#so figuring out ways that the farmer and shane would interact in small ways to establish friendly interactions is fun

[this-should-do]

Jalapeno Help

[amateurduhhh]

Selfish | Jodi x Reader

Everything in Jodi's life felt unbearably monotonous. That is, until the farmer arrived.

Reader is gender neutral

Content warnings: cheating

Disclaimer: I do not condone cheating be real💀

"You must be Kent!" you exclaim. A man stands on your doorstep with a sturdy stance and a square jaw. He is more intimidating than Jodi could have put into words.

He nods and extends out his hand to shake it. His handshake is even firmer than the frown indented into his mouth. "Yes. I stopped by to introduce myself. I was away during duty. You must be the new farmer. I take it may already know my son, Sam, he's around your age."

Your mind blanks for a moment until it clicks. Sam. Sam. Sam. "Ah! Jodi's son! Yes, I know him. Very charming boy."

Kent sadly sighs. "I'm sure you know that better than I do, I've been gone for so long..."

"Well it's great to finally meet you," you happily reply, whilst lying straight through your teeth.

"Likewise," he says. "I'll see you around?"

"Sure thing!"

As soon as he begins to turn around and walk home, you shut the door, a little harder than you mean to. Your dog wags its tail in excitement but then sits and turns its head in confusion.

That was a stressful interaction, you think to yourself, wiping the sweat that subtly collected on your brow. "I didn't think he'd be back!" you confess to your canine. It sneezes in response.

They say keeping secrets in small towns is nearly an impossible feat to accomplish. Stardew Valley was that oddball, the outlier of every bell curve. This means secrets are pretty competently sealed away from the rest of the dwindling population.

The people of Pelican Town just don't seem to open their eyes much. Nobody seems to notice Shane's depression, Mayor Lewis' corruption, or unexplainable features that Abagail exhibits.

Nobody noticed how you spent so much time with Jodi. In her room with only one full-sized bed. Or how Jodi would take walks in Cindersnap forest while the farmer was on break.

Before the farmer, Jodi was in the world of her own. Developing any coping skills she could to forget the youth she wasted. Instead of remembering how she rushed to marry her sweetheart, she occupied herself. As her hands worked on the dishes, scrubbing off the burnt food of the spinach Vincent never ate, her eyes were fixed out the window, pretending she was a little girl again.

Sparkles and magic, living life with high saturated color and grass-stained demin. Back when she didn't feel so tired and the world looked infinite. She missed the morning dew on her bare feet and the amazement of seeing the moon in the sky during the daytime. It felt okay to jump from the branch she climbed and run too fast with her shoes untied. As if the very notion of consequences was trivial and meaningless.

Then the dishwater went cold and she dried the pans, plates, and spoons. It was one daydream after another. Anything to make her stop feeling so trapped and caged in her life that is continuously devoted to ungrateful children and an absent husband. Of course, she knew it was selfish to think that way about the people she loved. At least she knew that it was selfish.

Jodi was glad her room was so far from her sleeping sons so they couldn't hear her crying every night. Being so deprived of hope, she sought it from every source.

She bought a few books on how to parent, how to battle depression and how to cope with an absent partner, but nothing worked. Dread was a constant feeling besides the few moments when Vincent came home from Penny's tutoring to tell her about what he learned. Or when Sam would say a small "thanks, mom" before scurrying into his room or out to his friends. Even then, it always came right back. Nothing ever changed.

Until the farmer came.

At first, she didn't pay much mind to it. The farmer before you was nice, but not a big figure in her life. You introduced yourself to her and if she was honest, you were nothing like she expected. Which filled her with excitement.

How neat, a new addition to the Valley. She noticed your handshake was firm, a lot like his. She smiled back at you and welcomed you to Stardew Valley. A new farmer, squeaky clean and uncharted for Jodi. An adventure of sorts.

Every so often, you'd pass by her house on the way to the beach, just to greet her. On occasion, you gifted her something from your crops or animals. It became something she had to look forward to. After a while, the kindness felt foreign but she welcomed it. Years of giving, she realized how nice it was to recieve.

When you stopped by, you'd greet Vincent and Sam, before placing a fat bushel of rhubarb in Jodi's hands. There'd be time for a quick chat and nothing more than a brief conversation. Even so, you learned a lot about Jodi. Including the stuff she never said. Though she seemed more alive with you around, it wasn't enough to wash away the perpetual fatigue that creased the underside of her eyes.

"Morning, Jodi, I brought you some apples," you began. She gratefully accepted the gift with a smile. She stood outside her door, as Vincent walked out with a stack of books in his arms.

"Good morning," she sighed, bending down to tie Vincent's shoe. He scurried off to greet Penny down the street. She pushed a few strands of hair from her face and beamed at you. "These look delicious, I can't thank you enough."

She went in for a friendly hug and held the bag against her hip. You accepted her hug and spoke. "It's no problem! Giving 'em away keeps the prices high. Besides, I like to help wherever I can."

Her cheeks reddened. "That reminds me! About the rhubarb you gave me! Wait here!" Jodi excitedly hurried inside and trotted out, her teeth shining framed by a wide smile. "Ta-da, here you go."

A smile spread wide over your face. Her arms held out a warm, homebaked rhubarb pie. "No way, Jodi, this looks fantastic."

"Just returning the favor!" Jodi couldn't stop smiling at your praise. She crossed her arms with a lovely expression. "I'm just so thankful for your contributions to the community, it's been great having you here." Which was a neighborly version of saying you were her first breath of fresh air since her wedding day.

It was fall, two months had passed since you arrived and you stood on her doorstep, handling a bottle of wine you had prepared yourself. "Good evening," you greeted her when the door opened.

Jodi felt her heart beat quicken. "(Y/N), oh my goodness, hello!"

"I brought you by some wine from my cellar, drinking alone isn't my thing."

Jodi had you seated in the living room. You sat on her red sofa, while she fetched some old wine glasses that hadn't been used in decades. With a corkscrew you brought yourself, you popped open the wine bottle and poured a glass for Jodi and a glass for you.

At first, she was flattered and to your chagrin, covered her smile with her hands. "Oh, (Y/N), you shouldn't have!" Jodi's voice hadn't rang so joyously in decades.

Like a flick of a switch, her lips dropped. She looked behind her with a hesitant look. You noticed she was still wearing an apron from when she was doing the dishes. Jodi shook her head and smiled, her face gleefully looked at yours. "Come on in, I just put Vincent to bed."

"This wine is so good" she said, sipping it liberally. She took a seat adjacent to you on the sofa, your legs almost touching as you sat.

"I appreciate it," you replied bashfully. "I, uh, made it myself."

"No way," she gaped. "You're really good at this farming gig then, huh?"

You shrugged. "I guess so. Honestly, I wasn't sure how successful I was going to be before I took the job."

"What made you take it, then?" she curiously inquired.

"I hate to say, I know how you feel," she sighed. She poured her glass half full. "I have no time for myself anymore. Its laundry, dishes, housework, children. I haven't had a nice glass of wine since... I can't even remember."

"My old life was... incredibly taxing." You swirled the wine in your glass and then gulped it. "I worked an office job, nine to five. It was like a neverending vacuum of working for no reward. All take and no give. Like that Dolly Parton song."

As Jodi listened, she nodded, taking the information in. It sounded all too familiar.

She buried her face from the shame and embarrassment. She never admitted her misery to anyone else. It was secret. A dirty, bitter, horrid secret she shoved deep down inside her.

"You regret having kids?" Instead of disgust in her self pity, you inquired.

"I love Sam and Vincent more than anything. I just miss my youth. I whisked away with Kent after high school, got married young, and now... now I..."

"Wish you would've waited?"

"Exactly!" she said. "Everything I've ever done was for Kent. I married him too soon, I had his children, I take care of his home and he just... left me..."

"You deserve better, Jodi," you said, eyes fixated on the wine. You meant what you said, then, but didn't really pay attention to the implications.

She leaned sideways, resting her head on your shoulder. You were silent. The only thing you wanted was for her to be happy, although, you knew she wouldn't believe you if you told her. A little bit of company goes a long way. A light in the tunnel of solitude is so bright.

