TV: The Opium of the People

PerryMarketing Blog87 Comments

Ten years ago I took a trip to Brazil and a guy took me on a tour of the slums, the “favellas” of Sao Paulo.

The favellas were miles upon miles of shanty towns and lowly concrete homes built on the sides of hills. Infested with gangs, drugs, prostitution and violence.

Every single person we met in the favellas had a color TV. Even the people who made $60 per month and had no job. Even the poorest of the poor watch TV.

Which is interesting because TV obviously shows people things they want. But what is not so obvious is that it teaches them nothing-

– absolutely nothing –

about how to get it. Which leads me to my observation:

Fist Fight at the Board of Directors Meeting – Part 3

PerryMarketing Blog84 Comments

I told you the story of getting in everyone’s face at a ‘friendly’ company dinner party, and how if they didn’t do their friggin’ research they’d fall flat on their happy faces. Then I told you about getting in El Presidente’s face about the fact that they weren’t even running an actual business because after 2 1/2 years they still … Read More

"Finding your voice"

PerryMarketing Blog28 Comments

I just got off the phone with the CEO of a $10 million software company. He said, “We’re trying really hard to put our personalities ‘out there’ more, write more, blog more. It’s kind of a struggle, we’re not really used to being big-ego front men…

Owning Your Authority

PerryMarketing Blog11 Comments

Got something for you to chew on, this fine Friday afternoon.

3 year olds don’t have much authority and we can all be thankful for that.

13 year olds think they should have a lot more authority than we give them and we can mostly be thankful that we keep ’em on a short leash.

But what about when we’re 27 or 39 or 63?

Most of us adults have plenty of authority, and….

When you finally reach the highway, take your foot off the brake

PerryMarketing Blog1 Comment

Untold legions of people clamor, search and struggle to find a market that actually pays.

The quest to find that place where passion and talent intersect with market demand is a long journey for some.

But here’s the thing:

Once you find it, success is only a matter of being a little more thorough than everyone else. From that point forward, you can go as fast as you want to go.

it's ALWAYS tricky to hire a real expert

PerryMarketing Blog20 Comments

A few months ago I fired my accountant.

I briefly mentioned the incident – I described how we tried to reach him on April 15, Tax Day, to make sure he’d filed an extension.

2 days later, Laura got a message back: “Yes I did file your extension, and of course I went home at 6pm that day which is why I’m only responding now.”

An accountant who goes home at 6pm on April 15? Sounds like some kind of joke. I fired the guy.