Khierstyn Ross has an odd goal: she says, “We actually want our clients to fire us.” Khierstyn isn’t crazy. Her mission is to help launch and scale online brands until they achieve $3 million in annual sales and she’s already done that for many clients. By the time her clients’ grow to $10 million in […]

Greetings,I just read the Memo for 4-3-2023 and  I have a question/request. As you know, the Memo quotes Orson Welles as follows: “I want to give the audience a hint of a scene. No more than that. Give them too much and they won’t contribute anything themselves. Give them just a suggestion and you get […]

Five-year-old Wesley has begun arbitrarily assigning Rabbit-points to family members for doing things that please him. I myself received two Rabbit-points this morning for making him toaster-waffles for breakfast. Anyhoo, as soon as eight-year-old Oliver found out, he’s been waiting on his younger brother hand and foot. I’m enjoying the show. Oliver is amassing Rabbit-points. […]

“The best craftsman always leaves holes and gaps in the works of the poem so that something that is not in the poem can creep, crawl, flash, or thunder in.” – Dylan Thomas

Bradley Hamner brings freedom to executives who are slaves-to-their-companies and turns them into architects of growth and success. His motto is Dux, te ipsum duc, “Leader, Lead Thyself.” Bradley launched his his first business in 2009, with no customers, no leads, and very little cash. He has gone on to build seven companies, with an […]

Mork: Mork calling Orson. Come in, Orson.            Mork calling Orson. Come in, Orson.            Mork calling Orson. Mork calling Orson.              Everything all right, Orson?   Orson:  Yes. This better be good, Mork. You got me out of the shower.   Mork: […]

Meriem Derradji couldn’t help but feel a twinge of betrayal when she discovered that one of her favorite actresses on “Euphoria” was not the self-made up-and-comer she thought her to be. “She seemed like a regular girl,” said Ms. Derradji, 24, who works in technical support in Montreal. Except for one thing: Her parents, Leslie Mann and Judd […]

Jennifer Brown sizes up business on how well they address today’s ever-increasing demand for inclusive workplaces. Are you (1.) unaware, (2.) aware, (3.) active, or (4.) an advocate? Do you want to create a productive work environment for every employee? Google, Johnson & Johnson, IBM, Disney, and Coca-Cola have all asked for her help, but […]

Thank you to the great Craig Arthur of Townsville, Australia, for sending us this photo.

“Bea says that the art of reading is slowly dying, that it’s an intimate ritual, that a book is a mirror that offers us only what we already carry inside us, that when we read, we do it with all our heart and mind, and great readers are becoming more scarce by the day.” – […]

“Julian once told me that a story is a letter the author writes to himself, to tell himself things that he would be unable to discover otherwise.” – Carlos Ruiz Zafon, The Shadow of the Wind, p. 444

“This is a place of mystery, Daniel, a sanctuary. Every book, every volume you see here, has a soul. The soul of the person who wrote it and of those who read it and lived and dreamed with it. Every time a book changes hands, every time someone runs his eyes down its pages, its […]

“Television, my dear Daniel, is the Antichrist, and I can assure you that after only three or four generations, people will no longer even know how to fart on their own and humans will return to living in caves, to medieval savagery, and to the general state of imbecility that slugs overcame back in the […]

“As I walked through the tunnels and tunnels of books, I could not help being overcome by a sense of sadness. I couldn’t help thinking that if I, by pure chance, had found a whole universe in a single unknown book, buried in that endless necropolis, tens of thousands more would remain unexplored, forgotten forever. […]

“As for the Aldaya mansion, it is still there, against all predictions. In the end, Mr. Aguilar’s estate agency managed to sell it. It was completely restored, and the statues of angels were churned down to gravel to cover the parking lot that takes up what was once the Aldaya’s garden. Today it houses an […]

If you didn’t graduate from Harvard Business School, making sense of today’s bank failures, debt ceilings, inflation, currency fluctuations, and trade deficits – can be daunting. Eric Johnson is an instrument-rated pilot, surfer, black belt, astrophotographer, angel investor, and former CEO of a software engineering firm. He has spent 15 years decoding the mysteries of […]

It is naive to believe the world is a meritocracy, but it is defeatist to believe that you can’t win. Six years ago, notacoward wrote, “Entrepreneurship is like one of those carnival games where you throw darts or something. Middle class kids can afford one throw. Most miss. A few hit the target and get […]

After a long period of indecision about what to do with the knowledge that his uncle has murdered his father, Hamlet returns to Denmark. He has survived a plot to have him murdered, has been rescued by pirates and is now home, ready to deal with the problem. In the meantime, his lover, Ophelia, has committed […]

