Tag: consulting

Don’t Put Leisure On Layaway

Leisure Is Not the Leftover.

What three summer books – and the words I carried to my grandmother’s funeral – taught me about making room for a life that matters.

We keep putting life on layaway

Finish the work. Clear the inbox. Handle one more problem. Then, when everything is finally under control, make time for the people and places that matter.

There is one problem with that deal: the work never ends.

This summer, I barreled through a ton of books (mostly audio while I’m plugging away). Three books kept pulling me back to the same question from different directions: What if leisure is not what remains after a productive life? What if it is one of the things that makes life worth living?

Arthur Brooks’s The Meaning of Your Life, Neil Pasricha’s The Happiness Equation, and Jennifer Wallace’s Never Enough gave me language for something I have felt for years. Then my grandmother’s funeral made the question personal.

When I and my siblings spoke in her honor at the service, a couple key themes played out: relationship-work she did to hold a special place with so many people throughout her life, her stubborn resolve, how the Depression formatively played a role through her (and our life upon “Clean Plate Club” standards), the roles of love for nature and our family “Camp” on a quiet lake and the beaches nearby to York, our senior trips abroad (mine to where they lived and the nearby sites in England, image below) and “Camp” and the games we played with her til the end – like cribbage.

Grammie and I outside the Tower of London
Travel and visiting new places, something I picked up from Gram.

Leisure is work we choose

Brooks describes leisure as the basis of culture. That does not mean doing nothing. It means doing the work we choose for ourselves, without an economic force standing behind it.

Time in nature. Learning or sharpening a skill nobody assigned. Making a meal. Sitting close enough to hear the full story. Building and tending relationships.

Real leisure takes time, effort, discipline, and structure. That is exactly why it matters. Workaholism offers the opposite bargain: more hours, more strain, and less distance between who we are and what we produce. The harder we chase happiness through work alone, the farther away it can feel.

The answer is not to become less serious about life. It is to become serious about the part of life that does not appear on a timesheet.

Make a quiet space

Pasricha makes the idea practical: create space. Delete access to yourself for a while. Lock the door. Close the window. Put the phone somewhere it cannot negotiate with you.

Every interaction takes time. The notes I took from his book point to David Meyer’s University of Michigan work on task switching, with an estimated efficiency cost of 20% to 40%. Our attention does not move for free.

Protect a holy hour with the same seriousness as the meeting you cannot miss. Use it to think, learn, recover, or stand and stare. Quiet is not hiding from life. It is how we return to it as ourselves.

Carl Jung put it this way: “The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.” We need enough silence to hear who that might be.

If you are in a situation and you don’t want know what, do nothing. Literally, you can sit there, go for a walk, meditate with some deep breaths; it can have a profound impact on you, even if it’s just for a few minutes.

Find a Third Place

Wallace writes about mattering as connection. We need to know other people value us and that we can add value to their lives. Proximity helps make that possible.

Sociologists call parks, libraries, pubs, cafes, trailheads, and other informal gathering spots “third places.” They are neither home nor work. They are where we become regulars, notice one another, open up, serve, and tend.

We shape those spaces. Then those spaces shape us.

That is the Third Place: the lodge, the corner booth, the friend’s backyard, the patch of grass where everyone somehow ends up. The adventure may be the excuse. The community is the point, along with the legend you may become there.

What my grandmother left me

At my grandmother’s funeral, the words I chose were not about output, efficiency, or a packed calendar. They were about a life and what remains in other people when that life ends.

In my speech, I made a comment about Maine being “Vacationland” where no one seemed to work aside from their own version of Down East Dickering. It helps that my grandparents were able to retire at 50 and became the hardest working retirees I’ve known. That said, they knew when it was time to wrap up the chores and sit down, pour one up, tell stories, enjoy a good meal, campfire and some quality leisure-time activities like hiking, fishing, frogging, four-wheeling, canoeing, games, gardening, sports, etc.

For me, I thanked Gram for the traits, memories (including the site of the family ghost story in England, hearing about the signs she was getting called above down the stretch), mindset and inspiration and said I looked forward to splitting the 1-1 tie we sat on in cribbage with her.

Grammie & Poppop
My grandparents Chuck & Beth, inspirations for TNTC + Apres Leisure

TNTC was officially formed right after my grandfather passed in 2015 (too early from Alzheimers as he, the former college QB, could still rope a spiral 50+ to me). It has served as a mission to team up, help and spend time with the right types of folks, and the 1st book came to help people find purpose. Both my grandfather and my grandmother were inspirations for starting Apres Leisure. They were grounded salt-of-the-earth folks but there was some special family lore told around the campfire. Leisure is not abstract. It is handed down through rituals, places, stories, and the ways people make room for one another.

Apres (technically “après” – we choose to make it a bit more approachable, sorry my French friends) is the moment after the effort: when the gear comes off, the noise drops, and the real living begins. You do not have to earn that moment by exhausting yourself first. I believe that “artifacts” can help queue that mindset – even if you’re stuck in tough spots in your first or second places (home and work). More to come on those in The Vault.

A different equation

Make a quiet space. Leave the house. Find your people. Learn something because it calls to you. Become a regular somewhere. Protect a ritual worth handing down.

The books gave me the framework. My grandmother gave it weight.

Leisure is not the leftover. It is where culture, connection, memory, and identity have room to form.

As we say:

The adventure changes. The feeling never does. Every day is Apres.