Jodi looked up at you and gave you a solemn smile. "Thanks for being here."

Like a magnet, it felt like you and Jodi leaned into each other. Your lips caught hers, your fingers tracing her jaw.

Scandal, betrayal. You both knew what you had done.

Still, she smiled in her kiss with her hands cupping the back of your head. Suddenly, Jodi felt like she was twenty again. Her entire future was still in store and her decisions leading up to now were completely erased. Jodi had never felt so free.

Maybe in another world, when Jodi had the courage to stay single until her 20s, she would be a happy farmer's wife. In this world though, she was doomed to give– only for an occasional ounce of compensation when the farmer offered it.

[kiljoius]

No One Said

Shane x Farmer

First fic in years...I'm quite rusty. Stardew Valley inspired me to write again. Love that chicken boy.

1100 words.

---

1:10 p.m.

Gem in hand, you’re walking down the stairs next to Pierre’s, heading for the Saloon. As you pass the Mulner’s, your elbow brushes against one of their plants and sends a shock right to your neck. You brush your elbow, wincing, and proceed to ignore it. Rounding the corner, you swing the Saloon door open, first seeing Gus, then Emily.

“Hey Gus! Emily, hey, I found something in the mine!” You skip over to the counter, pulling your hand from your pocket and unveiling a dirty, green gem stone. Emily whirls around to face you from the sink to the counter, and her eyes lock in on your hand, her eyes growing a bit.

“Oh my! That looks like emerald!” She exclaims, snatching it from your hand to carefully look it over in her own.

“I thought so! Yeah, when I saw it I immediately thought of you,” you say, the corners of your lips tugging upward as you see the excitement in her voice. A small slurping sound catches your attention, and your eyes dart around the Saloon briefly to identify the noise. It’s so early, people aren’t normally at the Saloon at this time on a Wednesday. Your eyes stop at Shane. Well, you suppose, that makes sense.

“Oh this is one of my favorites! What a great find!” Emily has been going on about the gem for about a minute before she finally sets it back down on the counter in front of you. You turn your attention back to her, and shortly push the emerald back towards her.

“You keep it! I wanted to give it to you, you’re way more into this stuff than I am,” you say with a smile, and Emily’s eyes light up.

“You’re awesome, farmer. I can’t wait to clean this baby up and put it with the others. It’s quite a bit smaller!” Emily takes the gem in her hands and turns towards the sink, beginning to rinse it.

“No problemo!” You push yourself away from the counter and swing around to look at Shane. You hold one hand up in a somewhat half-wave. He’s staring directly into his full beer, not meeting your gaze at all. You’re unsure if he sees you or not, so you meander over and softly say “uh, hey Shane.”

The farmer. His attempts at pretending he has no idea you’re there have failed, and now you are interacting for the second time this week, and it’s only Wednesday. He lifts his eyes lazily to acknowledge your presence, then back down again. You sit down at the seat closest to where he’s standing up against the wall and rummage through your pocket. He lifts his eyes just a bit again to see what you’re doing, unusual of you not to just launch into the questioning phase. His eyes follow your hands in your pockets, until they reveal a small pepper.

“By chance, I have this pepper! Uhm- someone told me you like peppers, and I just harvested the first of the bunch this morning, one of the first summer crops, and I happen to have one and uh-yeah-so here ya go!” Your hand outstretched, he lowers his beer a bit and stares at it. You hold your hand out a bit farther, “I initially took it to the mines with me as a bit of a pick me up, y’know, kinda zap me into focus! Weird logic, whatever, I didn’t end up eating it and you’re here. So. Take it.”

He grabbed it from your hand and shoved it in his sweater pocket, mumbling “uh, fine. Thanks I guess. I do like peppers." Your eyes light up and he immediately looked back down into his beer.

“Oh good, I’m glad. Hey Gus, can I get a beer here, too, please?” You waved at Gus, who nodded briskly. “I’ll have plenty more where that came from!” You chuckled softly, touching your elbow. You winced once more, a quiet sound escaping in the process, and this caught his attention. He locked in on the gash on your right elbow and his eyebrows raised. Gus slid the beer next to you, “thanks.”

“Not that I care, but are you okay?” He asked. It was probably the first sign of compassion you’ve seen from him yet, and you couldn’t help but smile.

“Yeah, totally fine. No worries. Happens all the time. I fell, like a goof. Uhm, that’s actually why I’m here already, so early in the day. I usually spelunker down there for quite a bit longer, but I was just a bit…tired today.”

“Because of the wound?”

“Kind of.”

“That…looks pretty nasty. Like legitimately gross.” He had been staring at it the entire time, not even taking a sip of his beer. You clasped your hand over it and turned away from him.

“Yeah, you know what-I uh-should actually probably get it checked. Sorry to dip out on you so quickly. Here, take my beer.” You fumbled for some cash to put on the table, then slid the beer to the edge of the counter, towards him. He looked at the beer, then back at you. “I’ll see you around, ok? With more peppers,” you smiled, giving him a small pat on the arm as you hopped off the stool. He furrowed his eyebrows as his gaze followed your figure out the door. “Bye Gus, Emily!”

“See ya, farmer!”

“Good luck out there!”

He pulled the pepper from his pocket and eyed it carefully. He could already feel Emily’s stare as she waltzed over to him. “What?” He hissed.

“A pepper, huh? I got a gem,” she winked, leaning over the counter to get a better look.

“Yeah, and I wonder who could’ve told her I like peppers,” he shot his eye at her, shoving the pepper back in his sweater pocket.

“Oh, probably Jas or Marnie, they love to talk about you!” She cackled, slamming her hands on the counter, causing Shane to flinch. He sighed and set his now empty glass on the counter, pulling himself into the seat you were initially in. He wrapped his fingers around the handle of the glass you left him and stared into it. She pushed herself up from the counter, “you’re gonna have to start being a bit nicer, you know.”

“Says who?” He didn’t even bother to lift his head to look at her. He already knew she had that playful, mischievous look on her face.

“No one I suppose. But I would, if I were you,” she turned from him.

No one said he had to start being nicer. His right hand was still in his pocket, holding onto the pepper. He thought of the farmers wound. He wondered if it would be alright. He lifted the glass to his lips.

[istoletheluckyshorts]

Stardew Valley theory(ies) part 1

Sebastian's biological father

A basic theory that I'm sure I'm not the first one to ask or to speculate about but I thought was interesting enough to talk about.

So the basic is that Sebastian 's biological father isn't around in the game, in his family all we have is his mother, his half sister and step father. He's one of the few characters in the game who we don't know about his true parentage on the father's side along with Penny in the game as well as one of the few that don't mention their existence at all (I looked through the quotes and came up empty on Seb's part but maybe I overlooked at something)

Which leads to players to speculate about him, and mainly, who he is/was.

So let's begin with the possibilities.

1- he's dead

That's probably the simplest way to go when it comes to certain characters that don't appear in a game, they either don't exist at all or are already dead when the player is there.

This could be one of the reasons behind Seb's mental state, similar to Shane, he has some lines that some of us find it worrisome, that could be the result of his state of grief or the denial of acceptance of his death, maybe that would be why he doesn't accept Demetrius as his father figure so easily, he's still attached to his father and doesn't really want to let go.

The few problems with this is that Robin also doesn't mention anything about a dead husband nor is there pictures or anything related to him in the house, not even in Seb's room, leading to the next possibility.

2- he left Robin and Sebastian

Wether was through a divorce or not, he left, that could explain why neither Robin or Sebastian mention him, why there isn't anything about him in the entire house and it gives another reasonable explanation for both Seb's mental state and his resentment towards Demetrius.

Picture this, you had a father who was pretty close to your mom, he leaves all of the sudden and leaves your mom in a state of heartbreak, some time later she falls for another man and gets married, you're afraid that the same thing that happened before happens again, you don't trust him and he seems to not want anything to do with you either (i haven't seen Demetrius mention Sebastian ONCE, I might be wrong, but there's that), why should you trust him? And that might be what runs into Sebastian's mind when it comes to Demetrius, this also explains why Seb is more attached to his mom than anyone else in his family, if you don't count the farmer and his kids when they get married.

