I'm Not Ready to Tell You This Either...time for the announcement that changes everything.

I know that you aren't ready for the announcements I'm about to make.

Hell- I'm not even ready for the announcements I'm about to make.

Because it seems like summer JUST started.

And yet, here we are a few weeks from September.

From the BER months when everything starts to get kiddywhampus again, people get back into a routine and all of the gatherings and parties begin again.

I know you're not going to believe this but with the looming of September…

As a business owner, you’re reaching the deadline to start planning Black Friday with your marketing team to reach maximum results. 

No, really

Listen up: if you think you can wing your Black Friday strategy come October, you're already setting yourself up for disappointment. 

The most successful holiday campaigns don't start with turkey prep—they start right now, in the heat of summer.

Here's the reality check nobody wants to hear: August is your Black Friday deadline for maximum results. 

While your competitors are still thinking about back-to-school campaigns, the smartest digital marketers are already deep in holiday strategy sessions.

The Numbers Don't Lie: Early Planning = Explosive Results

Starting early strategic, methodical planning will give us:

• Time to A/B test creative assets

• Opportunity to build segmented email lists

• Space to optimize landing pages for conversion

• Ability to secure premium ad placements before competition heated up

Common Pitfalls That Kill Black Friday ROI

Starting Too Late Waiting until October means you're competing for overpriced ad inventory and rushed creative assets. Early starters get better placements at lower costs.

Ignoring Mobile Experience Over 70% of Black Friday shopping happens on mobile devices. If your mobile experience isn't flawless, you're leaving money on the table.

Focusing Only on Discounts While deals matter, successful campaigns sell experiences, solutions, and transformations—not just discounted products.

Neglecting Post-Purchase Black Friday shoppers become your highest-value customers. Don't treat them like one-time buyers.

And because this holiday season is probably going to be very different than any of the other ones…
 

Today I’m opening up my holiday availability….

Photo shoots

Ship Style & Shoot

Strategy Sessions

Holiday Social Management

Holiday Marketing Power Hour

All of it.

And while neither one of us can predict exactly what the future holds- know that we will at least be in it together. 

What Makes YOU Valuable in the Age of AI

I am currently dealing with some personal stuff and am lucky enough to have business owner friends who will guest blog in circumstances like this and help me stay relevant in the algorithm.

And well AI is a tool that I have been struggling to find my relationship with lately but my friend and fellow digital marketing professional Jennifer Andrews volunteered to stop up and chat about how to recognize your value in the age of AI.

I’ll let Jennifer take it from here.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock (which, honestly, sounds quite cool and comforting in this heat), you’re probably aware of the rapidly growing capabilities of AI. Depending on your outlook, you’re either eagerly exploring how it can support your work - or quietly wondering if it might one day replace you. 

As someone deeply entrenched in the digital world, AI has certainly crept into my area of expertise. But can it really do what we do as well as we do it?

The honest answer is: not yet. But the gap is closing. AI is improving rapidly. It can crank out content, generate a generic plug-and-play strategy, and even mimic a successful brand’s tone of voice. It gets the job done quickly, affordably, and with just enough polish to seem impressive at first glance.

But what AI sill lacks and what continues to give humans a clear edge is our real-world experience and intuition.

AI draws only from existing data. It doesn’t live in a community. It doesn’t walk into a local business and sense that something’s off. It doesn’t have coffee with a client who’s burned out, or pick up on the tension in a meeting that signals a shift in messaging. It can’t feel nuance.

Even its best insights are often just echoes, aggregated from other people’s experiments. Ask AI how to “go viral” or “make passive income,” and you’ll get regurgitated advice from influencers selling success more than living it. It’s generalized. Unvetted. And often divorced from important context.

And that disconnect doesn’t just apply to marketing. It shows up in financial advice, real estate guidance, leadership coaching - you name it. The algorithms may produce content that sounds like authority, but they’re not grounded in the messy, complex, deeply human world we actually live and work in.

So where does our value lie?

It lies in judgment. Intuition. Ethics. Emotional intelligence. Local knowledge. And the ability to ask better questions versus generating faster answers.

That’s the starting point for my 40 Days of Value experiment: exploring the real, irreplaceable worth of human insight in a world increasingly shaped by artificial ones.

Because in business, as in life, value isn’t just about speed. It’s about trust. Relevance. Relationships. And that’s something the AI machine can replicate.

