My 2025 Get Different Experiment
Last week’s note about prototyping seems to have struck a chord with many of you, so as promised today I’m sharing more about the prototyping I’m doing in my business.
Read on for more about what I’ve come to call my Get Different Experiment – and even how you can get involved (if you’d like!).
The Backstory
As we turned the corner into 2025, I read two very clarifying books that really shaped my Get Different Experiment.
First, “Building a Non-Anxious Life” by Dr. John Delony. It’s a helpful, quick read that defines anxiety and outlines the 6 choices a person must make to build a “non-anxious life.” The first choice? Choose Reality.
Choosing reality is about getting honest with yourself about your current state of affairs. In my business, that meant turning towards a few tough but honest truths about what’s not working in my business, my pipeline, and my projects. In particular, this meant acknowledging that I can no longer rely on word of mouth and one-off referrals to grow my business. I need to expand my approach.
Next I read (or re-read, actually, since my first time was back in 2021), “Get Different” by Mike Michalowicz. An easy-to-read, even fun book on marketing for small businesses, Get Different is all about looking at what everyone else does, and choosing to bravely do the opposite (relevant for small business, but also for individuals, too!).
Through Michalowicz’s book, I started to ask myself: how can I differentiate myself from other facilitators and coaches, attract right fit clients, and direct them to take action in service of working together?
And thus, my 2025 Get Different Experiment was born!
My Experiment
I started outlining my experiment with two basic ideas:
The majority of coaches and facilitators book new business through referrals and word of mouth
What makes me different is that I am an artist and published author.
I was inspired by a story in Get Different about a business owner who sent their favorite book to a list of potential clients, and dog-eared pages with helpful quotes and ideas. Taking this idea and adapting it (which is, essentially, what innovation is), I decided to do something totally different for my niche: send actual mail!
Specifically, I’d send a copy of my Volume 1 journal with post-it notes on various pages highlighting specific prompts the recipient could use in team meetings, 1:1s, calendar reviews and more. Then, on the cover, I’d write a quick note introducing myself and inviting the recipient to book a virtual coffee call with me.
I figured this experiment would lead to a Win no matter what: at a minimum, I’m sharing my journals with people who will hopefully find value in them. Best case scenario, a recipient takes me up on my offer for a virtual coffee, we meet and have a great conversation – and I’ve either made a new client, or a new friend!
Now, who would I send them to? Good question. I started first by reflecting on the projects and people I had the most fun with this past year: what characteristics did they share?
From there, I made a list of the dream companies I’d like to work with, as well as the potential job titles I think my ideal clients might have. Then, I went over to LinkedIn to find people I was loosely connected with (2nd or 3rd degree connections).
This is where it got a little bit tricky. Using a person’s company name and their location on their LinkedIn profile, I took a guess at finding their company office address. It wasn’t a perfect system, but I started to build out my list of people and addresses.
And on January 13th, I sent out my first six care packages!
My Results and Updates
It’s still early days, but I have learned a couple of things:
First, my address sleuthing was maybe not as successful as I thought it would be. Out of the six I mailed, one was immediately returned for a bad address. The other five have not yet replied – unfortunately I don’t know if this is because I got the wrong address, or for some other reason.
Second, this is a long game. Just because I haven’t heard from anyone doesn’t mean this experiment is a failure. I’ve got to keep going!
Which is where you come in… If you’ve read this far, and you’re curious to follow along: I could use your help.
My Get Different Experiment goal is to send out 100 journals in 2025, and I’d love your suggestions for who to send them to.
If you know…
A people leader who wants to foster heart-centered conversations with their team
An executive who’s championing innovation methods and mindsets in their organization
A CEO or board member looking to nurture more honest conversations with their leadership team
A mid-to-senior manager ready to step into their authentic leadership
…And you’d like to gift them one of my journals, I would love to hear from you!
Email me with your suggestions – it’d be my pleasure to send your friends and colleagues a journal on your behalf.
And if you’ve read this far, thank you. I take ‘eating my own dog food’ very seriously around here – I mean, if I’m asking you to experiment, you know I am too! So glad we can do it together.
Onward,
PS: Another experiment I’m running? Trying out affiliate links. Today’s newsletter includes my very first two: Bookshop.org links to “Building a Non-Anxious Life” and “Get Different.” Full Disclosure: if you purchase through one of these links, I will earn 10% on the sale. Thank you for your support!