We get too concerned with the long-term implications of our actions. Like teenagers, deliberating for weeks about whether or not we should talk to our crush, we consider all the unhelpful angles of a potential project.

Why are you being cheap? I don’t mean cheap, like, you’re resistant to spending money. I mean cheap like you’re resistant to charging money. Why are your services and products cheap?

The first sign that a brand director doesn’t create on their own is when they can’t effectively describe what they want. They use phrases like, “I’m just not feeling this,” or “this just isn’t doing it for me,” or “I need this to look more premium.”

Strategies are everywhere. But objectives are rare. And it’s ineffective to pick a strategy without knowing your objective.

We don’t need to sift through the garbage to find our next idea. We can find inspiration everywhere, and we don’t need that much to start creating our next good work.

Every day, I open Instagram, and secretly hope that one of my videos got one million views overnight. It’s as if I’m shaking a Magic 8 Ball asking, “Am I famous yet?”

Finding what’s priceless about your offering is essential to good copywriting–in marketing campaigns and one-off emails. It can be the backbone of the marketing that takes your business to the next level.

“I was nervous that I would get it ‘right’ as a facilitator, but all the feedback I received indicated that being honest with them is what made them comfortable.” And this is the same feedback we received on our workshops. The biggest takeaway many guests had was that the hosts weren’t that different than them.

You don't necessarily need to know more than someone, or be more experienced, or be more successful than them to be a good consultant. You just need to see the world differently. And you need to be honest. 

The shower is a sensory deprivation chamber that forces your mind to look internally when it can’t be stimulated externally. The senses are unable to be distracted by outside factors.

Nobody needs you to be here. All of this will happen with or without you. As irreplaceable and indispensable as you’ve designed yourself to be, there are still thousands upon thousands of people who could do your job.

The most productive people in the world think less about productivity than you do.

Want to win a pitch? You’ll need to respond quick. In a world of endless options, we often think that our clients will be combing the market for the very best deal, and the highest quality option. But we fail to consider one thing: people are busy.

One of my lights burnt a hole through a silk. Not the best look. But, I had fun and the other people on set seemed to enjoy working with me. Over the next few months, I received 2 or 3 messages trying to hire me as a gaffer on other sets.

The key becomes following up with your network to remind them that you exist. If you’re top of mind for 50-100 people in hiring positions, then you’re bound to get work. Today, I’m going to show you the exact system I use to keep track of, and follow up with my network on a monthly basis.

I sat with my head in my hands. Tears welled up in my eyes. My laptop was on the coffee table in front of me. I grabbed a couch pillow, buried my face in it, and screamed. 

In order to be more productive, I think of myself as two bees: a queen bee and a worker bee. Queen bee thinks. Worker bee does. Finding the right balance between being a queen bee and a worker bee is at the core of efficiently creating meaningful work.

Anyone can be a commercial producer if they can communicate clearly and make decisions efficiently.  Time is only on your side if you use it, so get to work on finding a crew and a location as soon as you can. 

3. Jump straight into the action. In pitch decks and creative treatments, people feel like they need to ramp up into the action.

Other freelancers who do exactly what you do will likely be your most profitable connections–they’re not competition!
Find freelance friends and ask them what they charge.
Investments that increase your productivity and teach you new skills are the best investments you can make early on.