About Jennifer Andrews

Jennifer Andrews is a digital strategist, writer, and founder of PFC Creative—a boutique marketing collective that helps small businesses and big ideas find their voice online. With over two decades of experience in content strategy, branding, and community-centered marketing, Jenn has partnered with clients in industries like Architecture, Engineering & Construction (AEC), community events, wellness and med spas, nonprofit organizations, and service-based contractors.

She has also supported organizations like the East Colorado SBDC at the University of Northern Colorado, providing branding and event design that helps elevate their visibility and impact.

Jenn is equal parts word nerd and strategy geek, and she’s especially curious about how AI is reshaping creativity, productivity, and what it means to be human in the marketing world. When she’s not building brands or experimenting with the latest AI tools, she’s a proud advocate for Downtown Greeley and an active supporter of the Greeley Creative District, where art, entrepreneurship, and community spirit fuel a deep connection to the heart of Greeley.

Beyond Spa Days: Using Core Values to Set Boundaries and Prevent Burnout

Almost every industry experiences burnout in some way other another. But these days I have been dealing with identifying and taking care of my own burnout.

In my digital marketing world traditonal worksplace stress gets amplified with its unique challenges: the need to be "always on" across multiple platforms, the pressure to constantly create fresh content, and the anxiety of campaigns that can succeed or fail in real-time.

Add in the blur between personal and professional social media presence, and it becomes nearly impossible for me to truly disconnect.

Which is why this week we have a guest post from Katy Owens while I embark on a mini digital detox.

I’m thrilled to have Katy share her insights on burnout prevention and values-based self-care. (She’s the first one I text to ask her if I am actually in burnout or if I need to just drink a glass of water.)

Her perspective as both a healthcare provider and someone who has navigated her own healing journey brings valuable depth to this important topic.

So without further ado here’s Katy’s blog:

Burnout seems to be quite the hot topic lately – and it’s no surprise. You will hear the phrase “Self care” thrown around a lot in the context of Burnout, but what does that actually mean?

While spa days and pedicures can be lovely (if you can indulge responsibly), that’s not the essence of self care. What I want you to consider is that true self-care involves setting reasonable boundaries on your ability to say “yes” to projects, engage energetically with friends and family, and carving out intentional time for your own interests. Setting boundaries is often a challenging topic in and of itself, so I want to take a step back and start with examining our Core Values.

When I think about core values, I turn to an expert: Berné Brown. She has pioneered research on shame and vulnerability and the impact these emotions have on our lives, and she also has contributed so much to topics including values exploration. I often complete her Living into Our Values exercises during presentations with other occupational therapists as well as with clients.

I highly recommend following this link for the full instructions and downloadable PDFs, but we’ll break it down here as well. https://brenebrown.com/resources/living-into-our-values/

First, what is a core value? A core value is a foundation on which you can base life decisions. Think of concepts like honesty, authenticity, or community. When we can identify these core values, we are able to use them to guide our decision making and boundary setting. If I say that authenticity is one of my core values, and someone asks me to run an ad on my social media supporting a product that is not evidence based, or not something I ever would use personally, it’s easy for me to say no to the offer because I understand that it’s not in line with one of my core values. Without clear core values, it would be much easier for me to say yes to an opportunity that might make me money but leave me feeling taken advantage of in the long run.

Consider actions that you have taken in the past, and how these could be examples of living into your core values. Then, take a moment to think of actions or scenarios where you might be led to acting outside of your core values. So, if you identify Family as a core value, what actions to you take to reinforce or live that value in your day-to-day life? Are there instances when you find yourself putting your core value second, maybe by picking up an extra shift at work when you could be at home with your kids or missing a school concert for an important client meeting.

You can see that life often provides us with opportunities to test our core values, and we get to decide how we are best living into them. Maybe the client meeting is essential be able to reach a certain income goal to facilitate a much-needed family vacation.

Only by identifying and exploring our core values can we know how best to make difficult decisions. Once you have a handle on your core values, we can return to the idea of setting boundaries on our time, energy, money and more. Let your core values guide how you respond to asks, and know that you are making the correct decision to support your goals and vision. It will take practice to use your core values as a guide, but it gets easier over time.

