Today, I am simply NOT Mary F’ing Sunshine. One of the joys of running a small business (or having any kind of job, really) is that usually, you really like it. “Usually,” however, is the clutch. There are days when you just won’t like it. You’ll be in a shitty mood, either from work or something else, yet you still have to go in and smile like you’re the happiest person in the world, not a thing bothers you, and life is just a bowl of ripe, freaking peaches. See the problem? I’m having one of those days now. It’s a fun little combination of things. A fight with the fiancé. A bad workout, coupled with a trainer who weighs about [...]

1) Thank people. Not just when they do something. Thank them randomly. When you finish reading this post, send an email to your best client, thanking them for being your best client. 2) Read a new website you’ve never read before. 3) Go to the manufacturer’s website, and download the PDF of the manual for a piece of electronic equipment you own. Learn something new the device can do that you didn’t know it could do before. Use that knowledge to save time or help someone else. 4) Learn about affiliate codes. Even if you don’t have a book to sell or a product to push, you probably recommend and advise on purchases to other people and clients. Even if [...]

And I’m feelin’… So good. Some great personal news below this awesome George Michael video. Last June, 2010, HARO was acquired by Vocus, Inc. It was a great day, and the perfect culmination to an amazing three years of building the best PR repository in the entire world. In just under 30 months, HARO turned from something I’d send to friends into a game changer – something that thousands upon thousands of people relied on each day to get publicity, exposure, and grow their businesses. It was massive. Over time, I noticed that the number of PR firms using HARO peaked at “all of them,” and the number of small businesses using HARO kept growing at a rapid, rapid pace. [...]

Just opened the mail to find a package from Wicked Lasers – An S3 Krypton – called “the strongest legal laser available.” According to them, this thing can shine 85 miles into space. Yes, into space. I have no idea who I’d signal in space, but that doesn’t matter – IT CAN REACH SPACE! Of course, I know, I need to make sure there are no airplanes overhead when I do this, but ok, how cool is it to think that a light I’m shining from my apartment window can be seen outside our atmosphere? That just blows my mind to like, the 8th degree. The thing is also “strong” as hell. I could double it as a police baton, [...]