A question for you

What place, ritual, or person taught you how to make room for the part of life that does not appear on a timesheet?

Who do you transform to when you’re in your special third place(s)?

Join the LeisureVerse

Stories, field notes, practical ways to commemorate legends and make leisure part of a good life.

Checkout the ROI Calculator

Helps you get to results and your third place(s) quicker.

"Camp" with Grammie and my siblings.
Camp in Maine growing up, a very special “third place” for the family back to 1954.

Source and review notes

  • Arthur Brooks, The Meaning of Your Life – Chip’s summer reading notes.
  • Neil Pasricha, The Happiness Equation – Chip’s summer reading notes.
  • Jennifer Wallace, Never Enough / mattering notes – Chip’s summer reading notes.

The Compound Interest of Staying Human in a High-Velocity Market

As an executive GTM operator and AI architect, navigating today’s automated applicant tracking systems has been a humbling paradox. The month of May just ended, but the conversation around mental health shouldn’t. This is a transparent look at macro economic trends, curveballs, the power of human compound interest, and why I am launching Apres Leisure today to fight the noise.

Everyone has so much going on, which makes it hard to sit down and “smell the flowers” as they say. It’s hard to keep up with the trends in greater society when it feels like your life is increasingly chaotic and you’re looking over your shoulder.

The month of May just ended, which is Mental Health Awareness Month. Safe to say, it gets less publicity than say October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month for example. Cancer hits so many with physical pain – not to mention the anguish that comes with it for families, literally of all shapes and sizes. Mental health, however, has always been stigmatized, cloaked and hidden. We are taught to put on a smile and deal with it, but to quietly suffer and not air out that kind of laundry. Back when, someone who goes to therapy was long considered “crazy” dismissively.

I’ll shine some light on the numbers. Spoiler alert: if you look at the trends across sources, mental health has been consistently getting worse and more costly no matter how you slice it (these charts were from studies done in December of 2023).

Also, not too surprising news is that the younger your generation, the more mental health issues you are facing as a general trend. Two-and-a-half years ago, 73% of people cited having a mental health issue in the past year.

A lot has changed since that time.

And for the record, it’s okay to not be okay.

Fair disclosures: I am married to a front-line social worker and crisis worker. Every single day, she and her peers navigate the compounding numbers of our unhoused communities, veterans, and individuals left short on answers and hope and have turned to suicidal plays. Witnessing their selflessness is a daily masterclass in empathy. They are the quiet, essential infrastructure holding our communities together, operating in a system that often feels like it has running out of human solutions.


Many of the youth today were taught that the path to success is paved through education (of which job-placement rates don’t support largely thanks to unbridled advanced in technology). Most probably haven’t heard of the artist Tupac, who was gone too soon. Tupac was an activist with SO many famous quotes, interviews and statements that remain relevant 30 years later, like the one below, “They got money for wars, but can’t feed the poor.”

To use a baseball analogy, I feel like I’ve had to face not only every curveball life could throw over the past few years, but every Paul Skenes “splinker,” slider, curve and heater (shout out to my Pirates, first sign of competitive life in ages). I absolutely know the feeling of being in that clear, growing majority.

As an executive operator who builds high-velocity GTM engines and complex AI data workflows, it has been a humbling paradox to sit on the other side of the screen. I know firsthand what it’s like to spend hours-upon-hours job hunting, matching keywords and navigating automated applicant tracking systems only to hit immediate auto-denials. It forces an honest calibration of what matters. It also makes me realize that while I am actively hunting for my next senior GTM, marketing, or strategic operations leadership mandate, the goal isn’t just to find a title—it’s to align with a team that values human clarity as much as velocity.

I am a believer in the power of compound interest.

I know that if I can lock in my alter ego mindset, escape in the mountains, get some ski laps and laughs in with friends, or spend some time with animals or in nature, that gives me some temporary reprieve. Meditation, deep breathing, down-time and escaping screens all helps – just ask the experts…to a point…

Even when I’m down, I try to count my blessings and remember that someone else has it worse. I’ve always tried to make someone’s day putting a smile on their face – be it asking my grocery baggers about the latest in their life and thanking them or being nice to the customer service people on the phone that deal with a lot of upset people.

The photo above at the top is from my time gig-working at a local music festival, trying to make people’s day with a quirky greeting at the gate with my man Julius. Julius spends time handwriting cards and gives them to random people for encouragement: mine was “You deserve all the wonderful things life has to offer. Share the love.”

This exact friction is why I am officially launching an all-terrain lifestyle project today called Apres Leisure. The brand was born out of a profound need for those special ‘Third Places’—the quiet mountain ridges, the ski laps with lifelong friends, the local brewpubs, or a festival gate with Julius—where we step away from the digital noise, find temporary reprieve, and transform to our legendary forms. We believe our apparel and gear can serve as physical artifacts to trigger the mindset needed to persevere. To anchor this mission with action, a portion of all proceeds throughout the month of June will be directly donated to frontline mental health initiatives.

Money isn’t everything. It won’t solve the world’s issues, but I believe that if we can make the effort to take the time to connect with people, following up and showing someone that you are thinking of them, creates traction and goodwill is infectious.

May is over, but that doesn’t mean the movement and momentum has to end here.

Be kind, divert some energy to someone else in the community and if they take the notion and do the same, that can start a movement, and could well become a trend in itself.

