Recent articles
October 17, 2026
The race to the bottom feels inevitable…
but it isn’t. A company wants web traffic, so it dumbs down content, builds listicles and grows. But then others become even dumber or more convenient, so it has to race to keep up with them. Event...
seths.blog
October 16, 2026
A good worker
The truth is, I’m not a good worker. I’ve had very few traditional jobs, and my performance on typical tasks was poor. Work the exact hours, do precisely what’s asked, don’t ask questions and focus...
seths.blog
October 15, 2026
Purple Space problem solving
On the 19th of October, I’m doing an open Zoom call for members of purple.space and those that might be curious about how cohorts and mutual support open the door to possibility. You can reserve a ...
seths.blog
October 15, 2026
Addressing fear
Don’t bring a spreadsheet to a fear fight. Change causes fear. And change is all around us. The fear of the unknown. The fear of failure. The fear of uncertainty. Mostly, we’d like safety. And when...
seths.blog
October 14, 2026
Things people don’t say
Marketers and politicians too. We don’t say them because it’s assumed. And because we’re afraid. “I might be wrong.” “I’m just guessing” “This might be selfishly motivated.” “It could be that I’m h...
seths.blog
October 13, 2026
The unreliable witness
It might be us. Even when there are photos, videos or tape recordings, people find that they can’t agree on what happened. Our vivid recollections can be vivid, but they might not be accurate. What...
seths.blog
October 12, 2026
The best in the world is a local problem
On a good day, my bongo score looks like this: Compared to all the people who have played this morning, it’s right at the top. That could be great… Except I’m not being compared to every player in ...
seths.blog
October 11, 2026
Talent becomes media
Rivian has a new ad, starring Bill Murray. It’s not a great ad (more on that below) but the remarkable thing is that it features the quirky, beloved and scarce Bill Murray. Between the movie rights...
seths.blog
October 10, 2026
Productive dissatisfaction
When focused on the things we can change, dissatisfaction is a powerful tool. Accepting everything else–the parts we can’t or won’t change–reserves our energy for the places where it’s useful. The ...
seths.blog
October 9, 2026
Thin friction and thicker walls
Civilized culture is based on a thin sort of friction. You don’t yell at the library, act boorish at a restaurant or hassle a minor celebrity at the supermarket. It’s just not done. The result of t...
seths.blog
October 8, 2026
Our genie problem
The djinn go back millennia, powerful and elusive creatures of the supernatural. They show up across time and culture. Three hundred years ago, Charles Perrault retold a short story about a headstr...
seths.blog
October 7, 2026
How do you like them apples?
In October, the apples in New England are some of the best in the world. Alas, the apples in this bowl are nine months old and from 3000 miles away. I found them sitting in a forlorn corner of a ho...
seths.blog
October 6, 2026
Building a second-wave AI business
A very long rant, riffing on the opportunity for bootstrapped startups who seek to create value using AI. I wrote it a while ago, thought it was too long, but in arguing with an AI today (everyone ...
seths.blog
October 6, 2026
Lobby expertise
Someone who has seen a lot of movies but has never made one has a certain kind of knowledge. The same is true for clients, patients and students. They haven’t solved a problem, healed a patient or ...
seths.blog
October 5, 2026
Create a handoff doc
Imagine if your job required you to maintain an updated handoff doc, something the boss could give to a new hire that would let them immediately get caught up on the work. All the file names, locat...
seths.blog
October 4, 2026
Getting critical
I’d heard a lot about critical theory but didn’t really understand what was being talked about. The Frankfurt School of the 1930s wasn’t really a school. It was philosophers and academics who were ...
seths.blog
October 3, 2026
Uniformity
Consistency costs extra. If you want to buy machine screws or widgets that are exactly the same to five decimal points, you’ll pay a premium for that. In exchange, you’ll get parts that are precise...
seths.blog
October 2, 2026
Modern vanity
“Vanity” has the same root as “in vain.” Emptiness. Staring at the mirror, focusing on our appearance. It’s an empty pursuit of a not-very-worthwhile goal. But modern vanity is amplified. Culture h...
seths.blog
October 1, 2026
Media and messages
Rock and roll came from the transistor radio. When Sony launched its cheap portable radio more than sixty years ago, it came with a headphone. For the first time in history, teenagers could listen ...
seths.blog
September 30, 2026
Extraction or generation
If you buy a coal mine, the business model is simple: dig out as much coal as you can economically justify, then walk away. On the other hand, the model for a brand or a community or a movement is ...
seths.blog
September 29, 2026
What sort of fuel?
We avoid this question all the time, and it costs us. Don’t put kerosene in an electric car. It won’t work. Don’t give your dog dark chocolate, it’ll make him sick. And yet, we often hesitate to be...
seths.blog
September 28, 2026
Two ways to use lock-in/loyalty
Organizations invest to create an audience that sticks with them, either because they have no choice or because of an emotional connection. When this occurs, most then take profits. They decrease s...
seths.blog
September 27, 2026
The opposite of mass
The mass market is seductive. It’s ‘everyone’. The mass market is powerful, but it’s only slightly interested. The opposite of mass is special. People who have chosen not to be in the mass market. ...
seths.blog
September 26, 2026
KnotChat: Danny Meyer
The last of the series! Thanks to everyone who was part of it. Danny Meyer has changed the way we think about hospitality and what it’s like to eat out. His new book comes out in a few days, and it...
seths.blog
September 26, 2026
Easily distracted and mildly interested
We can either accept that this is the state of our audience and plan appropriately… Or do the very difficult work of changing their state.
seths.blog
September 25, 2026
KnotChat: Jennifer Myers Chua
Jennifer is a marketer, project manager and impresario. We’ve worked together on projects, and it’s always a delight. She and I sat down to talk about the hard work of what’s next.
seths.blog
September 25, 2026
Say what you want
The problem is with the “and.” (Often a ‘but’ in disguise.) I want to make the art I have in my head, and I want the market to love it. I want to have the wedding of my dreams, and I don’t want to ...
seths.blog
September 25, 2026
Thinking about your purpose
I don’t believe we’re each born with a purpose. We have more freedom than that, the freedom to choose the impact we’ll make. Our work, though, does have a purpose. The change we seek to make. The p...
seths.blog
September 24, 2026
KnotChat: Nicole Walters
Nicole Walters is a bestselling author, a TV star, a community leader, a mom and a maker of magic. Here’s the conversation we did about The Knot. PS to celebrate the book, my publisher put the Kind...
seths.blog
September 24, 2026
Responsibility, fault, blame and shame
They’re not the same. They (mostly) don’t even rhyme. People can evade responsibility by saying it’s someone else’s fault. They can take responsibility, even if it’s not their fault. In fact, being...
seths.blog