“Don't hate me for what I've done (or said, in this case), pity me for what I've become." Someone Somewhere, once the corporate red pill wore off. 

 

For mine, it started with the seemingly innocuous acceptance of the word "piece" as a cover-all term for any written submission or presentation.  The dark clouds of jargonism swept in menacingly from the northern horizon when "piece" began sacking towns, villages and fortresses previously known as "topic", "discussion" and "thought".  Seduced by the northern…

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How to succeed at failing the right way

It has been written, whispered and shouted that the road to success is paved with failures. But which failures?  The failures you learn from, that are useful, that make you and your business stronger…  Curious about where I’m going with this?  Me too.  Let’s play this out through the distorted prism of the failed New Year’s Resolution – and of course an amusing anecdote to finish.

Sifting through the cooling embers of snuffed out new year’s resolutions, it becomes…

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Tips from the Tardis

 

Learn from the past or you’re doomed. 

Yes, doomed full stop.  It’s at this time of year that many of my friends and colleagues are numbered amongst those that are already winding down.  Okay, there are some staff appraisals on the near horizon but end of year results are already locked in and everybody knows it.  Truth be known, I suspect a number of people have already begun the ill-advised practice of substituting coffee and muesli bars for blueberry almond martinis at morning…

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Sydney is morbidly obese!

A city whose arteries are choked with traffic, continues to stuff itself with high-rise residentials at both an astounding and appalling rate.  Domestic and foreign investors alike, armed with fatty deposits, force-feed the metropolitan area a high density diet of apartments, towers and developments.  Sydney groans as it rubs its stretched-smooth belly, belches and, dabbing at its jowls, rasps, “oh alright then” at the offer of yet another crane to prop open its metropolitan…

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The seat of power, the comfy chair, the head of the table, the best seat in the house. We can’t seem to get away from the significance of the chair – at home or in the office.

Take a seat. Let’s talk about that.

There’s something about being ushered into a cavernous office, decked in understatement, awash with good taste and finished in the rarest of power-mahogany. And there, crouching behind the bison-sized desk is… THE CHAIR. Not any chair, the chair! It silently screams power, self-assuredness and…

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Would you rather be correct or right?
 
By Train
 
In a Pitch Report from last year, we highlighted a then-popular and quite hilarious 2 min YouTube clip called, “It’s Not About The Nail ”.  Check it out now if you’re not familiar with it.
 
If you’ve just watched it for the first time, wipe away those tears of:

1. Laughter
2. Resentment and anger
3. What tears, I don’t get it?
4. What tears, as with most of your humour I am profoundly non-plussed (I work for the government)?

Obviously, within the context of the clip…

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It’s not what you write but where you write it
 
By Train from the Pitch Report May 2014  
Ok, that’s a lie but it’s a white lie… with dark bits in it.  It’s a grey lie.

 
A common misconception: great places to gather ideas or read books, articles or blogs double as a great places to write and create messages that will resonate with your target audience.
 
Not so.
 
As is the case with many businesses these days, there is a little bit of travel required of the Line & Length team – it comes with the…

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Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff
There is a natural order to everything when it comes to your brand
By KW  
“There’s too much going through my mind, it’s too much to think about and I might just pack it in” – Nameless client.
 
I was recently working with a client, developinghis brand strategy for a new clothing product that he hopes will make him millions – fingers crossed. He had been travelling for about a fortnight since our last discussion and despite following the expert L&L advice, he had now wandered…

Pulled Pork

Welcome to the first in an aptly titled segment where I divulge secrets from the dark and murky (but extremely hygienic) depths of my culinary grotto, giving various meats the recognition they deserve. Vegetarians are welcome to wait outside until we are done, there should be coffee, tea and biscuits for you.

Entering the world of pulled pork requires the right pig part and a slow cooker, but let’s focus on the first and most critical element. The standard cut for pulling is pork shoulder, the…

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Business Awards Season Pt 1. … The Entourage Leg

By Train
  
Fashion catastrophes, triumphs, faux pas, pearls of wisdom, too much wine (Ed. that doesn’t make sense!), winners… a loser, red carpet and another great hair day.  Ladies and gentlemen, the 2014 Start Up awards.
 
So Dman (a director at Line & Length) and I invited our 4^th favourite client along to the recent Start Up Awards at the Hilton in Sydney.  The client is the great Andre Williams from the Aspire Sports Agency in LA, he’s heading …Read more