Beyond the Prompt: Scaling Lore and Logic with Agentic AI:

I didn’t just launch a lifestyle brand; I built an Agentic GTM Framework. In Part 1 of the Apres Leisure build, I reveal how I moved from ‘Generative Noob’ to ‘Agentic Architect,’ scaling a 0-FTE brand from concept to launch in under 90 days. If you’re ready to move beyond ‘using AI’ and start running an AI workforce, the signal starts here.

How the principles of Finding Your True North fueled a 90-day, 0-FTE brand launch for Apres Leisure (P1).

I. The Call: Incorporating the Philosophy of Finding Your True North

Every successful venture starts with a clear signal. In my book, Finding Your True North, I explore the necessity of aligning internal purpose with external execution. While continuing to search for my great next career fit, I took on a challenging consulting project. Launching Apres Leisure was the ultimate “stress test” for these themes. I had to move from a self-described “Generative Noob” (using AI for ideas and copy, probably the average use case) to an Agentic GTM Architect (using AI for execution), ensuring that the brand’s “True North”—the transition into the Modern Myth—was never lost in the automation.

II. The Struggle: Addressing Laundry List of Challenges

Moving from speaking about and pitching connected technology to implementing it firsthand (read: front-to-back-of-house) requires some real strategist-to-operator-level commitment. In addition to time management, here are a few of the top hurdles faced in the process:

  • Education Rabbit hole – transitioning from generative to agentic via certifications, video tutorials, prompt education, social platform feedback, tons of trial-and-error.
  • Resources – versed in The Lean Startup methodology, I played a very key role in standing up and scaling a bootstrapped company, new category, etc. Finding free ways to grow vs. using the magic bullets is a job in itself. Vendor choices can be extensive.
  • Feedback – driving advisor and peer opinions, pressure-testing, doing the research to build out the strategy + LOTS of generative AI prompts.
  • Uniqueness – pressure-testing the category, building out the brand accordingly with comps and differentiating factors in mind.
  • Dedication – going from non-technical to self-taught “vibe coding” Agentic GTM technical skills isn’t for the faint of heart. If you hit a wall 1000 times, you have to make sure to get up 1,001. When the Make.com scenario failed for the 10th time, I leaned on the ‘Navigating the Fog’ chapter of Finding Your True North to recalibrate the logic.

III. The Solution: O-FTE with an Agentic Workforce

To maintain a 0-FTE overhead, I originally deployed seven agentic workflows tied to key roles, which evolved. These weren’t just prompts; they were digital employees executing the “True North” strategy:

  • To launch with 0 FTE, along with a few key exec roles, I architected multiple ancillary agentic roles within the “Apres Brain” to handle the heavy lifting of a traditional GTM team. Here are a few of them:
  • The Lore Master (Brand & Philosophy)
    • Function: Synthesizes the core principles from Finding Your True North into the brand’s narrative.
    • Output: Developed the “Apres Access” Legend Ledger loyalty framework and the “Modern Myth” identity of the LeisureVerse, catering to those who want to take that feeling from the special/sacred “Third Place” with them.
  • The GTM Strategist (Market & Finance)
    • Function: Conducts competitive analysis and financial modeling.
    • Output: Engineered a pricing strategy that secures a prescribed margin while maintaining “leisure-class” accessibility.
  • The Automation Architect (Logic & Handshakes)
    • Function: Bridges the gap between disparate SaaS tools.
    • Output: Built the Legend_Ledger_Entry scenario in Make.com to automate data flow between Shopify and the Ledger.
  • The Product Designer (Iterative Creation)
    • Function: Translates lore into physical aesthetics using generative design tools.
    • Output: Rapidly prototyped and synced 67 unique products initially for V1.
  • The Logistics Lead (Operations & Flow)
    • Function: Manages the complex logic of print-on-demand fulfillment and shipping tiers.
    • Output: Structured the Standard Signal Shipping hierarchy with automated free-shipping thresholds at $80+.
  • The Wordsmith (Conversion Copy)
    • Function: Generates high-fidelity product descriptions and marketing assets.
    • Output: Created the conversion-focused copy for the Apres Leisure Store and the automated communication triggers for new customers.
  • The Efficiency Auditor (Overhead Control)
    • Function: Monitors the “Team of One” tech stack to ensure 0-FTE sustainability.
    • Output: Optimized the modular API strategy to prevent “tool bloat” and ensure the business remains bootstrapped and profitable.

IV. The outcomes: Streamlining Ops & Results

By streamlining operations through this agentic stack and getting more refined in the approach, I saved easily $250k+ in traditional CAC and OpEx while increasing velocity to reach launch week in under 90 days. The product is a scalable, lore-driven brand with a community-first loyalty protocol that gives back in multiple ways.

workflow example built out at Make.com
A key part of agentic strategy is connecting APIs amongst services.

As for the results, stay tuned for Part 2.

Building the Future: I am currently seeking my next high-impact role as a Full-Time Employee and/or Growth Consultant. If you want to move your organization from “using AI” to “running an Agentic Workforce” with 0-to-1 velocity, let’s connect.

Join the Cycle

1. Equip Yourself: Become part of the Founding 100, explore the First Cycle of gear and lore at Apres Leisure, enter the LeisureVerse and act on the Signal for gear at The Shop.

2. Read the Playbook: To understand the methodology behind the Forge, grab your copy of Finding Your True North on Amazon and make sure to leave a review if you find it helpful. It is the guide for any leader looking to find their signal in the noise of this complex generative age.

