Growth, experiments, and a whole lot of page views! The 2015 wrap up of Strategy Lab Marketing, the little marketing engine that could do the impossible!
https://strategylab.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Stratlab-a-year-in-review.jpg10452194Jephhttps://strategylab.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/strat-icon-2021-white.pngJeph2015-12-31 22:54:502018-02-14 00:20:402015 Year in Review at Strategy Lab || ep 42 #inthelab
The first thing I tell my class when teaching is that I’m only good at two things, baking chocolate chip cookies (I’m really good at it) and getting excited about Volleyball, as in coaching or helping a team. Everything else I’m not that good at. When you really think about it, no one is amazing at a lot of things. I mean some people just seem to be really good in several areas of their life. But when you find someone who’s amazing at something, usually they lack in many other areas of their life. And when I say “lack” I don’t mean we’re bad at those things, we just haven’t had the practice we need. I feel a lot of people need to have the power of being “smarter” than others, be it ego, self esteem or lack there of. Anyone in a leadership role (coach, teacher, professor, manager, boss) should never deliberately act smarter than anyone else. This comes out in correcting others, arguing, overtly disagreeing, putting others down, and generally being a know it all. Don’t be that person in life. No one likes a know it all.
The Oxford Philosopher Isaiah Berlin wrote the now famous essay, The Fox and the Hedgehog. The Fox knows many things but the Hedgehog only knows one important thing. It’s an analogy that works for many different life situations. Psychologist Phillip Tetlock studied the political predictions of two different types of expert speculators, foxes and hedgehogs. Throughout the 20th century Hedgehogs were more likely to get prime time television slots on Fox political hour(they made the big bold predictions) but Foxes seems to be right far more often in their predictions. An anomaly in political predictions, the more press you get, the more you think you’re right.
“I am not very good at a lot of things.” -Jeph Maystruck
I like to look at the Fox and the Hedgehog in regards to my life. I was never the Jack of all trades growing up. I didn’t fix things around the house, I wasn’t overly helpful when things broke. I still don’t fix things around the house, I just not a fox. This amuses my family. I don’t change my own oil or winter tires. They usually bug me about it. Not any more!!
I say not any more because of what happened the other weekend. I bring my car over to my parents place and my family is going to help put on my winter tires. We get half way done when two tires won’t come off the vehicle. We literally tried and tried to no avail. I went home with two winter tires on and two summer tires. The next day I had to explain to the folks at Quicklane why I had two tires changed out already! ha! I told my family they can’t make fun of me for not wanting to be “handy”. I trust experts to do what they do best. Long live the hedgehogs.
You can get great at many things but you’re much better off to focus your attention on one thing and try to be the best in the world at it.
https://strategylab.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/The-Fox-and-the-Hedgehog-Im-not-that-good-at-a-lot-of-things.jpg13332000Jephhttps://strategylab.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/strat-icon-2021-white.pngJeph2015-12-10 19:11:342016-12-17 21:33:12I’m Not Very Good At a Lot of Things || Eps 41 #InTheLab
We went into this class not knowing what to expect. It was my first time teaching entrepreneurship and I wasn’t going to pass up an opportunity for some hands on learning!! A few weeks back before we started UpliftingTshirts.ca I filmed this #InTheLab episode asking the question, how do you teach entrepreneurship?At that time I had no idea what would happen with our newly founded company disguised as an experiment disguised as a class.
This week Eddy and I are talking about perspective. Why do we trust designer? What do create professionals see that others do not? What’s so special about having taste?
