Author Archives: Michael Katz

Some Guys Have All The Luck

by on
18 COMMENTS

(Listen to this post, here.) I just read another one of those rags to riches stories about somebody’s magnificent business success. You know the ones I’m talking about: Person X was living in a damp cave with no running water. They came across a book, or a marketing technique, or a daily ritual. Lo and behold… they are now rich, happy, and live in a big house with several well-behaved pets and/or family members. Lesson: Follow this approach and you can become fabulously successful. Other common success stories talk about […] Click to read more…

Dog Day Afternoon

by on
52 COMMENTS

I was bitten by a dog this week. Not seriously and, given the circumstances, I don’t expect to be foaming at the mouth anytime soon. And, in the dog’s defense, it was mostly my fault. I was visiting my client Paul at his office Monday afternoon. As we were exchanging greetings, I was happily surprised to see a smallish, black dog stroll by. I’m a big fan of clothing-free workspaces and so I leaned over to scratch him (the dog, not Paul). He seemed to like it, so I did […] Click to read more…

Why Your Writing Has No Impact

by
50 COMMENTS

They say you never forget your first love and for me, that’s totally true … … I remember the exact moment I first tasted pesto. It was 23 years ago, in the summer of ’92. Nothing in my life has been the same since. It began when my wife Linda and I were eating dinner at an Italian restaurant in Lexington, Massachusetts with our friends Val and Mike. I don’t know why, but instead of my usual veal marsala or chicken parm, I opted for the tortellini with pesto. I […] Click to read more…

No Way Out

by on
27 COMMENTS

“What’s ‘Blup-Gen?’” I’m guessing you’ve never had that question asked of you. I, however, hear it about once a week and always from a complete stranger. “Blup-Gen” (accent on the Blup) is the way most humans choose to pronounce the vanity license plate on my car: BLUPGN. They see the plate. They try and figure out what it means (only one person in 10 years has ever done so correctly). They finally give up and ask. The answer, if you haven’t already guessed (or fallen asleep) is that BLUPGN is […] Click to read more…

Ignore the Competition

by on
30 COMMENTS

I read a terrific blog post yesterday about musician John Mayer visiting his alma mater, Berklee College of Music in Boston. Among the many interesting things he said, this point jumped out at me:   “Nobody’s music is the enemy of your music…The idea that someone else has made it when they shouldn’t have made it is toxic thinking.”   As a solo professional, I’ve sometimes caught myself reacting to the success of someone else by thinking that they’re somehow taking away from my success. John’s point – “Nobody’s music […] Click to read more…