Gmail did what!!

   

   Gmail hasn't had a real upgrade since 2004. Twenty-two years.

But this time they're not adding features... they're embedding AI straight into the place where 3 billion people already live every day. Gmail now identifies your "VIPs" by analyzing who you email most, your contacts and inferring relationships from message content. This is where the game changes, folks. AI isn't just a tool anymore. It's invisible infrastructure sitting inside the main communication channel your customers use, your team uses, your prospects use, you use. Most people will see this as "cool tech." Winners will see it for what it actually is: a follow-up machine that never sleeps, never forgets, never gets tired or loses a relationship because they got busy. You want more relationship capital? This is how you build it. AI inside Gmail can now:

remind you who you forgot to reply to auto-draft follow-ups that sound like you resurface old threads you abandoned keep conversations alive

And yeah, Google better tighten up phishing detection with all this because the wrong people will try to use it too. But the upside for operators who understand attention and connection... it's huge. This lets you maintain 10X the number of valuable relationships without losing your mind.  If you're smart about your business, you'll start thinking about one thing: How do I use this to deepen trust, accelerate follow-up and stay in front of my people while everyone else is still manually typing emails like it's 2007? The world just opened a door... and most folks are too distracted to notice. Don't be one of them. More on this soon.....

The Dash

I read of a man who stood to speak at the funeral of a friend. He referred to the dates on the tombstone from the beginning…to the end.

He noted that first came the date of birth and spoke the following date with tears, but he said what mattered most of all was the dash between those years.

For that dash represents all the time that they spent alive on earth. And now only those who loved them know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own, the cars…the house…the cash. What matters is how we live and love and how we spend our dash.

So, think about this long and hard. Are there things you’d like to change? For you never know how much time is left that can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough to consider what’s true and real and always try to understand the way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger and show appreciation more and love the people in our lives like we’ve never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect and more often wear a smile, remembering that this special dash might only last a little while.



So, when your eulogy is being read, with your life’s actions to rehash…would you be proud of the things they say about how you spent YOUR dash?

Desperation spending disguised as a tax strategy.

December rolls around, and your CPA says the same thing every year.

"Buy some equipment before year-end to depreciate."

So you scramble to find something to purchase, throw it on the company card, and hope it moves the needle.

But here's the problem — that's not tax planning.

That's desperation spending disguised as a tax strategy!

Most CPAs default to "buy equipment" because it's easy. But it's not always the best move for your situation.

Real tax planning considers your entire financial picture and finds the strategies that actually make sense for you.

We only have a few weeks left in 2025 to implement strategies that could save you tens of thousands.

Want to see what you should actually be doing before year-end?

3 proven tactics that top emails use to get replies:

 

• Give first: Lead with value — share a quick idea, framework, or resource before asking for time. Reciprocity builds trust (and reply rates 3–5x higher).
• Break the pattern: Ditch “Hope this finds you well.” Ask an unexpected question, use humor, or send a short personalized video. Different = noticed.
• Open a loop: Create curiosity by teasing insight (“Most teams make this one mistake…”). The brain has to know the answer.
• Combine all three: —Reciprocity, Pattern Interruption, and Curiosity — to make your cold emails stand out, feel human, and earn real replies.

These principles work because they align with how people think — not just how they buy.

Is business supposed to suck sometimes?

Well, not all the time, but enough to make most people quit.

Here's the difference though.

Most people quit when it hurts. But the ones determined to be successful keep moving anyway.

Every deal I've done and every next-level I hit always looked messy in the middle. I'd be full of stress and doubt. Chest pains and dry heaving daily. Being hit with delays that cost money. People not showing up.

If you refuse to quit, those problems will resolve themselves.

The breakthrough always shows up after the day you wanted to quit.

It feels impossible sometimes. It's supposed to.

Just don't let it stop you.

It’s okay to stumble.

It’s okay to miss the mark.

It’s okay to not have it all figured out right away.

Every stumble is a lesson in disguise — shaping your skills, sharpening your mindset, and building the resilience you’ll need for the next step.

And when you do find that success?

Own it. Be proud of the work it took to get there. Keep your confidence.

But never let that confidence turn into arrogance.

Arrogance looks down on others.

Humility reaches down and lifts them up.

The truth is, arrogance isn’t a sign of strength — it’s the first crack in the foundation. And given enough time, it leads to a downfall.

This week, embrace your journey — stumbles and all.

Learn from them. Grow from them.

And when success comes, let it make you better, not “bigger.”

Because real leaders don’t stand above people — they stand with them.

Poke the bear.

One of the best ways to improve your cold email openers is to use “Poke the bear” style questions. 

Here are five examples you can use. Each a different style, depending on how bold you want to be:

1. Classic – How are you currently handling ____?

2. FOMO / status pressure – Are you already doing ____ like the top teams in your space?

3. Humble – Totally possible you already solved this, but how do you handle ____ today?

4. Ego-stroke – You probably already have this dialed in, but what’s your approach to ____?

5. Risk-framed – How do you make sure ____ doesn’t slip through the cracks as you scale?

Pick 1–2 that fit your tone.

Rotate them in your emails this week, and give’em a try!