Monday Morning Memo
The Follow-Your-Passion Myth
One of the books I’ll write someday is a collection of true stories gathered from extremely successful people. My business as an advertising consultant and seminar speaker has put me face-to-face with many of the brightest stars in the entrepreneurial sky. And rarely do I miss the opportunity to ask them, “Can you recall that &hellip Continue reading
Beauty of the Unfired Gun
The Silent Rifle as a 3rd Gravitating Body “Dangling like this from his leg, his upside-down perspective made him giddy. If this were to be his last moment he would die happy, but it would not. Instead, he’d soon be singing karaoke with a group of Korean tourists. But first, the roller coaster.” – Christina &hellip Continue reading
Time and Chance, Money and Love
My friend Jeffrey and I were talking one day about this and that when he said, as much to himself as to me, I think, “What is it that separates confidence from hubris?” I replied, “The outcome.” “That’s it!” Jeff gasped through his laughter, his head thrown back as tears began to inch toward his &hellip Continue reading
Pleasure and Happiness
Do not confuse pleasure with happiness. Unhappy people can have pleasure. And uninterrupted pleasures are not happiness. Happiness is the result of knowing who you are, why you are here, and what you should do. We need identity, purpose, and adventure. Identity – Who am I? Purpose – Why am I here? Adventure – What &hellip Continue reading
Lessons Learned From the Poor
I’m 21 years old but my thinning hair makes me look about 30. I consider this to be my greatest asset. I walk the retail sidewalks, looking in windows, deciding if I will go in. A peddler goes door to door unthinkingly, playing the odds, tossing his pitch to anyone who will catch it like &hellip Continue reading
I Hate That I’m Good
I hate that I’m good at writing direct-response ads. You know the ads I’m talking about. The ones that sell you something you don’t really want or need. Twenty years ago Woody and I bought Melrose necklaces at 11 dollars and sold them by the wheelbarrow load at 99 dollars apiece. You couldn’t comparison shop &hellip Continue reading
Think Backwards and Win
Reverse Your Thoughts, Increase Your Income Unifying Principles are those guiding thoughts around which all your actions revolve. When you hold them in plain sight, you always know what to do next. Brilliant people stumble when they focus on the parts and neglect to see the webs of connections between those parts. This is what &hellip Continue reading
Nobel Prize-Winning Economist Agrees With Wizard Academy
Headlines often tell the truth more powerfully than is completely accurate, a disturbing trend in this day of sound-bite news. The mental image conjured in the mind by the headline, “Nobel Prize-Winning Economist Agrees With Wizard Academy,” is one in which the Nobel Laureate (1.) is aware of Wizard Academy and (2.) makes a statement &hellip Continue reading
Customer Courtship
The Essence of Content Marketing The perfect customer is like a beautiful woman, distant and desirable and pursued by countless competitors. An appropriate metaphor, don’t you think? Most advertisers want ads that equate to a magical pickup line. “Tell me what to say to this beautiful woman so that she’ll rip off her clothes and &hellip Continue reading
One Million And Counting
A Monday Morning Memo from The Wizard of Ads According to Stillerman, Jones, and Co., we recently added the one millionth retail store in America. That’s nearly one retail store for every two hundred people. Is a million too many? Most analysts say “Yes.” The consensus opinion is that the unfocused, the weak, and the &hellip Continue reading
