Booze and Texting - But not what you think

Business brain episode 670 for Wednesday, July 30th, World Snorkeling Day 2025. Greetings folks and welcome to Business Brain, the show where you or we send in some ideas or we find some ideas, we crunch them, we dissect them, we use them to tune our business brains individually and collectively so that we can each keep on living those charmed lives. Our sponsors for this episode include eversight.com BB where you can go and get your own in house web team for just 3.99amonth like Shannon did. And also shopify.com businessbrain where you can sign up for your $1 per month trial period and upgrade your businesses selling today. We'll talk more, more about those in a little bit. For now here in Durham, New Hampshire. And I swear I, I didn't have any alcohol before this episode. I'm Dave Hamilton.

Yeah, and I'm Shannon Jean. I'm still out here in Northern California and I have an announcement. I, I want to make it crystal clear that last night I cooked well, yet Saturday night I cooked the best brisket of my life.

Oh, congratulations.

Yeah, I've been cooking brisket for like, this has nothing to do with business, but yeah, sure, I've been cooking brisket, you know, briskets for maybe six years, something like that. And they're, you know, and they've been pretty good. Either everybody's a good liar. I never know because most often it's my family.

Really.

Tell me. Yeah, yeah, but this one, man, I, it goes to show that you never stop learning because I used a completely different methodology to how I just, how I handled the meat, that's all. It wasn't how I cooked it. It was just the after prep and how I did it. And man, I just had some for lunch. So that's, I'm all jacked up.

There you go.

It's really, really, it was really, really good.

Anyway, no, it's true that you never stop learning. And in fact, the more you do something, the more you learn how to learn how to do it.

Yeah, it's a good point. Yeah.

I mean, you will like, you'll get those plateaus where you're like, I feel like I can't learn anything more. And you just keep doing it and then suddenly, you know, you get like a little unlock or a spark of inspiration or you get the opportunity, whatever causes you to look at it and you're like, oh, wait a minute.

So, yeah, yeah, well, I always want to eat the worst piece of meat, right? Because I'M the cook, so I'm like, I want to eat. And I'm always questioning, like, well, it could, you know, it's not super moist or it doesn't have a great flavor profile or whatever. And this thing. So. But this one, I was like, oh, nailed it. That's great. That was cool.

When I'm having brisket, one of my favorite pairings with that is to have a nice beer with it, too.

Of course.

I was recently on a business trip, I don't know, about three weeks ago or so. Which is relevant for the timing, because it was right while I was in the thick of dealing with what turns out to have been Lyme disease. That's what I was suffering from. And I'm on the right meds now. And, like, I'm. I am. So you can probably hear it in my cadence. I can certainly notice it, that I'm.

Energy.

Yeah, the energy is. I'm almost back to normal, I'll say. Which is amazing. Yep. Like, thank goodness for modern medicine and. And all that stuff, and thank goodness for my doctors. But I was on a business trip. I went to the MaxDoc Conference and Expo out in Chicago, in the Chicago area. And it's a conference I go to almost every year. It's people in the community of the Apple using community. Most of the people there are fans of my MacGeek Gab podcast. And it's just a great time. Good community people. We did a live episode there.

Oh, that's cool.

Always. Really. It's great. I. And I posted something. There's a little discord for the event. I posted something in ahead of time that I was like, hey, look, you know, I'm going to be there. I'm not contagious, but I'm, you know, way under the weather. So if I'm around, please talk to me. But if you notice I'm not, like, there every minute of it, it's because I'm in my hotel room napping. Right. So, yeah, everybody knew. And everybody was very, very kind and helpful and can we do anything for you? All those great things. Right. So wonderful. But one of the decisions that I made going into this was that I wasn't going to consume alcohol during this trip. Like, I was, you know, just getting started on meds.

Okay. Yeah, sure.

I wasn't sleeping. I was way under the weather, all those things. And it there. The reason I share all of that is because no one questioned why I wasn't having alcohol. Right. And that was very. That's very important because on Business trips especially, or business like social environments in general. Alcohol is so much a part of our culture. If you're choosing not to drink, people will notice it. And even if they're not, being nosy will. Almost like someone's going to ask, are you sure everything okay? You know, whatever, right? And like, there's a, and it comes often comes from a spot of, at worst, curiosity and at best, like a place of care. And so there was none of that and there was no pressure or anything because everybody understood, oh, you know, we're just happy that Dave's here, whatever. And it was fascinating being there on a business trip, not drinking alcohol. Throughout a dinner and an evening, I remained as lucid as I began the moment. I don't want to say fully lucid because I was still under the weather with everything. Right. But it was really interesting and I really started to think, like, this is not a bad way to go through a business trip. It, like, there's a lot of benefit to being in an environment where everyone feels comfortable if they choose to have alcohol. Like I, my, my decision not to have it didn't make anyone feel awkward. Maybe that's the right way to say it. Right.

