_______
Have you seen SKIMS’ new ‘bush” thong? I’m wondering if you think it’s:
A – brilliant product design
B – a genius marketing ploy
C – fast-fashion that will end up in a land-fill
And would I have worn a pair in the ‘90s as a silly joke?
Absolutely. Probably paired with lucite heels and a wink.
XXXO
_____
In the early 2000s, after I quit stripping, I co-created an 8-figure commercial real estate investment company with my father that specialized in rehabbing industrial warehouses and then leasing and selling them.
As much as I hated cold calling, I hated the thought of a vacancy even more—because a vacancy is expensive.
If a 3,000-square-foot space rented for $2,500 a month and sat empty for two months, that was $5,000 lost. Five months? $12,500 gone. Whether you’re in real estate or running a service-based business, a client vacancy is probably your most expensive cost.
When I reframed it that way, I had total clarity and was willing to do whatever it took. So I got in my car—in the middle of a Minneapolis winter—and started knocking on doors. Literally.
I’d walk into warehouse spaces, introduce myself, and say:
My family and I own industrial warehouses in the Minneapolis area, and I’m wondering if you’re in the market for more space, maybe less space, or if you have a colleague looking for a new warehouse.
If they said yes, I handed them a flyer and set up a showing on the spot.
If they said no, I’d ask:
Do you mind if I follow up with you in a year to see where you’re at? We have a lot of properties, and you never know. Plus, I really spoil my tenants.
That line always made people smile. And it worked.
I played the long game. Even when all our spaces were full, I continued marketing, showed up consistently, and focused on building relationships. Because things always change—tenants move, grow, downsize—and the ones who stay remember who treated them well.
So yes, I hated cold calling. I hated trudging through subzero weather (especially in high-heeled boots). But I hated vacancies more.
And by turning my pitch into a simple invitation—a personal introduction instead of a sales plea—I made it work.
XXXO
_________
Seriousness is the death of success.
Glamour is where the money lives.
Don’t Do This
Send your clients a logo magnet, a mousepad, or some other sad swag with your company name on it.
That’s straight out of the 1990s corporate playbook. Nothing says “cliché” faster.
Do This Instead
You will make more money when you’re having more fun.
Crack a joke. Lighten up. Take your clients to happy hour.
Go shoe shopping and talk business between try-ons.
Send surprise gifts. (I’ll never forget when Natalie Taylor from The Missing Ink sent me a trio of Tom Ford lipsticks as a thank you gift.)
Book power pedicures. (I do some of my best sales calls while getting a pedicure in my living room.)
Write handwritten cards. (Xandra from Xandra The Witch is the Queen of this––custom cards with cutouts of BTS for my birthday.)
Who do you think they’ll remember?
The one who made business feel like a treat—or the one who sent a logo magnet?
XXXO
P.S. I really learned to embrace having fun when I was stripping—the kind of fun that helped me co-create a successful commercial real estate investment company and a business coaching consultancy. Don’t miss the business tips inside this bold business book. Go here, pour a drink, kick up your heels, and start reading.
P.P.S. If you’ve already read Think Like a Stripper and memorized every business tip, then you’re ready for the next level—and that’s the FREE POV Masterclass. Because once you stop sending cliché logo magnets and start bringing the fun, the real power move is knowing how to develop bold POVs that demand attention.