That option leaves us with another question, do we know him? Is he someone we already know? Only way to find out is through looking at the suspects, your honor, may the first witness take that stand.

1- the Wizard

You might be thinking "Hey! Abby is already known to be his kid! Why would Sebastian be as well?" And you're right, that is the weakest of options, as the only evidence I have are the haircolor and the fact Seb is familiar with the monsters in the mines like the Wizard, but he could have gotten that knowledge from books rather than being told to, and hey, maybe Robin taught him that, who knows?

Anyway I just wanted to put my thoughts because people see him as a possible candidate, and I don't blame them, maybe he cheated on his wife twice but we don't know for sure.

Now to the real business

2- Krobus

This one is a cup that holds water better than the previous one.

It would explain why Seb likes void eggs, doesn't like to get out under the sun so much, his hair color that doesn't match anyone else (aside from Jas) and why Robin doesn't mention him, because is a forbidden union between a monster and a human, specially if we take into account that this is a small town, although canonically there's one outright homophobic person so maybe the rest is more accepting of that, unless Robin got pregnant really young.

Maybe is not Krobus specifically that it's the father but someone of the same species, maybe they could even be brothers, but there isn't much to say about this other than what I said above.

Now this one is my favorite, cause it might be the most likely to be true, in my opinion at least

3- Mr Qi

I should say that I haven't ran into him yet, I'm not that good in the skull mine, I tried installing a mod but I feared something could happen and thus I wouldn't be able to play with a friend of mine and so I almost never go there.

First of all there's the hair, it's a match! Connection to the mines? Got that checked out too.

And it fits with everything said about the supposed father of Sebastian, a mysterious individual that left the family in some way and doesn't get mentioned by anyone in said family.

However I personally haven't seen him and Robin or Sebastian interacting, and I might be completely wrong about this and Sebastian just has a absent biological father, but I'm okay with that scenario, doesn't play much in the game anyway, and there's almost no telling that CA planned for his father to be mentioned.

-in conclusion-

These theories don't hold that much water because of the little information we have about this figure, and we may never find a answer to this question or if we did it would most likely be something unexpected by us.

But like I said, I'm okay with that, and to be honest, I like to think that at some point Demetrius and Seb will get along, it might take years and we may not see it, but hey, what's so fun in being part of a Fandom without fanon content?

[stardew-imagines-me]

Hello!! ○.○ may i request a rivalry between,, shane, elliott and harvey for the farmer's affection?

You had always thought if there was one thing you'd be in Pelican town when you moved down to revive your grandfather's farm, it was being lonely. Now, that wasn't to say you hadn't expected anything from the townsfolk themselves, that would've just been rude, but you didn't actually expect much.

It took a few days to find your way up around your new home; horrified at how overgrown your plot of land looked and debating on if it was too late to run back to Zuzu city. In the end, you hadn't and decided that it was best to buckle down on at least making a path to your cabin door without getting wild spurs caught on your pants.

Eventually, as you became accustomed to your new life, you had settled into a comfortable routine of getting up, watering the crops, walking into town to greet your new friends and finding yourself faced with three different men direly seeking your attention.

It's actually kinda funny on how you landed yourself into this situation, an odd but not unappealing love square with the town drunk, the local doctor, and the mysterious poet. Honestly, you really were at a loss when it came to romance. When you lived in the city, there wasn't exactly time for such thing when you juggled all different kinds of dead-end jobs, crazy neighbors, and outrageous bills for an education you never completed. What a life, right?

So when you found yourself cornered by Shane, the same man who had cursed you out the first day you arrived just for simply looking at him, you were confused... but intrigued. He had apologized through clenched teeth, shoulders stiff and hands clenched at his sides as he refused to look at you. His posture was terrible, his eyes were blood shot like he didn't know what the word sleep was, and his hair was a wild mess of tangles.

He looked like shit, to put simply.

Attractive shit.

"I, uh.... I just wanted to say sorry. I don't actually like people, and new people at that." If that was his best apology, your grandmother would've slapped him upside the head if she were still alive, but you nodded, offering your best comforting smile. "Don't worry, I understand completely."

His expression twitched, softening as he looked over to the side. He frowned, but the dusted blush across his cheeks spoke volumes as to what he was really feeling inside. You knew he wanted to say more, but when he suddenly walked away, hands shoved into pockets and speed increasing by the second, you couldn't help but crack a lovestruck smile as he bolted down the street and stumbled around the corner towards Marnie's barn.

The second man who had found his way inside your heart was the lovely, kind hearted doctor.

Normally, when you bump into someone and they fall over, you help them up and apologize - not stare at them for a minute straight until they reach by your feet to grab the parsnip seeds they had purchased only minutes ago. Harvey may be a doctor, but he is definitely not slick.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" The poor man says and falls to the ground to help gather the seeds for you, stuttering 3 different apologizes out as he shakes. Dear lord, you should be the one asking that, not him.

"Uhm, yeah." You mutter, carefully stacking your items up in your arm and waiting for Harvey to place the remaining seeds on top of the pile. Truth be told, you had been surprised when Harvey looked you over. It would've been more flattering if he didn't look as if he was about to collapse at any second. Do people sleep in this town??

"Uh... my parsnips, Harvey.." You motion with your head at his hands, knocking him out of his trance once again. He quickly hands them over with a small bow and an apologetic smile, nervously jittering. "I'm sorry if I make you uncomfortable," you blurt, mentally slapping yourself for even letting that pass through your lips. As if you couldn't have made this situation more awkward.

He looks shocked, shaking his head as he speaks, "Of course you don't, I've been meaning to talk to you but... not exactly like this." You feel sympathetic when he rubs the back of his neck, ears a bright red. You wanted to assure him that what just happened wasn't his fault, but Maru had called him over, interrupting the awkward yet charming exchange.

For the first time, you had noticed how cute Harvey was, especially when he was flustered and caught off guard. You'd have trouble not laughing at how big his eyes got when you called his name as you planted those same parsnips hours later.

The last man you'd soon become smitten with was the beach beauty poet who loomed around town, looking for creative inspiration through blooming flowers and rushing lakes. You were lucky if you caught a glimpse of him during the day, often finding yourself too busy to talk with him or too far from where he usually walked his paths. Whenever you think about how you finally did talk, you can't help but cringe at the painful memory.

It was a hot summer afternoon, sweat dripping off your skin and drenching your clothes as you desperately wrangled a fish from your hook, trying not to curse as the damn thing wiggled and fought to escape from your grasp. Through your frustration and incoherent mumbling, you hadn't noticed a tall, sun kissed freckled man wonder into the clearing of the pond, admiring your figure.

"You're beautiful," He thought aloud, laughing as you comically stiffened, fish hopping out of your hand and splashing back into said pond, swimming away. "Wha-" you began, whipping around fast and clumsily to see who had interrupted your passionate dance with your mortal enemy.

"You're breathtaking," Elliott gasped lightly, eyes sparkling with curiosity as he takes a step towards you.

You're stuck between wanting to laugh at what he had said or cry because the most ethereal man you had ever seen to caught you wrestling with a fish, sweaty and breathing way too hard to deem as healthy. "You're kidding, right?"

Elliott shook his head, beaming as he brought a hand up to your chin. "I would never joke about someone as beautiful as you, my dear." This all was overwhelming, and whether it was the incoming delirium of the heatstroke you most certainly got or the way your heart thumped against your chest as his hand cupped your face, you clutched your fishing pole and ran as fast as your legs could take you.

If those lovely interactions weren't enough to catch you off guard and throw you into some stereotypical romcom, then the fact that over the next few months after these events took place, each man had made it his goal to confess their love in the most unique ways possible; if it weren't a bag full of vitamin medication to keep you healthy, or recipes cautiously torn out of whole cooking books to make you swoon, then it was cheesy poems about unrivaled beauty of a certain farmer who took great care in catching fish.

