker of “The Christmas Ninjas” this year, hoping to deliver surprise gifts to families in need. Both Mark and Ben have been known to pull a prank or two in their day, and if you’re looking for some unique ideas, you’ll have to listen in for all the details. Since there is no action item this week, you might just have the time to prank someone in your life. Connect with us:To submit questions/comments: hello@thefridayhabit.com https://www.thefridayhabit.com/thefridayhabit@knapsackcreative.com https://www.instagram.com/benjaminmanleyhttp://www.benjaminmanley.com/https://www.brandvivamedia.com/https://www.facebook.com/Marklab2https://www.linkedin.com/in/marklab2/

Time blocking is the topic on this episode of The Friday Habit, and Ben’s insights could be beneficial to you whether you currently use time blocking in your business or not. Time blocking is helpful in a business because it keeps you away from overcommitting, it makes you better at estimating how long things will take you, and you can have foresight in working with your clients to ensure that you are providing them with adequate time for their project. At Knapsack, Ben and his team rely on time blocking because of their structure of creating websites for clients in one day. They have a very well-established framework for each project, so they know the 4 different client sessions involved in each website build, how long they will each take, and when/if they can fit them in within the client’s timeframe. They aim to walk away from each project without any homework because they have accounted for every possible contingency within their time blocking system. During any given week, Ben has meetings scheduled on Mondays and Wednesdays (including 3 hours on Wednesday mornings that are set aside for support requests), he commits Tuesdays and Thursdays to client work, and Fridays are reserved for working on the business rather than in the business (The Friday Habit).While not every business has the ability to structure and schedule things out to the same extent as Knapsack, most service-based companies could employ time blocking to some degree. When you get a new order, instead of just putting it on a to-do list, go ahead and place a time block for it on your calendar and then stick to it when that time comes around. The more you do this, the better you will be at estimating how much time certain tasks take you, and you may find that this will help you adjust your pricing models to be more realistic and/or be more detailed about what is included in your different services. Even when it comes to your life outside of work, you could block off thinking time, gym time, time for various errands, or anything else that you may have trouble prioritizing.Your action item this week is to put every step of your next project into your schedule and then stick to those tasks when the times come. Ben also recommends that you time block at least 2 hours of your Friday to work on your business, and you can find more information about what this looks like at TheFridayHabit.com.Connect with us:To submit questions/comments: hello@thefridayhabit.com https://www.thefridayhabit.com/thefridayhabit@knapsackcreative.com https://www.instagram.com/benjaminmanleyhttp://www.benjaminmanley.com/https://www.brandvivamedia.com/https://www.facebook.com/Marklab2https://www.linkedin.com/in/marklab2/

With the end of the year quickly approaching, it is a good idea to recalibrate your business, looking inward to determine where you are, how you got here, and where you want to be. This episode of The Friday Habit is all about this topic and integrating this introspection into your process occasionally. Here are the four questions and where Mark and Ben currently find themselves on their answers:Why do you have your own business? Mark was unexpectedly laid off a few years ago and immediately decided to ramp up his side hustle into a full-time gig. Now that he has been working for himself for so long, he couldn’t see himself going back to working for someone else. Ben knew that he wanted to leave his full-time job to build his own thing, so he tested the waters in order to know whether his business would be viable. He loves the security, control, and freedom of having his own business and he is greatly fulfilled by helping his clients be successful.What kind of business do you want to build? Mark’s long-term vision for Brand Viva Media fluctuates in size and scope, but his overall mission of leaving things better than he found them remains constant. He wants to be intentional with the culture his business has, the services they provide, and work-life balance for himself and his employees. Ben aims to have the optimal sized team to accomplish Knapsack’s mission, working smarter and making lives better along the way. He has enough previous work experience to know what he doesn’t want to do, so he tries to swing the door the other way and serve as an incubator for innovative concepts and business ideas in his community.What kind of boss do you want to be? Mark wants to be the kind of boss that he would like to have, motivated by empathy and able to relate to his team. He wants to be self-aware and generous, lifting people up and providing value in every interaction. Ben wants to leave space for fun and productivity to coexist. He emphasizes the importance of hiring the right people who are motivated and coachable and then trusting them to do their jobs.What kind of life do you want to have? How does your business support that? Mark wants to have autonomy and freedom, providing an environment that allows him and his employees to pay their bills while still having plenty of time with their loved ones. Ben finds freedom in systematizing his business, being innovative within a set of boundaries and enriching the lives of his team members and clients every day. Your action item after this episode is to think about these questions and plot a course forward.Connect with us:To submit questions/comments: hello@thefridayhabit.com https://www.thefridayhabit.com/thefridayhabit@knapsackcreative.com https://www.instagram.com/benjaminmanleyhttp://www.benjaminmanley.com/https://www.brandvivamedia.com/https://www.facebook.com/Marklab2https://www.linkedin.com/in/marklab2/