Clarity Compressed: Build a Better Business Through Better Brand Development

Clarity Fam, I just crossed the line on my 20th year of being an entrepreneur. It is so strange to think about how different my life was back in early 2003. I was in my first year of marriage, we were renting a small place, and I had this crazy idea that I could start and run my own company with nothing more that a "Small Business for Dummies" book and a Quickbooks CD Rom. There was no YouTube or touch screen phones, or even Facebook! It's true, I'm that old. Today I talk about one of the biggest distinctions I've observed in running a company. That is the difference between the "organization" and the "business". How does one balance the people and the profit? I started this train of thought in this LinkedIn post and go a little deeper on this episode. Here's to another 20 years! Pursue Clarity, Paul

Clarity Fam, I was on a plane ride a few weeks ago that I will never forget. The leg room was tight, I had to pay for my beverage, the seat was a little more uncomfortable...and I LOVED IT. All of this was because of one woman's extra bit of empathy and attention. It reminded me how one person can make all the difference. I tell the story this week. Pursue Clarity, Paul

Clarity Fam, As we roll into March, I start getting very excited about the changing of the seasons. Sure, in Upstate NY we likely have at least another 4-6 weeks where it could snow, however, I know that we are close to the nicer weather! All of this has me in the 'spring cleaning' mentality when it comes to making changes for the better and it has me thinking about how much progress is good enough. Often it is easy to let incremental improvement get overshadowed and shut down by the "best" improvements. In reality, the 'best' is a fantasy. I dig into it a bit in this weeks episode as I anxiously await our first 60 degree day in Syracuse. Pursue Clarity, Paul

Clarity Fam, Aside from my Eagles losing a heartbreaker last week, it's been a really great week. Mainly due to the fact that I was disconnected. I took my family on our first intentionally disconnected vacation in quite a while. I spent 6 days unplugging from my hectic regular life and making new connections with my family. I talk about it and share some of the things I learned in this week's episode. Disconnect to reconnect and get that clarity, Paul

Clarity Fam, I do some of my best thinking on planes. Although I’m not built for commercial flight, (long legs, a head that wants to constantly fall forward when I fall asleep, and shoulders that constantly get bumped by the aisle walkers), it is a place where I tend to reconnect with myself. This is probably the result of being strapped down for several hours, unable to bounce around talking to people and looking for the next great opportunity. But I welcome it. Today, on a 4 hour flight from Syracuse to Dallas, I started thinking about how each era has a unique “enemy” of sorts. I think I’m ready to name it for the 21st century. After you listen, let me know what you think! Pursue Clarity, Paul

Clarity Fam, I just spent 5 days at the largest gathering of Auto Dealers form across the country and in the world. I sat down with some executives for podcasts with my media company ASOTU. One conversation in particular was with an SVP with a publicly traded company. One statement he said still has me thinking 2 days later. I’ll share it with you in this episode. Pursue Clarity, Paul

Clarity Fam, I'm about to embark on a 5 day journey with my company ASOTU to cover the largest show for Retail Auto Dealers, the NADA Show. 30k people will converge on Dallas to show and tell everything that is on the cusp of the future of automotive. But guess what... There are millions of folks who are in the industry and won't get to go and I think it's the leader's job to bring as much back as possible. Merely going isn't enough to keep your people in the loop with you. A leader needs to provide a way for their people to experience and, most importantly, be able to contextualize what is happening in the industry. This is what I call 'making the world smaller' and it applies to business leaders as much as it does to parents. I talk about it more in the episode. And if you'd like to follow along for the next few days to see what the show I'm covering is all about, follow along here. Pursue Clarity, Paul

Carity Fam, As I’m rolling into the second half of the month it’s busier than ever, but I’m more focused than ever on doing meaningful things. And I better be! Between my work with Congruent, ASOTU, and beyond there are more and more things that demand my time, contribute to my emotional state, and require me to focus. Today I give some thoughts on why it can be good to remind yourself and your team about the bad times, and I also reveal why I never got that tattoo. I hope it’s helpful or at least makes you smile. Pursue Clarity, Paul