Burnout is such a hot topic right now because so many people are feeling overwhelmed and seeing support and a way to lighten the load. Take this blog post as a sign that you are not alone. I encourage you to seek support from friends, family, spiritual groups, or professionals as needed. Preventing and managing burnout is a topic much larger than one blog post, but I encourage you to complete this as a first step towards management.

About Katy

I work as an acute care occupational therapist in Northern Colorado and also own an occupational therapy private practice specializing in pain management. I earned my Master’s in Occupational Therapy from Colorado State University, where I was honored to receive the distinction of Outstanding Grad Student of the Class of 2022 from the College of Health and Human Services. 

Before starting my career as an occupational therapist, I served in the United States Coast Guard. An injury and my subsequent rehabilitation sparked my interest in occupational therapy and fueled my passion for advocating a biopsychosocial approach to pain management combined with an occupation-based approach.

 I had the opportunity to present at the Colorado State Association Annual Conference in both 2023 and 2024. I was also selected from a wide pool of applicants to speak at the UCHealth 2024 Symposium, where I shared with fellow therapy practitioners and other medical professionals the value of OT in pain management and the biopsychosocial model of pain.

Connect With Katy:

www.empoweredpathot.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katy-owens-ot/

Why Does Your Social Media Feel Like You Are Performing for Strangers?

Here's how most of my initial consulting sessions begin:

Client: "Why is my social media not working?"

Me: "You really wanna know?"

Client: "…Yes."

Me: "Okay." pulls hair back

You're not creating content. You're making announcements.

You're not building a community. You're shouting into the void.

You're not joining conversations. You're waiting for likes and NEW followers that never come.

Social doesn't fail because of the algorithm. It fails because businesses are using it like a megaphone, when it's meant to be a group chat.

But Social is NOT a brochure or billboard. It is humans following humans.

Here's where this group chat philosophy gets interesting: we live in an attention economy, but most people are competing for attention the wrong way. They're trying to be the loudest voice in the room instead of the most interesting person at the party.

The group chat philosophy changes everything. In a group chat, you're not performing for strangers. You're contributing to a conversation with people who already know, like, and trust you. You share random thoughts, ask questions, offer help, and yes—sometimes you mention what you're working on. But it's natural, contextual, and welcome because the relationship already exists.

The group chat is where the people you are ignoring who have already chosen to follow you, want to hear from you. But instead you are out there ”creating content” seeking more NEW people to not connect with.

Do you see the cycle?

I recently saw The Materialists and not only was I validated in my thoughts of how shallow we've all become, but also when Dakota chats with a bunch of single women at a wedding (she's a matchmaker) she nails this group chat philosophy part of marketing herself.

Basically her pitch is: you can do this on your own but if you're lucky enough to be able to afford me, why not? Because she's a luxury good.

She’s at a wedding, aka the group chat with the right people.

(Most of you here are luxury goods. Your services or products are not needed for basic human survival.)

When you understand you're a luxury good, you stop making announcements trying to convince everyone and start attracting someone. You stop broadcasting features and start embodying values. You stop chasing metrics and start building relationships.

Group chats are dialed in with the right people. They aren't for anyone. They are for specific people for specific reasons.

Think about it: the most valuable group chats in your life aren't the ones with 500 people where no one really talks. They're the ones with 5-10 people who genuinely care about each other's lives, businesses, and random 2am thoughts.

It's time to stop broadcasting announcements and instead start conversations. Your people will always find you. In fact, one of your people is praying to find you and what you offer right now.

Keep showing up.

The SWAG That Actually Works: Why Useful Beats Cheap Every Time

I remember back to school time when Clinque would have their free gift with purchase time. And the purchase needed to be over $100 and the gift was a new cosmetic bag filled with samples of products they wanted to get you hooked on.

Those days were also the days when I didn’t know that I was being marketed to- but GD that was such genius marketing and the type of marketing that has been around for hundreds of years.

Which got me thinking about all of the trade shows and in person events that I’ve been to with vendors and how many SWAG bags I’ve received at conferences and how many can koozies, stress balls and tote bags I’ve thrown away.

Then it got me thinking about where actually is the “away”.  Because the away is an actual place… and it’s the landfill.

(If you haven’t already watched "Buy Now! The Shopping Conspiracy” on Netflix I encourage you to on some rainy summer evening.)

Just thinking about how many Canva created logos are on some kind of discarded merch soaking up the sun next to rotting food makes me die a little inside. 

