My dad always said, “With free advice, you get what you pay for,” and I’ve always remembered that. There’s a real value to expertise, a value you can’t find for free on the interwebs.
Whether it’s my doctor, lawyer, accountant, banker, or some other person I trust, I appreciate the counsel. I may not always like what I’m hearing, but I know the advice comes from a genuine place and oftentimes saves me much more than it costs. But I — like many of you — have relied on the advice of strangers through websites like Yelp and AirBnB. (People on AirBnB once described a cabin we stayed in as “rustic,” which apparently means “no running water and watch out for meth-addicted bears”) I will humbly admit that I have used WebMDand completely mis-diagnosed myself. Yes, I’ve screwed up my taxes on TurboTax and I created a completely useless legal document on LegalZoom. In the Age of Information, many of us are substituting information for counsel.
My advice? Seek Professional Help. Get a good doctor, lawyer, accountant, or consultant and then seek their expert advice. Then take the advice…it should go without saying but if you’re going to pay for advice, you should probably take the advice.
Monday, April 17
On Monday morning, I jumped right back into work with four hours of sleep and a 7 a.m. call time for a video production with our friends at BES Studios. The cool thing about having Congressman Rob Wittman as a client is you get to hang out with him. He is such a super-nice guy, and we’re thrilled to be producing more videos for the Wittman campaign. We also received word this week that the TV spot we made won a Telly Award! #winning
We also welcomed a new Madison+Main-iac on Monday. We are thrilled to announce that Anjali Roka has joined us as our Digital Marketing Associate. Anjali recently moved to RVA from NYC, where she worked for Yahoo!, IPG, and Minyanville Media.
Tuesday, April 18
On Tuesday, I gathered the Main-iacs in the hub for a very important, very serious meeting. It was time for me to give everyone a gift from my #SpringBreak trip last week. Every time I go on vacation, I make sure to bring everyone back a tchotchke as a thank you for not burning down the building while I’m gone.
In other news, we have been hard at work on retargeting ads for Guided Discoveries. A few weeks back, I shared some ads we have been running for our California-based client. Have you signed up your kids for AstroCamp Virginia or Camp Motorsport yet?
Wednesday, April 19
Last Wednesday’s Media Mixer was stone cold. Thanks to friends and colleagues who joined us at Stone Brewing for some good times and tasty craft brews. If you haven’t been to check out their new facility near Fulton Gas Works, you’re really missing out.
Thursday, April 6
My grandfather once told me, “People wait for trains. Trains don’t wait for people,” and he was right. On Thursday morning, Sr. Account Manager Kaitlin Riddle, Marketing Partnerships Coordinator Sophie Fisher, and I waited two hours for a train to NYC. Fearing they would be on time — like they used to — we arrived early. (Amtrak needs a new brand, and nice people, and WiFi that works, and lots of other stuff) We travelled to the Big Apple to pitch a “big league” company. We made it with moments to spare, rocked the presentation, and celebrated with steaks and cocktails at Frankie & Johnnie’s.
The Hotel Pennsylvania, however, was a dump. Sophie said it had lots of good reviews on Hotels.com. #freeadvice
Friday, April 21
Client Services Coordinator Matt Ong and Sr. Graphic Designer Kaity Carr dropped by Creative Mornings to hear a talk from Rupa Singh, owner of Love This, who is a self-described Good Feels Vendor. Learn more about Creative Mornings at the website or by searching #CMRVA on Twitter or Instagram.
“The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But a wise man is he who listens to counsel.”
– Proverbs 12:15