Clarity Fam, I hope your first few steps into the new year were great ones! Today I’m going to read and react to a post made by the insidehistory Instagram account that dropped a perspective bomb right on my head. In short, it tracked someone born in 1900 through all the wars, pandemics, conflicts, and crisis they would have experienced. It blew my mind. Most pertinently, it reminded me that evaluating my current situation in a much broader context whenever I think things are ‘tough’. I hope it brings you some great clarity as you march into 2023. Pursue Clarity, Paul PS. I’ll be in Dallas (Go Birds) Texas for the NADA Show later in the month. If you’ll be there too, I hope we get to meet in person! Follow my company ASOTU on LinkedIn to get the full deets on the where’s and when’s of the week.

Clarity Fam, It's great to see you in 2023! There is so much great energy around the new year. A fresh start. A chance to cut ties with the challenges and mistakes and get moving on those things you really wanted to do, uninhibited by the baggage. I've surely had mixed success with new year's resolutions so I've stopped making them, but I haven't stopped using the turn of the new year as a chance to boost meaningful change in my life. Today I talk about shifting the paradigm of how we look at things in a way that helps us do the things we want to be doing. A mindset shift that might just work. I get into it in the episode, but for now, make the decision with me to pursue more clarity in 2023 than ever before! Paul PS: Here is a link to the "Tonight Show" style event me and the team at ASOTU put on in Nashville that I mentioned in the episode.

Clarity Fam, I’m sitting in Nashville Tennessee preparing for a lifestream. We’ve been working on for months. My voice is just about gone, but I wanted to take a few minutes to share my thinks and my thoughts coming out of 2022 and heading into 2023 for so many of us in this community that is in pursuit of, we’ll you know, clarity. Thank you for being part of the journey this year. I’ll be taking the week between Christmas and New Year’s off and can’t wait to see all of your bright shining faces and just a week or so. Let me know what you think about the episode! Pursue Clarity, Paul . . . pauljdaly.com Connect with Paul J Daly on LinkedIn Follow along on Instagram Follow Paul J Daly on Twitter Like Paul J Daly on Facebook

Clarity Fam, Yes. It is more than ok to bring your kids to work with you. ESPECIALLY if you are traveling. This past week I had the privilege to speak to about 150 people in Princeton, NJ about the importance of their role serving people throughout the service lanes and I was able to bring my 11 year old daughter Elyse with me for the day. It was a real grinder of a day that would make any road warrior proud. 4am wake up, flight, long Uber ride in traffic, setting up in a meeting room for livestreams, team meeting, etc. All of this to be in place for an evening dinner where I met their team for 30 mins, spoke for 15, and spent the rest of the night meeting and interviewing as many people as I could. Another long ride, delayed flight, in bed by 1am. Yep, that was 21 hours and my little Elyse was a champ! Sure she could have been learning some math equation, but instead she learned how to adapt, how to have conversations with leaders, and even have fun as a podcaster 🙂. Most of all, they will learn that they are important to you. Yes it takes more planning. Yes, it takes more money. Yes, it is worth it. Your future self will thank you. Pursue Clarity, Paul . . . pauljdaly.com Connect with Paul J Daly on LinkedIn Follow along on Instagram Follow Paul J Daly on Twitter Like Paul J Daly on Facebook

Clarity fam, In 1997, the year I graduated high school, a book called "Don't sweat the small stuff" was released. And while I know the premise to not get bogged down in life with all the demanding details, I happen to think that giving more intentionality to the small stuff will yield you the best results long term. Relationships, business, finances...all of it. The trick is to give thoughtful consideration on which small stuff to focus on. I'm still working on that and hope you'll join me on that journey. Pursue Clarity, Paul . . . pauljdaly.com Connect with Paul J Daly on LinkedIn Follow along on Instagram Follow Paul J Daly on Twitter Like Paul J Daly on Facebook

