The Creator Success Manager

 "I feel stuck, creatively, and I don't know how to get out of this."  This is one of the most common challenges creators face. How do we help a creator get "unstuck" and help them progress toward their goal?  Let's say for instance that you are a CSM working for an email marketing service that helps creators like musicians build and manage email subscriber lists that alert them to new music, tour dates, and other tid bits. You get on a business review call for a high-value client with a list of 15-20k subscribers, and you begin to gauge where they are in their customer journey. They suddenly tell you that they can't continue because they are in a creative rut. What do you say to them? Essentially they are telling you that can't keep going until they get out of the rut.  Creators are unique in that the business relies 100% on their ability to...well, …create. Without them, the whole system will eventually collapse. Now, in some cases they might have ...

 I had an interesting week. I tend to try to consume thoughts and ideas that will help me formulate an opinion or a thought. Podcasts and blogs tend to be the easiest way for me to do that. For instance, I was listening to the latest podcast episode of The Nathan Barry Show. Nathan is the founder of Convert Kit and a long time blogger and podcaster. He was interviewing a professional from the music industry. One of the things his guest recommended to anyone trying to create more opportunities in their business or careers was to collaborate. More importantly, to collaborate with folks that are two steps or more ahead of you. You should do this by giving value, not by asking for what they can DO for you. I was intrigued by this, so I saved it in my mind palace.  Fast-forward two days later, and I was invited on a one to one Zoom call with someone I met in a group call through Grow Gain Retain, a community that trains and helps CSMs (Customer Success Managers) by sharing ideas. H...

 Here we are... There has been a change happening all around us. We have all been effected. Some of us have even participated in that change. A few of us are interested in getting more involved. However, not all of us are aware. The change is in work culture. COVID has shifted what companies are beginning to offer their employees, all in an effort to increase job satisfaction and at the end of the day better performance. I remember this cartoon episode of the Jetson's when I was in middle school.  [George enters his luxury, upscale home in the clouds] (George): These three-hour work days are killing me! What I found funny about that scene was how absurd it seemed to me at the time. I was around 10 years old. I knew work days were 8-5. It seemed impossible that one could ever work only three hours a day.  Fast-forward to 2021. I now firmly believe it is possible. And it is coming for everyone. The first, however, will be those ready to enter the tech sector. Especially the...