Customers will always surprise you (in a good way)

How often do you talk with customers and peers?

As in, really talk to them.

Not that polite twaddle that they call ‘networking’. Real talk.

For years, I ran a “Tea with Adam” slot in my calendar where studio clients would get an hour with me to shoot the breeze over a cup of tea. No agenda. If we talked about their business, we talked about their business. If they wanted to chat about flying or politics or NFTs or anything else, that’s what we’d talk about.

Almost every single time, something brilliant happened.

Sometimes, we’d get onto an idea they’d love to build, and I’d hook them up with the resources to do so.

Other times, they’d have a fantastic idea that came from nowhere that massively benefitted my work, thanks to their differing vantage point.

Maybe they knew someone I wanted to connect with, or vice versa.

The insight and value that came from this far exceeded that of any contrived “marketing campaigns”

Make time for real conversations with real people, like a real person.

You’ll be amazed by what you find.