The Art of Sales: A Fisherman's Perspective on Sustainable Business Relationships
Traditional sales methodologies are increasingly being questioned. Drawing from over fifteen years of sales experience, despite having no formal sales training or education, I've developed a unique perspective on effective sales strategies, one that finds its roots in an unexpected place: the art of fishing.
The Power of NO
i recently faced this situation once again, this time with a prospect. Months of scoping conversations, new people inserted, pushes to lighten scope, and reduce cost in exchange for piecemeal paid hours here and there “just to answer a question or two”, an unwillingness to truly invest in the invaluable help they want from me and my team. This time, I said NO. I said it's not how we do our best work, and if they truly have most of it figured out, they don't need us. No more conversations.
Why We Must Always Question the Numbers
As the CEO of 33 Sticks, a boutique analytics company, I've seen firsthand how data can be both illuminating and misleading. This lecture wasn't just about statistics, it was about empowering the next generation to think critically about the numbers that shape our daily decisions.
When Likes Matter More Than Truth
The responsibility lies not just with those who spread misinformation but with all of us who choose whether to nurture it or call it out for what it is: A betrayal of trust for the sake of likes and shares.
The Four-Hour Truth
The evidence is clear, four hours of deep work is not a limitation to be overcome but a natural threshold to be respected. The question isn't whether we can push beyond it but why we keep trying to force ourselves into an artificial schedule that serves neither our best interests nor those of our clients and employers.
Social Media and The Death of Expertise
I remember the exact moment I realized we were in trouble. I was watching what should have been an absurd scene, a respected astronomer, their decades of research and observation reduced to a mere "perspective," forced to debate a flat Earth conspiracy theorist as if both viewpoints deserved equal consideration. The host, in what they surely thought was admirable fairness, insisted that the audience respect both sides equally. That their individual "expertise" held the same weight.
The Ivory Towers We Build
Most of us are just a few misfortunes away from losing everything we've built. Our towers aren't nearly as sturdy as we pretend, our foundations not nearly as solid as we believe. Yet we can't – or won't – see it, because acknowledging this truth would mean confronting our own vulnerability, our own potential to fall. The question isn't whether we'll learn empathy, but when.
A Reality Check on the Side Hustle Dream
It started with a LinkedIn post that stopped me mid-scroll. There it was, in bold, confident typeface: "Anyone Can Make $2,000 a Month with a Side Hustle - It's Easy!" The post was perfectly crafted, with just the right mix of inspiration and apparent authenticity. As someone who has spent over twelve years building and running my own business, I felt my stomach tighten.
Checking for Danger: My Journey With Anxiety
The scratch was nothing, barely a graze from a dried branch while retrieving a golf ball from the rough. No blood, not even broken skin. Just a faint red line across my leg. But in that moment, my mind launched into overdrive, constructing an elaborate scenario of flesh-eating bacteria, of tissue deteriorating hour by hour, of death creeping through my body before I could make it home. On the outside, I continued playing, swinging clubs and tracking balls across the fairway and into the rough. Inside, I was drowning in terror.
How Conglomerates Are Changing the Service Industry
Over the past year, needing help with various aspects of home maintenance (electrical, plumbing, gardening), i've noticed a trend that feels quite real. It’s one of those shifts you don’t fully grasp until you’re right in the middle of it, trying to solve what should be a simple problem. But the solution is no longer simple.
The Dark Side of Newsletter Growth: A Rant About Unethical Practices
Lately, I’ve noticed a surge in newsletters hitting my inbox. The funny part? I never signed up for most of them. Oddly enough, they all seem to come from the same platform, Beehiiv. Now, I’m not saying it’s Beehiiv’s fault. It’s just the delivery mechanism. But what’s starting to bother me is how I ended up on these lists in the first place.
The Price of Perception: Why Clients Value Complexity Over Clarity
The "Thud Factor" highlights a significant challenge in the consulting world, the need to provide value while meeting client expectations for perceived effort. As we move forward, both clients and service providers must work together to prioritize effectiveness over appearance.
By valuing clarity, efficiency, and measurable outcomes, we can create a more transparent and productive environment for problem-solving.
Remember, the weight of a solution should be measured not by the pages it fills, but by the impact it creates.
In the end, real value doesn't thud, it transforms.
The Real ROI of Consumer Analytics: Why Your Business Can’t Afford to Ignore It
When done right, analytics is an enabler and a multiplier. It’s not about pulling a lever and watching revenue magically pour in. It’s about building a foundation for sustainable growth. It’s about giving you the tools, the insights, and the clarity needed to make smarter decisions. And those smarter decisions lead to significant, lasting outcomes.
When Deception Drives Revenue: The Case of Superhuman's Pricing Strategy
In a tech marketplace where the barriers to entry have never been lower in the history of capitalism, a marketplace where innovation often outpaces regulation, some (probably way more than we’d like to admit) companies resort to practices that prioritize profit over transparency. That prioritize profit over respect for customers. That prioritize profit over ethics.
The Hidden Agenda Behind the Return to Office Mandates: Profits Over People
In many online articles, debates, and thought pieces, we see a sophisticated manipulation aimed at supporting unquenchable greed. The orchestrated backlash against remote work is less about genuine concerns and more about maximizing profits. It’s a stark reminder of the lengths to which companies will go to protect their financial interests, often at the expense of their employees' well-being.
The Difference Between Data Reporting and Data Analysis
his same scenario plays out in businesses, both large and small, across the world. Business owners and key stakeholders are demanding meaningful insights from their analytics teams however most analtyics teams stop at providing basic, often times misleading, commentary about data reports.
Morning Coffee Thoughts: Why We Can’t Say NO
In business, we waste so much time and resources, create unnecessary frustration, and destroy relationships because of our inability to say ‘NO’
The Inevitable Transformation: How GenAI is Redefining Roles in the Analytics Industry
The path forward is clear but not easy. We must shift our focus from task-based activities to value-driven contributions. This requires a fundamental change in mindset and approach. It demands that we continually learn and adapt, leveraging our unique human abilities to interpret and add context to the data.
When People Show You Who They Are, Believe Them
It’s important to recognize that these decisions, often masked as "business decisions," are made by people. When we say it’s a "business decision," we give individuals an excuse to not have to personally own their actions. With this specific client example, it's the people there, some of whom are good people, but they fall victim to bad culture that stems from poor leadership at the very top of the company.