Hello readers!
Welcome to this monthly curiosity cabinet filled with a new Japanese inspired mascot, Flickr, more texts with a marketer, sober leadership, an esteemed Indian man and a small dose of surrealism.
Artist, Salvador Dali, once said:
I do not understand why, when I ask for grilled lobster in a restaurant, I’m never served a cooked telephone.
And so begins another issue of Inc! Thank you for joining.
I can has new newslettr an mascot.
Absurdity is one thing I hope to embrace with this newsletter. Hence, the surrealist quotes to begin each issue. This philosophy made it clear to me that Inc! had to have its own mascot. Sufficiently intrigued? Please take the time to read all about the creative process, here.
Put those hands together and please give a warm welcome to Lil’ Inc!
Lil’ Inc! is the fun-loving mascot for the Inc! newsletter. He has a big heart, small appendages and loves to share ideas.
I hope you love him as much as I do. Thinking about starting a merch line for this dude, hmu.
Leadership Series: Being Sober
There are certain people you meet in life where there is an instant connection. This was my experience with Butler Raines. An introduction through High Alpha led to an incredible video call where we discussed everything from tech burnout to video games to sobriety to writing to yoga and our favorite dessert.
Please check out my interview with Butler where we discuss all of the above, but also his role as a tech leader, The Bitter Southerner (he cofounded it), and how we can help others. 🙏
Texts with a Marketer
One of the best CMO perks is the opportunity to meet other marketers and learn from them. Amanda Malko, CMO at G2 is an immensely talented, empathetic and strategic leader. In fact, she is the perfect person to participate in texts with a marketer.
Here’s a sneak peak, touching on mentorship:
I have been lucky to have many fantastic mentors. People that I have turned to for council throughout my career, which is important because those people really know you. Not just what might be good for you on paper, but what will really tap into your strengths. I’m now in a place where I’d like to do more mentorship for others. Typically I spend a lot of time and maybe over index on my team. What makes me the proudest is not anything I’ve done in marketing, but the people that I was able to mentor for either a long or short period of time and watching them grow.
During our exchange, I was struck by how connected she is to her team through mentorship and personal growth, while ensuring she is still pushing and learning herself.
Here is the full thread that also covers some of her favorite B2B brands, the future of marketing and what she would do if she wasn’t a CMO.
Behind the Lens
It was always my dream to visit India with a camera. So when I boarded my flight to Mumbai several years ago with my Fujifilm camera, tons of lenses and a belly full of malaria pills, I was excited to say the least.
A tip for great travel photography is to visit visually rich environments. India does not disappoint, which makes it almost impossible to take a bad shot. I chose this photo because it features a human being. I tend to avoid humans in photos, but this one was too good to pass up. I saw this man at Indian man at Haji Ali Dargah, a mosque in Mumbai, and approached him for a photo. The 35mm lens allowed me to get close and capture him really well. I gave him some rupees and we shook hands. 🤝
If you’re interested in my other India photos, check them out on my Flickr account, which I created back in 2005. I had such high hopes for Marissa!
Consumption
A list of education, entertainment and creativity I’m digging.
Video games: I’m now playing The Division 2, NYC expansion pack on PS5. And in other news, Gran Turismo 7 will be here March 4, 2022. The same day as my wedding anniversary…
Music: I may be flying a little too close to the sun on this one, but I have started pairing music to cuisine. For example, picture me devouring 2 lbs of spaghetti and meat sauce as I yell out: “Alexa, play Italian restaurant music.” It works with pretty much every cuisine.
Watching: Season 5 of The Money Heist. The Suicide Squad (LOVED it). And The Justice League (liked it more than I thought I would). And if you’re a fan of Formula One, there is Schumacher on Netflix. And about to finish up LuLaRich…eek!
Drinking: Lots of Topo Chico Lime flavor while it’s still warm weather.
It’s wrap on Issue #2!
Thank you again for opening this email and reading at least a few words. Stay tuned for another issue next month and please feel free to spread the word.
BTW, cabinets of curiosities are pretty cool.
And now for some lobster!
Take care everyone,
Daniel
I loved The Suicide Squad as well — I felt like I might have been the only one. The visual aspects were incredible to me.
5 stars for Issue #2!