“Television, my dear Daniel, is the Antichrist, and I can assure you that after only three or four generations, people will no longer even know how to fart on their own and humans will return to living in caves, to medieval savagery, and to the general state of imbecility that slugs overcame back in the […]

    ‘Girl With A Pearl Earring’ is an oil painting by Dutch Golden Age painter Johannes Vermeer, dated c. 1665. Going by various names over the centuries, it became known by its present title towards the end of the 20th century after the earring worn by the girl portrayed there. – Wikipedia

1. “I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play; bring a friend, if you have one.”– George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill. 2. “Cannot possibly attend first night, I will attend the second; if there is one.”– Winston Churchill, in response. 3. “Sir, you will either die on the gallows, […]

When Joe Davis arrived on our doorstep in 2005, he just wanted to be anywhere but Tulsa. He did a marvelous job for us during the years that he helped build Chapel Dulcinea and the Wizard Academy campus. He went on to became a real estate agent and then a highly successful broker. After Daniel […]

As John toasts us farewell, I ask you to invest a few seconds to listen to a bit of a composition I asked John to write a few years ago, when his health began to fail. It is appropriately titled, “Hope.”

This is John with one of his four sons, Joe, in front of the little shack that served as the original Welcome Center for Wizard Academy. Joe came to Austin shortly after Pennie bought the land, so that he could help us build Chapel Dulcinea.

Eighteen years ago when we poured the slab for Chapel Dulcinea, Dr. John Davis was there with Jane Fraser, her brother Scott Fraser, and Steve from Australia. John was always there for the important moments.

John chatted with Michele Miller for awhile after grilling chicken for everyone. Michele is married to Ron Nelson, a famous composer. Michele enjoyed discussing music with John, a gifted piano improvisationalist.

When Wizard Academy was still trying to find its financial footing, John Davis grilled chicken for 120 students returning for an Academy Reunion. He even insisted on paying for the chicken.

Plato once observed, “One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.” Gene Sticco, an entrepreneur and U.S. Air Force special forces veteran, took the Greek philosopher’s words to heart when he launched his run for the 2024 presidency last month. Sticco’s campaign aligns […]

Jeffrey Eisenberg and Dewey Jenkins don’t know each other but each of them taught me the importance of removing the friction. Dewey sings it to every person in his company, “Make it easy for customers to do business with us.” And they do. Inventing new ways to “make it easier” is the job of every […]

With pen in hand and paper blank as snow,I ponder what to write, where to begin.My thoughts like leaves in autumn breeze do blow,And inspiration seems too far within.I rack my brain for something new and fresh,A tale untold or sentiment unique.But all my words feel trite, my rhymes too fleshed,And everything I try appears […]

Contact me and let me do something for you!I’m more affordable than you think.

Wizard Academy alumnus Matt Mason has some profound thoughts on Disneyland, midlife, and churros. Matt, who since 2019 has served as the official state poet of Nebraska, is hoping that those and other introspections he shares in his latest book of poetry will touch readers and help fuel his ambition to earn a living writing, […]

Calculating the Cost of Customer Acquisition When your advertising leans on the weak wooden crutch of discounting, it is only a matter of time before that crutch splinters and slowly pierces your heart. Discounting is a seductive drug like heroin, meth, and fentanyl. It rarely kills you quickly. It prefers to kill you slowly. Yes, […]

You have the passion, the talent, and the songs. What you need is visibility. CrowdedSongs.com gives you access to a searchable database that allows buyers to find you when they are lookingfor something new and different and remarkable. CrowdedSongs.com doesn’t pitch your songs to record labels and TV shows and bands looking for material. Those […]

    If you’re ready for your mind to be blown, read the full list of songs written by Jimmy Webb. This man is a songwriting hero, a major dude. We’ve popped in a few of his songs below, recorded by names and faces you will recognize. Yep. He wrote all of these and dozens […]

Everybody’s high on consolationEverybody’s trying to tell me what is right for me.My daddy tried to bore me with a sermonBut it’s plain to see that they can’t comfort me. Sorry, Charlie, for the impositionI think I got it, I got the strength to carry on.I need a drink and a quick decisionNow it’s up […]

Ain’t no sunshine when she’s goneIt’s not warm when she’s awayAin’t no sunshine when she’s goneAnd she’s always gone too longAnytime she’s goes away Wonder this time where she’s goneWonder if she’s gone to stayAin’t no sunshine when she’s goneAnd this house just ain’t no homeAnytime she goes away And I know, I know, I […]

