Over the past year, we’ve had the opportunity to participate in the development and launch of the Speak Easy, a place for entrepreneurs, startups, and the folks who support them to work, play, and collaborate. Crafting a brand, web presence, and influencing the structure itself, we couldn’t have been happier to launch the Speak Easy on January 18th.

Taking a cue from coastal co-work spaces like Grind in New York, a group of 8 investors and entrepreneurs (including our own Kristian Andersen) set out to create a gathering place for those active in the startup community. The resulting space is a combination of a 17th century salon, coffee shop, and science lab.

Collaborating with local designers and architects – Nikki Sutton, Nick Allman and Craig McCormick – they transformed a 5,750-square-foot warehouse into a common area office infrastructure, conference rooms, and, in the words of Verge, “a massive opportunity to connect and collaborate with others in the startup community.” Wi-Fi, refreshments, a library and gaming center are just a few of the accoutrements that will be fueling Indy’s creative class as they work at the Speak Easy. Take a peek behind the scenes in IndyHub’s interview with Kristian about startups and the Speak Easy.

The Speak Easy bar, photo by Clay Reinken

The Speak Easy isn’t an accelerator nor an incubator. Rather, it’s a collaborative workspace, where entrepreneurs in any phase of an early-stage startup can work. A membership is required to utilize the space, but thanks to funds from local veteran entrepreneurs, Develop Indy and the CICF, only a nominal annual fee will be required of members.

To learn more and apply for membership, visit SpeakEasyIndy.com.

Rule #7: Heroes are Tyrants Made Cruel by Priests

The myths with which I’m at war in this rule:

• That life is a “choose your own adventure” story.
• That we can “win” by becoming something other than what we are.
• That a false self can be a real self.

The terms in the rule:

• Hero: a person who is applauded for sacrificial behaviors born from deep personal convictions.
• Tyrant: a person who governs by oppressive, dictatorial, and ultimately selfish means that are rooted in a basic conviction that the person being governed is inadequate.
• Cruel: harsh, unkind, merciless, bringing about pain.
• Priest: a person who serves as gatekeeper or purveyor of God or a person’s most profound yearnings.

What I’ve learned.

Heroes don’t choose to be heroes for the sake of being heroes. They make their choices because they love something beautiful with a passion that inspires great response. The rule I try to live by is this: if I tell the story of a hero, I draw attention to the beautiful thing the hero sees – not to the heroic behavior.

To put a finer point on it, what made the firefighters who died on September 11^th heroic was not that they died. What made them heroic was their choice about what constituted a life worth living. To them, there was a beauty and honor in radical service that was worth pursuing, and worth the cost. Dying doesn’t serve anybody – but living with the sort of passion required to be a firefighter benefits everybody.

When people tell stories of heroes for the sake of inspiring particular behaviors, they hold up an example that communicates a type of dare for the audience. They communicate, in effect, “if you do something like this, you will be a more valuable human being.” This communication also draws attention away from the beautiful thing that inspired the original hero, and promises the would-be hero that they can have glory – not from following the beauty, but from forcing the behavior from themselves.

We’ve all known people who strive to be like their heroes. A few of them see beyond their heroes to get a glimpse of the beautiful things that held their heroes’ attention, but very often they strive to model their own behaviors after the behaviors of their heroes. This way of life slowly saps their confidence – and their authenticity – as they shape themselves into mere copies of a noble original.

It’s a natural process, of course. Kids want to grow up to be firemen, or cops, or teachers. Children aspire to be like their parents or older siblings. A dose of this – examples that inspire a person along a course for a time – is part of what living in the company of other humans entails, and it’s a big and good part of how societies are shaped.

Things get perverted, though, when the priest gets involved. In the straight religious sense, Jesus is the ultimate hero and example so long as his example does what he said he was here to do – facilitate connection with God. Jesus is a great example if his example points a person to the beauty (intimacy with the Father) to which Jesus was devoted. Jesus becomes the ultimate tyrant, however, when priests (literal priests or anyone who would speak as gatekeeper to God) intervene and hold Jesus’ behavior as the standard by which others should be measured.

There are heroes and priests in every segment of our lives – not just the religious ones – and they’re all tied to deep and meaningful parts of us. Every person is of fantastic worth, and what we do with our lives is hugely meaningful. There is no such thing as a secular moment. The heroes may take the form of business role models, and the priests may show up as mentors, investors, or bosses. Heroes may show up on The Biggest Loser, and the priest may arrive in Spandex, yelling at you.

