PSC will be taking a break from regular posts for the next three weeks as I’ll be on the road for quite a bit and making site updates.
In the meantime though, I’m looking to hire a part-time WordPress whiz to help update the layout and design and finally get beyond this uber-hip template.
Send me an email at r [at] russperry.co if you have any referrals!
Thanks so much and see you on the road.
It’s over. Yes, the 8-week Get a New Suit Challenge is over and not without some interesting results.
Before I get into it, I have to admit something that drastically affected the project. Right around week 4 I read the book Fooled By Randomness, by Nassim Nicholas Taleb.
It’s a pretty deep book, but in a nutshell it makes the claim that a lot of what we perceive as causality is actually just random chance. Not something that was particularly motivating as I was attempting this psud0-experiment. After reading it, I became somewhat demotivated to keep meticulous stats, however kept focused on ensuring my wardrobe was still upgraded.
At the end of the project I became pretty lose with many of the variables I was supposed to be tracking (leads, compliments, etc.).
The one key area I did keep on top of and was able to compare to last year was simply revenue.
The big result? Turns out we were actually down 2.3% from 2010. Not exactly what I was hoping for but my take away really had nothing to do with potentially irrelevant metrics.
The first one is client readiness. As my agency is expanding into larger markets and I’m networking more and more, I want to ensure that I’m never scrambling for the right attire. Best to be the best dressed than the worst.
Second, is first impressions. Understanding how decisions are made subconsciously based on looks, I’m eager to not leave anything to chance when it comes to how I want to be perceived.
The last is internal self confidence. I do feel better with my day to day business activities if I’m dressed for the part of business professional vs. work at home freelancer. It’s a lot like the feeling you get after you go to the gym. You may not transform your body in one go, but the positive vibes that come from the activity stay with you the whole day.
I do want to make clear that I only wore a suit a few times during this entire challenge. Sorry if the name is a bit misleading, but a friend from NYC actually told me that the status quo for business was button-ups, nice jeans, nice shoes, which I adopted the majority of the time.
This is the new status quo for Russ Perry (haircuts are for the next challenge):
As a child of the 80′s, it’s hard to remember a time without the personal computer. In my own life, this was no exception. Growing up my mother, an elementary school teacher, was always allowed to take home an Apple Computer every summer, and eventually we bought our own.
I never saw these devices along the lines that many did, as a tool or device. To me it was a wondrous world of exploration. It started with BASIC programming, evolved to mono-color gaming, I experienced early BBS days on my 1200-baud Haynes modem, then came Hypercard, color screens, the early web through the eyes of Mosaic, and as each year passed another door opened to my adventurous spirit, scored by a kindred start up chime.
Today I watch my daughter on her own new journey. Unlocking touch screens, the world’s data at her finger tips and never a need to develop a single photo. The world around both of us is an incredible place. It’s a revolution of freedom and expression that is just getting started.
While we were never able to meet, thank you for being the inspiration to work towards a dream and be the spark in so many people’s lives, myself included.
You’ll be missed.
–
Fellow Dreamer and Entrepreneur, 1983 to Present
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