This is all coming at me right now because I’m gearing up to go to the annual 4th of July parade, and in Colorado they take their 4th of July parades very seriously. There are so many businesses in the parades that are handing out not just candy but also SWAG.  Last year I left with a branded real estate tote bag filled with candy, koozies, flags and glow sticks. And I was sweating so bad. The thing I really could have used was some kind of branded fan.

Fast forward to this year and I must’ve manifested that because I went to an outdoor concert on a 98 degree night and the sponsor of the concert had branded fans! And guess what- they were gone before the concert even began.  All you saw were red fans waving in attempts to keep cute outfits unsweaty.  Along with the fans they also had coolers full of branded water bottles! All marketing materials I was definitely a fan of. 

As we enter Q3  I see you all thinking about what branded SWAG to order before the end of the year marketing budget runs out for your in-person events.

And before you order more tote bags, koozies, stickers, pens and stress balls let's consider things the people won't throw in the landfill immediately upon returning home. 

Use the bank is an example of a biz who understood the assignment. 

A fan at a 98 degree Colorado afternoon concert in late June? 

Chef's kiss 

This is my friend is how you do branded swag that doesn't immediately become landfill. 

Take notes, marketing teams – your audience will remember you when your giveaway saves them from sweating through their cute outfit on a 98 degree day.

Also one of the greatest pieces of SWAG I’ve ever gotten from spinning one of those prize wheels is compression socks from a medical company. They too have racked up many an air mile. 

Does SWAG that is useful cost more per piecee?

Most Definitely.

Let's be real – quality costs money, and useful promotional items are no exception. That branded fan that actually kept concert-goers cool? It probably cost 3-4 times more than those flimsy keychains gathering dust in junk drawers everywhere.

But here's where most marketing teams get it backwards: they're optimizing for the wrong metric. They see "cost per unit" and immediately reach for the cheapest option, thinking they're being budget-conscious. What they're actually doing is throwing money away on items that provide zero lasting brand impression.

A $0.50 stress ball that gets tossed within a week provides exactly $0.50 worth of brand exposure – if that. Meanwhile, a $3.00 portable phone charger that someone uses multiple times per week for months? That's generating ongoing brand touchpoints that compound over time.

Think about it: would you rather have 1,000 people immediately forget your brand, or 300 people think of you every time they solve a real problem? The math isn't even close.

Useful SWAG creates what marketers call "positive brand associations." Every time someone uses your practical giveaway, they're having a micro-moment of gratitude toward your brand. That water bottle with your logo isn't just hydrating them – it's building brand affinity one sip at a time.

The key is shifting from quantity thinking to quality thinking. Better to have fewer pieces that actually work than a warehouse full of items destined for the trash.

What I wouldn’t give right now for a Clinque free cosmetic bag to hold all the things I need in pool/beach bag.

Your logo deserves better than the bottom of a competitors tote bag and eventually someones trash can.

It’s time to do better.

Nobody Actually Cares About Your Follower Count (And Here's What They Want Instead)

Here’s something that you might not be ready to hear, no one really cares about your “follower” count besides your ego, agents, PR firms and anyone who could or is making money off of you.

I know, I know. We've been conditioned to worship at the altar of vanity metrics. We refresh our analytics dashboards like slot machines, hoping for that dopamine hit of growth. But while we've been obsessing over numbers that look impressive in pitch decks, our actual communities have quietly shifted their priorities.

The people who matter—your real audience—your community are craving something entirely different in 2025.

They're tired of being treated like statistics in your growth strategy.

They want connection, not collections of hearts and likes.

The members of your community have different priorities these days here is what they consider is in…

Friendship is in...

Offline experience is in...

Printed storytelling is in...

Tangible community-building is in...

Your community doesn't want to be marketed to anymore. They want to be befriended. This means showing up consistently, remembering conversations, celebrating their wins, and genuinely caring about their struggles. It's the difference between broadcasting and being present.

Smart brands are already making this shift. Instead of scheduling 47 posts about their latest product launch, they're engaging in real conversations. They're sliding into DMs not to sell, but to check in. They're treating their community managers less like content machines and more like relationship builders.

The pandemic taught us that digital connection has limits. Now, people are hungry for real-world experiences that go beyond the screen. Your most engaged community members aren't necessarily the ones double-tapping every post—they're the ones silently watching who show up to your popup events, workshops, or are telling others about you when a question related to what you do comes up.