“Shock the World” – Big Blue Did & You Can Too!

Michigan basketball just changed the game, rewrote history and won the school’s first title in 37 years. It’s a story of pain and resilience applicable for me and us all.

Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan's star celebrates with the Shock the World banner.
Yaxel Lendeborg, who didn’t have the grades for college back when, celebrates Shocking the World after the Finals win.

The Michigan Wolverines just wrapped up one of, if not the most dominant college basketball seasons in history, cutting the nets down in Indianapolis after beating the UConn Huskies in the Final 4, 69-63.

Despite a historically dominant regular season, Michigan lost it’s third game of the year, to a motivated Purdue game in the Big Ten Tournament Finals. Duke and Arizona became the hot, popular picks as champions.

Michigan took that loss to heart and went on a mission as the only team to score 90+ for 5 straight in the NCAA Tournament.

However, the UConn Huskies were hungry for a third title in four years. UConn hadn’t lost a final. That kind of experience is invaluable in crunch time, which was evident by all the close games they won in the tourney.

UConn had it’s way slowing down Michigan and muddying up the Final. No team had ever scored under 70, shot under 40%, shot under 15% on 15+ threes, gotten outrebounded and won.

0-50. Until Michigan did it last night, bringing it home despite the star player’s injury. Statistically, this Michigan team finished the season as the #2 team ALL-TIME in KenPom’s offensive and defensive efficiency ratings with an argument for most dominant – period(.)

______________________________

Personally reflecting: as a kid growing up, I loved playing basketball. I put in the work shoveling the driveway at night by myself in the cold dark winters of Michigan to get shots in. I went against the grain to the enemy Duke’s basketball camp twice around the 2001 championship, when Carlos Booker got stacked ((by the way, if you missed it: his sons were the tourney darlings going in to March Madness, featured on a commercial every break, leaving the tourney as the only #1 seed up 15 points at halftime out of 135 to blow the lead and lose. Cayden (the “other” twin) inexplicably turned the ball over before the 10 seconds ran out, as UConn’s Braylon Mullins hit a 35 footer in a finish no one will forget to advance to the Final 4)).

It’s crazy to think that at Michigan while I was there, we had former Duke star Tommy Amaker coaching a team with a bunch of notable talent that we’d see nearby walking around on campus. The team played well 3 of those 4 years but there were still ongoing sanctions in place for much of that stretch from the Ed Martin era sanctions tied to illegal gambling money and gifts going to players as loans, etc., which tainted 13 years of history, most famously the Fab Five team that lost to UNC in the Final because of the end-of-game timeout Chris Webber called that the team didn’t have.

I didn’t make it to Crisler for one game in college. Volleyball, hockey, baseball, women’s field hockey, softball, men’s and women’s soccer and each football game but not 1 for men’s basketball. The pulse was that low…

Then John Beilein arrived and restored hope, grit and spirit to the program. Everybody started showing back up.

I was there with my old roommates, classmates friends (and then some) in Atlanta at the 2013 Final 4, our first trip back since back when. A controversial Trey Burke block was called a foul and Louisville finished us off (although had to vacate the Championship for Pitino-era scandals of its own).

celebrating a semifinal win over Syracuse in the 2013 Final Four in Atlanta.
Celebrating a 2013 Final 4 semifinal win at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta over Syracuse.

We made it back to the ‘ship in 2018, but Villanova, who had the experience of winning it two years previous, took us down 79-62 to cut the nets.

Fab Fiver Juwan Howard took over coaching after Beilein went to try his hand at the Cleveland Cavaliers of the NBA, which didn’t last. Howard started hot and advanced to an Elite 8 in 2021, but he lost his cool on court and his teams faded to the lifeless 8-24 last place finish in 2024 and was shown the door.

Name Image and Likeness (NIL) became legal, players could now get paid and Howard cited not being able to keep up with the resources Michigan offered.

Star frontcourt player Tarris Reed transferred to UConn. Glue-guys Will Tschetter and Nimari Burnett stuck around, along with Jace Howard (Juwan’s son).

In came Dusty May, a former Indiana student manager under Bobby Knight, who made his way up the assistant ranks before getting a shot to lead at Florida Atlantic, leading the 9 seeded underdogs to an unheard of Final 4 and near championship appearance.

Michigan committed to upping resources available and with Champion’s Circle help behind the scenes (Michigan’s official Collective group, a small scrappy group of hard working folks I’ve gotten to know), May and staff mobilized quickly.

Michigan quickly fielded one of the quickest turnaround stories in history. But “we are all a bunch of outcasts” he said after finally smiling and cutting the net down back in Indy near where it started, bringing home Michigan’s first hoops championship since 1989. It’s true. Pretty much every guy had been counted out at some point, suffering anguish, lack of confidence and defeat.

May studied what the OKC Thunder did to go from doormat to dominant champ, stockpiling the right young guys. He met each player where they were at personality-wise and just asked them to be coachable and gritty. The team gelled, adjusted unlike any others at the half, went wild when walk-ons got stats at the end of historic blowouts. They just re-wrote the book on success in the NIL era, where fragmentation, the open transfer portal and dollars make continuity a challenge for everyone.

The “Fab 5” sat together on TNT’s altcast near courtside during the vaunted semifinal matchup against a dominant Arizona team that it dominated. They laughed, joked and carried on like it was 1993 all over again when they were going against the grain and changing the game, despite all the haters and doubters. 5 star combo guard Brandon McCoy committed to the Wolverines at halftime while talking the Fab 5 notably – what a moment.

