The problem with a lot of marketing advice is that the examples they use are not exactly typical. It's hard for businesses, particularly smaller businesses, to relate to the bold innovations of companies like Apple or Tesla.
As someone responsible for my own fair share of marketing stunts, I am suspicious and cynical - I'll disclose that right up front.
Reddit is like any democratic form of government - unless carefully guarded by its leaders and members, its trusts and privileges can be and often are abused.
Bloggers are lazy and greedy.
When work impedes on sleep, poor planning is to blame - not superior will power.
Public relations and marketing are something companies do to move product. It is not meaningful. It is not cool. Yet because it is cheap, easy, and lucrative to cover, blogs want to convince you that it is.
When I lived in Louisiana, 'Django Unchained' was shot at my neighbor's house. They shot a Sly Stallone movie in my gym.
Take pride in your work. But it is not all there is.
Don't move to New York. Find your own city and your way.
Growth hacking is the future of marketing. It has to be.
Online journalism has always had a sourcing problem. From using unverified 'anonymous tips' to repeating whatever rumor or speculation people are chattering about, the general ethic is, 'We'll publish just about anything.'
Every media appearance is a learning experience about the media outlet and their journalists and their feelings about you, so treat it as such.
What I've found in my research is that realism and self-honesty are the antidote to ego, hubris, and delusion.
Brands are essentially forbidden from saying or associating themselves with the Olympics - something that has been commonly owned by Western Civilization since the Greeks - unless they hand over piles of cash to the Games.
Stoicism is a philosophy designed for the masses, and if it has to be simplified a bit to reach the masses, so be it.
Everyone faces adversity.
The process for finding, creating, and consuming information has fundamentally changed with the advent of the web and the rise of blogging.
Do I regret how my life turned out? Of course not - not for a single second.
Every job carries occupational hazards.
Being criticized in the media is a good problem to have - most of the time. It means you're doing something that is at least interesting or cool or crazy enough to be noticed. It might not always feel good, but it's usually better than the alternative of obscurity.
Philosophy is not just about talking or lecturing or even reading long, dense books. In fact, it is something men and women of action use - and have used throughout history - to solve their problems and achieve their greatest triumphs. Not in the classroom but on the battlefield, in the forum, and at court.
No matter how commonplace or dull your first job's duties seem, chances are you can find something to do that others don't want to and make it your own.
Stoicism - and philosophy - are not the domains of idle professors. They are the succor of the successful and the men and women of action.
Growth hackers are typically computer engineers that build great marketing ideas into the product during the development process.
People love stories; they use stories to make sense of the world.
Self-imposed discipline with a bent towards results rather than 'creative' and sustainability spending is unfortunately not the norm in the marketing industry.
Here's the thing I've learned about ideas: It's your job to have them.
Times change. Context changes. Just because something is old and a 'part of our history' shouldn't mean we are forced to honor it forever.
One of the ironies of being with someone you really love for a long time is becoming completely incapable of handling stressful or difficult things by yourself.
I took the 'Seinfeld' tour of New York once - and if I think about it too hard, my brain explodes.
Growth hackers don't tolerate waste.
If you ask most smart or successful people where they learned their craft, they will not talk to you about their time in school. It's always a mentor, a particularly transformative job, or a period of experimentation or trial and error.
The risks of speaking extemporaneously are apparent the first time you wing it and promptly put your foot in your mouth.
If you run a business that isn't cutting edge or doesn't naturally stick out of the crowd, it's your job to be different and get attention.
The news as entertainment is the real danger, because the truth or accuracy of what it is reporting becomes irrelevant.
I don't play videogames and generally think that online activism is a giant waste of time.
The primary occupational hazard of blogging is this: it's easier when you yourself take on some of the traits of insanity. It's a job that requires the doer to be selfish, self-absorbed, and superficial.
Even people who despise ego and aspire to humility, who plan to be humble once they are successful, are worried that actually enacting those beliefs would sentence them to a life of obscurity or weakness or failure.
In June 2007, I finished up school for the year. I didn't know it at the time, but I was done with college forever. By the end of the summer, I had dropped out and would not return.
Everyone needs to start doing interviews over email. Whether you're a journalist or a spokesperson speaking to the media, you're better off communicating questions, statements, or inquiries via email.
If the media is a farce, why should you be the only one stuck with rules and restrictions?
I wholeheartedly agree that many media 'standards' can feel disingenuous or, in fact, be a cover for less-than-honest behavior.
I love books. Probably too much for my own good.
Ego clouds the mind precisely when it needs to be clear.
If you're to create something powerful and important, you must at the very least be driven by an equally powerful inner force.
Ego is the enemy.
Like most reasonable people, it saddens me when I see Americans celebrating a heritage they don't understand.
The obstacle is the way.
Growth hacking isn't some proprietary technical process shrouded in secrecy. In fact, it has grown and developed in the course of very public conversations. There are no trade secrets to guard.
