A blog about smart marketing and conversion optimization.

Why blog when I’m not getting paid for it anyway?

If you’re a marketer anything like me, this thought has passed through your mind at least several hundred to thousand times. Just look around at how many of your friends’ blogs haven’t been updated in months or years. Why keep writing when it’s probably not gonna go anywhere anyway?

I call this way of thinking Assuming Catastrophe, and it is death for creativity and productivity. How do I know this? Because I am a master Catastrophe Assumer who’s seen hundreds of good ideas, intentions, and plans drowned by the worst case scenario.

The first sign of Assuming Catastrophe is often the phrase “but what if…” But what if you disagree this is really the first sign? But what if you don’t think this has enough to do with the services my business offers. What If is one of the most potent mental structures we can access — which is why these masters of innovation named themselves after it. It can give birth to flying machines and just as easily call them impossible. And just as powerfully What If can be yielded to create incredible new possibilities, by prefacing it with “but,” this phrase becomes a nixing, precautionary, frightening force.

The second sign of Assuming Catastrophe is “but shouldn’t…?” But shouldn’t I keep business blog posts away from my personal Facebook account? But shouldn’t I be inserting funny photos, infographics, and videos because best practices say that’ll make you keep reading? This is a sure-fire way to doubt everything and do nothing. If we’re going for conversation, isn’t it better to let the audience say “but shouldn’t…” rather than doing it in my own head?

The third sign of Assuming Catastrophe is doing something that’s supposed to be fun (like watching TV, exercising, drinking with friends) and finding that you’re simultaneously frustrated with yourself for not doing something AND thinking about all the terrible things that would happen if you did that thing. For example: I really should go to that networking event, but what if they turn me away because I stood them up last time.

Assuming Catastrophe is not necessarily rational. In fact for the vast majority of us who frequently assume catastrophe, the assumed catastrophe is probabilistically unlikely to occur. And just because we pile more and more possible catastrophes on doesn’t mean the likelihood of catastrophe rises appreciably.

The problem with catastrophe is that it strikes regardless. If preparations can be made with reasonable effort, make them. But if you’re just worrying and scaring yourself, let it be. The opposite side of catastrophe is opportunity, and focusing on opportunity might just find a way to make that catastrophe even less probable.

Having personally allowed Assuming Catastrophe to get in the way of endless brilliant marketing campaigns and new product ideas, I’m taking a stand here. There have been a bajillion moments in which an atomic bomb could have struck, I could have been fired, a loved one could have suddenly died, etc. But I’m still here, still breathing, and still living a pretty awesome life. If catastrophe comes, it comes. Meanwhile, I’ll be doing cool shit.

Thalamus: Be friendly.
Amygdala: But I have nothing to talk about.
Thalamus: But you need to meet people.
Amygdala: But I hate networking; this is so fake and boring.
Thalamus: So what — stop being a wuss.
Amygdala: But why?
Thalamus: Because networking is IMPORTANT — DO IT!

Until last night, that was the conversation that went through my head at just about every networking event I’d ever attended. Don’t get me wrong; I love being with people, but there’s something about the incessant elevator pitches and subtle pissing contests to prove either I know something or you should know me that drives me nuts about networking events … until last night when I went to …

POKER STARTUPS!!!

WOOHOOO! OMG! DAMN-SCHIZETY-SNICKUMEROO! Can you say mother-f%$&ing brilliant!

The initial Amygdala-provoking networking was immediately eased by some Dominoes pizza (first time in years and still delcious) courtesy of Alexander at Fortis and an energizing music licensing primer from John at Kuzic. Sipping a beer, I then listened to Rohit and (insert co-founder’s name, which is why blog posts should be written immediately and not 2 days later) explain the prizes (a CZ analytics consult was one of them) and realized how awesome it was that I was about to play poker.

I sat between two Mikes: the LifeYo founder and Gobbler‘s chief biz dev dude. Probably most exciting was sitting across from ExtraLunchMoney Adult-preneur Benic — remarkably, I’d never before met an Adult Industry startup person, and it was really interesting listening to him talk through the changing dynamics of that industry’s business-model (yes, I’m only interested in the adult industry from a business-analysis perspective 🙂 ).

Once the cards started flowing, I was able to kick back and play. Btw, in my mind successful social events should always include games. Yes, business cards were exchanged and the conversation could get startup-lingo-y, but there was also irreverent joke-making, sloppy betting, and even some trash talking (mainly from Jobvite’s Jason pushing us around with his monster stack).

I was actually having fun the way I do when I’m chilling out and not networking.  I had fun and happened to make some great connections along the way. Thank you Poker Startups for restoring my faith in networking events.

p.s. Thank you, Justin (Menuism), for my only two hands of the night, and thank you Jonathan at Nextspace for the awesome 1-month free prize I’m looking forward to using.

p.p.s. Thank you Callfire for having a ping pong table.

Having to sit in a chair at a desk staring at a computer screen was one of the huge motivators to work for myself. There is no greater joy than knowing I can work from anywhere I want whenever I want to. It can also create a lot of stress (am I working hard and long enough?), stir-craziness (wait, I haven’t been outside in 24+ hours?), and loneliness (uh oh, what do I do with my hands when talking to real humans). You can end up feeling like this:

If you’ve already taken the plunge or are considering doing your own thing, here are some hard-learned tips for creating an optimal office-less work environment.

1. Get a business partner! The single most important ingredient for startup success is accountability. You don’t have to be in an office every day together, but you do need to have regular communication and be accountable for your responsibilities. That’s why I joined forces with this guy.

2. Work from your home office for the right reasons. Especially if you’re going through challenging life events (recently laid off, marital issues, bad cash flow, etc.), it can be easy to use home as an escape from the world and reality. If working at home consistently makes you depressed or lonely, consider alternatives.

3. Know your alternatives.

3A. Coworking is the hot thing for entrepreneurs and remote workers now. It’s basically an office full of entrepreneurs and startups minus the boss looking over your shoulder. In LA alone, we already have Nextspace, two Blankspaces, and Coloft and more are on their way. At Blankspaces you can get a cafe pass for as little as $99!

3B. It may be cliche, but work gets done at coffee shops. Igor has executed some of the year’s most groundbreaking lead gen campaigns working at one of his favorite San Francisco indie coffee shops.

3C. Friend’s offices. I have a friend who worked all alone in a 900 sq. ft. office for two years. One day we had lunch and I worked there a few hours, and afterward he kept bugging me to come back — free of charge.

3D. Outdoors! Grab a lawn chair, your laptop, and cell phone, and you have everything you need to be productive AND have sunshine hit your face.

3E. Go to your client’s office. One of my favorite things to do is go onsite with clients. They love the face-time, and I have an opportunity to be incredibly productive for them.

3F. Get creative. Find some other office-less entrepreneurs and do meetups at one another’s houses. Go to the library. Go to your local business school work space that doesn’t check ID (shhh on that one).

4. If you’re going to work from your home office, make it a great place to work. Buy flowers for the tables, hire people to clean the house regularly, get yourself a comfy desk chair, have healthy snacks lying around. After meetings and running around all week, I’m writing this blog post watching drapes blow in a gentle breeze with sun streaming past. It makes me happy and productive.

5. Meet new people. Meetups are an obvious way to do this. Another great service is Lets Lunch that matches up local networkers who meet over lunch. Or just randomly reach out to someone … like me!

6. Mix it up. There’s no boss looking over your shoulder, so take that Yoga class, grab that drink, go for that walk. Let go of the constraints of office life — this is your life!