It wasn't as if they didn't know about each other either. Shane would often make a point in being the first to greet you when you walked into town square, carrying himself taller as he saw Harvey's bemused expression, or Harvey waltzing into a conversation about you had been having with Elliott, watching the latter's demeanor sour slightly, forcing himself to politely engage in the doctors witty quips that always had you doubled over in laughter.

If it bothered you, you never showed it, and truthfully, it never did. Admitting that you had feelings for all three of them was hard, especially when you got angry at yourself for even believing you were really wanted by them, but after a long time of contemplating, arguing, and stressing about the situation by yourself, you had your verdict.

Nature would take it's course. You had ended up in a completely bizarre situation without doing anything to start it, and even though these men would dance around each other with the same intention, they never really angered each other. Everything right now was...  Perfect actually. Time will only make way for the future when it came, but right now as you made your way to Elliott's beach shed with an elegantly written poem about red locks and starfish, it didn't matter. Nor did it when you walked to Marnie's to give Shane a homemade made by following one of the recent recipes he sent you or when you walked to Harvey's with a basket of fresh fruits you had grown yourself since you knew he never made enough time for him to eat.

You would accept change when it came, but for now, it was okay to live in the moment.

[sdvharveybby]

Hello!! I absolutely love your work. Do you think you can do prompt #50 (“Every time I think I’m close to finally figuring you out you end up surprising me.”) with Shane and a female farmer please? Thank you!

*sniffles* thank you so much, bby! I do try my hardest when it comes to these. I’ve always wanted to provide content that people enjoyed. I appreciate you saying this.

Anyways! Inspiration for this was rewatching one of my very first anime’s, Fruits Basket. The show is just stupid adorable and I recommend giving it a watch!

HERE YOU GO THEN! HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT.

Word Count: 1345

The farmer woke up one beautiful Spring morning. The sunlight cast through the curtains creating shadows and creating a warm glow amongst her furniture. It was day 20 and she specifically planned to give Shane something homemade for his birthday! Between the farmer and Shane, it was a rocky relationship- he constantly struggled with his doubts and self-worth, but she was determined to help him through it and be there whenever he needed it. And boy did he need it. Finding him on the cliffside completely wasted shook her to her core, but it was an impactful moment when she realized she adored him. Even through all his faults, anxiety, and depression- she wanted nothing more than to bring a smile to his face and see this through to the end. Shane warmed up to her day by day; less grouchy and he always got excited when he’d see her. She was helping to change his life for the better and he’s unbelievably grateful for it.

The farmer stretched that morning with a smile on her face, I want to completely blow his mind! He’ll be like, “This is the best thing I’ve ever tasted!”, she thought to herself, absolutely giddy at the thought. She bounded towards the fridge and began gathering ingredients, “Okay, he likes pizza… Mm, pepper poppers… Yeah! That, I’ll make pepper poppers. He’ll be so happy!” With a determined smile she began her work. It didn’t take long as the peppers she had frozen from last summer stayed fresh and spicy. “I want to make him so happy he’ll never stop smiling.” The farmer’s eyes were sparkling- it was a drive to make him focus on all the good in his life. Instead of the doom and gloom before, she wanted to show him that there was so much good in life to look forward too! In her head, she tried to plan out every interaction they would have together this day. She wanted nothing to go unchecked, and she wanted this to be a great birthday! He deserves this, she thought before placing the peppers pots into a container.

The sun shown bright in the sky when she stepped outside. Not a cloud in the sky and the faint smell of flowers and growing plant life filled her nostrils, making her even more giddy to see him. It was beautiful outside- the wind calm and the noises of wildlife filling any silence that winter had had last season. She started down the path towards town, hoping to see him walking around. Currently 1:30pm she figured she would try at Stardrop Saloon as Gus quickly became a bit of a counselor to Shane whenever he felt like he wanted to drink. It was a request from Marnie and the farmer herself to get Gus to stop serving him alcohol. She walked in, the sound of music, that equally made her excited and calm at the same time, filled her ears. “Hey there farmer! What could I grab you?” She smiled and shook her head, “Nothing for me today. Have you seen Shane? It’s his birthday and I made him some food.” Gus smiled from ear to ear and gave a small chuckle, “Haven’t seen him, but Marnie came in just a bit ago to drop off some product. She said that Shane’s been at the barn all day, but he won’t show anyone what he’s doing.” He laughed again and began cleaning off one of his glasses. The farmer gave him a puzzled look, but turned to walk out the door, “Thanks, Gus!”

The farmer admitted that she didn’t expect him to still be at the barn, but she was curious to see what he had been working on. She remembered him saying that he wanted to pick up better habits and hobbies now that he was recovering- something to keep his mind off alcohol. The farmer was perplexed, but she made her way towards Marnie’s place.

Before she even knocked on the door, it opened to reveal Shane. He seemed excited and a bit sweaty, but he gave her a big smile, “I was hoping you’d arrive! There’s something that I want to show you…”  She followed him through the house into the kitchen and came upon a door. Was that door always there? I don’t remember seeing it… What’s he on about...? She didn’t know what to expect. Shane was a man that kept people on their toes, and it made her a bit nervous at times, but he seemed so happy that she didn’t want to overthink anything.

Inside was actually a coop with several chickens running about. On the wall was a sign freshly painted red that said, ‘Fresh Eggs’ “I’ve been working on this for a while now.” It was pretty spacious, and it smelled of hay and paint. She was surprised to say the least- it was as if question marks appeared over her very head. “Shane… this is incredible. I knew you liked chickens, but wow!” He beamed at her; his big smile made her heart skip a beat. “I thought you’d like it. I’m sorry I kept it from you, but I didn’t know how this, and the chickens would turn out.” He admitted as he walked in, petting some chickens nearby. What caught her eye was that there were sky blue chickens running around. Their colors were vibrant and beautiful- unlike anything she had ever seen. Her eyes were wide as she bent down to pet one, “Oh, yeah! Those are my special blue chickens. I’ve been specially breeding them to be mild tempered and with blue feathers.” The farmer opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. The feathers were soft and she couldn’t keep her eyes off of them. “Hey, we should sit. I made this up just a bit ago.” She turned to see a blanket, decorated with chickens on it, and a picnic basket. It had plates, a few glasses, joja cola, and some sandwiches in it. He sheepishly looked at her, blushing a bit, “I- uh, I know it’s not like a picnic outside or anything, but you know… Maybe we could spend some time together… If you- If you want to that is.” Shane didn’t give her eye contact as he said this- he was flustered and blushing madly. He was nervous of her reaction, but as the farmer had been so helpful to his recovery, he wanted to do something special. She smiled so warmly to him that it made him blush even more, “Every time I think I’m close to finally figuring you out you end up surprising me.” She laughed as she said, blushing herself, but it was true. The farmer didn’t know what to expect whenever she saw him- his dates were never “normal” but they were always thoughtful and sweet.

She handed him the container of the pepper poppers, “Happy birthday, Shane. Although you surprised me more than I did you- I hope your birthday today made you smile.” His eyes were wide and mouth agape when he realized what was in the container. She snapped him out of his own excitement when she pressed her lips against his cheek, kissing him before she sat down on the blanket. Shane was certainly stunned at this; his whole face was red and he looked off into the distance.

“Thank you for that,” He choked out before trying to collect himself and sitting down.

The rest of the evening was fantastic! They spent time together eating food and being in each other’s company. Before they wanted to retire, he introduced to her to all the chickens in his coop. Giving special attention to his favorite, Charlie. It was a great day to spend together, something the farmer wouldn’t ever forget.

His excited smile and hopeful eyes made it all worth it.

[vios-rockland-corner]

Rumors of Rockland: Article 2 Overview

Feeling much more comfortable in your new home of Rockland, you’re eager to return to the bar you remember being quite an interesting experience last time.  You’re hoping to see Whesker again, but what’s that commotion in the alleyway?...

 [Major spoilers below for Rumors of Rockland Article 2]

With the second article of Rumors of Rockland, we receive a much more dynamic experience.  

The first article released was in a much more linear style.  Dialogue options led to different conversations and small nuggets of knowledge you may not get with another option.  It made for a fun overall experience worth replaying to see all the different scripts, even if the choices were very few.