Melinda was mine‘Til the time that I found herHolding Jim, loving him.Then Sue came along, loved me strong,That’s what I thought.Me and Sue, but that died too. Don’t know that I willBut until I can find meThe girl who’ll stayAnd won’t play games behind me,I’ll be what I am,A solitary man, solitary man. I’ve had […]

Well, you went uptown riding in your limousineWith your fine Park Avenue clothesYou had the Dom Pérignon in your handAnd the spoon up your noseAnd when you wake up in the morningWith your head on fireAnd your eyes too bloody to seeGo on and cry in your coffeeBut don’t come bitchin’ to me Because you […]

Leroy, boy, is that you?I thought your post-hangin’ days were throughSunk-in eyes and full of sighsTell no lies, you get wiseI tell you now we’re gonna pull you throughThere’s only one thing left that we can do We gotta get you a womanIt’s like nothin’ else to make you feel sure you’re aliveWe gotta get […]

WATCH THIS VIDEO. IT’S IMPORTANT. WE’LL COME BACK TO IT LATER. Jimmy Webb and his girlfriend, Susie Horton, frequently had lunch at MacArthur Park, a convenient rendezvous point since Susie worked directly across the street. When she ended the relationship with Jimmy, he remembered specific sights and scenes they had shared at the park during […]

Isn’t it rich?Are we a pair?Me here at last on the ground,You in mid-air,Where are the clowns?   Isn’t it bliss?Don’t you approve?One who keeps tearing around,One who can’t move,Where are the clowns?There ought to be clowns.   Just when I’d stopped opening doors,Finally knowing the one that I wanted was yoursMaking my entrance again […]

Our song began in 1971 when Hunter S. Thompson wrote about the end of the 60s. He may as well have been writing about the end of a love affair. “We had all the momentum; we were riding the crest of a high and beautiful wave. So now, less than five years later, you can […]

“Strange memories on this nervous night in Las Vegas. Has it been five years? Six? It seems like a lifetime —the kind of peak that never comes again. San Francisco in the middle sixties was a very special time and place to be a part of… but no explanation, no mix of words or music […]

Read more about rowdy Ryan Patrick.Check out the positively professional podcast, Mash Matters.

  Sotheby’s is selling an important original manuscript by Neal Stephenson, one of the wizard’s favorite authors. The video below is an interesting one. 

Click the book cover to continue down the rabbit hole. Click this link to read Manley’s Chatbook. A few weeks ago, I walked with the wizard to the front door during the ice storm that hit Austin. We opened it, and there stood Manley Miller. The airlines had canceled his flight. A few minutes later […]

When the wizard and Princess Pennie bought this 400-year-old renaissance trunk at auction, Christina Gressianu volunteered to pick it up near her home in Colorado, store it, then drive it to the Wizard of Ads partner meeting in Fort Worth. Christina is a highly celebrated and award-winning photographer. During the weeks the trunk was stored […]

Michael Kaeding had no idea how to run his family business when his father unexpectedly passed away. “I had no preconceived notion of the way things were supposed to be done,” Michael recalls. “We just started to naively solve problems, and that was the magic.” Today Michael is the CEO of a company that designs, builds, and […]

William Hackett-Jones sent this to us with the following note: “Simon Patterson is a friend who has been writing a song a day for about 2 years now. Today’s offering is one for the writers and translators of the world. Indy, if you could add a link to his Patreon, I’m sure he’d be over the […]

Luis from Mexico and Wicho from Guatemala with the wizard’s mom,who lives just a block away from the restaurant.The video below opens with Dennis Collins of Miami talking with her. 

“If you’re like me, you whip out your phone to look up a recipe. Unfortunately, this is where things usually go horribly wrong, because it’s never that simple.” “Nine times out of 10, clicking on a recipe search result will rarely give you the actual recipe right up front. Instead, you’re stuck reading (see: ‘panic-scrolling’) […]

The insightful musings of tech writer Stephen Wolfram underscore my belief that using ChatGPT or any other LLM for ad writing will almost certainly create predictable ads that blur you into your category. The goal of an ad writer is to differentiate the brand, not make it sound similar to all the others. – Roy H. […]

Four obstacles prevent most people from becoming persuasive communicators, whether in print, in front of an audience, or on video. And those obstacles are SNEAKY obstacles. That’s the conclusion of Michelle Gladieux (Glad-ee-oh), a communication consultant with 18 years of experience teaching at the highest levels. “The ability to dazzle an audience is far more accessible than […]

“The Kraken visual branding is gorgeous, from the logo to the colours. (Whoever designed the logo, I want to kiss you on the lips.) They played with the concept with such form and grace. When I look at the logo, I know it is alive. But what if I told you that what makes the […]