In a recent post, Colin Beveridge wrote about an interview question he’s seen a lot: what are three words your colleagues would use to describe you?

Most job seekers have rehearsed this answer to the point where it has probably lost its power. But imagine you were asked this question in the elevator with just 30 seconds to answer. What would you say?

Go. (Use a timer, no cheating.)

Three weeks ago, on June 28 to be exact, our cherry tomato plants blossomed. Three months of labor – from seedlings to pruning – finally produced exquisite tiny yellow blossoms, clustered together like groups of giggling girls waiting to be asked to dance.

Of course, these girls weren’t ready to dance. To be blunt, they weren’t ripe.

First drafts are much like that. From goal setting, to problem defining, to searching for that big idea, there’s a lot of work to get to those oh-so-magical initial ideas. When they come, they’ll come fast and furious, until your magnetic whiteboard is covered with enough creativity to fill a small Soho gallery. But while you usually hit a wall after you’ve exhausted this initial bout of creativity, first drafts are typically not ready for prime time.

What’s a poor copywriter to do?

A vegetable gardener could tell you. Go mow the lawn. Organize your Rolodex. Nap.

All the while, your ideas will grow. When they’re ripe – bang! It’s like the excitement of seeing that first hint of red peeking out from under a yellowed tomato leaf. (If you don’t already, keep a pen and paper – or iPhone voice recorder – with you at all times.)

What’s the use in waiting for ideas to ripen when a first round idea may seem perfectly suitable? Let’s answer that question with a question.

Would your customers rather eat a juicy tomato or a tomato blossom?

That’s all from the farm. I hope you had a an enjoyable weekend – or week for those of you who’ve been out on vacation. I’m looking forward to a full week, and hopefully producing some good ‘maters.

Hope all is well with you and your businesses in California. As we sit sweltering in the Midwest heat and humidity, we hear your weather has been beautiful.

Speaking of the Midwest, many of you have asked why we traded SoCal sunscreen for Deep Woods Off! We thought we’d address that issue in a way that’s beneficial for both of us.

As you all know, business is business, and when we ran the numbers, we figured we’d be better off financially (and mentally) in Ohio. I’ve seen 3 bedroom foreclosures that would go for around $150,000 in Palm Desert go for $32,000 out here. And while people here wave, smile, and know your relatives by name, they still know to leave you a bit of privacy.

As idyllic as Ohio sounds, businesses here don’t have a lot to pour into their marketing budgets.

So what’s an ad man to do?

Why not offer services to bigger companies, in bigger cities, with bigger marketing budgets?

I know, I know – you’re shaking your heads, “Please, what can this country bumpkin do for us?”  

Well, I’ve picked up a few things from growing tomatoes:

1. Tomato plants need a steady diet of nutrients and water.
2. They need strong sun, but if they get too much, they wilt.
3. Tomatoes need plenty of space to grow and regular tending to bear the most fruit.

Let’s just say I’m planted in good soil, with plenty of space. I’ve got a good gardener tending me too, the same one that waters my tomatoes. As for my writing, I’ve got ideas sprouting right and left. My wife, Suzanna – a fantastic writer in her own vein – serves as my in-house copy pruner, proofing and editing when my copy gets a bit unruly.

So why hire us?

• Maybe you have some customers down in the holler who wersh their clothes in the crick. We can translate your ideas into something they’ll understand.
• Maybe you’re going through an unexpected growth spurt and need some temporary copy help.
• Or maybe you just want to save some of your hard earned dough – we charge a third of what those big city chaps charge because we can. (No offense, big city chaps.)

Whatever the case, we’re available. Writing assignments only. Nothing where we need to be in daily committee meetings – aka the best writing environments EVER! Grunt work like email campaigns, web pages, print ads, PPC copy. Stuff where you want people to click or buy. That’s our strong suit.

But remember, we country folk get up with the chickens, which is 3am for you Pacific Rimmers. This is a good thing. It means if we talk (Skype, video chat, phone, whatever) on a Monday morning, it’s likely we’ll have a couple of ideas by late afternoon and a draft or two by noon Tuesday your time. Gotta love that time difference. And if we have to turn down a project to go mend the fences, we’ll let you know up front so you can plan accordingly.

It’s probably early, so go get some coffee and think it over. If you need us, we’ll be out in the garden, the only place we get cell reception.

Be well.

All the best in business & in life,
Brent Miller