Hire me

(Check 2019 notebook for more details)

• What have I done for Andrus?
• What did I do for RC?

What I can do for you

Speaking engagements

I have emceed several weddings, co-written several best man speeches. My job is never to put on a show, but to help people bring out what is already in them. Think of it as… queer eye, but for writing and speaking.

I have done standup.

I have played in several bands.

I once did a gig at deafcon, singing and playing bass. That was unusual and interesting.

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I spent 5.5 years building, running and optimising content marketing efforts at a b2b ecommerce tech company. I am intimately familiar with shopify.

I am fascinated by brands and I’m eager to help build really good ones. I have skin in the game: I’ve built my own brands over the years. The first one was my band, Armchair Critic. I was 17. The music was okay, but I was particularly proud of the aesthetic. The next brand I built was Statement – and from that, Jibabom. 

City flags, logos, brands – these are often made by a small group of people, and the rest of the world is subject to them. Nike and Apple are good brands. I have some complicated feelings about the fundamental ethics of capitalism, and a moderately high-res vision of what the world should be. But in the interim, while we live in the present moment, I think it’s worth making brands better, if only to be less of an eyesore to the general public – who suffer enough as it is.

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Personal coaching / sparring session

I am not a “life coach”. I am just a smart, thoughtful guy who can be very intense. If you’ve found me through my twitter or blog, you’re witnessing a sanitized, public-presenting version of me.

I believe very much in not screwing people over. This belief, for many years, kept me from doing what I am doing now: offering my services to the marketplace. 

If at any point in time you feel like I’ve wasted your money, you can have it back. No questions asked. I don’t want it. I want to make a living, but more importantly, I want to earn the trust and respect of people.

The psychology of pricing.

I chat with friends over coffee and lunch and dinner all the time. Why should I charge some people and not others? I grappled with this for a long time – and I finally figured it out. Money changes the interaction. Money allows me to go from “just this guy who chats with you” to “the guy who’s *accountable* for getting you to achieve your goals”.

Rates.

I don’t like hourly rates. My brain doesn’t quite work that way. I prefer to be paid by the project. 

Honestly I think teenage boys and young men would benefit from talking with someone like me. It’s not about what I have to preach at them. It’s about them having an experienced adult they can trust, who isn’t obligated to them, to ask them questions. My boss did this for me for 5 years and it was amazing for my personal development. A tiny complication is – the nature of the employer-employee relationship colors the interaction a certain way that can’t be helped and can’t be avoided.

For individuals:

For companies:

Here’s a truth about consulting that’s funny and true – sometimes companies need to pay an outsider to come in and ask everyone what’s going on, what’s working, what’s not working – and then present that information to the company so they can act on it. It’s weird! But it’s true. It seems to have something to do with the complication of internal politics – like how sometimes we need friends, or even enemies, to tell us what we kinda know about ourselves, but have been avoiding. That’s just the way it is; and being ashamed or frustrated about this is a waste of energy. Far more elegant to get over ourselves and get the help we need.