Now I’m not saying don’t abandon digital entirely. It means using your online presence as a bridge to meaningful offline moments. Think intimate gatherings over massive conferences. Local coffee chats over virtual webinars. The kind of experiences that create stories people actually want to share organically.

Real community isn't measured in follower counts or engagement rates. It's measured in how many people show up when someone needs help. How many connections are made between community members that have nothing to do with your brand. How many inside jokes develop. How many people consider each other actual friends.

This requires moving beyond broadcast-style social media toward platforms and spaces that facilitate genuine connection. Private groups, forums, regular video calls, collaborative projects, shared experiences—the kinds of things that build actual relationships rather than parasocial ones.

The call is getting louder to moving toward a more human internet, one conversation at a time. The brands that understand this shift early will build the kind of communities that survive algorithm changes, platform shutdowns, and economic uncertainty.

Your follower count might look good in a presentation, but your community's health determines your actual future. The question isn't how many people follow you—it's how many people would notice if you disappeared tomorrow, and more importantly, how many would actually care.

The metrics that matter most can't be captured in an analytics dashboard. They live in the quality of relationships you build, the value you create in people's actual lives, and the community that forms around shared values rather than shared content consumption.

It's time to stop optimizing for vanity and start building for longevity. Your ego might miss the follower count bragging rights, but your business will thank you for the sustainable community you build instead.

The Emotional Whiplash of Social Media: What Every Business Owner Needs to Know

My scroll the past few days/weeks has looked something like this: Someone's food>War>hormone replacement ad> 7 step skincare sped up video > Dog video>someone's summer vacation> a link to a new swimsuit cover up > AD> back to news cycle > someone's hot take on whatever>Dog video> AD.

Every time we scroll on social we are scrolling from something in the news cycle, to something about fitness or hormone replacement to the next swipe being someone we might know in real life talking about their new battle with cancer, to an influencer trying to sell us the newest swimsuit cover up from their I Like It Know It, to some kind of 8 step skincare routine to look like you just shot out of your mothers vajja.

It’s a lot of emotions all at once. And our brains are not processing it all before our thumb swipes to the next thing.

Truly it’s too much information for our brains and nervous systems to handle. The two of them are made to look for berries, seek shelter and procreate.

That’s pretty much it.

They are not meant to be bombarded with extreme swings in magnitudes of content.

It’s exhausting.

It’s part of why you are feeling overwhelmed.

And why you loathe someone you only know virtually.

So when you zoom out and  begin thinking about it this way from the users experience it’s easy to see why some of our businesses posts can get overlooked.

Look at all of the content pieces that people have to scroll through to get to your posts.

And how they don’t even know where they are or what they’re feeling by the time they do get to your posts.

Which is why it’s important to keep in mind what the actual intention of you adding something into the chaos of someones already overstimulated brain and also to have a clear call to action because people forget why they are even on whatever app they’re currently scrolling through in the first place.

We’re all going through it right now.

In real life and online challenge yourself to:

Say the kind thing. Give the compliment. Express the love. People are carrying more than you know, and your words might be the soft place they need to land.

We hold back love like we’ll run out. But the truth is, the more you share it, the more alive it becomes—for them and for you.

We’re quick to point out what bothers us. Let’s be just as quick to highlight what inspires us. Especially in people. Especially in those we love.

Be the reminder. Be the light that sparks the other person's light. It's all connected.

The Gentle Art Of Getting Nowhere Fast : Making The Dilly Dally Cool Again

I like to dilly dally, some might even say that I have a PhD in it. And some of you might not even know what the art dilly dallying even is.

I see you about to open a new tab and click over and ask Chat GPT what Dilly Dally even means and in hopes of keeping you here longer I did it for you. Chat has this to say about Dilly Dally “"Dilly Dally" means to waste time by being slow or indecisive, or to delay doing something you should be doing. It's often used when someone is taking too long to make a decision or get moving on a task.

For example, you might say "Stop dilly dallying and get ready for school!" or "We don't have time to dilly dally - we need to leave now."

The phrase has a playful, somewhat old-fashioned sound to it, and it's often used in a mildly scolding but not harsh way, especially with children.”

Get it now?

I guess your next question is probably well isn’t Dilly Dallying the same as Procrastination?