What priests ultimately convey is that until your behavior measures up to the behavior of your hero, you are less than your hero, and the distance between your hero’s standard and your own behavior is the measure of your inadequacy. And so long as your inadequacy exists, so too will the pressure to be something other than who you actually are. And so long as you strive to be something other than who you actually are, you will be tempted to cheat, will prioritize poorly, and will remain dangerous and jagged to the people around you.

Priests, whether they’re motivated by good intentions or by a drive for power, want you to reshape your behavior, but they are not oriented to having your “graduate” from their influence because you get a clear view of the beautiful thing heroes see. Priests want zealous sheep, conformist managers, and skinny clients…who still need shepherds, investors, and trainers. The difference between a priest and a friend is the clarity of their view of the beautiful thing, and their desire to have you love it as well.

You cannot sanctify (consecrate, bless, purify, make holy) a false self. It is not a real thing. A false self – when set to become a hero, and successful at achieving behavior that only looks like heroic behavior – is only capable of stealing your life for a false cause.

You have a true identity, and it is wrapped around a gift born within you for you to offer the world. It takes work to chisel away the marble to uncover the sculpture within, but it is there. You are already a hero. The secret is in grooming your passion for the beautiful thing that will draw easy and automatic heroic action from you.

Marketing (just as a lot of church programming) loves to leverage heroes – because marketing is about generating a response by whatever means are required to create responses. It’s extremely difficult to be a good marketer without falling prey to Machiavellian temptations. Marketers are almost always priests – to their customers, teams, and their brands. Marketing without a solid identity and a clear view of the brand’s passion could hardly be anything else.

Until you discover the passion for which you are willing to live, the best you – and your brand – are likely to do is run, or send others, into collapsing buildings thinking dying is the point. And, it is worth noting, the more dying seems like the heroic thing, the more cowardly a sane person will become (which only makes the pain of the tyranny, and the sense of separation from God or the beautiful thing, that much worse).

So tell your hero stories carefully.

IFC : Fall Trend Report | Image courtesy of Marc McCoy

KA+A recently partnered up with Indianapolis Fashion Collective, in an effort to transform the way that Indy is building its fashion community. The Collective had been operating for a year, hosting special events and creating a member-based network that would support and mentor designers, photographers, stylists, models, and fashion professionals in the city. The big vision was to create a live/work fashion district in the heart of Indy. It was a great start, and the right minds were coming together, but the burden of the dream was growing heavier and not enough people were joining the group to help carry it.

Understanding that in order for fashion to be a noticeable and viable part of Indy’s fabric, KA+A worked with IFC on shaping a new structure, and a new brand to go with it.

We don’t need to convince the city that fashion and a creative class are good for the economy. We need to convince them that enough people in Indiana care about fashion.

Our immediate thought, was to look at Verge, the wildly successful startup tech meetup, that has become a compelling movement for entrepreneurs, investors, developers, designers and more to join. We had the opportunity to work with Matt Hunckler during a re-branding engagement, in which the meetup dropped its Silicon Valley, Hackers & Founders moniker, and forged an original identity – Verge.

What Verge has established is a regular, replicable event that provides space for its members to share ideas and connect to the right people. By facilitating a similar event in the fashion world, our hope is that people would find a business partner, an investment, a new patron, a mentor, a friend, a partner, a retailer, a photographer, a stylist – that people would connect and build things. IFC’s job isn’t to tell them how, but rather, to put all the people in the right room to make things happen in the city.

Individual growth is magnified when it sees itself mirrored in a vibrant community, allowing ideas to organically take root both generally and individually.

With this model in mind, KA+A stripped back member dues, tearing down any hurdles to joining the movement. Instead of chasing down several big projects, we tightened the purpose of the group to curating monthly events that would unite and grow both the consumers and creators of fashion. A feat that could be organized easily by a few people, and often inexpensively with the help of sponsors. Finally, to reflect the new spirit of the group, a new name was given – Pattern. A name that is intrinsically fashion, and also speaks to the recurring events and creating a new mold for fashion in Indy.

When something happens just once, it may be dismissed as an accident . . . but when the same event repeats itself, it is a sign that a deeper historical process is unfolding.- Zizek

Tonight the new Pattern debuts to a sold-out crowd at the IMOCA. A promising start for an inspiring organization that is truly #makingindybetter.

