ԅ( ˘ ▂ ˘ ԅ ) Nº154 Slow down before you go down! 🐌 ⛚

Engaging in the process of slowing down is counter-cultural.

I read that line this week in 6 THINGS from Jess at outsider.works.

Typically, I say "If you slow down, you go down" but maybe I can leave that euphemism for cycling because I concur that taking things slowly in your day to day is more than ok. Here are Jess' other points to consider as 2019 begins to pick up speed:

Why so serious? If one thing will improve your marketing, it's humour. Is your brand confident enough to laugh at yourself? 2019 The Year When Taking Yourself Less Seriously, Wins.
Talent Retention What creates loyalty in modern talent (that's polite for clever young employees)? Not the pay cheque. Loyalty is created by receiving something to believe in. Something that can be acted upon. After witnessing the Financial Crisis of '08 and corporate irresponsibility, young talent have become highly selective when it comes to staying at a company long-term. It is 100% seen as a choice. And, a two-way street. Companies must earn the loyalty of their employees. Salary ain't enough. + Short contracts reduce engagement. (Nope, a two year contract is not long).
Brand Loyalty Is Not Dead ↑ Same goes as above; You have to earn it. Attend to the brand's behaviour. Talk less, do more. Meet IRL. See what happens. *Read Outsider: Less Talk, More Do for advice.
A man does not own his possessions, possessions own the man. Reduce your costs and live with less.
Slow = Counter-Cultural Engaging in the process of slowing down is counter-cultural. We are taught from a young age that we are not good enough, smart enough, or worthy of anything unless we can earn enough money to buy it. This is a fundamental obstacle to realise, otherwise we will never have the confidence to make the decisions we need to make in life. The decisions that realise our full potential. Move against the grain and see what transpires.
Talk to strangers: It will change your life.

If you don't subscribe to Outsider, give it a go!

As always, thank you for reading,

Jon

p.s.

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day! Sadly, I'll not be with my valentine. But in case you, like me, like to express affection with memes & GIFs, apparently memes are a love language. So, the ultimate Valentine’s Day gift could actually be a turtle in jorts. ; )

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Cycling

URBAN MOBILITY MEDIA DAYS by EUROBIKE

EUROBIKE has launched a new media event for urban mobility in Frankfurt. Once again the Tern GSD is front and center featuring yours truly & Samantha Klumper. Shout out to Sebas Romero for the photo!

Who else is heading there July 10th and 11th?

Major Taylor, World Champion Bicyclist

The first African-American cycling champion, fans called him the Black Cyclone. He blew past terrifying threats, setting records with an elegant grace.

Asymmetry: Life, The Universe, and Rolling Resistance

SILCA is back with another awesome episode of the Marginal Gains Podcast.

Startups

Can we make a new society?

A New Society Screening & Talk with Director Sofie Wolthers on February 22nd!

We hope to see you at Workspace 6 next week to see this inspiring documentary!

Tim O'Reilly's argument against Reid Hoffman's "Blitzscaling"

Blitzscaling promises to teach techniques that are “the lightning fast path to building massively valuable companies.” But it's not a recipe for success—it's survivorship bias masquerading as a strategy.

Besides, the problem you're trying to solve may be the wrong one anyway.

Most briefs are about a solution, defining the problem.

If a problem has been solved, there is no creative opportunity.

All there is, is a styling opportunity.

This is where most briefs go wrong.

Peloton may have last laugh as fitness disruptor’s sales soar.

Ok, I laughed at this Twitter thread trolling Peloton but apparently they're killing it!

Peloton was founded in 2012 and didn’t sell its first bike until 2014. Today, the company says its indoor exercise machines have more than a million users, who access all sorts of live and on-demand classes, from spinning and yoga to boot camps.

Sales & PR

How a Help-First Mindset Can Deliver Leads, Referrals, and Revenue

When you go into a cold email, a cold call, a meeting, a pitch, a follow-up, or anything else with a help-first mindset, your prospects and customers can sense it. They’ll respond to it. And that results in more sales, better relationships, and higher retention.

I can attest to the philosophy of "pay-it-forward now & get paid later"!