I used to have a serious domain name addiction. Late at night was the most dangerous time. I’d get all these ideas that seemed better in the dark, when I was hopped up on my second bowl of Haagen Dazs Vanilla Bean. This was back in 2009 and 2010. My business was young. So was Facebook. […]
KEEP READINGThe best Power Pose for work.
You’ve heard about power posing, right? Using your body language to generate confidence, calm, or sharpness in your brain? The Wonder Woman pose is the one you hear about most.⠀I’m sure it’s great before speaking on stage. Or walking into a negotiation. (Because a quivering lip does not back up “It’s my way or the […]
KEEP READINGHow to be concise in your writing. (Because “Sorry for rambling” is BS.)
“How can I be more concise in my writing?” Everyone asks that. Usually, the first key to being more concise is…making an effort to be concise. Most people don’t try. They just decide, “I’m not a concise person.” That’s like deciding you’re a late person. Decide not to be. Look — ???? ???? ☢️ When someone […]
KEEP READINGHow to type new copy into any website (and freak out your friends)
Ever wish you could: Edit the existing copy on your website…without messing up the existing copy on your website? Change the tagline on one of the Internet’s most visited websites? Just for kicks? Get a more constructive, healthy hobby? Kidding. If you’re writing web or sales copy – your own or anyone else’s – nothing could be smarter […]
KEEP READINGThe antidote to FOMO
FOMO (fear of missing out) is probably my #1 motivator and most nagging neurosis. I’ll say yes to things I’m not that interested in just because I can’t handle the possibility of people I like having fun without me. What’s that? My favorite friends will all be standing nude in a snowstorm, listening to live death […]
KEEP READINGHow not to write like a 90s business robot that had a baby with a college professor
Fact: Good copywriting is always conversational copywriting. So, the first test of good copy is: Does it sound like something you’d say to a friend? Here’s the deal — most people still confuse “professional” with “formal and corporate.” Truth is, conversational is the new professional. Stiff and stodgy feels as dated as a smooth jazz cover of […]
KEEP READINGWhat if it’s a “hell, maybe”?
“If it’s not a ‘hell yes’, it’s a ‘hell no!’” If you haven’t heard that expression, then you probably aren’t in contact with any coaches-slash-“lifestyle design” experts, or anyone who’s being coached and parrots everything they hear. And you probably don’t read any of the self-helpy or businessy blogs that I can’t help browsing every […]
KEEP READINGWayback Wednesday: That thing that might’ve almost happened to me on the way to piano
The real story is the one I never used. I always made some shit up when I wanted to skip an after-school commitment. “I didn’t make it all the way to Hebrew School because a drug dealer came up to me and offered me pot on 83rd Street. What, why are you mad, I thought you’d […]
KEEP READINGThe #1 saddest use of website real estate
✏️#copywritingtip: You’ve got that big, beautiful header and that’s what you’re going to put in it? “Welcome to my website”? ⠀ Or even, “WELCOME. WE’RE SO GLAD YOU’RE HERE.”⠀ ⠀ First of all, we know it’s a website. It’s not 1994 where we’re like, “Oooh, this is part of the Internet. It’s interactive!” ⠀ ⠀ […]
KEEP READINGGroup trip to Beirut 2017 (or, There’s No “I” in Hummus)
The cast: (AKA the Beirut Scooby Doo Gang. Can’t imagine the trip without any one of these people.) The great friend who collects art and people, the dentist/ friendtist who fixed my tooth. And, our fearless leader. There’s a reason you don’t hear about scaredy-cat leaders. It takes a big, swinging set to wrangle a group of people […]
KEEP READINGWhy I got fired, the sauerkruat smell, and how to be un-fire-able
If it’s 8am, I’m still sleeping. Go away. 9am? Still sleeping. Maybe even at 10. I’m not proud that I sleep so late, but I’m proud that I can. I’ve built a profitable business that lets me be the Queen of Snooze that I am. (So can you. More on that down the page.) Fun […]
KEEP READINGHow to be disgustingly productive
A productivity workshop seemed like a silly idea for me. No, not because I’m so productive. I could win shiny gold medals for wasting time, if there were official world records. But there aren’t, because it’s a hard thing to measure: Is staring at Facebook for hours waiting for another like to show up wasting time? Is […]
KEEP READINGHow to be famous
Last year, I attended a fantastic event in Florida called Heroic Public Speaking Live. Or, as I now call it, “HPS Live.” That’s insider lingo. At 8:25am on the first day, I met a woman named Brenda Barbosa. She’d lined up right behind me to register, in the “last names A-D” line. Brenda knew that […]
KEEP READINGWayback Wednesday: I Worked In A Fecal Punk Rock Bar (Or, How To Avoid Having A Business That’s Not Your Scene)
25 years ago, a fucking quarter century, I was working in a bar downtown. East Village. I didn’t even know where I was, except how to get there from the subway. On my way, I walked past the Palladium and a bunch of junkies. It was winter, so I wore my black wool coat there. […]
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