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Want to meet up with Pattern? Visit meetup.com/pattern.
For fashion editorials, musings and trends, head over to patternindy.com.
Join the fashion conversation at @patternindy.
Like Pattern over on Facebook.

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A special thanks to our honorary team member, Benjamin Blevins, for his help spearheading the new Pattern identity. All quotes are his, unless otherwise noted!

Apps are software programs that have been created for a specific purpose. We use them to play games, to get directions, to communicate, to socialize, and to organize. Apps provide us with wanted distractions and useful information in real time. Apps meet users where they are.

The success of a brand is no longer directly related to its products’ pricing, entertaining advertisements, or celebrity endorsements. With today’s technology, customers can quickly and easily find cheaper and better solutions to what you are offering. Customers no longer want the best product for the best cost, they want more information, more interaction, and a relationship with the brand. They want an experience.

Here at KA+A we believe that the sum of all customer interactions with your brand is the user experience. To be successful, brands have to break the traditional molds of marketing and sales and focus on creating an experience that extends into their consumer’s lifestyle.

Lifestyle apps are created around activities that people use to express who they are, what they do, and what interests them.

A few brands have made this transformation by creating lifestyle apps. Lifestyle apps are created around activities that people use to express who they are, what they do, and what interests them. Through this channel, brands are able to provide their customers with the specialized interaction they desire. These apps go beyond the scope of a company’s products and services and provide relevant and timely information on activities their customers are engaged in.

Ultimately, customers are thankful for a brand’s vested interest in who they are, and in turn become more loyal to the company’s products and services. There are many channels a brand can take to create a great user experience. However, if an app sounds like the right solution for you, be sure to take a note from brands like Clorox, Northface, and AAA who have made my life a little bit easier.

Clorox: My Stain
I am one of those people who can’t go an hour without spilling something on myself. No matter how hard I try I always seem to ruin more clothes than I can save, but not any more! Clorox created the app MyStain which is completely dedicated to prescribing how to remove the toughest stains.

The app is searchable by type of stain, such as, red wine, egg, or mildew, and then it provides users with tips and tricks on how to get the stain out while they are on-the-go or at home. Clorox’s suggestions aren’t just restricted to their products, but rather, they include helpful hints like when to use soap and water over club soda. This app has been extremely helpful in preventing the continued loss of more clothing in my wardrobe.

Northface: Trailhead and The Snow Report
Northface has two great apps for outdoor enthusiasts. The first, Trailhead, is searchable for paths and trails based on your current location. Users can narrow down their options by selecting an activity such as biking or hiking or by selecting the amount of time they have to finish a route. The best part is that the app tracks progress, speed, and elevation allowing users to share their trip with friends via Twitter or Facebook.

The second app, The Snow Report, focuses on a more specific community, such as; skiers, snowboarders, bobsledders, etc. This app provides users with snow conditions, weather updates and advisories, maps of trails, and even comes with push notifications so at any time they can see where their friends are, find their favorite skiing spot, and get notified when there is a fresh blanket of powder in the mountains.

AAA: TripTik Mobile
As a AAA member I am always looking at what discounts I can get when traveling. However, I was very excited to find that they created an app that is useful throughout my entire trip. AAA’s app TripTik provides users with the most up to date gas prices, maps, restaurant and attraction locations, and lodging details based on their current location. Now when I take a road trip not only can I find the best gas prices but I can also pinpoint must see attractions. Who doesn’t want to see the largest ball of twine in the world?

When my friend Jenni and I started IndySpectator, we decided to base our business on email. Not a blog, Tumblr, Facebook, or a custom platform. Just plain jane email. Each week we send a few issues to our loyal readers exposing them to new things to love about Indy – food, arts, startups, music, events, and more.

The result has been a very engaged audience, that I don’t imagine we could have gained through a web-based platform. Our readers like us, because email offers the excitement of exclusivity and being the first in the know. No one feels special “discovering” what’s been broadcasted to millions. Additionally we come to our readers, versus having them come to us. Life is hectic enough to remember to read that post and social streams are updated so often that it’s easy to miss a pertinent piece of news.

Email has been good for our business. It’s familiar for us and our consumers, and with simple software like MailChimp we can create and send campaigns with minimal involvement. It’s a repeatable, executable and lightweight model that Jenni and I have been able to manage and moonlight with just a few hours each day.

