Remember when we all used to say that Time was our most valuable asset?

Well, then we had a Global Pandemic and the world basically ground to a halt.

For most of us, Time is the one thing that we have more than enough of now.

When the pandemic first started to take hold, it looked like medical insurance would be our most valuable asset.

Then, as health systems got overwhelmed, it didn't really matter if you had insurance or not. You still couldn't get to the front of the queue.

The reality is that what assets we consider the most valuable can shift over time.

And it's often related to just how much of that asset we have.

In that sense, maybe we should be thinking about this in terms of our Most Valuable Resource, not Asset?

#priorities #valuable #assets

The world needs Builders.

People who make stuff. People who create things.

But I believe the world also needs Breakers.

People who try to break thing. People who question and challenge.

Because in doing so, the Breakers help make the things that the Builders make even stronger, more powerful and more resilient.

Strong companies need both those that Build and those that Break.

To all of you Builders...we salute you!

BUT...to all of you Breakers...I'm glad to be one of you!

#builders #creators #breakers

We tend to make a deal of privacy.

Especially our digital privacy.

We hate the idea of a company tracking our activity online and then showing us ads that are relevant to that activity.

But here's the thing...you're still going to see ads!

Any time you're using an app for free, like Facebook or any number of social apps, chances are you'll be seeing ads.

So, if you're going to be seeing ads anyway, isn't it better that those ads are at least vaguely of interest to you?

Surely that's better than seeing ads about stuff that is of absolutely zero interest to you?

If so, maybe it's time to turn your data sharing back on?

#datasharing #digitalprivacy #advertising

Many people who have lost their job over the past 18 months or so as a result of this pandemic have turn their hand to consulting to generate an income.

One of the biggest concerns they have is finding enough clients.

But that's the wrong way to approach it.

You actually only need ONE client...if they will pay you enough.

If you're good enough. If you can bring them enough value.

So, instead of worrying about how can find enough clients, focus on adding more value, charging more and then ultimately you'll find you don't ned so many clients at all.

#clientacquisition #consultingbusiness #value

Initialized Capital is a Venture Capital firm that focuses on startups that have not yet found Product-Market fit.

So, when founder Garry Tan says there a no general customers, only specific customers, it's worth thinking about.

No doubt Tan has seen countless Pitch Decks talking about 'general customers'.

The danger with that approach, of course, is that you can lose sight of the fact that your customers aren't generalisations.

They are all unique individuals.

But in practical terms, you can't really treat every individual customer differently from all those others...or can you?

It's certainly a discussion worth having.

#customerfocus #productmarketfit #individuals

I know for a fact that I have lost some of my edge during these never ending Lockdowns.

A simple list of tasks that would once upon a time be knocked off in an hour or two, now seems to take me the whole week to complete.

And that's not because I'm trying to stretch them out to fill up the week.

It's because I struggle with the motivation and focus to just get it done.

I think it's to be expected.

I know many people are struggling with this.

So what's the answer?

Well, for some people, you might find a new motivational course or time management course will help get you back on track.

Not me. I know that stuff doesn't work for me. 

I just have to knuckle down and make it happen.

But maybe the focus shouldn't be on maintaining your edge. 

Instead, during these trying times, just try to stay in touch with your edge.

Just like in a football game or a tennis match, no one side ever has ascendency for the entire game.

The key to winning is to focus on staying in touch when the momentum swing is against you.

Then, when the tide turns back your way, you will still be close enough to claw back your losses.

So, in the context of your work, maybe that means submitting a D+ piece of work occasionally.

That's not ideal, of course, but it keeps you in the game. It keeps to close enough.

Hang in there!

#struggling #theedge #motivation

No doubt one of the biggest problems many companies face is their inability to change, adapt and evolve their product or service offering to remain relevant.

But you don't always have to be the bright, shiny new thing.

You don't always need to change.

Just take a look at the now ubiquitous Bic Biro.

First launched in the early 1950s and here we are today, almost 70 years later and nothing has changed.

It is basically the exact same product.

The clear plastic tube, with a stopper on the end and simple lid on the top.

That's it.

It is beautifully simple.

It hasn't changed. Why? Because it works, just the way it is.

Sometimes, you don't need to change.

NB: Thanks to Nic Day for sharing the Bic story with me a while back.

#change #simplicity #marketing

Just do you.

Just be yourself.

It all sounds simple enough. 

But what about if you don't really know who YOU is?

What if you don't know who you are, what you stand for, what you believe in, what you don't?

How can you 'Just do you' if you don't know you?

It seems like crazy thing, but many people find themselves in exactly this situation.

And if you don't know YOU, if you're still working it out...then that IS you.

You are uncertain. At least for now. Until you work it out.

That means it's ok if your stance on something changes from one day to the next.

You're evolving. You're working it out.

You don't have to know who YOU is...to Just Do You!

#uncertainty #selfawareness #beyourself

Singer Ed Sheeran says the reason he's able to write some many great songs...is that he also writes so many bad ones.

It's part of his creative process.

Ed compares his process to the flow of water in a pipe. The good ideas are in there somewhere, along with the bad ideas.

The only way to let the good ideas out is to let the bad ideas come out too.

The reason most people struggle with creativity is that they're afraid to let the bad ideas out. They're afraid of failing. Afraid of looking silly.

There's also a suggestion that you begin to recognise what makes a bad idea and pattern-match the elements that make a good idea. 

So, all in all, if you're struggling with creativity...just let it all out. 

The bad ideas and hopefully the good ones too.

#creativeprocess #goodideas #creativity

Recently, I was telling a mate of mine how much I've enjoyed my Nespresso coffee machine during lockdown.

He called me a Coffee Snob.

Instant coffee is no longer good enough for Trent. He's a Coffee Snob.

I had the same conversation with another mate.

He called me a Coffee Neanderthal!

How could I call myself a coffee drinker and drink that rubbish?

It turns out, snobbery, like most things in life, is relative.

So don't worry too much about who thinks your a snob and who doesn't.

Just do you.

#selfawareness #justbeyou #perspective