The overall experience of the first article was more consistent.  The major events that occurred were the same regardless of your options, such as introducing yourself to Whesker, watching the exchange between Callum and Avery and meeting Dylan and Tyler.  As a result, everyone’s MC will remember these events vividly and a few get a call back in the second article.  A new person should definitely play the first article before playing the second to better understand what’s going on.

Unlike the first article though, there is a HUGE difference with what happens to the MC just based on the first choice you get.

The only thing guaranteed that everyone’s MC will have the same knowledge and experience of is what was mentioned in the brief intro (MC feeling more confident in town, having mostly been unpacking, seeing Whesker at the farmer’s market and being introduced to Dexter and Alex) and hearing Callum getting confronted in the alleyway.  After this point though, the people you do or don’t connect with and the information you learn changes VASTLY depending on your choice of action.

You have three choices: You can help Callum yourself, go get help or do nothing.  The good news is, all choices lead to Callum ending up fine, don’t worry.  I know some people might feel a little guilty (like me) about the “do nothing” ending. But I assure you it is worth it to go back and see how ALL these choices play out.  Even the secondary choices you get once you pick a path lead to incredibly different focuses/information.  As a quick example, when talking to Callum and Avery, only one option has you learn that Tyler is a doctor.  Another example, talking to Callum alone, only one option lets you know it’s specifically the Irish mafia that runs the town.

It’s really fun to imagine either self-inserting oneself or playing as a personalized OC, and seeing what exactly happens with your particular MC.  You could either play as what would be the “ideal path” you would want to visualize your MC ends up with, or just play as what is most realistic for yourself or your OC to do/say in that situation and get what you get.  But unless your MC can time travel, you can only learn so much or connect with certain people based on your actions.

Now obviously, a lot of the stuff that happens after the first choice can’t necessarily be called back to in future articles.  Not in a way at least that would cause the MC to react different if they had learned about something prior.  Same with familiarity with certain characters.  The more dynamic paths are more fun because it makes everyone’s story a little different.  The more linear paths are easier to build off of though for future articles.  All MCs experience Tyler trying to sell you drugs, but not all MCs learn in this article that he’s a doctor for instance.

Not to worry, there are plenty of new characters to meet in Rockland and lore to learn that should prevent continuity errors.  

When it comes to character interactions, your choice makes a big difference as to who you end up on good terms with.  For a brief rundown:

-        Help Callum: You get more friendly with Callum, tiny interaction with Avery, and a little bit of friendly interaction with Foal

-        Get Help: You get more friendly with both Callum and Avery

-        Do Nothing: No personal connections made

Now I will say there is a consistent…I guess you could call it a theme, with this article in particular. It differs greatly what’s being talked about depending on your choices, but I’d say nearly every path hints at:  There is something wrong or dangerous with Rockland, BUT the dangers are downplayed or the MC is told they likely have nothing to worry about.  Avery makes it sound almost like you live in a horror film, but if least you mind your own business and don’t do something stupid, everything’s great!  The town is literally run by organized crime, but it’s played off in a way that’s viewed as “okay” or almost beneficial to the citizens.  Those are just a few examples.

The “Do Nothing” choice doesn’t portray this aspect as well as the other two, but we do have the small ending bit with Sydney and Shane (you get Shane’s name from the Rockland website) hinting something questionable happened…but when Shane passes you he just pats you on the head.  No threat about having heard anything because you’re recognized as one of Whesker’s regulars.

The first article just showed tiny hints of a sinister feel about.  This article became more open about some things, but the characters reassure the MC that they’re fine.  At least it seems that way.

Overall, this was a very good addition and I look forward to what the next article will end up being. If it’s another linear path, that’ll be something we could expect to get built on in a future article.  Or we could get another dynamic article like this one where personal MCs take a different journey from one another.

I wanted to give a good overview here for this article, but there’s obviously a lot going on here.  I figured it would be best to split up my thoughts.  Keep an eye out, because I’ll be returning to talk about certain aspects based on the “Help Callum,” “Get Help” and “Do Nothing” paths in the near future.

[queeranarchist]

Dear Writer

Thanks for reading this! I’ve tried to lay this out in a fairly readable script but I’m not sure how much I’ve succeeded! This letter is just suggestions so feel free to go in whichever direction you wish and have fun!!

General Likes: Trans characters, queer themes, queer solidarity, character development, strong gen. relationships and just interactions with characters outside of a relationship, dialogue driven story, non-linear narrative, animals 

General Dislikes: Plots in which miscommunication is the main plot (to elaborate on this I’m totally fine with characters pining for each other and not realising the other is doing the same but you know plots that just make you want to tear your hair out), gratuitous violence for the sake of it, soulmate aus/general destiny based stuff (angrily going against destiny stuff I’m very down for though)

DNW: NSFW with under age characters, a/b/o, non-con

Final Fantasy XV I really like the whole gang here and how they interact with one another! I’d love the story to include all of them and how they are a massive part of each other’s lives.

I’m a massive sucker for trans Gladio! But also in my heart none of the gang are straight or cis so like feel free to head cannon whatever you wish The conversation Prompto and Noctis have on the roof about Prompto not feeling good enough to be around them – more of that please! I love some good internal angst! Maybe working this in with a sort of awkward getting together story (be it Prompto/Noctis or Prompto/Noctis/Gladio/Ignis)

I’d like a story that looks at the complications between duty and following one’s heart (yeah very cliché) but Noctis comes in being expected to marry Luna, lead the kingdom and hold off imperial forces, whether you want to go with a more romance based side by looking at Prompto/Noctis or Prompto/Noctis/Gladio/Ignis or going with a gen. fic this is something I’d like to be explored

A fix it fic!!! Oh my god there are very little of these and I just want to give my boys a happy ending – again this could be looked at through either of the relationships or gen. – but yes give me a post cannon where Noct lives or is brought back to life? – I am totally okay if you just want to ignore the whole him dying thing though at the same time I’m also Here! for watching the rest of the gang grieve and Noctis then rocking up like oh yeah death didn’t stick. Anyway, you can play with that however you wish But my favourite head cannons for what would happen post that are:

Focus on taking down the imperial army – no rest for the wicked and also you know getting a satisfying ending would be nice – especially considering the world had just completely gone to hell while Noctis was in his crystal

Blatantly ignore the shadow world, Prompto and Noctis marry and start a chocobo ranch, Gladio does the heavy lifting and Ignis does finances (okay okay that’s super cliché have them doing Whatever you wish) the story line is just fluff and cute, a sick chocobo, a missing baby chocobo, the big chocobo race – was I the classic horse kid in primary school and just want to relive those stories but gayer and with giant birds now yes, yes I do Stardew Valley

I love stardew valley, not only do you get to be a gay farmer but you also have this super cool world with a wizard, magic beasts, and evil overlord company, an adventurer’s guild….and then nothing is expanded on – So I am very down for world building!

If doing a ship, I’m really only down for Sam/Sebastian, if you prefer to write general I am down with any character (personal favs being, Shane, Sebastian, Abigail, and Sam) but feel free to write about whomever you wish – though as it’s a small town I’m Very down for everyone interacting and knowing each Naruto

For some misguided reason I love Naruto, my main thing with any Naruto fic is pleaaaase don’t side line Sakura, even if you’re writing Sasuke/Naruto let her exist as an important character in the story.

My fav head cannon with her is that she did do the whole obsessed with Sasuke thing as a small one but realised that hmmm that was not a good life choice and is now an actually put together legit person – bonus points if she’s gay, bonus bonus points if Ino had a similar realisation –they don’t necessarily need to be in a relationship but realising that Sasuke wasn’t all that and wlw solidarity is quality

I Love the summons, particularly I love Naruto’s toads, though also Kakashi’s dogs I would love for them to be included in the fic, I also very much love Naruto being trans, and Rock Lee in general

I would really like a fic in which Sasuke can’t be saved and Naruto has to kill him – or Naruto ends up unable to do so and Sakura does it. Basically, I just want some severe angst!

