Now here's a little story I've got to tell...
Everyone loves a good story… and I love telling them.
Like the time I was prepping for one of the biggest meetings of my career…and well…let’s just say that things got a little colorful.
We were living in Southern California at the time.
And if you’ve spent any time in “The Valley”, you know that spiritual shops and fortune tellers are everywhere.
So my wife (God bless her 🙏🏼) knew how important this meeting was going to be for me and thought it would be a great idea for me to take a “lucky spiritual bath.”
On her way back from a Target run, she went into The Psychic Eye on Ventura Blvd and asked Willow, the enlightened, patchouli scented girl working the shop, for the very best bath potion for good luck.
(OK, I really don’t know what her name was, but I’m pretty sure it was probably Willow)
Armed with the potion, some candles, sage, and a lucky coin, Judy came home and got the bath ready for me.
The color of the water should’ve been a dead giveaway, but against my better judgement and at the persistence of my lovely wife, I eased into the bath.
“Get in all the way!,” Judy insisted. “It needs to cover everything in order for it to work.”
After exactly 21 minutes in the bath (because apparently that’s the magic number 🙄) I stood up and COULD NOT BELIEVE MY EYES!
I was GREEN from neck to toes. Like completely GREEN.
We both got a good laugh 🤣 joked about me being a leprechaun and tried to shower it off.
Except it wouldn’t come off!!! 😳 At all!
After much scrubbing and creams, we managed to get most of the tint off my hands which was good enough for the meeting.
The next day I went into my meeting in a long-sleeved shirt, tie tight against my neck and hit it out of the park!
The potion worked! 🍀
It ended up taking a week for all the tint to finally fall off of my body, and somewhere in The Valley, Willow is probably still laughing at me.
And Judy? Well, that wasn’t the last of her “great ideas”
📚 What’s your story?
Storytelling is the oldest and most effective form of communication.
If you’re not telling stories about your brand, yourself, your business, or your movement, you’re missing out on what people value most over anything else...connections.
People connect with good stories. People want to be part of good stories.
But better yet, people SHARE good stories.
And the brands that are sharing stories are winning in today’s economy because people value authenticity.
People want to know more about who they’re buying from. Who they’re doing business with. They care about what’s behind the product more than they care about the product itself.
And they’re willing to spend more on, and evangelize those brands that they feel a personal connection to.
So think about your website, your social media channels, your personal branding.
Are you sharing your brand’s story? Or are you just talking about your product or services?
Need a little inspiration?
You’ve probably seen the funny brand story videos from Dollar Shave Club, Old Spice, and the Squatty Potty. Or the powerful story of Johnny Walker.
But here are 3 companies I love that tell AMAZING brand stories…
👨🍳 The Reluctant Trading Company - A Tale of Adventure, International Intrigue and Tellicherry Peppercorns.
I really enjoy cooking and grilling and after seeing their origin story video, I not only became a customer, but I’ve shared this story with hundreds of people! (and here I am sharing it again!)
🚲 718 Cyclery - Brooklyn, NY - From Wall Street Architect to Bike Builder
My brothers-in-law are both avid bikers and have a passion for restoring vintage Italian and French road bikes. One day while helping them source a part for one of their builds, I came across 718 Cyclery in Brooklyn. This is a story about following your passion, pivoting, and finding success in the least likely of ways.
👃 Commodity Fragrances - Guess Who’s Back?!?
I have a knack for killing off cologne companies. Once I find a cologne I like and decide to make it my signature scent, the company goes out of business or discontinues the scent. (If you ever start a fragrance company, stay far away from me!) So when Commodity went out of business, I wasn’t surprised since I had become obsessed with their “Gold” cologne.
But lucky for me, they came back after one of their fans bought the brand and revived it. Along the way, they’ve been documenting the story of the comeback. And it’s been great!
💡 More Big Ideas
These are the things that I’m listening to, watching, reading, discovering, or enjoying this week.
📖 Read - From lying in bed with zero ideas to negotiating with the biggest superstar on planet earth - The story of Yeezy.Dating
📻 Listen - How John Foley started Peloton (How I Built This with Guy Raz) - BTW, I’m @RalphQ305 on Peloton - Follow me and let’s ride
📺 Watch - David Foster: Off the Record (Netflix) - David Foster is one of the greatest producers and songwriters of all time, having worked with Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Andrea Bocelli, Michael Buble, Chicago, and more. A true hit-maker. He’s a perfectionist and not always a great guy. But you have to respect his work ethic.
🛒 Buy - Oculus Quest - Treat yourself to the most incredible immersive VR experience. Some of my favorite apps: TribeXR, BeatSaber, TRIPP, YouTube VR, and PokerStars
📈 New Trend - AI tackles the third leading cause of accidental death in the world and helps lifeguards do a better job at keeping us safe while we swim.
Hope you enjoyed all the stories this week… If you get a chance, drop me a note and let me know what you thought. You can also let me know what you'd like to hear more (or less) about.
As always, keep coming up with ideas, dreaming big, and taking action!
‘Till next time...
Ralph Q out!
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