Glen Rice held the “Shock the World” sign up when Michigan team last won in Seattle. Last night, 37 years worth of redemption songs came to fruition. But it’s not just the Fab 5 and ’26 champs that got redemption from the Martin scandals, it was everyone. All the players, the students, the parents, the fans – way too many to list.

Beyond that, it’s a story of hope when it feels like there isn’t much.

No one believes in you.

Your passive aggressive team thinks they can soullessly send you packing despite your loyal contributions. You got that email that you’re out, most recent casualty to a coding agent. Your elected officials have left you hanging, prioritizing themselves. Your family, partner or your health fails you. Whatever the (fill in the blank) reasons may be, it all feels hopeless. Why keep trying when the well is dry and it’s futile??

They don’t see or care that you’ve done the work, made the sacrifices and kept getting off the ground, pulling yourself up and back in motion.

“Those who stay will be champions.”

This is a story for you.

You can beat all the odds, reinvent yourself and become a champ in your own right too.

Go “Shock the World.”

celebrating the 2026 championship win
Celebrating the redemption story and 2026 Championship win with SLC Spirit Group friends and members.

New Book + Appointing Your Alter Ego for Life’s Challenges

Times are tough. Cue your Alter Ego to help you battle through life’s challenges!

Sometimes it just feels like life is headed to hell in handbasket.

I recently published my first book to help others like me chart a course to purpose, if they could use guidance redirecting without instilling radical change (check it out if you haven’t yet!).

Finding Your True North: A Calm Path to Purpose Without Burning Your Life Down. Designed to help people find purpose with built-in exercises.

It’s okay to not be okay. Recently, for me it’s all felt like it’s coming to a head. Personally and holistically it’s been one thing after the next. Externally, it feels like the rails are off and the train is speeding down the tracks to inevitable peril…

“Jolts” involving A.I. disruption, job losses, the Iran war, consumer goods prices, health, policies, debts, extreme weather, etc. are a few hot buttons that feel like they are forcing radical change. I would venture to guess that I am not alone feeling this way.

It’s almost like we haven’t had a “normal” year without daily shocks since 2019 pre-pandemic.

People need to develop coping mechanisms to help them get through life’s challenges. I’ve personally found helpful include: meditation / deep breathing, relaxing in the sauna or hot tub, experiencing nature, exploring somewhere new, exercise, blocking out the news and social media, focusing on projects and hobbies, therapy, journaling, gardening, talking with people (especially spending time in person), playing with kids and pets, escapism via sports, music, podcasts, shows or movies.

Immersion into reading is another favorite ticket away. I picked up The Alter Ego Effect and wanted to recommend it to you.

The author Todd Herman, trained by top mental health coaches and mentors, helps his clientele channel their most resonating character to transform into when duty calls. By going to a totem or artifact to flip on the switch, cueing your alter ego, you can take on the world and come out of it heroically.

Simple example, Sam grew up feeling underestimated on his smarts often breezed over in conversations, work, etc. He’s noticed in movies that those with glasses are often thought of us wise and respected for focus and intelligence. Even though his vision is perfect, Sam throws on his totem/artifact fake lenses to cue the “Professor,” and his mentality and then results change. He’s getting the respect and attention that he’s always yearned for and he feels like he has a new lease on life.

Whatever that symbolism equates to for you, it has to mean something special, motivating and compelling. Think superheroes, a specific animal or truly anything that innately sticks out as transformative difference-maker in your mind. You can keep it a secret too – don’t feel like you need to let others in on your alter ego.

There is a lot we cannot control in life. Normally we would choose to go into character for those traditional “moments of impact” – the big meeting, game, speech or challenge.

If those normal coping activities aren’t getting it done for you when anxious feelings pop up outside of your typical “moments of impact,” maybe it’s time to beam the Bat Signal!?

I would love to hear your takes!

Lessons in Rejection

Screen Shot 2017-08-29 at 3.12.59 PM.png

The Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Red Wings, Baltimore Orioles, Sporting Kansas City, Indiana Pacers, New Orleans Saints & Pelicans (among others pictured above): what do these represent?  All, the latest and greatest clients of Sponsorship Buddy Inc.  I, as the lead hunter, should be out celebrating in the streets to land these huge, globally embraced and recognized team brands as clients of our disruptive new platform, right? Not so fast, my friend.

Early entrepreneurial life is not glamorous (nor is the sports industry).  Over the past 20 months, I’ve had to learn all kinds of new skills, competencies, and levels of resiliency and discipline.  I set out with a goal of transforming the sponsorship industry in much-needed fashion for the better to help create more transparency, streamlined communications, a better client experience and improvements in quality of life.   In doing so, I hoped to make my mark as an innovator, disruptor, and difference-maker and put it all on the line to do so (personal life, relationships, financial stability).

Full disclosure, it’s been the most challenging period I’ve had in life and there have been some big ones.  While persistently searching out believers in my network, I’ve been aggressively pursuing careers and been so close on fantastic opportunities in sports or tech in Denver, San Francisco and here in Salt Lake City, only to be passed up on at the finish line.  My closest contacts have seemingly written me off while it’s been impossible to fight off bouts of despair, depression and not feel like a failure.

One of my key strengths is my resiliency, persistence, and aversion to quitting.  I thought the industry would snap up this relatively inexpensive tool but learned that it was going to take completing the marathon to change the game.

