At 33 Sticks, we're all about people—real, breathing humans, not corporate NPCs. We value honesty and transparency. RFPs? They're the antithesis of everything we stand for. Enough's Enough!

In the world of online content, there's a common message that goes something like this: "Take my course and you'll have 10,000 newsletter subscribers in 90 days." It feels tempting, especially after you have struggled so hard to build any sort of momentum, but in my experience, these promises are far from reality.

So, how can we fix this? It's simple, really. Start by doing your homework. Research the person you're reaching out to. Understand their work, their passions, and their challenges. Then, craft your email with this in mind. Make it personal. Show genuine interest. Be respectful of their time. Remember, you're reaching out to a human, not a faceless email address.

For the last 18 years, one of my primary goals has been building new business, be it for my past two employers and now for my own company, 33 Sticks. Over those 18 years, one thing has become very clear, i tend to take a very non-traditional approach to building companies, to managing teams, and to acquiring new business.

It's not business, it's personal. In the business world, relationships are everything. They shape how we work, influence our experiences, and, in many cases, determine our success. But what happens when those relationships are put to the test?

Managers seem to get caught up in things like timesheets and quarterly goals and corporate process and OKRs and you get the picture. Don’t get me wrong, those things can be valuable but it’s the little things that happen everyday, like managing out of pocket, that have lasting impacts on employees and ultimately make the employee, the manager, and the organization as a whole so much more successful.

i believe that purpose is where every company should start. If you have a purpose, your culture naturally develops to support that purpose. Culture isn’t a game room, culture isn’t free soda, culture isn’t a foosball table. Culture simply is the sum of the people that are attracted to your purpose. Everything else, the amazing benefits, the flexible work schedule, the work environment, the autonomy, is just a reflection of the culture.

Every moment, we face a choice, we can fill someone’s bucket and create an environment in which great things can be accomplished OR we can dip from the buckets of others, we can be an asshole, creating a toxic environment in which nothing but poison can grow.

If you want to do it right, hire people you trust, empower them to take care of your customers, remove unnecessary process & procedures, and just freaking care.