The Honolulu Cycle Recap —Jul/Aug 2020
The Honolulu Cycle came to a close on Fri, August 21st. Since then, it’s been 2 weeks of no client work. Some meetings, but mostly taking the time to work on the business instead of in it.
A big part of two weeks “off” is to have the chance to step away. Look at things from the outside — and breathe…for even just a minute. Revisit your last 6-weeks, see what you accomplished. Then, decide what needs to change for the next cycle.
As I work through planning The Cambridge Cycle (Mon, Sept 7th — Fri, Oct 16th), here are some of the highlights from the last 6-weeks.
A video from Ryan Seacrest for my Mom
Thank you to Bharat Kanodia, who introduced me to Leo Manzione, who was able to help me share my Open Mic Challenge story with The Seacrest Foundation. It’s crazy to think my girlfriend and I sat in our living room dreaming up this idea of a music competition for my Mom, and now:
- You can see the text message she sent in June saying that she had a dream Ryan Seacrest did something for the event.
- Learn why this fundraiser was revolutionary.
- Watch highlights from the live shows.
The impact of a “Schedule a Call” button on your website
I worked with six incredibly compassionate entrepreneurs in this cycle to develop a strategy for their business.
The process I take people through isn’t about “maximizing revenue”; it’s about understanding the person on the other side of their communications. Not figuring out how to trick them into buying from you, but finding ways to add value in their life. Turning them into customers because you are the best person for their problem, not because they fell for your ad.
Sometimes, it goes even further.
My favorite discovery this past cycle was for a fine art appraiser we worked with. We found that putting a “schedule a call” button on her site will make it easier for her customer. It’s also going to completely change the way she handles her own time.
Her tasks, scheduling, and even client management will be different due to this small change on her site. By making things more convenient for her customer, we found new ways to make her style of working more effectively.
Celebrating a Life
A 21yr old family member passed away in May and his dad asked for my help in getting pictures together for an upcoming memorial. I was happy to help, but I just…don’t. like. slideshows.
It’s not enough.
It doesn’t tell enough of the story.
So, I asked his family & friends some questions and turned their answers into this celebration of life video. Which was incredible to work on — I know him more now than I ever did. Honored to have been a part of helping to tell the story of who he was.
This cycle I also
- Became a runner again — an empty and beaten down Michigan Ave has been my path.
- Busted out my mat and did some yoga at Navy Pier with my girlfriend
- Was asked to speak at the virtual Arival Tourism Conference in October
- Celebrated my nephew’s first birthday
- Turned 39 — ughf.
- BUT! Had an incredible birthday gift from my girlfriend — time away from the city at a lake house with a few friends. Which is where I also super happy to capture a real-life Calm.com background video.
- Shane Kost invited me on a Global Food Tourism Association webinar to provide marketing advice for the food tourism industry
- Went camping with friends in central IL
- Have had a new best friend in Jason Ciment @ Get Visible
- Checked “Record a Song” off from my It Would Be Cool To… list — with this juxtaposed version of “Hey Mama” for the final night of the Open Mic competition.
- Trained my dog to wait for bacon
- Showed my 7yr old nephew the “can I pet that dog” video
- Worked, and took more phone calls, outdoors
I have some friends that did pretty cool stuff this cycle too.
- Andrea Lyon has started her push for a U.S. Defender General.
- Alison Henderson launched her book, “Closing the Distance in Distance Learning: A Teacher’s Guide to Online and Mask Communication”
- Life Coach, Dr. Benjamin Ritter, moved to Austin.
- Nick Roy is on the verge of launching his new product line.
- Bharat Kanodia launched a new YouTube channel to educate people on valuations and how to use them to their advantage.
- Larry Chester was on WGN to talk about how companies and churches use PPP loans. He also explains why business owners will not be able to bend those rules to their sole advantage.
And then thank you again to Jonathan Porter at Chicago Pizza Tours, Bruce White at Chicago Beer Experience, and Sin Ordu from the Magic Penthouse for being sponsors of my Open Mic Challenge. If you’re planning a Chicago event, I encourage you to connect with all of them.
And your new best friends/LinkedIn connections…
- For buying a home in Chicago or the North Shore, Harry Maisel
- For executive development, Thomas Rosenberg
- To archive the personal history of high net-worth individuals in Manhattan, Margot Note
- For your family law case in California that requires expert testimony — forensic CPA, Keith Bales
- For an accurate fine art appraisal, Soodie Beasley
Up Next: The Cambridge Cycle
We’ve got some pretty incredible things happening there.
- Working with 4 new clients on creating value-based customer acquisition strategies
- In talks with an organization about helping them run their own Open Mic Challenge
- Helping to host an online game night for ProVisors
- Pivoting my Food Tour Marketing business to become Uplevel Tourism
Joe Martin is the CEO of Martin Creative and author of 6-Week Cycles. His ideas on marketing and productivity have been featured on FOX News, WGN, Tasty Trade, and the TEDx stage.