Back when we were looking for our 1st major league client after the Utah Jazz (beta customer of ours), I leaned on my former group in the Memphis Grizzlies, who have been notably innovative.  In speaking with Mya Donald, activation lead for the team, I said something along the lines of, “I know this is new and daunting, but this can not only put the Grizzlies on the map as a leader in the space, but do great things for your careers.” The Grizzlies bought in, embraced the tool, and four weeks ago, Mya was on-stage as a finalist at NBA league meetings citing us as a key piece to the team’s peer-nominated Relationship Management Program of the Year.  To add validation, the winners of the award, the Cleveland Cavaliers, known not only for being runner up in the 2016-2017 NBA Finals, but also for a notable Goodyear Jersey Patch Campaign and innovative 365-day activation approach have followed suit as our 5th client in the most innovative of all sports leagues (NBA).

Taking excerpts like these to market, we’ve now established ourselves as an industry-recognized brand with success stories throughout the major and minor leagues, not to mention being in the process of signing our 1st brand and agency clients.   We accomplished our set growth and vesting goals a year ahead of time and have solidified our brand and platform as a force with huge upside from here while maxing out my equity shares in the company.

As we look to solve the sponsorship industry’s communication issues one client at a time, I’ve realized that I have a long ways to go to become a great communicator myself.  I realized that my emails, like everyone’s texts or emails from time to time, can be misinterpreted and come off the wrong way.  Instead of leaving tone, reasoning, and objectives up for interpretation, I insisted on a face-to-face meeting to speak my mind, and after a 2nd fishing trip meeting to close out the summer and further collaborate on ownership stake and employment terms. I’m now about to be in a much more secure place while being in control of day and destiny.

Lessons learned: don’t take rejection to heart.  It only takes one (you).  Even when everyone else loses faith in you, what you believe in and set out to do, you can accomplish anything with determination.  Be mindful, self-reflective and don’t be afraid to ask for constructive feedback, advice or someone else’s time to hear you out.

Surviving on an Entrepreneurial Wild West Island.

After weeks of back-and-forth months after my consulting deal was up, we were at a crossroads of a) parting ways with only the entrepreneurial experience to show for it for b) forging a partnership, potentially lifelong.  Both sides have nearly walked away at different times and everyone knew it was decision time, this was make or break and the call was going to be tense.  That “Castaway” feeling of I’m alone, trying to scratch and claw my way to survival, hoping someone will venture into the vicinity and throw me a life raft can feel very real.

Doubts can be constant.  Today’s social media age make peer comparisons dangerous.  Why am I at point X when I’ve invested this much into myself whereas my former cohort John or Jane Doe is at point Y?  Trust in others and myself with belief in the ability to turn up calculated returns is something I’ve banked on for years.  But sometimes it feels like being stuck in the ocean trying to fight the current of a riptide, not going anywhere and expending energy reserves quickly.

Egocentrism is the inability to understand any perspective but one’s own.  In this country, never has this come more into question than today’s political and social environment. Why should I think about someone over there when my own quality of life is in question?  What happens when those relationships you’ve invested in and trusted would work out instead turn out quiet or egocentric? You’re left to your own story and ingenuity, losing hope with line after line being cast out only to be brought back with nets empty.

Despite better reason and needs to meet, we made the trip to Arizona for a wedding at a lavish venue, the JW Marriott of Tuscon pictured below.  Sacrifices were made to get there – a bag of sandwiches made to avoid having to stop for food, not staying at the host resort and instead choosing a Marriott nearby.  Bootstrapped startup life personalized.

JW Marriott Tuscon wedding photo
Alli & I before the wedding @JW Marriott Tuscon

After catching up with the Joneses, and being there to celebrate the big commitment day for the newlyweds, we took a day trip to the famous wild west town of Tombstone.  Despite all the Hollywood takes, never was story given due justice authentically.  The Boothill Graveyard was filled with stories of men that met their fates through every means from defending their honor in gunfights at the OK Corral to getting poisoned and everything in between and their stones were stolen over time by gravestone robbers looking to get their hands on valuable relics.  This made me think, how does one avoid the fate of George Johnson pictured below, who was hanged by mistake?  “He was right, he was wrong, but we strung him up and now he’s gone.”

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In a brutal town where the odds are stacked against you like Tombstone, George may have been on to something in life. Maybe he was looking like one of the few who’s investment was going to pay off in a big way.  However, his story was lost and he became known instead for his curious cause of death.  George hadn’t secured himself to avoid the traps laid down all around him and succumbed to a noteworthy fate.

On the scenic way back in Navajo country (another example of a people pushed aside), we stopped at the picturesque Horseshoe Bend in the Glen Canyon area of northern Arizona (featured above).  I looked out and felt like I was stuck on that rock island pushed out further and further by the sands of time, with a storm coming nonetheless.

Months after the fact and despite undue strife, my partners came through for me on my concessions and I officially tied the ownership knot.  Lessons learned include not making assumptions and instead communicating better and building and executing sound social and business contracts.  Don’t be afraid to be real and speak to feelings and emotions as it leads to more authentic connections. I went from fighting the riptides to grabbing a line out and back to the island.  Now, it’s a matter of navigating around the hangman’s noose and traps while continuing to better equip and target those lines cast with the hope of netting that meaningful storybook foundation off the island.

Ever feel that way?

 

How to know who won’t leave you on an island.