My answer is a solid NO.

While dilly dally and procrastination are related, they have some subtle differences:

Procrastination is more about deliberately putting off tasks you know you should do, often because they're unpleasant, difficult, or boring. It's a conscious avoidance behavior - you know you should be doing your taxes or writing that report, but you choose to do something else instead.

Dilly dallying is more about being slow, unfocused, or indecisive in the moment. It's less about avoiding a specific task and more about just not being efficient or decisive. Someone might dilly dally by taking forever to choose what to wear, getting distracted by small things while getting ready, or just moving slowly without much purpose.

Think of it this way: if you spend an hour scrolling social media instead of starting your work, that's procrastination. If you spend 20 minutes standing in your closet unable to decide what shirt to wear, that's dilly dallying.

One makes me feel guilty. The other fills my creative tank.

As marketers and business owners, we're so focused on moving fast and making things go viral that we forget some of our best ideas come from those unproductive moments.

Like when I'm browsing and reading vintage postcards and suddenly get inspired for a retro campaign concept.

My focus and intention this summer is to slow things down in my inner world. Get back to simplicity and embrace the dilly dally that I fight daily.

In our rush-rush world, we've forgotten the value of unhurried moments. We've been conditioned to see any pause, any moment of indecision, any lingering as inefficiency—as something to be optimized away like we’re a robot.

 But what if dilly dallying isn't a glitch in our system? What if it's a feature?

My brain needs a good dilly dally day because when I take twenty minutes of standing in my closet  to choose what shirt to wear, I'm not being inefficient. I'm being present. I'm allowing myself to feel the fabric, consider the colors, think about how I want to show up in the world that day. When I meander through the grocery store without a list, walking down every aisle and pausing to examine produce I don't need, I'm not wasting time—I'm experiencing abundance, texture, possibility.

But my favorite place to practice the art of dilly dallying? Antique stores and thrift shops. These places are temples of unhurried exploration, where time seems to move differently and efficiency goes to die—in the best possible way.

There's something magical about wandering through aisles of forgotten treasures with no agenda. I'll pick up a vintage teacup and wonder about the hands that held it, the conversations it witnessed. I'll run my fingers along the spine of a book from 1962 and imagine the reader who dog-eared page 47 re-reading it to figure out why. I'll try on a blazer that's three sizes too big just because the fabric feels like butter.

In antique stores, dilly dallying isn't just acceptable—it's the point. You can't efficiently treasure a treasure hunt. You can't speed-run serendipity. The best finds come to those who linger, who let their eyes wander, who follow curiosity down rabbit holes of old postcards and vintage jewelry.

These spaces remind us that not everything worthwhile can be found quickly. Some discoveries require patience, presence, and the willingness to spend an afternoon getting pleasantly lost among the remnants of other people's lives.

Dilly dallying is the art of existing in the spaces between decisions. It's the practice of not rushing to fill every moment with productivity. It's giving ourselves permission to be inefficient, indecisive, and beautifully human.

If you want this  summer, join me in reclaiming the lost art of dilly dallying. Start whenever you want.  Stand in your closet a little longer. Take the scenic route. Spend an afternoon in a dusty antique shop with no shopping list. Let yourself get distracted by something beautiful. The world will wait—and you might just discover something wonderful in the meantime.

Who else is ready to embrace some strategic inefficiency?

The Silent Disco That Changed How I View Social Media Marketing

It all started on a random Tuesday waiting in line to board a plane. 

Imagine this scene boarding groups 1 and 2 are lined up. First and Business class have just boarded and they are now asking for families or individuals who need extra time.

My phone is charging, I have no headphones in and I'm just silently being a non tech human.

Then a man waiting in the line in front of me, says "just look how everyone is immersed in their phones." Necks bowed faces a glow with whatever video or post they were reading on social.

I told him I saw it to and then I said “I'm part of the problem” and he looked at me all confused “I work in marketing. And that's marketing.”

He nodded and said that is indeed marketing. 

Then I told him about this art exhibition I saw where the photographer took pictures of people in intimate and every day situations and removed the phones from the photos and just how powerful those images were to me. 

How we are missing out on our actual life because we are to busy watching someone elses.

He looked it up because the line wasn't moving, and noted how silly we truly do look when the phone is removed from the situation.

(You should look at it too.)

