There should be a greeting card for business owners that says Congrats on your failure, AKA:

Congrats on learning what doesn’t work…so you’re closer to finding out what does.

Congrats on discovering that rejection doesn’t kill you.

Congrats on realizing you’re actually NOT out of ideas.

There’s a common expression that comes to mind here that goes something like ‘things don’t happen to you, they happen for you.’

Chickenshits don’t see it this way. That’s because they’re the least resilient, nimble, or responsive of the bunch. They are stubborn, narrow-minded, and believe there’s only one way to solve a problem. They couldn’t roll with the punches even if the punches were like we’ll pick you up at your house.

Well, SURPRISE, everyone: the most successful brands are always willing to pivot. They are creative and innovative enough to keep trying different approaches until something sticks.

This is of course true when it comes to marketing (DUH why else would we be ranting).  The great thing about incorporating unique, unexpected, funny messaging into your marketing. You’re putting an infamous, alarmingly-specific stake in the ground, and thusly will be able to gauge your audience’s response and use those insights to pivot strategically.

Do your people respond more to sarcasm than wordplay? Pivot. Are they fatigued by your competitors and thus responding to something that pokes fun at that? Pivot. Do they just want to feel good and don’t care so much about the features as they do the benefits?  Pivot. Only once you loosen your death grip on your precious branding and start playing, will your brand grow, evolve, and impact the right people.

Fun secret? Once you’ve pivoted a few times and find your jam? Your marketing and messaging starts writing itself. The inside jokes and truth-telling and witty remarks and playfulness all find you because you finally got unambiguous about what you’re all about and why people should care/buy.

More fun? Better results? Less stress? We’ll have what she’s having.