Trust your designer
There’s a reason they are a designer, they have perspective. Trust them. Any creative needs some free reign over what they’re doing, they are artists after all. Don’t micro manage any creative process, that’s a great way to create something extremely mediocre. Read more
https://strategylab.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/We-all-see-the-world-through-a-different-lens-strategy-lab.jpg6671000Jephhttps://strategylab.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/strat-icon-2021-white.pngJeph2015-11-17 13:41:422017-01-08 23:08:01Perspective: The Most Underrated Quality in Creating Design || Eps 38 #InTheLab
When ever someone says “I’m too busy” I’m always reminded of a story I heard about from a Volleyball coach I look up to. In grade 11 leading into grade 12 I wanted to get better at Volleyball. I told my coach I wanted to play pepper (simple volleyball drill) more and he offered to come in the morning twice a week to play pepper at 7:30 in the morning. We did this for a couple months and I really think it helped my Volleyball skill in the long run. But more importantly, he was willing to volunteer MORE of his time to make me better. That’s dedication. Read more
https://strategylab.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Im-sorry-im-just-too-busy.jpg5431000Jephhttps://strategylab.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/strat-icon-2021-white.pngJeph2015-11-05 15:41:072017-01-08 23:10:26Stop Saying You’re Too Busy || Eps 37 of #InTheLab
I have a beef to make. Why do we insist on bashing our competitors? I mean, you have an obvious bias against them, they run a business that’s very similar to yours in YOUR industry. They probably even copied some of the stuff you do! Still not a reason to insult your competition.
Why shouldn’t you bash your competitors you ask? Well, several reasons. Read more
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I’ve only known Maple for a few years, but in that time she’s taught me a life time of lessons on how to treat people. We used to work up above Coda Clothing and shoes. Maple would be working on the floor of Coda when we’d come into work. We’d have to walk past her as we shared an entrance. She was always excited to see us no matter what. She genuinely wanted to get to know you better, it wasn’t fake or contrived, Maple is actually one of the happiest people I’ve ever met. She could keep a conversation going with a mute person! Read more
https://strategylab.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/remarkable-customer-service-is-similar-to-being-a-dog-e1444687278390.jpg6371000Jephhttps://strategylab.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/strat-icon-2021-white.pngJeph2015-10-06 15:57:382017-01-08 23:15:06Customer Service Explained By The Friendliest Person In The World || Eps 33 of #InTheLab
The highly anticipated conversation that fans have been waiting for, the hotshot in the office, the young gun hailing from North Regina, Braedon McLeod interviews the Strategy Lab co-founder Brandon wu. We recently added a couple folks to our “About Us” page. They’d been hanging around the office long enough so we felt it was necessary to explain what they’re doing before people start asking too many questions if ya know what I mean. 😉
This will go down in the history books as the conversation that changed a generation! Well not exactly, it did uncover some of the secrets to Brandon’s working style and Braedon does make you laugh when he talks sometimes.
Their comedic banter in the Strategy Lab office is nothing short of amazing. Braedon knows how to get under Brandon’s skin, and well everyone is really hard on Braedon ANY time he makes a comment that isn’t exceptionally brilliant. A day doesn’t go by without a lot of laughter. We really make a great team.
Most days Braedon just sits there and codes singing Shakira, and other days he just sits. The way those two talk about designing a website is truly remarkable. A seasoned vet getting grilled by the rookie just to ensure our name is associated with a top quality product. When you care a lot about what you’re doing you tend to get opinionated about your work. Ahhh, the life of a creative.
Watch the video, it’s pretty, pretty, pretty, funny.
The Hat Farm started at Carmichael Outreach in Regina. Carmichael Outreach is a place where people can get clothing, food, a cup of coffee, help with housing, drug addiction, plus pretty much anything else people need when they have no where else to turn. In 2014 Carmichael Outreach served 53,689 meals to people in Regina. In 2015 it’s looking like that number will be closer to 70,000. They’re growing, and that’s not a good thing. I mean it is great people who maybe weren’t getting a meal last year have the chance to but as an organization they can’t just keep growing. Read more
https://strategylab.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Hat-Farm-on-Instagram.jpg9892951Jephhttps://strategylab.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/strat-icon-2021-white.pngJeph2015-09-07 12:51:562015-11-13 15:10:35The Hat Farm: An Example of Social Enterprise Using Instagram || Eps 29 #InTheLab
We did it. A summer camp for one day, 5 challenges, six students competed in the craziest, widlest, most fun business challenges. In the end we had to crown one winning team.
