[Matt Landau]

What do Japanese whiskey, oysters at a hardware store, and limited edition basketball jerseys have in common?

We'll get to that in a moment...

This week I had the chance to see many of you ( Megan C MichelleR Matthew BrianO BlakeM AndyM Nars StacyW GregoryF) at the NWVRP Conference in Oregon, where I featured an important new workshop titled First Mover Status, now available for your educational pleasure (paying members please check inbox for a 100% off coupon).

The First Mover Status workshop (and corresponding worksheet) is a creative process to identify your innovation in your market (using ANY of the many innovations we cover as inspiration) in order to gain unfair competitive advantages over competitors.

And one model we propose is "Passion Projects" -- which, on my flight home to Miami, really had me reflecting...on how the Pacific Northwest is the quintessential creator's economy: FULL of small, local, specialized business people getting obsessed about their niche (whether it's products, services).

This brings me back to Japanese whiskey, oysters at a hardware store, and vintage basketball jerseys.

They are things I purchased in the last 3 days in Oregon. Not because I went to Oregon to intentionally buy them...but because their stewards were so passionate about their products and that passion rubbed off on me and I was convinced!

When you sell something you are passionate about, you're not competing with those selling widgets...because you're actually not even selling, you are championing from the heart. When you are not using conventional business metrics nor marketing practices to measure your success, you competing on your own authentic terms....which is perplexing to those who don't operate on these terms (If you get a majority of word-of-mouth referrals you likely are already doing this)

So I wanted to do a thread this week to ask: "What (about your destination) are you passionate about?!

• What specifically about your destination (to borrow a phrase from Virginia) makes your heart race?
• What food or activities or sights or experiences are you obsessed with?
• What could you talk about forever?
• What local place or person brings you great joy?
• What or who do you champion?

The answers that will begin to populate below are the great differentiators that you possess against all of your competitors...so dive deep into them and make sure your guests get to experience them too.

 

[MeganM]

I've actually been doing a lot of thinking on this lately and I've really had a hard time putting my finger on ONE thing. Overall, we just love the ENERGY of Nashville and how all. the. things come together to make it a fun and exciting place. I just signed up for your workshop using the code in hopes maybe that will help us narrow it down more.

 

[Robin]

• What specifically about your destination (to borrow a phrase from Virginia) makes your heart race?

Champagne Powder...to ski it is to believe it! The most incredible feeling is to ride fresh powder because it's like floating on air...because you literally are...

• What food or activities or sights or experiences are you obsessed with?

I kind of love cycling...a great work out.. a great way to see the world..and a great way to socialize with friends

• What could you talk about forever?

This crazy industry...every part of it. The challenges, the successes, the problems overcome, the experiences created as a result, and the lives positively impacted - employees, owners, guests.

• What local place or person brings you great joy?

My family...and my team...that is my family!

• What or who do you champion?

The MM Team...the best team ever!

 

[RichardC]

Interestingly we have reverse engineered this type on thinking, thanks for our housekeeper. Occasionally she will make a comment like, "no one else does that" suggesting to us that's not the way everyone decorates or gives away a goodie bag. Although it seems to infuriate her! This encourages us to do more of the same. It sets us apart. As vacation rental home owners we want our offering to be different and not to follow a hotel chain or one of our neighbours.

 

[DMartinez]

• What specifically about your destination (to borrow a phrase from Virginia) makes your heart race?
  Actually, it's the fact that my heat is NOT racing, that makes Sea Ranch such a wonderful location it's where we and all our guests (especially from San Francisco/Silicon Valley) come to exhale and slow down their pulse.
  
  
  
• What food or activities or sights or experiences are you obsessed with?
  Our tagline is "Experience nature at your doorstep" while our community's motto is "Live lightly on the land." For example see our IG photo. Then there was this one taken and shared by a guest of a fox that took our motto literally💩
  Food experiences in our restaurants are all locally sourced... grown locally, fished locally, harvested locally...meaning picking your own mushrooms in the morning and then preparing them in the evening.
  The architecture. This location is ALL about the architecture, Third Bay Tradition-
  The Sea Ranch style (see my house) is a version of the Third Bay Tradition: The Sea Ranch–style homes incorporate sloping rooflines to accommodate winds from the ocean, untreated wood siding, and muted colors. It's based on ecological principles with minimal impact on the native environment.
  Supergraphic art style- the mark of The Sea Ranch
  
  
• What could you talk about forever?
  Whales on the horizon, harbor seals with their pups to the right of me, deer to the left of me, fox, bobcats, mountain lions, herons, cormorants in between.
  The quiet, the peace, living in the middle an Eden of the wild
  The Architecture... I'm still learning about it.
  
  
• What local place or person brings you great joy?
  The Sea Ranch Lodge- is iconic with its remodel and newly reopened.
  Lupe- the bartender at the marvelous St Orres (seriously check it out). She's a magician and her basil martini is magical. The party begins and ends with her.
  
  
• What or who do you champion?
  Living lightly on the land