We live in a social media driven world where our best Friends, Connections, Contacts, Followers and Matches are a click or two away.  Because we’re so accustomed to living the “American Dream,” keeping up with the Joneses, and subjecting ourselves to the rigors that accompany these conquests, we’re content keeping up through surface-level digital footprints and sporadic, quick in-person or phone interactions.  How many times per day do the, “How are things?” – “Good. You?” surface-level, efficiency-driven interactions play out? We think we know what’s going on, but all we just know what people want portrayed out there because we don’t expend the time to go deeper.

Thousands of contacts connected within a few clicks but how do we know who will come through for us when it’s on the line? Who’s willing to take the time and put in the energy themselves to go the extra mile for you when you’re in a time of need – and then actually follow through?

We’re at an ugly crossroads in America. We see it amongst all the political dissension.  We see it as mental health traumas rise. We fight over resources to the point of disassociation with those closest to us. We can’t go deep ourselves, so how could we go deep for others? Are we in it for status or the good of human kind?20170309_133358

Sandwiched in-between two personal quests for ownership after putting it all on the line, I took a trip. Despite better financial judgement, I joined college friends south of the border for the sake of a friend who’s always had the ability to go deeper (Kaveh is pictured right with our chauffeur Carlos).

After some tropical guy’s weekend introspection, I came to some harsh realizations. I’m great at the surface level stuff, but like many guys, I have trouble talking about feelings, needs, concerns, etc. I’m too trusting that if I put it all out there for you, that you will then come through for me. I learned that I try to formulate solutions for everything and in doing so, force things when the square pegs will never fit into the round holes.

With that said, though, I learned that sometimes you need to put people on the spot to realize how much you can count on them. Sometimes, you have to lean on yourself alone.

Paying it forward with no expectations is hard to do but pays big dividends. I recently watched The Kindness Diaries on Netflix, which details one man’s quest to cross the world on a motorcycle with no money relying on the goodheartedness of others.  Despite lots of doubters and strifes along the way, Leon made it and repaid those with pressing needs who helped him out handsomely with something that would help get them across the hump. That begs the question, if strangers with very little can do it, why can’t we?

What can you do to interview and determine who’s trustworthy and will come through for you? What are some strategies you’ve used to dig deep and get results during times of need?

 

Making History with Your Help

Are you fed up with the feeling that your vote won’t account for any positive change? Are you over the stodgy NFL or sick of fantasy football after losing because of weather during 1 freak game or an injury that made all those hours for naught? Are you in need of an exciting last minute Christmas gift idea?

If you’re like me and you’ve answered YES to any of those questions than consider this a call to action.

Meet the Salt Lake Screaming Eagles, the 1st sports team ran by you the fan.

Whether you’re in Utah or not, this is your chance to actually play a role in managing and running a pro sports team. From the city (SLC over OKC) to the team name (after 101st Airborne in a nailbiter over Teamy McTeamface), to the plays ran on the field chosen through a state-of-the-art app, you Joe Fan are in the driver’s seat.  It’s Madden meets a Hollywood reality show meets the pigskin meets the future of tech.  The voices of fans who have signed up to participate in an industry that is incredibly hard to break in and stay in are being heard loud and clear. In 21 countries and all 50 states, they’ve secured their dream spot as Assistant GM or Analytics Department or as an inaugural Season Ticketholder.

Now it’s your turn to answer the call.  If you’re believer in freedom of choice, democracy, technology and football, we need you tuned and ready to make history.

February 16th, 2017. The Maverik Center.

ESPN, GQ, Esquire and other very notable national entities will be there. Can we count on you?

Success in revolutionizing the game requires churning up good companies to sponsor that believe that the fan comes first, groups and true fans and individuals who believe in the “democracy” mission depends on your participation.  Unite with me, you believers who nowadays can’t agree on 1 Godforsaken thing. Like which beer the Mav should serve. Together in this and be there with me as it could ultimately in crazy fashion help me fulfill a lifelong dream of running a pro team of which with success, will extend to a a rebranded, democratized league level in due time (2018).

Your Super Bowl hangover will long be over as will the holidays. What next?

Why not join me in staking your claim to be a part of history, giving the power of making decisions in unbeknownst fashion to you. Yes, your voice has now been heard – you make the calls.

But will you answer the call?

#TalonsUp

If you’re interested in becoming a Brand Ambassador, please connect with me, young patriot, and we will get you suited up.

“Ducks Fly Together:” #MotivationMonday Lessons in Confidence

Believing in who you are is key!

I recently queued up D2: The Mighty Ducks. Regardless of whether you played or liked hockey, my generation beloved the Mighty Ducks movies as kids.  In a tumultuous time like this one, consensus towards the greater good is seemingly impossible.  We can learn a lot by looking back on the once lovable loser Minnesotan kids, who banded together with others of all shapes, colors and sizes from different corners of the U.S. to defeat the bullies of Iceland in the Junior Goodwill Games finals after Coach Bombay centered himself as a leader.  It wouldn’t have happened without believing in the power of instilled confidence.

Personally, I grew up in an achievement-oriented household where I was encouraged to participate (and well) in all kinds of activities.  Some I didn’t like ie. choir and piano.  Others I loved ie. sports – I played four competitively into high school, usually among the top performers on my teams. Hockey would’ve been one had I moved back to Minnesota sooner (my friends were deep into travel hockey by 4th grade).