Email has also been a good source of data. Our audience is a known quantity and the stats from each campaign are user-centric: open rates, unsubscribe rates, forwards, clicks, etc. Amalgamate the results, and we can begin to see our readers’ personalities: behavior patterns, likes, dislikes, and with social integration, we even know what they are saying about us on Twitter and on Facebook. This data is invaluable not only to improve our content and product, but also to quantify and qualify our audience to potential partners and advertisers.

In their recent Email X-Factors report, ExactTarget details the advantages of email as a marketing tool (and in our case, as a product):

• FAMILIARITY
  Because email isn’t new, consumers are familiar with the technology, are comfortable using it, and know exactly what to expect.
• MANAGEABILITY
  Many consumers wait until the evening or weekend to catch up on email. So while they like the immediacy of sending an email message, they appreciate the ability to read or respond at their own pace.
• PRIVACY AND TRUST
  Subscribers have chosen to engage with you, and in return expect that you won’t share their email address and that they can unsubscribe anytime.
• RELEVANCY
  The biggest difference between valuable and non-valuable email programs is whether or not the information provided relates to the interests of the customer.
• EXCLUSIVITY
  Becoming a Subscriber is like becoming a member of an exclusive club, and they expect members-only perks: deals & promotions; early notification – being the “first in the know”; education – keeping informed on topics they’re interested in; and content tailored to their interests.

Download the full report on ExactTarget.com.

The one glaring weakness of publishing our content exclusively through email, is missing out on SEO potential and capturing a new audience through search. Not wanting to compromise the strength of our core email offering, we’ve began to explore a few ways to augment it with online content. Several months ago, we launched an exclusive Facebook campaign – 365 Ways to Love Indy. Each day, we post bite-size things to do around Indy. They’ve been crafted to stand on their own and engage those who don’t subscribe to our email, or to re-engage with our loyal subscribers who are just looking for a little bit more to love about Indy.

Email certainly isn’t new, but it’s potency as a communication tool has continued to prove itself.

Each move within the app has been fully branded with justWink’s witty design and tone. Flip through their more popular cards or jump to a specific occasion, and you’ll soon be exclaiming “Yay, new human!” as you search for the right card to welcome a new baby. justWink has even managed to make the loading time enjoyable, by incorporating a few zingers that will have you anticipating the pinwheel’s spin:

• “Calibrating Awesomeness”
• “Ooooh Spinny”
• “Caught Off Guard”
• “Pretending to Think”

With this, they’ve been able to shift the user from being frustrated, to thinking “what clever thing will they say next?”

Using the app, you can personalize your cards with photos and a message before you e-mail it off to the lucky recipient. Or if you had fun searching, but want to send a tangible version, the app will guide you to the closest retail location.

The introduction of justWink’s iPhone app connects their traditional paper card to the digital world, positioning them to be part of life in every interaction (and turn the hunt for the perfect card into a fun experience).

I manage a lot of bank accounts. I have personal accounts, business accounts, checking accounts, savings accounts, money market accounts, etc., and that doesn’t even include things like HSA accounts, brokerage accounts, credit lines, etc. The accounts are spread across several banking institutions in a handful of states. The one thing they all have in common is that they are all a source of ongoing frustration. On a good day, they are impersonal, faceless, corporate behemoths. On a bad day they are uncaring and even downright belligerent.

Since the House of Rothschild established European banking and finance houses in the late eighteenth century, the banking industry has been historically resistant to change. To be fair, there have been some successful attempts to drag the banking industry into the 21st century, by banks such as ING, Commerce Bank, and First Internet Bank, but a new player is really attempting to shake things up.

There has been a lot of buzz lately about a new banking startup called BankSimple. BankSimple is based in Brooklyn, NY and they claim to be creating a better interface for banking through the web and mobile apps. Their plan is to partner with financial institutions, which will hold the actual deposits. BankSimple is focusing on creating a better customer experience and simplifying the banking process by unifying all accounts into a single bank card accessible summary account.

Rather than making money from different fees, BankSimple plans to split the net interest margin (the difference between the rate they lend at and the rate they pay to depositors) with its partner banks, thus eliminating the incentive to push more confusing products at consumers.

BankSimple is attracting a lot of attention from the investment community as well. Current investors include a veritable who’s who of early-stage investors, including: SV Angel (Ron Conway), First Round Capital, IA Ventures, Village Ventures, & Dave McClure’s 500 Startups.

