Category: Owning a Niche

Simply *Not* the Best

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4 COMMENTS

Have you ever heard of a man named Braxton Key? Let me give you a hint: He’s a professional basketball player. Still not ringing a bell? Don’t feel bad. I had never heard of him either until I did some Googling (who says I don’t do research?). That’s because, among those who play in the National Basketball Association, Braxton Key stands out, skill-wise, for just one reason: He is arguably the worst player in the league. He plays for the Detroit Pistons – the team with the worst record this past season – and […] Click to read more…

I Hear You Knocking

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15 COMMENTS

Guess what I haven’t done in 35 years. If you said, “comb your hair,” I am going to give you partial credit. But no, the correct answer is, “go on a date.” That’s because this past Monday was the 35th anniversary of the day I met my wife, Linda, effectively ending my unremarkable career as a single man. Did we meet in college? No. Did we meet at a bar? No. Did we meet on MatchDotBumbleTinderHinge? Please. It was 1988. Ronald Reagan was president. LeBron James was just four years old and had […] Click to read more…

Coffee Shop Marketing 

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15 COMMENTS

Tell me if this sounds familiar… You’re sitting in a coffee shop with a friend or colleague who utters the following phrase: Can you recommend …  From there, it could be anything. … a tutor for my son? … a financial planner? … a facilitator for our offsite meeting? You close your eyes, give it some thought, and try to come up with the name of someone who might be a match. Congratulations, you have just lived an example of word of mouth. One person with a problem asks another person […] Click to read more…

Lines in the Marketing Sand

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21 COMMENTS

(Listen to this post, here.) Question: How do you know if your best friend is a vegan? Answer: He’s already told you. I don’t know why, but there’s something about participating in veganism that compels a person to share it with everyone (the same appears to be true for CrossFit). And, since you and I have gotten to be pretty close, I am sharing it with you now: I am a vegan. As of next week, it will be exactly one year. Please don’t write to commend me for my commitment to […] Click to read more…

Katz Got Your Tongue

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22 COMMENTS

(Listen to this post, here.) Well, it happened again yesterday. I was standing in line at Starbucks awaiting my turn to order (tall, black, dark roast) when I heard a young woman say my name. Except that’s not what happened. What she said was, “I need to get back home to feed my cats.” What I heard was, “I need to get back home to feed Mike Katz.” Which of course, makes no sense, since I had just eaten lunch and I don’t even know where that woman lives. This […] Click to read more…