My folks went to top universities and academics always came 1st – getting into a great school was priority #1 and I had only a decent handful of B’s into high school. I had an outgoing personality and friend groups beyond just the “popular” group.  Despite all the accolades and activity time, I often felt alone and a failure – especially in high school.  If it weren’t for my parents always having my back though, where would I be?

Granted, some of this might be the result of a competitive, achievement-oriented culture. Sure, there were plenty of good teachers who pushed and encouraged.  Coaches on the other hand, not so much.  The dads were more often than not solid, albeit biased towards their kids (as mine was). Winning was common and the times were loose and fun.  It was into high school that the paradigm shifted.  If you didn’t dedicate yourself to the “system” of that specific sport and all the workouts and family politics year-round, then you were missing out regardless of talents demonstrated.  Lesser “system” athletes focused on 1 sport and were anointed “golden boy” status over others successfully competed for their school in multiple competitive sports.

One would think that high school coaches (and teachers) are there because they care about giving back and developing life achievers.  Egregiously, as far as many were concerned, it was all about their ego and attitude coming from doing it the same way for awhile, their image or winning at small fill-in-the-blank hamlet town. “I could care less about what you’ve done or who you are, it’s my way or the highway.” Small-minded small-ball!

I remember going into horrific shooting or hitting slumps.  I would go home, shovel off the snowy driveway and night and shoot until I couldn’t see or get my dad to pitch until he couldn’t throw.  It didn’t matter though as next to ZERO encouragement or support was offered from coaches.  How are you going to succeed when you’ve got it stuck in your head that if you miss ONE shot, you’re back on the bench?

I went to Duke basketball camp two years in a row around national championships and learned from the best and a master motivator in Coach K. Despite Duke being the model for our “system,” I ended up losing out on the last varsity roster spot to the handicapped “system” guy. I walked off after not even logging a play in the game for my last playoff baseball game after starting every career game.  Can you get any more of a slap in the face?

The teenage years are the most volatile and when you’re offered nothing but negativity from those that are supposed to lift you, how can you succeed?

Fast forward to college. I was DONE with high school and the work paid off as I got into every school I applied – except getting waitlisted at the one I thought I was meant for (of which my dad attended).  Gone went the nurturing offered by the home-front and in came freedom and autonomy of quasi-adult life.  College offered the ability for anyone to re-invent oneself.

The times were exciting but the bar was set for failure – proven achievers used to near 4.0’s like myself now found themselves in the “C” range, barely scraping by.  I remember taking a physics class of which I had no business being in having not taken calc and getting something in the neighborhood of an 8 out of 60 on an exam despite serious studying!  My GPA after the 1st semester was near suspension level.  I found out about the verb “South Foresting,” from the parking garage famous for university suicide, the ultimate failure feeling put into action.

I pushed it to the limit, developing association with the “leaders and best” among the “Leaders & Best,” in the Mud Bowl and Greek scene and our acclaimed football program, and lots of time not only on the beer pong table, but in the and classroom and library.  I started to find myself while I kicked it into gear and started competing toe-to-toe in everything on campus and internally started to realize was that I could hold my own (despite the top-notch acumen of the competition).  Confidence brimmed internally and externally and peaked – I was on T.V. on the sidelines, and in the “alpha” social, competitive limelight otherwise.  I had not only survived, but thrived in many senses and graduated with a double major.

Pro

The door into the sports industry is revenue generation and all of a sudden, re-invention had to happen again.  A 99% rejection outcome became the norm and the hurdles were steep in Inside Sales – the “chop shop” of weeding people out. I buckled in, outworked and out-performed my peers after some trying, tough times in a faraway, disaster-ravaged market of which I knew 1 person. I quickly learned what having no culture and a boss departed for punching someone in front of his employees to understanding what a thriving, motivating, positive team-oriented culture felt like.

Fast forward ten years and two grad degrees of which I pushed myself to the limit further, It’s taken many sacrifices, disappointments and failures.  Every B-school will pound in how and stress the importance of leadership and “culture” in the workplace.  Interviews for those impossibly in-demand positions too often yield comes with a boxed, burnt out “work hard play hard” answer when asked about culture. Failure to read the warning signs equated a horrific toxic work environment of which I was thrown in and left for dead, getting picked at by the buzzards daily, where the standard of excellence was driven by egotism and narcissism over any sense of new ideas, morality or ethics.  Put up, shut up and fall in line the sake of the deal.

I’ve now learned the hard way and realized what Michael Thompson learned over 38 years – confidence isn’t about self-promotion, it’s about listening, and feeling comfortable applying and promoting others’ winning strategies to build their trust.

In D2, Gordon Bombay went “Hollywood” and got too caught up in the glam and the image, forgetting who he was and what he had learned along the way.  Before it was too late, he traded the suit for the Ducks jacket and got back to where it began.  He encouraged his kids to do what they did best, believing in each in the highest pressure situations despite dirty play and tactic traps laid by the opponent. In the end, the team banded together and won it all for the good-ole U-S-of-A thanks to being confident in who they were and what they could do.

Life isn’t a Disney movie or a sport, but the message is one we can all learn from.  Believe in those around you and express encouragement – we can all benefit in the end so much more than maintainging a fixation on our own self-serving agendas.

MSDMIDU EC017
D2: THE MIGHTY DUCKS, Emilio Estevez, Colombe Jacobsen, Shaun Weiss, Matt Doherty, Marguerite Moreau, Joshua Jackson, Justin Wong, etc, 1994.