On the opposite end of the spectrum I’m here for Team Seven just going on a mission and it just being some good quality bonding and team building

BNHA 

I am only slightly past the anime so please largely stick to that cannon

General likes: All characters being valued, Bakugou being more than just angry, Aizawa having a cat, inclusion of a fair amount of class members  Aizawa/Hizashi I really would like a fic of them in their twenties, figuring out their hero lives and being teachers. I like both of them being trans, but am especially partial to trans Aizawa. I also very much like them to be in a good relationship aka minimal jokes about Aizawa not liking how loud Mic is please.

I’m also down for a Slice of Life of them just being at the stage of life in which they currently are right now, with all the things that are going on in UA

Kirishima/Bakugou

I head cannon both of them as trans and I really like their dynamic in terms of Bakugou doing his best to be super intimidating and Kirishima just being like haha awesome that’s so manly. 

Bakugou & Kirishima & Mina & Denki

I’d like to state that I nomed the Group: Bakugou & Kirishima & Mina & Denki and just…. flat-out forgot about Sero in that moment – please feel free to include him in that group if you go that way – also feel free to combine this with Kirishima/Bakugou

I would just like to see what sort of shenanigans these idiots get up, after all they’re teenagers. I would love them breaking the rules for some stupid prank that they somehow manage to drag Bakugou into, maybe worried he’d get indicted regardless of actual involvement and he doesn’t trust his friends to keep out of trouble on their own, maybe actually genuinely worrying about his friends getting in trouble, maybe he thinks the person being pranked really deserves it, who knows

They adopt a cat – they find a stray somewhere and bring it to the dorm, nonsense ensues as they try to keep it hidden from the teachers in the dorm

[andrewmrudd79]

Is SPI Better Than Business School? 9 Lessons One Reader Used to Grow His Business

Welcome to our first of (hopefully) many SPI community member features! On our SPI Facebook Group, we have over 30,000 amazing entrepreneurs across all stages of business, and I wanted to start highlighting some of the amazing work the community members are doing with their businesses here on the blog.

Brendan Hufford, our Facebook Community manager, wrote this post to highlight Salo Mizrachi and his business, EzPacking.

You can also check out Brendan and his work at Photo MBA.

And if you haven’t done so already, click here to join the Facebook Group and be a part of the community!

In 2015, Salo Mizrachi took over his family business, grew it to six-figures in 2016, and doubled that in 2017.

Additionally, Salo saw NPR’s popular “How I Built This” podcast feature his business in a 2017 “How You Built That” story.

Sounds impressive, right?

But what if I also told you that in 2014, Salo was still in college for business, and his only “practical experience” came from reading the SPI blog and listening to the SPI podcast?

I had been following the SPI blog for almost two years by the time I started my business and a lot of the tactical, day to day ideas I was experimenting with I learned from Pat (not my college professors).

Like you, Salo realized you can learn almost everything you need to know on Google / YouTube.

But also like Salo, to see results you have to take action on what you learn.

Wanting to start “doing” the things he was learning about in business school, Salo graduated in three years instead of four.

Little did he know, his mom was brewing up a business of her own.

Frustrated with the packing process and wanting a way to easily organize her suitcase, Salo’s mom started a small company called EzPacking. She created a clear system of packing cubes to help other moms, like her, be organized.

She invited Salo on a trip with her to China to source materials and while he intended to go just to keep his mom company, the trip to China opened his eyes to the possibilities available for ecommerce businesses.

And yet, Salo’s real reason for joining his mom has nothing to do with business:

I joined my mom because she needed help. She needed a partner to accompany her on the roller coaster of entrepreneurship and someone to share the work/stress/euphoria. My mom had helped me out so many times in life that I wanted to at least get her set. If things went well, I could continue helping her. If other opportunities presented themselves, I could pursue those. It was so fun and exciting to run the business that I never looked back!

Their first customers were other women that his mom knew from his local community in San Diego. Salo can still recall the day he received his first batch of inventory:

We had worked all day unloading a container, got home at around 5 p.m. and already had three people that were desperate to have our product before leaving on vacation the next day!

While word of mouth was great to get initial feedback and support, it wasn’t a long-term strategy. This led Salo to split-test selling at a farmer’s market and selling online, but other than reading SPI and listening to the podcast, Salo had no experience with selling online so he wasn’t sure how successful it would be.

By the third week, they made more online daily than in a full day at the farmer’s market.

Since then, Salo Mizrachi has bought out his mom, runs his family business, and is having his most successful year ever.

How’d he do it?

Here’s nine business lessons Salo Mizrachi learned from SPI that he didn’t learn in business school:

1. Take your Email Marketing Strategy Seriously

Salo didn’t have a strong email strategy before reading Email the Smart Way. He was collecting email addresses on his website but he didn’t have a clear strategy for monetizing his email list. Pat’s guide helped him come up with ideas for our autoresponders that have dramatically improved his funnels. Yes, even physical product companies should use funnels! Recently, he’s noticed a large increase in conversion rates from implementing them.

2. How to Grow Your Business With No Budget

One of the big ways Salo grew EzPacking in the beginning (especially when they had no budget), was to collaborate with bloggers. He got this idea by reverse engineering Pat’s success as an affiliate. Salo chose to follow the lead of companies that Pat works with which have great affiliate programs (like Bluehost [Affiliate link: Pat will earn a commission if you purchase through this link]). Salo now has dozens of bloggers collaborations under his belt and many affiliates.

Salo even tells all of his new affiliates to sign up to Pat’s list to receive Affiliate Marketing the Smart Way so that they have the right mindset when working with him! Salo credits building EzPacking to over six figures to working with affiliates and reverse engineering Pat’s affiliate marketing methods.

Even if you don’t see yourself as being in the affiliate marketing business, you can use your knowledge to build an incredible affiliate program for your own products.

3. You Can Produce Engaging Content In a “Boring” Niche

Salo remembers listening to Hotseat #7 from Pat and Chris Ducker’s 1 Day Business Breakthrough Podcast. This podcast was extremely helpful for Salo because Pat and Chris talked about a bird feed company that didn’t know how to produce content around it’s niche. Salo was feeling the same thing at the time, not sure how to make his products interesting to prospects even though there were so many different topics to tackle.

Listening to this podcast stirred his creative juices and helped him realize he could write about all sorts of topics, ranging from smart packing tips to behind-the-scenes of EzPacking. Most of the content in their post-purchase and opt-in email sequences came from Salo’s brainstorming sessions after listening to this podcast.

4. Build Community Around Your Physical Products

In episode 269 of the SPI Podcast, Pat interviewed Tom from Chubbies shorts.

Chubbies is in a crowded market but they were able to stand out, making this podcast huge for Salo. He had thought about these kinds of companies before but had never broken down their formula for creating a strong brand in a crowded market. EzPacking has many competitors in their space and Salo learned so much in this episode about using content and social media to build a tribe in a crowded market. It definitely helped shape his strategic plans for the rest of the year.

As a result of listening to this episode, Salo totally changes his thinking around who they sell a product, but they could also create a community around organizing. Salo is creating an active facebook group for his customers to interact, meet and share. Above all else, this episode helped Salo clarify his brand’s tone to really focus on his target audience and create a culture based on participation in the community.

5. You Can Start Without Any “Experience”

Despite having gone to business school, Salo still credits Smart Passive Income with teaching him most of his “applicable” knowledge.

Salo remembers the exact moment when he listened to episode 122 of the SPI Podcast—a now famous episode where Pat interviewed Shane and Jocelyn Sams about their transition from teaching to rocking it in online business:

I was riding a bus in Rio de Janeiro in November 2014. I had graduated college and was solo traveling in South America. I didn’t have any business ideas yet but I knew I wanted to do something when I returned home. Shane and Jocelyn’s story was so inspiring to me. It made me feel like I could reach their levels of success. It was even more relatable to me than Pat’s story because they had started so recently and had no previous experience. My bus ride ended halfway through the episode but I stayed at the bus stop until the episode ended because I had to listen all the way through!

