Yannick Lorenz

She said “Yea, Sure.”

The perfect surprise turned into the perfect night and a perfect rainy weekend in NYC. You are more than I could have dreamed of. I can’t believe I get to call you mine. Forever.

Over the weekend, I fell into a deep AI rabbit hole 🐰🕳️

As AI rapidly advances, it can feel overwhelming to keep up. I know it does for me.

For me, the best way to cure anxiety and get clear is to write. So here are my thoughts and how I will apply them throughout my business.

1/ Signal vs. Noise

It feels almost impossible to detect the real value in the firehose of information we are being fed. Everywhere you look is a new "tool" or "guide" on how to become the next AI millionaire in just 15 minutes a day.

How do you decide what to focus on?

2/ Opportunity vs. Distraction

Shiny object syndrome is nothing new in the startup space. Founders and creators easily get distracted, which dilutes your product and offering.

Those that will be great are able to stay the course and play the long game. Focus is a moat.

3/ Ignorance isn't Bliss

Now that does not mean to run with blinders on. Simply ignoring this space and its advances all together will quickly turn from a fallacy into a detriment.

To decipher what to ignore/focus on will be the difference between failure and success for many.

4/ Augment Yourself

The way I am thinking about is that AI will be most powerful when augmenting an already existing skillset.

It is not capable of being creative by itself (kinda), but produces much better results when fed and prompted by the right human counterparts.

5/ Quantity vs. Quality

The second advantage will come when using your AI assistant for busy work or quantitative tasks.

Think about anything that becomes better when you do more of it - cold emails, SEO landing pages, digital advertising.

6/ Rapid Prototyping

As many in this space, I am not technical myself but understand the basic of code and how it works.

With AI, we will be able to quickly add features to existing projects or test entirely new ones on the fly. My weekends will be spent doing this.

6/ Continued...

To support that last point, here is one of my favorite quotes from :

"What the smartest people do on the weekend is what everyone else will do during the week in ten years."

7/ The Bubble

With all that being said, always remember that we live in a bubble. Most people outside of are still largely unaware that this technology exists and how fast it is advancing.

You are early.

8/ The Hype Cycle

On top of that, as many before me have stated, we are also in a hype cycle.

Remember when every company was announcing their meta verse play? This feels eerily similar. It won't end the same, but it will pay off to remain cautious and keep a clear head.

9/ The Long Game

We are at the beginning of this journey. Most of the technology we are seeing today will not be around in a few months or years.

Remember the early days of the app store - the beer drinking & light saber apps - that is what most of the current products are.

10/ One More Thing

Have you noticed one big player that is still missing from this space? Do you think a trillion dollar company will just sit and watch?

Once enters this space, everything will change. ChatGPT is the new Blackberry. The iPhone has not been built yet.

To wrap it up, there is huge opportunity coming our way. It can feel overwhelming to decide where to direct your attention.

Those able to practice "Intellectual Humility" will be able to cut through the noise, see the opportunity, and capitalize at the right time.

TLDR;

To succeed in the new world, you must:

• Find the signal in the noise
• Stay focused & on-track
• Be aware of advancements
• Multiply yourself
• Augment yourself
• Realize the bubble & hype
• Settle in for the long game
..and maybe even have some along the way.

🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩

Bad clients will hurt your business.

The creative business is a people business. The people you work with will directly affect your energy, motivation, and creativity. Learn to choose them wisely.

Identify these red flags before they cost you:

Back when playing college football, a coach would say: "You can't go broke taking a profit."

He was referring to making small plays instead of always trying to go big.

Unfortunately, this saying does not hold true in business.

Some clients will cost you more than they are worth.

Project delays, unrealistic timelines, and poor communication will not only hurt in the short-term but also stifle your long-term growth.

Avoid this early by spotting these red flags:

1/ Your time is not a joke

"You should be able to get this done in a couple of hours"

If you've been doing this for a while, you've probably heard clients say this. This is not a badge of honor but a disrespect to your time and process.

Clients like this will see you as a robot that runs when you feed it quarters. Somebody that is simply trading time for money.

Unfortunately, they will never see the true value of your or your work. This will show up in many different forms and quickly erode the relationship.

2/ Unrealistic turn-around times

Clients with poor time management and forecasting skills will constantly look to you to bail them out.

They will need you to turn around projects in impossible timelines because they did not have the foresight to approach you sooner.