Clarity Fam, Today I take a moment to take a moment with my 16 year old son, Myles. Having teenaged kids is fun. It helps keep me in the loop with how the minds of the next generation are shaping up. It is also rewarding to be able to have a conversation with an almost young-adult that I had a hand in raising. (Credit my wife for most of his good traits 🙂 ) We get into pop culture and his friends' perspectives on things that may confound us grown ups. I hope it helps give you a little clarity on what those darn kids are thinking... Pursue Clarity, Paul . . . pauljdaly.com Connect with Paul J Daly on LinkedIn Follow along on Instagram Follow Paul J Daly on Twitter Like Paul J Daly on Facebook

Clarity Fam, Have you ever found yourself in the middle of a conversation where you were talking to someone when all of a sudden you realized they weren't really paying attention and you were even a little bored with what you were saying? I certainly have. This week I talk about the importance and discipline of 'hearing yourself' in real time as you are talking. Why should we expect others to hear what we have to say if we can't first listen to ourselves. I hope it brings a little perspective into your conversations as it has mine. Pursue Clarity, Paul . . . pauljdaly.com Connect with Paul J Daly on LinkedIn Follow along on Instagram Follow Paul J Daly on Twitter Like Paul J Daly on Facebook

Clarity Fam, I’m here in Palm Beach teaching a Creative Track and the main theme is Content Communication. That is, actually saying something that matters through your content. This doesn’t mean it can’t be fun or light, but it does mean it needs to be intentional. I get into a few different types of content and hope the energy from this show in Palm Beach connects with you wherever you are. Paul . . . pauljdaly.com Connect with Paul J Daly on LinkedIn Follow along on Instagram Follow Paul J Daly on Twitter Like Paul J Daly on Facebook

Clarity Fam, We've had one of the warmest Springs on record where I live in Syracuse, NY. It's certainly the warmest I remember in the last 20 years of living up here. There is a buzz about it. People are out more with lots of smiles and comments on how nice it is. I'm sure you can imagine. I'm pretty certain my friends who live in warmer climates who are used to this aren't experiencing the same buzz. This is why today, I'm talking about how experiencing the harder things in life are actually what allow us to appreciate the good things even more. How can you appreciate the sunny warmth unless you experience cold and rainy? The same is true for most other areas as well. I'd love to know what other areas you think this applies to. Keep pursuing that clarity and GET OUTSIDE! Paul . . . pauljdaly.com Connect with Paul J Daly on LinkedIn Follow along on Instagram Follow Paul J Daly on Twitter Like Paul J Daly on Facebook

Clarity Fam, Today I’m going to share some of the routines I’ve fallen into and why they are working. I’ve read about some people who simplify basic things in their lives to free up mental space for more the more complex things. Our headspace is a deplete-able asset. Every day, we only get so much. Efficiency studies show this over and over. Even our will power gets weaker as the day goes on just like a muscle you are working out. I’m not trying to be prescriptive by any means! But I am hoping you get some perspective on your routines and how you might be able to tweak them in your favor. Pursue Clarity, Paul . . . pauljdaly.com Connect with Paul J Daly on LinkedIn Follow along on Instagram Follow Paul J Daly on Twitter Like Paul J Daly on Facebook

Clarity Fam, This weekend I had an ecstatic moment...for the first time in 13 years, my Phillies made it into the World Series. As I looked deeper into the leadership situation of the team, the reason for their late-season success began to look much more like an episode of Ted Lasso than they typical Philly-grit story (although it has that too). Today I talk about the leadership story behind the story that has me just as ecstatic. Maybe more so. Keep swinging and keep pursuing that CLARITY! Paul . . . pauljdaly.com Connect with Paul J Daly on LinkedIn Follow along on Instagram Follow Paul J Daly on Twitter Like Paul J Daly on Facebook

Clarity Fam, I've been seeing a lot of content regarding building a personal brand with the intention of doing business. While I'm certainly not against that, I think there is risk of turning everyone into a walking dollar sign if you aren't careful. So today I talk about my perspective on personal brand and dive into a few others I know very well...while unpacking a special item from a Macy's box. Yep. Keep creating, building, and pursuing that clarity. Paul . . . pauljdaly.com Connect with Paul J Daly on LinkedIn Follow along on Instagram Follow Paul J Daly on Twitter Like Paul J Daly on Facebook