With the inspiration gleaned from this episode, Salo started his first niche website while on his trip and while he’s since shut the site down, he honed all of the basics (site design, research, etc.) with that first project.

6. Business Ideas Don’t Fall in Your Lap

In another immensely popular podcast episode, SPI #46, Pat interviewed Dane Maxwell. This episode was a huge value bomb for Salo. He was in college at the time and thinking about entrepreneurship but didn’t know how to get started.

The episode made him realize that you have to be proactive about finding a pain point by conducting interviews. He uses Dane’s idea extraction process all the time in his business, interviewing a few customers each month to find new pain points for new products that he can make and new sources of information he can provide to make their website and content even more helpful to his customers.

For example, Salo learned that a subset of his customers have difficulty organizing their purses and handbags. He’s currently developing new products to solve those pain points, keeping those customers in the loop to make sure he’s solving their specific need.

Additionally, Salo discovered that a segment of his customers, new moms, had a lot of questions around traveling and organizing for their newborn babies. Creating content for that part of his audience has been a big focus for 2018.

7. Don’t Be Afraid of New Mediums

For Pat’s Let Go Challenge, Salo submitted a video and was selected as one of the winners!

Salo didn’t get to meet Pat in San Diego, but did get on a call with Pat where they spoke about creative ways to expand Salo’s content strategy and use non-traditional mediums like co-marketing and conferences to spread the word.

Salo had a bit of resistance to these ideas but quickly realized he was nervous about them because he was inexperienced. Based on Pat’s advice that his “nervous” feeling meant it was a prime area for personal (and business) growth, Salo did a full evaluation of all the areas in his business that made him nervous (growing his team, expanding overseas, co-branding deals) and made a plan for addressing those opportunities.

For example, Pat recommended that Salo seek out blogs that had reviewed specific organizing books because that would mean they’re already a great fit to work with Salo. Pat also recommended co-branding deals with influencers or brands, and while Salo is still nervous about pursuing that, he’s stepping into discomfort and taking action toward it.

8. Learn to See (and Conquer) “Superhero Syndrome”

For some reason, Salo didn’t hear Pat’s chat with Chris Ducker in episode 103 of the SPI Podcast until he had already started running his business. He was drowning in his to do list and this podcast opened the possibility of hiring out extra help.

Salo remembers hearing about outsourcing before but it was something he was nervous about: mostly because he didn’t understand how it worked and he didn’t believe it would work for him. It seemed like the moment Salo started down the path of conquering his “superhero syndrome,” he encountered yet another dreaded monster of entrepreneurship: “analysis paralysis.” With so many pieces of advice and options when it came to hiring, Salo relied on people like Pat and Chris Ducker, especially their advice to “just do it.”

After those massive mindset shifts, he has made a few key hires, including a virtual assistant (VA), writer, and designer, to help increase EzPacking’s impact on their customers. Here’s how:

One year ago, their website had almost no content on it. Customers would come to the site, buy, or leave.

With the additional team members, Salo now has the ability to add content to the site, educate his customers, and build loyal fans. His writer is doing most of the writing work, while the graphic designer is creating infographics, packing lists, and checklists. Then, his VA is putting everything together by interfacing between the other team members and adding the posts to Shopify.

There are so many tasks that you can outsource to talented people and Salo recommends starting off with social media management, customer service, graphic design, and going from there.

9. 1-to-1 Marketing Matters More Than Ever

In his July 2017 Income Report, Pat mentioned that he was using Bonjoro to send personal video messages to his customers.

Salo was extremely camera shy but after recording that video, he was more open to the possibility.

When I heard about Bonjoro, I was in the right mindset to give it a try. I’ve been using it for a month. I send a video to each new customer and it has made such a big difference. We used to do email follow up but these videos are so much more personal. My customers LOVE them and we are getting so many more reviews on our website and customer referrals because of this new follow up we are doing. It’s made a big impact in our business and it doesn’t take that much time.

Note: The only other time in his life that Salo had recorded a video of himself was for the Let Go challenge, above!

So, What’s Next for Salo and EzPacking?

He’s working on doubling his business again next year by growing his team and network of freelancers to improve efficiency.

This team will help him by allowing more time and freedom for Salo to spend time creating new products to sell online, focusing on content marketing, building their email list, and improving their SEO.

Long-term, Salo’s goal is to build another brand and replicate his success, like Pat has again and again with niche sites.

So that begs the question, what’s next for YOU? What’ve you learned from SPI in 2017 that you’re going to put into action in 2018? Let me know in the comments below.

Helpful Resources:

The Smart Passive Income Facebook Group

Pat’s YouTube Channel

The Smart Passive Income Podcast (iTunes)

Email the Smart Way

Affiliate Marketing the Smart Way

Bluehost – Website hosting [Full disclosure: Pat is an affiliate of Bluehost and will earn a commission if you purchase through this link.]

Bonjoro – Send personalized video messages to customers and fans

Is SPI Better Than Business School? 9 Lessons One Reader Used to Grow His Business originally posted at Homer’s Blog

[davidmhomerjr]

Is SPI Better Than Business School? 9 Lessons One Reader Used to Grow His Business

Welcome to our first of (hopefully) many SPI community member features! On our SPI Facebook Group, we have over 30,000 amazing entrepreneurs across all stages of business, and I wanted to start highlighting some of the amazing work the community members are doing with their businesses here on the blog.

Brendan Hufford, our Facebook Community manager, wrote this post to highlight Salo Mizrachi and his business, EzPacking.

You can also check out Brendan and his work at Photo MBA.

And if you haven’t done so already, click here to join the Facebook Group and be a part of the community!

In 2015, Salo Mizrachi took over his family business, grew it to six-figures in 2016, and doubled that in 2017.

Additionally, Salo saw NPR’s popular “How I Built This” podcast feature his business in a 2017 “How You Built That” story.

Sounds impressive, right?

But what if I also told you that in 2014, Salo was still in college for business, and his only “practical experience” came from reading the SPI blog and listening to the SPI podcast?

I had been following the SPI blog for almost two years by the time I started my business and a lot of the tactical, day to day ideas I was experimenting with I learned from Pat (not my college professors).

Like you, Salo realized you can learn almost everything you need to know on Google / YouTube.

But also like Salo, to see results you have to take action on what you learn.

Wanting to start “doing” the things he was learning about in business school, Salo graduated in three years instead of four.

Little did he know, his mom was brewing up a business of her own.

Frustrated with the packing process and wanting a way to easily organize her suitcase, Salo’s mom started a small company called EzPacking. She created a clear system of packing cubes to help other moms, like her, be organized.

She invited Salo on a trip with her to China to source materials and while he intended to go just to keep his mom company, the trip to China opened his eyes to the possibilities available for ecommerce businesses.

And yet, Salo’s real reason for joining his mom has nothing to do with business:

I joined my mom because she needed help. She needed a partner to accompany her on the roller coaster of entrepreneurship and someone to share the work/stress/euphoria. My mom had helped me out so many times in life that I wanted to at least get her set. If things went well, I could continue helping her. If other opportunities presented themselves, I could pursue those. It was so fun and exciting to run the business that I never looked back!

Their first customers were other women that his mom knew from his local community in San Diego. Salo can still recall the day he received his first batch of inventory:

We had worked all day unloading a container, got home at around 5 p.m. and already had three people that were desperate to have our product before leaving on vacation the next day!

While word of mouth was great to get initial feedback and support, it wasn’t a long-term strategy. This led Salo to split-test selling at a farmer’s market and selling online, but other than reading SPI and listening to the podcast, Salo had no experience with selling online so he wasn’t sure how successful it would be.

By the third week, they made more online daily than in a full day at the farmer’s market.

Since then, Salo Mizrachi has bought out his mom, runs his family business, and is having his most successful year ever.

How’d he do it?

Here’s nine business lessons Salo Mizrachi learned from SPI that he didn’t learn in business school:

1. Take your Email Marketing Strategy Seriously

Salo didn’t have a strong email strategy before reading Email the Smart Way. He was collecting email addresses on his website but he didn’t have a clear strategy for monetizing his email list. Pat’s guide helped him come up with ideas for our autoresponders that have dramatically improved his funnels. Yes, even physical product companies should use funnels! Recently, he’s noticed a large increase in conversion rates from implementing them.