People were comfortable having less of that.

Having it around me, yes, it, for sure. And so I really started thinking, like, maybe this might be something I, I like, do again. Because it was really nice, like being able to just like, think as, as quickly as I could. Again, not as quickly as I can today, but that's next time you'll be on fire. Exactly. Right. Exactly. And so I, I, I looked, I asked ChatGPT to come up with a list of 10 reasons that I could easily give people as or any of us could easily give people as to why, you know, you wouldn't be consuming alcohol that particular day at a business function or any kind of function that aren't alcohol use disorder or anything like that. And really, I gave it the instruction, something that won't lead to any further conversation. And there were a few of them that were really good, like, you know, early morning meeting. Okay, great. Easy, right? Okay, done. No problem. Jet lag, you know, another easy one. Like, okay, yeah, sleep optimization, you know, just saying, oh, yeah, you know, I'm, I'm with traveling, I don't sleep well in hotel rooms anyway. And alcohol, I mean, it's, I think it's pretty commonly known that alcohol is like an easy way to, to not actually get quality sleep. And so, you know, identifying that, you could say, you know, and this might lead to some Conversation like dietary goals or doing a personal reset like that. Yeah, you might get some conversation, but you know, or just too busy. Too busy to feel crappy, you know, but that starts sounding judgmental, and that's the kind of thing that I would want to avoid. But of these 10, there were like four that were like, yep, perfect. Great. They're about me, they're not about you, and it's all fine.

So that's good. I think that I like this concept too, because you certainly can get burnout. You're already, you know, running around. You can get dehydrated easily because you're just. You're just grinding, right?

Yes. You're mean, traveling like airplanes dehydrate you anyway. Yeah.

Airplane. Going out to dinner, however I like. I enjoy, you know, loosening up as well.

Absolutely.

But, but. And I do believe there is a. There is a. There's a point of lubrication. Let's call it.

Okay. Yeah.

Where. Where things can start to flow very well between two people that are each relaxed. And one way or another, it doesn't know. It doesn't have to involve alcohol. It just depends. Right. You can get into a flow state. One of the things I do believe is that, and this is kind of hyperbole, but you'll get the idea, is the statement that drunk words are sober thoughts.

Sure. I've heard you say that before and like decades ago. Yes.

Because it's true.

Yes.

I've heard people say things. And that's, you know, the common. So being in. If. If you're on one side of a drunk words or sober thoughts conversation, you get to gather data that you otherwise may not have gathered. And if it's a business conversation, that could be very beneficial.

Yes.

And because someone's. And I'm not saying it's like you're spying or unscrupulous, but someone's more comfortable telling you, like, well, this is really the reason or the way it is. They let down their guard a bit. Right.

They do. There are other ways that I have found to get people to let down their guard.

Yes. Oh, yeah.

Doing all the interviews for Gig Gab has taught me a lot of those things. Two of them are. And. And these. These are going to sound like they work against each other, but when you put them together, they work amazingly well. One of them, and this is usually the second thing you do is listening to people, like asking them questions and actually listening to their answers. Right. But the other way is talking over them just a little bit at first. Because if you get somebody into a scenario and you got to make sure you don't annoy them so much that they just walk away. Right? But getting somebody into a scenario where they have something to say and are eager to say it and yet can't quite get a word in edgewise and then suddenly you just open the floodgates on him and like, hey, wait a minute, tell me about this thing for you. And then suddenly the. That it flows.

I like it.

And maybe you start with the let it flow and then hold them back a little bit and then let it flow more. Right, you know?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I think if you have the opportunity, you know, shared experiences certainly help, especially traumatic ones. But I mean also like. Yeah, yeah, share crisis totally helps. But events and, and now like, you know, with all the like non alcoholic beers that are actually very good, you can easily like not even have to have a. You could have a beer in your hand and be drinking a Heineken. Zero or a Guinness. Zero, whatever.

I will often get a selfie. Red lime.

Yeah, yeah. Nobody, nobody has to know. Nobody needs to know.

Yeah, yeah. So, yeah, there's that too. You don't even need to tell people you're not drinking alcohol. You just, just, just operate and don't think about it, you know. Can I buy you a drink? No, you know what, I'm good, thank you very much. You know, like that kind of thing. Yep.

