Four Frameworks for Business and Life Success

Hey LinkedIn family,?

As some of you may know, I believe that August is a special month. It’s the time when a lot of people start slowing down and gearing up for the end of the year, which is why I think it’s the perfect time to do the opposite and instead, triple down on your execution. That being said, before it comes to an end, I wanted to bring you guys the August edition of LinkedIn 360, all about four key frameworks that have been instrumental in my life and career success.?

This one is for everybody looking to finish the year on a strong note! Be it career, business or personal life, I strongly suggest adopting these frameworks to maximize your success and happiness.

# 1 - THE OYSTER RULE

Every day, I get tons of DMs, comments and emails from people telling me why things won’t work out:?

I can’t do that… I don’t like that… That wouldn’t work for me… I could never achieve that… What’s ridiculous is that so many of these people are crippled by negativity around things they’ve never even tried. They won’t post their content because they think no one will watch, they won’t launch that business idea because they think it will fail, they won’t apply for that job because they think they won’t get it. The Oyster Rule is a framework I came up with to hopefully help people navigate this problem. Let me explain.?

A lot of people out there say, “I don’t like oysters,” but three out four times when I ask whether they’ve actually tasted one, the answer is no. My question for everyone reading this is, how can you know what you like or don’t like, or what works or doesn’t work, if you don’t at least try it out? The Oyster Rule is about tasting new things; it’s about saying “yes” or “maybe” instead of defaulting to “no.”?

That being said, I’m incredibly empathetic to why people say “no.” “No” makes people feel safe when they’re navigating unknown territory, but I promise you – it’s holding you back. You want to start a podcast but you’re not sure if anyone will listen? Record an episode and post it. You’re curious about a new market or product idea? Test it. The trick is learning to reverse engineer yourself to lean into curiosity instead of cynicism. Instead of saying “no,” leave 20% to the curiosity of wondering what could happen if you just try.?

Oh, and if you’ve never tasted an oyster... do me a favor and try one!

# 2 - The $1.80 Strategy

The $1.80 Strategy is by far one of the most practical frameworks I think anyone can use to grow a business, brand or social following, and the good news is, it’s simple. It translates to leaving your personal two cents on the top nine trending Instagram posts for 10 different hashtags that are relevant to your brands or business every single day. By the end, you haven’t just left your two cents, but a full $1.80 of thoughts online in the specific category, niche or industry you want to become a part of.?

I came up with this strategy back in 2017 when Instagram was arguably the most relevant social platform out, but the same strategy can work for anything. No matter where the attention shifts – from Instagram to TikTok, or TikTok to YouTube Shorts, or some new platform that hasn’t even been created yet – the same logic applies. Find out where the attention is, understand the conversations that are being had in culture today, and figure out a way to leverage that for your business or brand by actually engaging with real people every single day.?

This is not theory, it’s practical advice that has worked for me throughout my entire career. I started using this tactic on Twitter by searching the platform to find anyone who was talking about wine. I didn’t care about the fact that these people didn’t know who I was, I didn’t care about “not having enough followers”; I simply cared about building community because people – not vanity metrics – are the ROI of life. I’ve spent my whole life trying to understand user psychology and reverse engineering attention into an engaged online community, and I’m telling you, the $1.80 Strategy will change everything for you.?

Whether through sending DMs, replying to your own comments or leaving thoughtful comments on other people’s posts, start leaving your two cents as much as you can in as many places as you can, and start today!

# 3 - The 3 P’s

Next is a framework that I call, The 3 P’s. It stands for having a “practical, positive perspective.”?

In today’s social climate, I promise you the following: If you want to find a lot of negativity, it’s very easy. On the flip side is a much more unpopular opinion: If you want to find a lot of happiness and opportunity, you can find it very easily as well – you just have to look. Are you looking for the negative? This sucks, that person sucks, everything is awful – or are you looking for the positive? –? she’s nice, that’s remarkable, I’m so grateful I got this opportunity! I’m not saying that you should ignore the negative, but I truly believe that it’s the people who look for optimism that win in the end.

That being said, practicality is key; it’s what keeps you from slipping into delusion. Oftentimes, people fall into the trap of going all-in on positivity with unrealistic expectations. Yes, be positive, but understand that everything cannot be rainbows and sunshine. You have to work, you have to actually be good; merit matters in this world. You’re not just going to make a wish and magically become a successful music artist, or lawyer, or athlete, or business owner – it takes sweat, tenacity, and years of putting in the reps.

Having a practical, positive perspective means understanding that in life, you’re not guaranteed to hit a home-run, but how amazing is it that you have the at-bat? How amazing is it that you get to try, and that if you’re reading this right now, you were born in an era where technology has increased what’s possible ten-fold? The 3 Ps is a mindset that I believe will change the game for so many, not only in career or financial success, but more importantly, in happiness.?

# 4 - 51/49 Partnership Rule

Relationships are everything to me, and in both business and life, in order to build and maintain those relationships, there needs to be a value exchange. This brings me to the final framework for today’s newsletter: The 51/49 Rule.?

For me, when it comes to collaborations, partnerships or just human interactions, I prefer a 51/49 split. This means that I prefer to give 51%. No matter the exchange, I’m going in with only one agenda: I need to make it very obvious to the other party that I’m going to bring more value to them than they’re going to bring to me. Why? I like that leverage. It might sound dark, but that’s just the way I roll and I think there’s tremendous value in having that outlook. Here’s why.?

When you give your 51%, aka when you focus on bringing the most value, the other party may reciprocate or they may not. They may bring 49%, they may bring 25%, or they may bring zero. That’s totally okay, because true giving means doing so without expecting anything in return. This is key to the 51/49 rule and to navigating any relationship. As much as you might give or feel as if you’re owed something, you’re not. This understanding and lack of expectation allows me to be comfortable providing 51% of the relationship, because in having zero expectations and not assuming someone will or should reciprocate on their end, I’ve got everything to gain.?

One of my favorite examples of this framework comes from my Wine Library days. One day, in the middle of a snowstorm, I went out to deliver a case of low-end wine during the holidays. Now, did I have to do it? Did I really need that one-bottle sale? From a profit standpoint, no. However, I valued my customer, I wanted to show my appreciation, and I also wanted to show my employees how we should be approaching our customer relations – and so, that’s what I decided to do. As it turned out, a few weeks later, that same customer’s seemingly wealthy son gave me a call and placed a massive order with us. Did I know that was going to happen? Of course not, and would it have happened regardless? Maybe, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is that I went out of my way to put my customer first, and in the end, it ended up working out in my favor too.?

Be it in life or business, I implore you to always seek to be the giver first. When you put others in front of yourself, whether intended or unintended, good things happen to you.?

As always, thank you for reading. Leave me a comment and let me know which framework stood out to you the most!

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