2. How to Grow Your Business With No Budget

One of the big ways Salo grew EzPacking in the beginning (especially when they had no budget), was to collaborate with bloggers. He got this idea by reverse engineering Pat’s success as an affiliate. Salo chose to follow the lead of companies that Pat works with which have great affiliate programs (like Bluehost [Affiliate link: Pat will earn a commission if you purchase through this link]). Salo now has dozens of bloggers collaborations under his belt and many affiliates.

Salo even tells all of his new affiliates to sign up to Pat’s list to receive Affiliate Marketing the Smart Way so that they have the right mindset when working with him! Salo credits building EzPacking to over six figures to working with affiliates and reverse engineering Pat’s affiliate marketing methods.

Even if you don’t see yourself as being in the affiliate marketing business, you can use your knowledge to build an incredible affiliate program for your own products.

3. You Can Produce Engaging Content In a “Boring” Niche

Salo remembers listening to Hotseat #7 from Pat and Chris Ducker’s 1 Day Business Breakthrough Podcast. This podcast was extremely helpful for Salo because Pat and Chris talked about a bird feed company that didn’t know how to produce content around it’s niche. Salo was feeling the same thing at the time, not sure how to make his products interesting to prospects even though there were so many different topics to tackle.

Listening to this podcast stirred his creative juices and helped him realize he could write about all sorts of topics, ranging from smart packing tips to behind-the-scenes of EzPacking. Most of the content in their post-purchase and opt-in email sequences came from Salo’s brainstorming sessions after listening to this podcast.

4. Build Community Around Your Physical Products

In episode 269 of the SPI Podcast, Pat interviewed Tom from Chubbies shorts.

Chubbies is in a crowded market but they were able to stand out, making this podcast huge for Salo. He had thought about these kinds of companies before but had never broken down their formula for creating a strong brand in a crowded market. EzPacking has many competitors in their space and Salo learned so much in this episode about using content and social media to build a tribe in a crowded market. It definitely helped shape his strategic plans for the rest of the year.

As a result of listening to this episode, Salo totally changes his thinking around who they sell a product, but they could also create a community around organizing. Salo is creating an active facebook group for his customers to interact, meet and share. Above all else, this episode helped Salo clarify his brand’s tone to really focus on his target audience and create a culture based on participation in the community.

5. You Can Start Without Any “Experience”

Despite having gone to business school, Salo still credits Smart Passive Income with teaching him most of his “applicable” knowledge.

Salo remembers the exact moment when he listened to episode 122 of the SPI Podcast—a now famous episode where Pat interviewed Shane and Jocelyn Sams about their transition from teaching to rocking it in online business:

I was riding a bus in Rio de Janeiro in November 2014. I had graduated college and was solo traveling in South America. I didn’t have any business ideas yet but I knew I wanted to do something when I returned home. Shane and Jocelyn’s story was so inspiring to me. It made me feel like I could reach their levels of success. It was even more relatable to me than Pat’s story because they had started so recently and had no previous experience. My bus ride ended halfway through the episode but I stayed at the bus stop until the episode ended because I had to listen all the way through!

With the inspiration gleaned from this episode, Salo started his first niche website while on his trip and while he’s since shut the site down, he honed all of the basics (site design, research, etc.) with that first project.

6. Business Ideas Don’t Fall in Your Lap

In another immensely popular podcast episode, SPI #46, Pat interviewed Dane Maxwell. This episode was a huge value bomb for Salo. He was in college at the time and thinking about entrepreneurship but didn’t know how to get started.

The episode made him realize that you have to be proactive about finding a pain point by conducting interviews. He uses Dane’s idea extraction process all the time in his business, interviewing a few customers each month to find new pain points for new products that he can make and new sources of information he can provide to make their website and content even more helpful to his customers.

For example, Salo learned that a subset of his customers have difficulty organizing their purses and handbags. He’s currently developing new products to solve those pain points, keeping those customers in the loop to make sure he’s solving their specific need.

Additionally, Salo discovered that a segment of his customers, new moms, had a lot of questions around traveling and organizing for their newborn babies. Creating content for that part of his audience has been a big focus for 2018.

7. Don’t Be Afraid of New Mediums

For Pat’s Let Go Challenge, Salo submitted a video and was selected as one of the winners!

Salo didn’t get to meet Pat in San Diego, but did get on a call with Pat where they spoke about creative ways to expand Salo’s content strategy and use non-traditional mediums like co-marketing and conferences to spread the word.

Salo had a bit of resistance to these ideas but quickly realized he was nervous about them because he was inexperienced. Based on Pat’s advice that his “nervous” feeling meant it was a prime area for personal (and business) growth, Salo did a full evaluation of all the areas in his business that made him nervous (growing his team, expanding overseas, co-branding deals) and made a plan for addressing those opportunities.

For example, Pat recommended that Salo seek out blogs that had reviewed specific organizing books because that would mean they’re already a great fit to work with Salo. Pat also recommended co-branding deals with influencers or brands, and while Salo is still nervous about pursuing that, he’s stepping into discomfort and taking action toward it.

8. Learn to See (and Conquer) “Superhero Syndrome”

For some reason, Salo didn’t hear Pat’s chat with Chris Ducker in episode 103 of the SPI Podcast until he had already started running his business. He was drowning in his to do list and this podcast opened the possibility of hiring out extra help.

Salo remembers hearing about outsourcing before but it was something he was nervous about: mostly because he didn’t understand how it worked and he didn’t believe it would work for him. It seemed like the moment Salo started down the path of conquering his “superhero syndrome,” he encountered yet another dreaded monster of entrepreneurship: “analysis paralysis.” With so many pieces of advice and options when it came to hiring, Salo relied on people like Pat and Chris Ducker, especially their advice to “just do it.”

After those massive mindset shifts, he has made a few key hires, including a virtual assistant (VA), writer, and designer, to help increase EzPacking’s impact on their customers. Here’s how:

One year ago, their website had almost no content on it. Customers would come to the site, buy, or leave.

With the additional team members, Salo now has the ability to add content to the site, educate his customers, and build loyal fans. His writer is doing most of the writing work, while the graphic designer is creating infographics, packing lists, and checklists. Then, his VA is putting everything together by interfacing between the other team members and adding the posts to Shopify.

There are so many tasks that you can outsource to talented people and Salo recommends starting off with social media management, customer service, graphic design, and going from there.

9. 1-to-1 Marketing Matters More Than Ever

In his July 2017 Income Report, Pat mentioned that he was using Bonjoro to send personal video messages to his customers.

Salo was extremely camera shy but after recording that video, he was more open to the possibility.

When I heard about Bonjoro, I was in the right mindset to give it a try. I’ve been using it for a month. I send a video to each new customer and it has made such a big difference. We used to do email follow up but these videos are so much more personal. My customers LOVE them and we are getting so many more reviews on our website and customer referrals because of this new follow up we are doing. It’s made a big impact in our business and it doesn’t take that much time.

Note: The only other time in his life that Salo had recorded a video of himself was for the Let Go challenge, above!

So, What’s Next for Salo and EzPacking?

He’s working on doubling his business again next year by growing his team and network of freelancers to improve efficiency.

This team will help him by allowing more time and freedom for Salo to spend time creating new products to sell online, focusing on content marketing, building their email list, and improving their SEO.

Long-term, Salo’s goal is to build another brand and replicate his success, like Pat has again and again with niche sites.

So that begs the question, what’s next for YOU? What’ve you learned from SPI in 2017 that you’re going to put into action in 2018? Let me know in the comments below.

Helpful Resources:

The Smart Passive Income Facebook Group

Pat’s YouTube Channel

The Smart Passive Income Podcast (iTunes)

Email the Smart Way

Affiliate Marketing the Smart Way

Bluehost – Website hosting [Full disclosure: Pat is an affiliate of Bluehost and will earn a commission if you purchase through this link.]

Bonjoro – Send personalized video messages to customers and fans