Yeah, it's good. But I, I still do like the, like I'm going to a conference in October, you know, small event and I'm sure I'll be drinking with people and going and hanging out and it's just, you know, it, it can, you know, that camaraderie, if you know that kind of stuff. So it's just a fine line. But it is, it's balance, it's. It's knowing when. I mean, I think it comes with age. You know, when I was in my 20s, going to trade shows, we were partying all night, getting home at four in the morning and going to man the booth at 8:00'. Clock. Right. I do that anymore.

That's the thing. Yes. It turns out that this, you know, it, it's nothing about you and me, Shannon. What it is, is, is it that the, the alcohol is more. Yeah, it's changed. You see.

I'm gonna remember that. That's a good one.

Yeah. It's not as. And, and to that end, I've also noticed that computer monitors have gotten dimmer over the last decade and I don't know why They've done that like.

And the TVs are harder to hear. The TVs are harder to hear as well because that's why I watch with subtitles and on anyway. But.

Yeah, but it's interesting. Yeah, yeah.

Oh, we watch everything with subtitles now. It's great. Even the baseball game. Whatever. It's so much better. It's just such an improvement that it's. I don't know what it is psychologically. Not like I sit there and read, but I believe my brain knows that. Oh, when you didn't quite hear that, it just glance. I just glanced down a little bit.

When you go to concerts, do you wear earplugs?

Yes.

Okay, just checking.

I wear those dubs or whatever, you know, those things. Yeah, yeah, I wear those.

Okay.

Because just making sure now my, my ears are. Am I again, it's another age thing where I've been.

Oh, yeah, yeah. Even if you protect your hearing as much as you can, there is a, a genetic component to this where you will.

Yeah.

Like it will get worse and you know.

Yeah. And I've shot a shotgun for, you know, 30 years and didn't wear, didn't wear any ear protection for probably 20 of those years because I was young and stupid. So you know how it goes.

Yeah, Those, those hard transients are not so good for our hearing.

Yeah.

It turns out.

Yes.

Yeah, exactly.

Yep.

130 decibels.

Yeah. Yeah. So it's snapped like that.

Yep.

But we'd love your take on it. Tell us how you. We've done shows on trade shows and conferences. There's a lot of strategy involved in making the most out of those events. And if you just go to businessbrain show and search for conference or trade show, you'll find those episodes that we were talking about it and I think you'll really enjoy it.

Amazing. We do have other things to talk about. And the next thing is our two sponsors. Because starting a business is a lot like joining a rock band. At first it's just you and a dream and maybe a triangle. Right. But before long, you're juggling merch, marketing, shipping, and some guy named Carl asking about your refund policy. And that's where our sponsor Shopify steps in. It's like having a built in business partner. Minus the late night reheated pad tie and questionable Advice, Shopify powers 10% of all E commerce in the US from household names to brand new shops like yours and mine. You get a full suite of beautiful, ready to use templates, smart AI tools that can write product descriptions and boost your images and built in marketing to help you turn those what ifs into heck yes. I've used Shopify to sell merch for some of my other shows. And it's smooth, reliable, and doesn't make me feel like I need a computer science degree to run a store. It's just right there. So look, it's time. Turn your big business idea into kaching. With Shopify on your side. Sign up for your $1 per month trial and start selling today at shopify.com businessbrain. Go to shopify.com businessbrain@shopify.com businessbrain. And our thanks to Shopify for sponsoring this episode. And look, if your business website isn't pulling its weight, it's time to stop babysitting pixels and start delegating to the pros. That's where our sponsor, Eversight comes in. For just 399 bucks a month, you get what feels like your own in house web team. No $10,000 upfront fees, no long term contracts, and no panicked. Why is my site down? Texts at midnight? Eversight builds and manages your site. They respond to phone, email, and even texts the same day. And here's the kicker. If disaster strikes like a site hack or a meltdown, they jump in immediately. And in fact, Shannon, you had exactly that happen to you before you were even a customer. And they jumped in and helped, right?

Yeah, they did it. And it was over a weekend. I sent like an emergency, hey, I got this thing, my LSY got hacked and I'm. And you know, I knew there was not going to be anything they could do, but sure. What I was surprised is they were like, hey, well we can just get some redirects real quick because I had a bunch of lead magnets and other landing pages that were all, you know, a subdomain or a, you know, linked from a redirect. And they went and put that stuff in place for me. It was amazing.

Amazing.

I just had some other stuff done. You email their team and it's like, yep, we'll follow up. And it just happens like in, you know, 24 to 48 hours. It's great. I really am impressed with them.

