“Do Big Weird Stuff,” Says Ben Collins

“Do Big Weird Stuff,” Says Ben Collins

Boston, Inspiration, Motivation
[embed]https://youtube.com/shorts/v50HxDQ_HiI?si=lCzIgPdH1djFVt2H[/embed] Ben Collins, CEO of The Onion, lit a fire under me and everyone else in the audience at the Boston Globe Summit at the House of Blues in Boston recently when he said, “Do big weird stuff.” That message hit me right in the heart. Those words reminded me that in this crazy, crowded, AI-powered world, you win by being brave enough to stand out, take risks and do the things everyone else is too afraid to try. So what did I do with that message? I stood on a table in the Business Foundations class I teach at Suffolk University to make sure my students felt it, not just heard it. Big gestures make big points. Big weird stuff makes big impressions. I told them: If I can…
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The World Revolves Around You – Yes, You!

The World Revolves Around You – Yes, You!

Advertising, Branding, Inspiration, Marketing, Motivation
I couldn't help but be incredibly intrigued by an ad on TV I saw recently that boldly declared, "The world revolves around you." This ad caught my undivided attention because, growing up, when I was just a kid, I heard something very different: "The world doesn’t revolve around you." Those words that I heard when I was knee high to a grasshopper left a mark - they made me feel small, unimportant, insignificant and disconnected. But these words? This ad? It offers something powerful - a message that speaks to the heart. It reminds us that feeling valued can change everything in our lives. In marketing, in advertising, on social media, in life itself, the greatest gift you can give someone is the belief that they really matter, that they’re…
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You Are A Rock Star

You Are A Rock Star

Boston, Branding, Inspiration, Marketing, Motivation
Students and colleagues, family and friends, neighbors and even complete strangers, everyone should know what it feels like to be a rock star, and that includes you. To feel like a rock star is to feel that you are invincible. It is to understand what it must mean to have all the fame and glory in the world. It is to do everything you do with a lot more confidence and determination and a lot less fear and trepidation. It is to imagine people looking up to you and cheering for you, shouting out your name at the top of their lungs. That's why I tell anyone within earshot that they are a rock star. I want them to be smiling. I want them to be happy. I want them…
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