Tag Archives: marketing blog

Why It’s Okay To Have A Bad Day

Posted on by
1

You know how it feels when nothing seems to go right. You feel it in your gut, and it’s just one thing on top of another. It feels like the world is against you, and nothing can change. You’re having a bad day – and here’s why it’s okay.

bad day, sign, bad day sign, Guy with Bow Tie

1) It’s nothing personal

The world works in mysterious ways. Sometimes you’re up. Sometimes you’re down. It’s a roller coaster, and you’re along for the ride. You can choose which roller coaster to get on to and which one to get off of, but you can’t control other people’s moods, relationships, choices, etc… They’re along for the ride, as you are.

You can’t let it get the best of you. You can be aware of the poor day you’re having, and stop. I usually like going for a walk. You can shut your door and work on admin tasks instead of having to interact with other people. You’re bad day won’t last forever, and tomorrow is an opportunity to start over again.

2) Bad days aren’t a bad thing

As long as you’re aware that this particular day has gone awry – you can act and change your direction, and attitude. I was a firm believer of the concept – NO BAD DAYS – however this is unattainable. When doctors or firefighters have a ‘bad day’ people die. Good thing ‘bad days’ are few and far between. When you have a ‘bad day’ your business might fail or a strong employee might quit. It happens.

Bad days can be tackled by flipping your psychology. Be aware. Don’t let emotions get the better of you. Be in control of your attitude. If you need to cry, if you need to let out your anger – do it. Close the office door, go for a walk, hit a punching bag. Control it and own it, but don’t let it own you for days on end. Tomorrow is a great day to start over. Look at it this way – using the roller coaster analogy – you must go down before you can go up. Know with the bad days there will be a much larger portion of good days. In essence – a bad day means you’re that much closer to having an awesome day.

3) Opportunity

View your bad day as an opportunity to start over. Understand why you’re feeling this way, and think of ways to prevent this feeling in the future. This is why I like going for walks. Almost within a couple hours or so of my day getting started I get a feeling on whether or not it’s going to be a good or bad day.

A colleague of mine would lock himself in his room, turn off his phone, and start over. He would run over why he does what he does, he would read positive reviews of his services, he would go over his scripts, and presentation time-and-time again. This day might have been a poor day for him, but he’s going to ensure tomorrow is a great day.

He viewed it as an opportunity to get better. You can do the same.

4) Roll with the Good Days

Just as you’re self-aware of whether or not it’s going to be a good day or bad day – ensure you roll with the good. Momentum is one heck of a thing. Just as a bad day can ruin you for days or even lead to depression, anxiety, alcoholism, and the list of vices goes on. A good day can lead to endless positive momentum. Yes, there’s going to be a bad day thrown in there, but you need to be aware of when to ride the good wave.

You can visualize your day and how it’s going to go positively. You can do this as soon as you wake up. Grab a glass of water, and sit and think. Don’t check your phone just sit and engage in thought. Think of how good this day is going to be, and visualize what’s going to happen. This can be a powerful process.

Just as you can get lost in the bad, you can also get lost in the good. When you’re feeling good, and you know it’s going to be a good day…roll with it. Make the calls you’ve been afraid to make, reach out to those who you haven’t spoken with in awhile and you’ve been meaning to reach out. Do the challenging things you’ve been putting off, and you might find they work out well for you.

You don’t own the roller coaster of the ups-and-downs; good and bad. You’re strapped in and you must be aware of this. Ensure you accept the bad days, and roll with the good. You’ll be amazed at how many good days there are…and how few bad days.

Love you,

Jordan ‘The Guy with the Bow Tie’ Rycroft

Lessons From My Father

Posted on by
Reply

I’ve never met my biological father. He left my Mom before I was born, and has since started his own family. The man who I call Dad took me in as his own when I was 5. I have so much respect for someone who can love and care for someone who isn’t his own blood. He’s the man I’m proud to call my Father this Father’s Day. Here’s what he taught me, and what you can learn from it when it comes to life and business.

Dad at my wedding

Patience

It took my Dad many years to find my Mom, but when he did, that was it. He was patient knowing the right one was going to come along whether or not she had a child. He also understood it was going to take some time to really love the child that wasn’t truly his. His patience paid off on both counts. I like to think I turned out okay, and my Mom and Dad went on to have my brother, who I’m so proud to call my brother.

My Dad also owns a small business. It was an upholstery business out of his garage – as he needed to work a regular 9-5 to pay the bills while he toiled on evenings and weekends in the garage doing what he was meant to do. His first customers were family and friends who referred others to him. It took him 10-years to move from the garage to an actual store front. He understood success, and income wasn’t going to come for some time, and his patience paid off.

During this time he taught me so much about life, and business. I didn’t know it yet, but during this period of seeing my Dad’s success, and failures in business – he ignited my inner entrepreneur. I owe my life, and my business life to him. Although now they’re one in the same. My life is my business. And my business is my life.

Do you expect success to come right away? Do you understand it may take some time to bear the fruits of your labour?

Seeds do not become edible crops overnight. It takes month’s of love. How much love, and patience are you devoting to your business? To your life?

Care

Labour of love is a cliché for a reason. It takes time and dedication to put in an effort without immediate gratification. I’ve been writing this blog for over 2-years now. It took me 6-months to get a paying client. My intention when I first started was never to make money, it was to provide value to those who are in the same situation I’m in. Turns out – they’re many entrepreneurs or soon-to-be business owners that connected with what I wrote, and continue to write about.

