There’s something in the air right now. Anyone else feel it?

It’s not just me. It’s come up in nearly every conversation I’ve had lately - and not just what’s said, but how it’s said.

There’s tension. A flicker of anxiety. Curiosity, sure. But under it all… a quiet hum of discomfort.

Doubt. That’s what it is. The kind that slows teams down. Makes decisions fuzzy. Nudges people back to “what we’ve always done.” And it’s everywhere right now.

We know why: The economy. War. Budgets on pause. Tech reshaping everything. AI is taking jobs - there’s no doubt about it.

People are stuck in limbo—unsure whether to push, pause, pivot… or ghost entirely.

And when doubt creeps in, even the smart ideas stall. Especially when it dresses itself up as caution.

So this week—under the theme of Connected Growth—I want to give you something: Not a pep talk. A playbook.

A way to strip fear out of risk. And turn it back into what it should be: Creativity. Collaboration. Momentum.

Because when you:
– Ask better questions
– Work with people who actually get it (that’s the connected bit)
– And stop letting dashboards pretend to speak for humans…

You don’t remove risk. But you can flip it. Repackage it. Use it.

You turn it into sharper thinking, braver decisions, and more honest work. Collaboration that leads to invention. Growth that shows up in your work—and your headspace.

I’ve built teams, departments, companies. I’ve also lost big clients, great people - and even some sanity.

So I’m not here to preach. I’m a founder. A strategist. A peer. I’m in it - just like you.

What I’ve learned is this: When you build from connection - and slow down enough to calculate the risk - the doubt fades.

That’s when the good work starts. And yeah, sometimes… the fun kicks back in too.

Mainly because the one who did this? Their tag had worn off. But the image hit me so hard, it felt like Connected Growth in spray paint. I had to pull over and take the pic.

Here’s What We’re Talking About Today:

👉 P.S. Did a friend send this your way? Sign up for free here.

Audience Insights & Future Trends: The Attention Economy Glitch

Feels like 2025 might be the year we finally call bullshit. Not on ambition, but on how we’ve been chasing it.

We designed this machine, the attention economy, by demanding: The hours. The dashboards. The instant returns.

And now we’re watching it glitch.

We’ve all seen it:

• Being told to “stay late” and being dragged back into the office

• Strategy built for the 5% who might buy, while ignoring the 95% still watching

• “Quick wins” that leave people completely disconnected

📊 What the data is telling us:

🧠 95% of buyers aren’t ready to buy today
→ So why are we designing for the 5%? (LinkedIn B2B Trends)

🧠 Last-click attribution inflates search by 190%
→ And underplays long-term brand by 90%. (Analytic Partners)

🧠 “The brand era is dead.” (Scott Galloway)
→ Nope. Broadcast is dead. Connection isn’t. (Me;)

🧠 The Multiplier Effect
→ Emotion-led, multi-touch campaigns still work—if you design them to. (WARC)

💡The Thought:

Data is real. But insight comes from understanding why the human behind the data.

Ask: Why did they answer that way? What were they really saying?

In an age of autofill-everything, the edge is knowing when to:
- Pause
- Challenge the output
- Trust your instinct
- Talk to someone on the other side

Try programming that into a machine.

Case Study: The EV Brand That Deleted the Playbook

Why I Chose This:

Because the auto industry makes me laugh. Every model looks the same. Every ad? A car speeding through the same mountain roads. Same buyer. Same badge.

EV marketing? Different. Luxury. Chrome. Giant screens. However they are starting to blend.

But Slate? They’re doing something different.

Not in a “Jaguar-for-rich-influencers” kind of way. They’re building for a different buyer. People with different budgets. Different priorities. And a need to feel like the product was actually made for them.

They created a truck with:
– No paint
– No stereo
– No screen

It’s modular. Minimal. Under $20K (with incentives).

Why?

Because not everyone wants luxury. Some people just want something:
– Reliable
– Adaptable
– Theirs

Slate’s letting the audience build what matters - and that alone is a risk worth noticing.

What Happened:

• 100,000+ refundable reservations
  

• $700 million in funding

• A brand that made the rest of the category look bloated
  

🔎 The Takeaway:

We don’t know how this ends. But it’s a calculated risk—rooted in observation, not trend-chasing.

Slate read the room. Recalibrated. Built trust before launch.

Sometimes the smartest thing you can do… is get out of the way.

Cut what doesn’t matter. Let your audience finish the story. That’s Connected Growth.

Behind the Scenes: Adrenaline vs. Architecture

I once led a big launch. Full tilt from day one. Even before the brief landed, the whole thing was warped. Clients misinformed. Real story missing. Total chaos.

Five clients started that project. Only one made it to the end.

And when it wrapped, they said:

“You’re an adrenaline junkie.”

At the time, I took it as a compliment. Now I see it as a red flag.

We were taught:
– Stress is just part of the job
– Burnout means you care
– Speed = success

I’ve unlearned all of that.

Here’s what I know now:

– Do your homework
– Speak up (and walk away if you can’t)
– Build for adaptation
– Think long term

If it doesn’t show up in impact or income - it’s not strategy. That’s not “safe.” That’s leading with intention. And I’ll take that over adrenaline any day.

Mood Board: Shared by our community

🎯 Mini Playbook: Turning Risk into Progress

– Question the brief
– Trust your gut - then back it up
– Work with people who get it
– Don’t just remove risk—design with it
– Cut what doesn’t matter
– Build what lasts

Risk isn’t the enemy. Disconnection is. Connect first - then move. That’s Connected Growth.

Let’s be real- there’s no map for where we’re headed. But there is a mindset: connected, curious, clear enough to act.

If this landed, send it to someone else navigating the same tension. Or better - add to it. Shape it. Make it yours.

Until next time - Build smart. Risk better. Stay in the room.

-Mike