After spending some time on the BankSimple website, I decided to sign up for their beta launch. Signing up for the beta was a delightfully easy experience. I just filled out a simple, well-designed form, and was notified via email that I was on the list.

But what really blew me a way was the follow-up email I received later in the day.

Wow! They talked a lot about service on the website, but the fact that a real person (with a real name) sent me a note asking to hear my story and my opinions, before they had ever made dime off of me, really made an impression. Now let’s be clear, it was a form email… but who cares? It conveyed empathy and sincere interest in my opinions. It was the first touchpoint, after signing up, and it beautifully reinforced the brand’s promise of service and relationships. It’s a brilliant strategy for BankSimple. It costs virtually nothing and keeps prospects engaged during the waiting period before the beta opens up.

It’s the little things, the touches that don’t cost much, that make brands human and lovable. This same principle can be applied to virtually any business, but it’s especially important for web-based businesses. Web-based businesses need to exert more effort to be human, because customers rarely interact with actual humans.

The BankSimple website promises “No Surprise Fees,” and I hope that’s true. But I also hope that they don’t stop surprising customers with thoughtful and human touches like the ones I experienced.

@KristianIndy

Not the sound, but the feeling. Like there was a mood around my house, in my neighborhood, that needed someone to see it, to say “Amen.” This morning I was the one chosen to say “Amen” to the rain.

It’s ten minutes later, and I’m at my desk at the office, which is dark except for the light of my monitor and the wet grey of the morning sighing through the open balcony door behind me. It’s a perfect day for robins and cardinals, whose deepest “Amens” repeat and repeat above a bed of less distinct chirping from the little birds who merely made the chorus.

Birds in the misty sky outside my office balcony

Do the birds sing from worship, from acknowledgement of wonder so great that the song is simply drawn from them by rightness? Or are those sort of “Amens” left just for us?

And what of the “Amens” themselves? What do perfect misty mornings value in the word that they’d wake a man to have it spoken?

I think our words have power. To bless and to curse. To note or to disregard. To celebrate or to condemn. Perhaps, even, our lives make the most sense in light of how we choose and use our words. As God made the world, He took the time to call each step “good,” and us He called “very good.” Then He gave Adam the task of naming things. When He called the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, it was to gather to worship.

It’s not just misty mornings that crave a word from us. All of creation, and even the Creator, anticipate and receive our blessings.

We bless in response to blessing. We love in response to love. We give thanks in response to what we’re given. Could it be that our greatest joy is found in saying “Amen” to our role as agents of blessing?

Is that not what I do when I click the “Like” button beside your photo or your comment on Facebook? Is that not what I do when I retweet you? Do I bless you when I make a point of really seeing you, really listening? Do I play the role of my own greatest joy when I convey my respect, my love, my wish that your life would be filled with good things?

The “Like” button is easier, for sure. There is little risk. Telling you I love you is harder. But there is a way to share a deeper blessing with even less risk than the “Like” button.

I pray. For my co-workers, for my employer, for my clients (some of whom actually share prayer requests with me now, even though prayer and my sort of faith is not their thing – I think maybe our desire to be blessed, and the rightness of being blessed, is a deeper thing than the way we ascribe to our various religious vestiges). In my prayers, I explore what I love about each person, and a certain vision for them, a good desire, takes shape. A quiet morning rain awakens something in me on their behalf, draws me into it, and after I feel it for a bit, I say “Amen.”

I’m not sure branding is much different from prayer, by the way. And I don’t think I connect the two just because that’s my approach. After all, what else is a real branding engagement but a choice to truly see a person or a company (which is just a collection of people gathered for a purpose), to move quietly into the mist of their morning, to note how their particular instance is worth celebrating, to muse a bit upon the beauty of what is there – which is always the reason why we choose the brands we choose – and to invite a shared “Amen” from anyone who’s inspired by the same misty morning?

The noise and the heat and the bustle of the day come later. Tactics follow on. Marketing plans and sales meetings and financial forecasting and product development are all part of the mix, and sometimes they get loud enough to seem like the important stuff. But within every company, every campaign, every person, and every day, there is a quiet morning rain, and enduring “Amen” to something blessed, and blessable.

How cool is that the world is set up this way? How blessed are we that we get to be people who bless a world that revels in our blessing?

I love that I was awakened earlier than I’d wanted this morning – I love the reminder of how good it feels to say “Amen” to the wonders of this life, and to the people and challenges in it. Today I will focus on my words, on the misty morning wonder in what I encounter, and I will choose my own delight by speaking blessing into this place.

