Opposite of Shallow

On Advertising

I’ve always been interested in advertising and marketing. Ever since I can remember, I’ve admired brands and how they sell their product.

Unfortunately, up til now, it’s only been something I’ve been interested in. I’ve never fully thought about this industry as a career, it’s only been something fun and sometimes cheeky for me.

Now that I’ve had some free time, and by that I mean, unemployed and out of school, I’ve started rediscovering the things I’m passionate about and the things I love. I love technology and products (that’s why I studied engineering and product design) but I realized I’m not as in love with building the technology (hence 1st startup) as I am with selling and getting others to use that technology. This to me is a far bigger challenge which limbos in product design as well. How do you get customers and how do you grow?

I find this idea fascinating and tantalizing all at the same time. So what I’m trying to say to the 2 ppl that follow this blog (lol) is that u’ll be seeing me post a lot more about brands that are making excellent marketing decisions and breaking down why I think they’re good.

Hopefully this won’t make you unfollow me haha.

Heart, Smarts, Guts, and Luck

I recently read an article about a new book, Heart, Smarts, Guts, and Luck by Tony Tjan, Dick Harrington, and Tsun-yan Hsieh.

Book looks very interesting and if anything, will just help entrepreneurs categorize themselves to play on their strengths. Based on this, Entrepreneur magazine helps you see what famous entrepreneur you’re most like: 

Heart = Howard Schultz of Starbucks

Smarts = Billionaire investor Warren Buffett

Guts = Richard Branson of Virgin

Luck = Tony Hsieh of Zappos

The best part is that you don’t actually need to buy the book to figure out whether you have Heart, Smarts, Guts or Luck. Just go to the HSGL site and take the Entrepreneur Aptitude Test. 

Here’s mine:

I guess I’m just a lucky son-of-a-gun. Here’s what it means:

Luck Dominant
Some people wonder how you got to be so lucky. Things have just tended to work out for you – whether through a fortuitous relationship, an unexpected opportunity, or sheer happenstance. Whether you have been aware of it or not, you have probably influenced your luck. In our research, it is clear that most Luck dominant individuals are defined by a similar set of core attributes.

Luck is a combination of a Lucky Attitude and a Lucky Network. There are many things that make up this Lucky Attitude, but most important is the trifecta of humility, intellectual curiosity, and optimism. Humility is about awareness of your own limitations; appreciation of the broader efforts of those around you; and a nonjudgmental stance. You likely have enough self-confidence to win the respect of others, but that confidence is counterbalanced with the recognition that there is so much more you don’t know. Intellectual curiosity is an active response to your humility. You have a voracious desire to learn more about just about anything, maybe devouring books, listening to suggestions, or tirelessly exploring new ideas. In the end, thanks to your willingness to meet new people, ask new questions, and go to new places, you have a greater chance of being exposed to and rewarded by Luck.

If humility is the foundation for intellectual curiosity, then optimism gives you the belief, inspiration, and energy to realize new possibilities. You are by nature an optimist.  It is a somewhat self-fulfilling prophecy: more Luck tends to come to those people who believe in possibility.

You pair this attitude with a Lucky Network. That is, the slice of your relationship network that seems more serendipitous, less predictable, and more orthogonal than a set of ‘powerful’ networking contacts.  Put another way, your relationship network is created less through networking and simply the by-product of you spending time with people you like.   Characteristics that define your outlook on relationships include a wiliness to express vulnerability, generosity, authenticity, and openness. Because of this, you have had at times what looks to be the good fortune of knowing people who can help you with your goals – in fact it is likely that you have several “wild card” relationships that will bring about unpredictable but positive impacts to your business endeavors and your life in general.

So, can you have ‘too much Luck?’ What about ‘bad luck?’ Our advice is simple. if you don’t have the passion to engage or the smarts to find your way, all that luck may be worthless. And as far as ‘bad luck’ goes, it’s simply a matter of having a baseline of the ‘good luck’ factors to be self-aware and ready for the world: read broadly, be curious, and nurture those relationships that will be crucial to your success.

Find out yours: http://hsgl.com/