I just got back from a vacation—the first real vacation I’ve
had in over eight years.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve traveled plenty, but it seems it’s
always been for a conference, summit, gig, meeting, funeral, or some other
event that I needed to be at. In fact, this weekend I’ll be in Delaware for a
wedding open house, then the next weekend in Albany for some faith meetings,
and then the following weekend in St. Louis to teach at an industry event. Sometimes
it feels non-stop.
I’m not complaining. Goodness, no! I’m incredibly grateful
for all the opportunities I’ve been afforded and privileges I’ve had. I knew the
grind that I was getting into when I opened my business, and I could easily
have said no to everything else that has come my way … and to many things I've had to do just that. But, for the most part, the opportunities I’ve said
yes to have led to wonderful privileges, honors, and the ability to connect
with people on much bigger stage than I would otherwise have had access to. It’s
awesome!
When I’ve traveled for events, occasionally I’ve been able
to tag on an extra day or two piggybacking them to get a little down time, but
that’s not the norm. Usually, I’ve needed to rush back because of my business—a
venture that has demanded much more than my full-time attention since 2011. And,
yes, over the years there have been a few times when I’ve been able to sneak
away for an occasional weekend here and there. Like this past New Year’s when timing
worked out that my business would be closed for a long weekend, so I went to
Montreal for a few days. But it’s been a long, long time since I’ve been able
to take an official, just for Marty, gone more than a few days, gosh darn legit
vacation.
Lately, I’ve mostly traveled in social media silent mode,
choosing to abstain from posting anything and therefore avoid comments like “Oh,
you’re in Phoenix! Let’s have lunch!” or “OMG! I’m in Vegas too! Where are you
staying!?” or “Why didn’t you come see me!? I’m only an hour away from there!” While
I’d love to have the time to see friends and family in different parts of the
country, time is so limited on those trips that it’s easier to just not post
than to disappoint or offend anyone that I’m just not able to get together
with. Besides, when I do get the chance to get away, the whole point is to do just
that: get away.
You see, as an introvert I crave nothing more than shutting
the world out and having time all to myself. It’s why I prefer to live alone,
dine alone, and travel alone. I’m not saying that I don’t like people. On the
contrary, I’m outgoing, a great host and entertainer, and have made a decent career
because of my personality and the connections I’ve made. But entertaining
drains me, and I need to be alone to recharge. Extroversion and introversion
have much less to do with personality or people skills and much more to do with
what a person needs to be energized: extroverts get their energy from being
around people, while being alone drains them; introverts like me recharge when
they’re alone and eventually lose their oomph if they don’t have enough
personal space.
Anyway, last week while I was in Florida I decided I’d break
my social media silent trend and go ahead and post some updates, figuring that I
could just politely say no if someone wanted to bogart my vacation with—Heaven
forbid—a friendly visit. And this plan worked like a charm. That is, until one
of my favorite people—my dear cousin with whom I haven’t spent time in nearly
10 years, since the days we both lived in New York City at the same time (to
this day the only cousin I’ve ever lived in the same city as … ever)—saw one of
my posts and reached out to me because she too would be in Orlando later in the
week for a conference. For her, I was genuinely excited to make plans to meet
up.
In fact, it worked out perfectly. I was nearing the end of
my trip and had already planned to stay with friends from that point on, with
my best friend flying in the same day to meet me and do the Disney parks
together. My best friend, you see, is a Disney annual passholder (which, by the
way, if you cover up the “p” on makes for wonderful hilarity amongst friends)
and was on her way down to join me for a few nights with her cousin/goddaughter
and boyfriend, who both work at the Disney parks and had offered to put us up
and give us insider tours. So, long story long, on Thursday night my best
friend, her cousin, her cousin’s boyfriend, her aunt (who also happened to be
there at the same time), my cousin, and I all met at Disney Springs for an
evening out. It was delightful!
Contrary to what it must seem like at this point, this
actually isn’t a story about travel, family and friends, introverts and
extroverts, Disney parks, vacations, or any such thing. It’s actually a story
about the power of a brand and the validation I’ve just recently realized in my
own brand’s reach and strength. Let me explain…
So, imagine how cool it was when my cousin—the one with whom
I had dinner Thursday night, but hadn’t really seen for 10 years prior—texted
me on Friday and said that someone just walked into her conference in Orlando
carrying a box with my brand on it! She recognized the logo immediately, stopped him, explained that
she was my cousin and had just seen me the night before, and asked what his story was.
It turns out that this guy happened to be in my town a few
days earlier and had stopped into my store to have his conference materials
packed and express shipped to his hotel in Orlando. He said that Clark, my team
member who waited on him, was exceptional and his experience was top notch
(which, let me tell you, warmed Uncle Marty’s heart more than anything in the
world). He had picked up his box of materials (bearing my brand, having been
shipped from my store) from the hotel desk and was headed into the conference
when my cousin saw him.
I was blown away. What are the odds? If I didn’t believe in
the power of a brand before, I sure do now. And if I didn’t know the power of
exceptional client service, creating a lasting impression and turning a walk-in
customer into loyal advocate, I sure do now. This guy was really impressed with
his experience, now brandishing my brand 1,200 miles away from its brick and
mortar location and telling someone he just met how happy he was with service
he received a few days prior.
Now, to put the cherry on top, when my cousin texted to tell
me all of this on Friday, I was getting ready to go on the classic and beloved
It’s a Small World ride. I know it’s cheesy, but that ride, along with Space
Mountain, was one that I looked forward to the most. As our boat wound through its
tunnels, with hundreds of animatronic children in cultural attire singing out …
It's a world of
laughter
A world of tears
It's a world of hopes
And a world of fears
There's so much that we share
That it's time we're aware
It's a small world after all
A world of tears
It's a world of hopes
And a world of fears
There's so much that we share
That it's time we're aware
It's a small world after all
… over and over and over, in slightly dyssynchronous, grating tones, I
grinned … ear to ear.
(And for the cherry on top of the cherry, when my cousin
boarded her flight back to Chicago on Saturday, the man with the box happened
to be on the same flight. Whaaat!?)
My vacation was long overdue. On it, I finally truly relaxed. I let my hair
down, let loose, and got a pretty sweet tan. But, most of all, I learned to
trust more: trust my team, because they’ve got this; trust what we’ve built,
because it’s got legs now and can stand without me having to shoulder every
burden; trust the army of advocates that seven and a half years of outstanding
service has created, because they’re going to fight for what they believe in.
And I know now—for sure, without a doubt—that the brand I and my team
have created is something that people believe in. It’s not just something that
has potential anymore, or something that someday may become something. It’s
actually already something, and it’s making a difference and standing out in
this small, small world.
…
Marty Johnson is
an entrepreneur, writer, and business coach. He serves as ex officio Director
of Communication for AMBC,
Editor of MBC Today,
and is the owner of Uncle
Marty's Shipping Office in Ithaca, NY, where he's also
Co-Founder of the Collegetown Small Business Alliance. Please visit him at askunclemarty.com. #AskUncleMarty
...
Also published on ambc.org on April 11, 2019.
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