May a similar delight be yours.

After being in session for only a few short months, ADI reached out to KA+A for help to develop a brand for each academy that could identify with and garner support from their surrounding communities.

Identity

We began building a foundation for ADI, by developing a parent brand (logo, tagline, and identity system) for their organization. The brands for Andrew and Padua, would then nestle under this system, featuring related design elements (colors and shapes), that would allow the parts to be unified when together, but stand strong when apart.

Mascots

It was important to note the unique personality and community of each Andrew and Padua Academy. Inspired by these attributes, we designed mascots (the Andrew Knights and the Padua Eagles) for the schools that the faulty, staff, and students could really rally behind. Using strong iconic images, we were able to create simple and clean designs that resonated with the elementary students and adults alike.

We have thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to build a brand for this Indianapolis academic family. Watching these establishments embrace their identity and become a part of a whole has been a wonderful experience for everyone involved.

“Totally. Lately I’ve really hated myself for working here,” she said.

That sucks. Hating yourself for being part of something that gives people what they want.

I get it, though. Selling lottery tickets to people buying with coins. Cigarettes to wheezing geezers. Beer to people who’ve been sleeping outside. Ice cream to fat guys. Each customer shows up with rationalizations to cover their own irrational destructive choice. Each customer with a specific sort of shame and careful defense. I get how, after a while, the cashier would pick up on the irrationality, the destructiveness, and the shame, and would feel complicit in the choices of the customers – her “sin” is simply being part of making the choice possible.

But man, to hate herself for working there. Clearly her defensive rationalizations weren’t in place yet. Her honesty got me thinking.

Is it this way for all of us? Do we all end up with images of ourselves that we derive from the choices we see and foster in other people? Is this how we’re wired to be? If so, what do with do with this reality?

I do think it’s how we’re wired. I’ve been in the crowd for a Colts loss. I’ve watched the news feed as mob mentality celebrates the death of an impersonal enemy. I’ve heard financial reporters talk about the “mood” on Wall Street. My bet is that all Americans carry a certain emotional burden about the fact that “we” are at war…and I would bet that the burden has particular flavors and emotional shaping powers depending on how good an idea a person thinks our wars are.

The way I see it, life – especially life in business – is a street lined with quite a few convenience stores. The easiest path, even if the prices are higher and the products are destructive, is the commonest path exactly because it’s the most convenient option. And convenience – a vice in itself – tells me that I’m important, worth catering to, and that maybe the choice to pay the premium price is a way of saying my time is really important too.

Whole Foods is a longer drive away. And the prices there are just as high. The difference is that shopping at Whole Foods forces me to be intentional and to choose some bigger, less immediate goal – like health, civic/environmental duty, broader experience – as my motivator. Ultimately, shopping at Whole Foods is even more about me than shopping at the convenience store is, but it’s about a better me, where the convenience store caters to a lesser me.

I don’t know. Do cashiers at Whole Foods hate themselves for working there?

Designers and people who tell brand stories for a living know that people influence each other. What inspires one person will inspire another. And how a thought is shared shapes the value and impact of the thought itself. We’re the applied artists, the ones who see the world of people and motives, and who specialize in the use of tools that shape lives and cultures. We have choices to make about how we invite people to experience their worlds, and we also help define what those experiences mean.

Business is easy for the convenience store designer or communicator. Junk sells. And if you can build up your calluses so you don’t hate yourself for working there, the money is pretty easy. Of course, it’ll come in the form of coins from people you won’t enjoy spending time with, and who have no interest in you or your success, but there are certainly worse hells than that.

The thing is, though, that maybe our gifts are intended for something better. Something that shows the beauty of this life. The joy of it. After all, the dark and nasty stuff sells well, but what’s truly remarkable is that light and love and kindness and passion and beauty and delight exist in this world. That’s the stuff that shapes people into people who are fun to be around – that makes them into people who care about you and make your own world better. That’s the “Whole Foods” alternative.

What if it turns out we’re all contagious, and we’re all shaped by whatever other people around us carry?

What if some of our clients come to us worn down into thinking of business and life as a convenience store, but we help them see the goodness in their work? What if we help them fall back in love with what used to inspire them, and we help them share that contagious inspiration with others?

What would it look like if your clients loved the work they do? How good would it feel to help them get there again?

If you were able to play that role in their lives, how would you feel about your own job?