Friends of Dave #39: Sweater Weather
"Summer has only one redeeming virtue - it proceeds Fall, which is finally here." -- Gregg Easterbrook
I was recently walking my 6 year old son to school when we started to talk about the changing seasons. With Fall now officially upon us, I guess it has been a topic of recent conversation in his first grade classroom. So I asked him as we walked down a wind swept sidewalk with just a hint of multi-colored leaves tumbling at our feet: what's your favorite season?
Without hesitation, despite having a birthday in November and using every free moment to talk about his fantasy football team (we have a family league), my son enthusiastically replied "Summer is my favorite." He loves going to the beach, swimming in the ocean, the warm sun and having lots of free time away from school (in that order). And then he asked me what my favorite was -- and without hesitation, I said Fall.
Fall has always been my favorite time of year. It's kind of a unique time when you can be coming down the home stretch in some respects and you can be experiencing new beginnings. Fall is time to break out the sweaters. Only in Fall are there days when you can be wearing a sweatshirt and you can still get away with wearing shorts and flip flops (at least where I live). It's a time for school buses, fresh blacktop, new shoes, new clothes and new pencils and erasers -- and all of the unique smells that go along with those that remind you of what it was like to be a carefree 6 year old. It's also a time to reflect a bit on the past year, look ahead to the coming year, and start to develop your plan (and in the corporate world, maybe your budget) for how things are going to be different or better in the months to come.
Fall is definitely not a time to relax -- it is a time to be active. Time to get those last rounds of golf in, toss a ball around, go on a long bike ride, take the family apple picking or jump into a pile of leaves. In most businesses, Fall is go time as you try to make your annual sales number before the year end holidays arrive to distract people (or it is time to get ready for the holiday rush). Best of all (for me at least), Fall means the winter that is summer sports season has ended. Yes, Friends of Dave, thankfully football season is finally upon us.
I know that with summer over, kids back to school and a calendar full of their activities, and all of things you have going on at work, Fall is definitely back to business. But one day over the coming weeks, when you wake up to a crisp morning, deep blue sky and leaves various shades of red, orange, yellow and tan, take a quiet moment for yourself to look around and absorb it. Whether it's your favorite season or not, you have to admit Fall is a pretty amazing time.
It's also time to get smarter, and read up on all of the things you put off over the summer. I took it easy on you over the break, but school is back in session -- and I promise that this issue does not disappoint. So while you are at a kid's soccer game, or watching the late football game, or just quietly having a cup of coffee, scan the headlines and dig in. You'll see it's a pretty solid issue, with more good stuff definitely to come.
Enjoy your first Fall weekend everyone. And just think, pretty soon the Christmas decorations will be going up in your favorite local retail establishment. Oh joy.
XOXO
Dave
Think on This...
How Marketers, Retailers, and Artists Trick You Every Time
We all fall for the Trojan Horse trick everyday, whether it be in marketing messages, retail offers, art and news headlines. Read this not-so-short but fairly quick article to understand why.
To be true to one’s self requires you to be open change (long read) — aeon.co
Being the same person over time is not about holding on to every aspect of your current self but about changing purposefully.
Why 2017 Is Filled With Jerks — nymag.com
Assholism, after all, is contagious.
2016 may have been the year of the dead celebrity, but 2017 is shaping up to be an epic year for corporate bad behavior. Here are some interesting theories as to why (and, perhaps, more derivatives of the word "asshole" in one article than ever produced). Don't read if you offend easily.
For Your Day Job...
Superpower India to Replace China as Growth Engine — www.bloomberg.com
India will account for more than half of the increase in Asia’s workforce in the coming decade, but this isn’t just a story of more workers: these new workers will be much better trained and educated than the existing Indian workforce.
Looking for areas of emerging growth? Look where the population is young and well educated -- and start with India. As I have mentioned before, don't sleep on Africa either.
Time to Really Understand the Hype of About Cryptocurrency — bothsidesofthetable.com
YOU GUYS: bitcoin, blockchain and cryptocurrency are not, I repeat, NOT a fad. These all will absolutely impact you and your business in the near future, if not already. It is time you get smart about it: read this great, easy to follow primer by VC Mark Suster.
How Much Should A SaaS Startup Really Invest in Sales & Marketing? — tomtunguz.com
Great submission from Friend of Dave Cameron Hight. Some excellent insights here regarding when to put your foot to the floor and rev the sales and marketing growth engine.
Your Weekly Dose of Randomness...
Second-Born Kids Are More Likely To Be Criminals — www.simplemost.com
Guaranteed you will be texting this to your brother or sister in 3...2...1....
Playing board games can make you a nicer person with better relationships — qz.com
Except when you lose a game of Monopoly to your kids on Family Game Night. Then you turn into one of those jerks from 2017 and tell them all to go to bed....I know nothing about this of course....
And The Last Word....
Every Night Perfect (long read)
You want to get it right, period. Not only for the fans—but for the fans, sure. And not only for the band—but of course for the band, who is playing. You want to get it right because this is what you've worked for. Hours and hours over months and months. Planning. Practice. Preparation. It was all for these next few seconds.
Ever been to a U2 show? Or maybe some epic stadium production by some other band? This is a really cool, behind the scenes look at how a rock concert works. It's a long one, but you'll never look at a show the same way after reading it.