My Dad devoted his life to his business, and his family. When his business suffered, so did the family, and when the time came – he chose his family over his business. He shut his doors, and went back to working a 9-5 while dabbling in his own business on evenings, and weekends. His families well being took precedence over his business. His love for his family was stronger than that of his business. It’s an interesting cross roads you’ll be faced with. What’s more important? Are you able to intertwine business and family? I don’t have answers to these, but you’ll know what to do when the time comes.

Being self-aware

This is HUGE in today’s environment. The lines are blurred between who we really are, and who we present ourselves to be through social channels. In the age of selfies, and posting pictures ad nauseam to networks who then sell our personal information – do you become less aware of who you are?

My Dad has no apologies on who he is, or what he believes. He’s as far right-wing as you can be. To the point where it makes most people uncomfortable. I don’t mind it because he’s been that way for as long as I’ve know him. I may not agree with him, but I appreciate that he’s willing to be himself. He’s extremely intelligent, but will never put anyone down for being lower on the totem pole than he is. He has a bit of an ego, but he’s always willing to check his ego to do what’s best for his family. He understands how he is viewed by other people. Do you? Do you pretend to be someone else at your 9-5 only to change when you come home? Is your business self different than your home self? If so, which ‘self’ are you lying to?

Call up your Dad – tell him you love him, and take time to reflect on what he’s taught you – good and bad.

Happy Father’s Day,

Jordan ‘The Guy with the Bow Tie’ Rycroft

You’re just a Sheep, and that’s okay

Posted on by
Reply

You, and I aren’t much different than sheep when it comes to our nature in business and marketing. You tend to follow the path of what others are doing. You do this because it’s safe, and it’s tested. You’re risk adverse, and you’d rather fail doing what everyone else is doing than be the black sheep and fail at something no one is doing. You may not think this is true, but it is. Even if your larger than life ego tells you you’re different. I’m here to say you’re not, and the proof is out there.

sheep, pasture, sheep in pasture

Digital Media

This is the pen where all the sheep are. 10 years ago this was an unkempt grassland just looking to be harvested. Pretty much every player – big and small – has an online presence or will have an online presence very soon. It’s still seen as the ‘shiny’ new thing, and uneducated business owners are dumping thousands of dollars a month into online / social / retargeting / remarketing / SEO / SEM and the list goes on. Why? Because everyone is doing it, and you don’t want to be the black sheep – do you?

Here’s the deal – I’m a firm believer in digital and what it can offer, but let’s pull back the curtain and be self-aware of what’s going on. Your business is currently one of the millions online. You’re just another sheep, so let’s take a look at other, greener pastures shall we.

Direct Mail

This is making a resurgence in the marketing world. Why? Because no one else is doing it. Everyone is obsessed with the shiny objects, and most forgot about what came before the newest, shiniest thing. Maybe your market is different, but I remember getting loaded with direct mail marketing pieces on what seemed to be a daily basis. Now, I usually get a few direct mail pieces at the beginning of the month and that is it. This could be a market for you to exploit. Why be one of millions when you can be the ONLY business in your category mailing direct to your potential customer.

Legacy Mediums

Just like sheep move from pasture to pasture only to come back to where they started and do it all over again. Your business can take advantage of where the sheep used to be, and where they’re headed. Knowing the legacy mediums like print, TV, radio, and direct mail is where businesses used to be throwing their money and now have cut back. This leaves you the opportunity to attack. If you’re going to dabble in one of these mediums – ask your sales rep how many competing businesses in your category are currently advertising. If the number is low – that’s a good sign for you to get an extremely high share of the marketing voice.

Legacy mediums aren’t dying – the fat is merely being trimmed. The strong will survive – the weak will not. I’ve started publishing hyper-targeted monthly magazines that are directly mailed to some of the most affluent people in the country. And we’re one of the fastest growing privately held media companies in North America with close to 3.5 million readers every month. With zero magazines going out of print over the past 7-years. Print isn’t dying. The content has changed a bit, but the medium itself has not.

Go where people used to be or are going to be

One way to gain a considerable advantage in getting your businesses marketing message out is to realize where your competition used to be, and see where it could be headed. It’s impossible to be an early adopter of everything, but at least try and be aware of it. If no one in your category has experimented with e-commerce – take some time and figure out how it works. It could be a HUGE goldmine for you in the future. Or look at other categories of business. What are hotels doing to stay ahead of the curve? You may be in the car business, but you might be able to see how other companies are operating and try and be the first in your category to tap into an untapped market.

New Opportunities

Social platforms are starting to get heavily involved in the e-commerce business. Facebook and Pinterest are both working on, and have launched (in small scale) the ability to buy a product on their platform. No clicking a link and going to a website – you can conduct business directly on the social network. With my wife and I’s online store (EverRose.com) we have the ability to promote our products on our social pages, and with the click of a button you – the customer – can purchase. Unfortunately, these features haven’t been rolled out in Canada yet, but when they are – we’re already optimized and ready to go. We see this as a future opportunity, and we’ll be one of the first to pounce when it’s launched. Total time investment – 5 minutes. Not much when opportunity knocks.

Follow the Sheep

It’s okay to follow, just be aware of WHY you’re doing it, and don’t forget to ask yourself – where did business used to market? Where people have been and where they are going are enormous opportunities for your business to gain market share and invest marketing dollars. Just like sheep go round-and-round looking for the best pasture only to come back to where they started – business is similar. What’s old is new, and what’s new is old. Just be aware of where your market is currently at, and you can gain a distinct advantage on the competition.

Love you,

Jordan ‘The Guy with the Bow Tie’ Rycroft