He got a call and right before he answered I wished him safe travels. 

Because I was boarding group 4 and my travels were taking me on another connection to a music festival.

Where…

The documenting continued even in a wall of rain. 

Besides the wall of phone screens between me and the stage the most interesting observation happened at the final event of the festival- the silent disco.

There we all were at least 100 of us with our bluetooth headphones dancing with the others who were tuned into the same channel as us when the headliner of the festival came in and the disco stopped.

A collective gasp feel across the venue loud enough to hear through bluetooth headphones pumping out jams and a wall of people moved toward the headliner, phones out and videoing. Stopping the live experience they had just been a part of to get a far away video for what to post to social to say they were in the same place as a celebrity- as if that video validates their entire existence at said festival?

My friend and I looked over and kept on dancing with the handful of others who were enjoying that moment. 

As I watched people filming that headliner at the silent disco—trading a genuine experience for social validation—I couldn't help but think about us as business owners.

How often do we fall into the same trap? Documenting our businesses rather than being fully present in them? Creating content about our expertise instead of deepening it? Chasing likes while missing connections with the customers and community standing right in front of us?

The most successful businesses I know aren't just the ones with the most followers—they're the ones where the owners are genuinely present. 

Where customer interactions aren't just content opportunities but meaningful exchanges. 

Where social media amplifies the business rather than becoming the business.

This week, I challenge you (and myself) to set aside dedicated phone-free blocks during your workday. Notice what happens when you engage with your business without the filter of "how will this look online?" Maybe it's 30 minutes of uninterrupted conversation with a client. Maybe it's solving a problem without immediately sharing the solution. 

Maybe it's simply experiencing the joy of your craft without documenting it.

Your business was built on your passion and expertise—not your social media presence. While digital marketing matters (and yes, again I recognize the irony of sending this in an email), it should serve your business, not the other way around.

Your customers don't just want your content. They want you—your undivided attention, your expertise, your humanity. That's the true currency of business and community that no algorithm can replicate.

So the next time you feel that pull to check notifications or create content, ask yourself: Am I missing a real moment and is this piece of content worth someone in my community missing a moment that matters more?

Here's to being present in our businesses and our IRL lives this summer.

P.S. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. Have you found ways to balance digital marketing with being present in your business?

Professional Maturity: Accepting That Not Everyone in the Room Likes Each Other

I’ve made it. I’ve arrived. I’ve gotten to the elusive “success” point.

As an entrepreneur this is the dream right to make to the Shark Tank room?

Oh wait.

I guess I made it to the wrong one.
Or did I?

When we made it to the shark tank room, at the aquarium my friend pitched me an interesting question.

“Do we think everyone in the tank likes each other?”

My response came quick, and without a filter as they usually do “I doubt it, even when humans are in the same room someone doesn’t like someone.”

The moment I said it, I realized how rarely we acknowledge this simple truth.

We're conditioned to believe that professional spaces require universal harmony, that success means getting along with everyone, and that admission of interpersonal friction somehow indicates failure.

But what if we're looking at it all wrong?

Society sells us the idea that with enough emotional intelligence, communication skills, and professional polish, we should be able to connect meaningfully with everyone we encounter.

Business books tell us to network widely, find common ground with anyone, and cultivate relationships in every direction.

This advice isn't entirely wrong, but it misses something fundamental about human nature: we are wonderfully, messily unique.

Our personalities, values, communication styles, senses of humor, and worldviews are as diverse as our fingerprints.

Because spoiler our life experiences have not been the same.

Let's be real—the odds of everyone in a room genuinely vibing with each other? Pretty much zero. It just doesn't happen that way in life.

And maybe true maturity in work and life isn't pretending to like everyone equally, but instead:

Treating everyone with consistent respect regardless of personal affinity.

Finding productive ways to collaborate despite personality differences.

Being honest with ourselves about relationship dynamics without creating unnecessary drama.

Accepting that chemistry can't be forced and some connections will just never happen personally or professionally.

So the next time you're in a room – whether it's a meeting room, a zoom room, a networking event, or your own version of the "Shark Tank" – remember that you aren’t going to like to like everyone, and not everyone is going to like you.

This isn't cynical; it's nothing personal, it's just being realistic.

And also the unfollow and unsubscribe buttons exist virtually and IRL for a reason- use them accordingly for your mental health.