Love that you can get started today. Visit eversight.com BB and our thanks to Eversight for sponsoring this episode and for helping Shannon.

But yeah, yeah, it's terrific.

We got a little, we got a few minutes here. What, what, what, what else? What's on your mind, my friend?

I want to talk about something that I think is overlooked Often. And it's communication styles in written form versus, you know, talking or FaceTime. You know, they're face to face, this kind of stuff. And I think that.

Wdym, Shannon wdym. Yeah. What do you mean?

What do you mean? I like that. That's pretty good. What I mean is, Dave, is that you have to go kind of over the top in your written communications to get your point across because there's not as much nuance when somebody else is reading either your blog post, your email, your text. Lots of commerce happening via text right now where people are, you know, come back and forth from, have a service provider that's communicating with me text or, you know, anything like that. And I think it's important to understand that you have to use words, phrases, symbols and maybe even emojis to connect with the people that you're talking to. And if you're, if you're stiff and it sounds stilted or just, I don't know, plain and it's going to be taken, you're not in control of how it's, what's the word I'm looking for? How it's, you know, makes other people feel. Right. No, you're, they're gonna, their own biases and they're, it's like, you know how it is, you see people read a text and you're like, can you believe this? And you're like, well, I don't really think they meant.

Yeah, they could have meant it 16 different ways.

Yeah, yeah. So you want to be really clear. And I just think that it's, it's important because I, I communicate via what I would imagine. Everybody out that's listening to the show does a massive amount of text based communication. Yes. And I have found that I am more successful getting my point across if I use things like I use more exclamation points in and stuff than I ever would normally, you know, if we were having a conversation. I'm not going to be yet, Dave. Right.

It's amazing.

That's terrific. You know, do that. But in an email where I'm trying to show like, oh, okay, I'm, I'm interested in this or I'm excited about this and, and you know, and maybe there's an emoji in there or, you know, we've talked about if you have a newsletter, the first letter, let's say the first character that should be in the newsletter when you send it out should be an emoji and it should be the same one every time. I like, yeah. The branding yeah, yeah, yeah, mine goes out. Mine's a pirate flag. That's just my whole thing. And you should leave it. You should, you should always use it. And I just think it's something that you should, you should look at to have other people read your communications. Like automated emails. Right. Order confirmations, find good ones. Like, I get some great ones that have a little humor in it, you know, this kind of stuff. And then find bad ones that are dry and, you know, don't really get the point across that you're a cool company to deal with or that you care about your, your clients. So something. Think about.

I like it.

Something about.

No, it. I agree. It's, it's such a balance because I am someone who, if left to my own devices, will over communicate in that I will write, I will be too wordy, too lengthy with my text, and I've certainly learned to Tighten that up. ChatGPT is excellent at helping me. When I realize I've written five paragraphs that should be five sentences. It's like, all right, I feed that into chat GBT and then I'll massage what it gives me to make it sound like me again.

Yes. Add your personality.

Yeah, but it's like, oh, it turns out you're right. I don't need quite that much verbosity here. So.

Yeah, but I think it's the same as, like, I'm not a big fan of, of auto populated signatures in emails because, yeah, now you could have your information auto populated if that's important to you.

Sure.

But up above, I think you should, you know, have, have your, you should say thanks, you know, Shannon or cheers, looking forward to whatever. Not this, this line and then your name and all this kind of stuff because it's just impersonal. And I'm trying to make a personal connection over email.

Yeah, I agree with you. I do the same thing as you. I'm not sure the world sees it the same way. I think that's one of those things where it doesn't, it usually doesn't matter. I don't want to say it doesn't matter everywhere because if I'm writing to someone who thinks the way you do, then it turns out it just mattered a lot. But I am finding that email communications and it needs to be someone that I'm already in a dialogue with. But as soon as I'm in a dialogue with someone, I find that email communications often become much more like text conversations where there's, there's no. I'm not, you know, you're not nobody's signing their name. There's no signature whatsoever. It's one line. It's great and that's super efficient. I'm, I'm all, I'm here for that.

I appreciate that. I appreciate it too. Yeah, yeah. So I definitely.

But it's interesting. It's, there's a lot of nuance, man.

Yeah, there is. Yeah. How do you handle nuance and getting your point across when you have, especially if you have employees communicating, are you using, you know, templates like from text expander stuff or help scout or different platforms? Feedback at BusinessBrain Show. Come talk to us.

Yeah, let us know. Feedback at BusinessBrain show. Like he said, we love to hear from you. It makes a huge difference for us even if it's just one line. But make it a lot of lines. We'd like to hear from you. See you on Friday. Keep living that charm. See you.