Besides the added stress, this also means putting other projects on hold. Projects that could potentially grow into something bigger.

It all starts and ends with how you want to be seen. If you do not respect your time, your clients won't either.

3/ Act like your only client

When growing your career, you have plenty of things to juggle. Besides the financial and legal obligations, you also want to make sure that every client feels taken care of.

You want to keep them happy so that they stick around for a very long time.

This can easily be undermined when that one client acts like your only client.

The clear signs for this are calling you at any time of the day, requesting last-minute meetings, or extending meetings to work on the deliverables right then and there.

4/ Treat you like an employee

Yes, the client hired you. But, not as an employee but as a partner. The playing field should be equal, and for a healthy relationship, there needs to be mutual respect on both sides.

It becomes tricky when those lines get blurred.

The true value of respecting yourself and your business goes way beyond any dollar amount. You started on this career path to gain independence and be your own boss.

It is important to stick by your guns and even be ready to fire a client when those boundaries are not respected.

5/ No real direction

The harsh reality of things is this: Nobody else knows what they are doing either. On top of that, large corporations like working with outside vendors because:

a) It is easy to cast blame on an outsider
b) They are easily replaced

Therefore, it often happens that bad clients will not do the work on their end. Instead, they will come to you with a half-baked idea and expect you to make them look good.

Often times without providing the necessary guidance, direction, or even assets (such as copywriting).

Yes, it is your job to be an expert in your field. However, there is only so much you can do without the right support.

Learn to recognize this early and feel comfortable pushing back before starting a new project. With the right client, this will actually earn you respect.

6/ Unavailable when needed

Being ghosted is never fun and it becomes even more painful when you have to chase a client for content, assets, or payment.

Be sure to set clear expectations for communication early in your process.

Too often, a bad client will expect you the be available at any time of the day, but then be unavailable when you need them. This can lead to serious project delays, which will have ripple effects on other projects and your cash flow.

7/ Payment Delays

Last but definitely not least, is the problem of delayed payments. The client wants you to start yesterday, but when it comes to paying the bills it turns into a constant chase.

It should not be your job to make sure their accounting is in order.

Your contract should include clear clauses around payments.

It can be tough and awkward to enforce this kind of legal language, but it becomes easier when you realize that by delaying payment the client is directly disrespecting you and your business.

TLDR;

A good client relationship comes down to mutual respect. Identify these warning signs early on:

• Joking about your time
• Unrealistic timelines
• Acting entitled
• Treat you like employee
• No real direction
• Poor communication
• Payment delays

Reading this back, I totally realize that this is just me venting after almost 10 years of managing client relationships 😅

My next thread will be around actionable steps to avoid these issues and build the foundation for a good working relationship.

All of you is all I could ever need.

Simply The Best.

And the California Farewell Tour continues… 🎡🐭🌭

It's time to grow!!

We are beyond excited to be hiring for our first Visual Designer to join our growing team 🤓

This person would be the first Visual Designer on our team and with that have a massive opportunity for growth. We are looking for somebody passionate about No Code, Webflow, and dope websites.

Sounds like you or somebody you know? Apply through the link below 👇🏼

Being an entrepreneur is the biggest honor I could ever imagine.

The ups and downs, the laughing and the arguing, the celebrating and the agony.

It was always about doing something that has an impact. And nothing feels more like impact than a roller coaster of emotion. With so many people stuck in their daily routines, this is truly a gift worth more than what you could ever expect.

The progress we’ve made since the beginning of the year in our thinking, approach, and just overall vision for the company is truly amazing.

The ability to change on a dime like this and immediately implement our own thinking into our daily lives, was one of the main reasons why we started this company in the first place.

"The best thing about startups? You only ever experience two emotions: euphoria and terror. And I find that lack of sleep enhances them both.” -

Yannick Lorenz updated their business hours.

Yannick Lorenz updated their website address.

Yannick Lorenz updated their phone number.

Persist and Resist. Persist in your efforts. Resist giving into distraction, discouragement and disorder.

I acknowledge the fact that I will never completely understand the feelings of pain and helplessness, but I will stand with you.

⚫️✊🏻✊🏼✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿

Would give just about everything to be with these crew right now and wrap my arms around this super Mama right here 👸🏼

Road tripping to the end of the year. And what a year it has been 🍾

Ain’t no party like a Sausage Haus Party 🌭🎉
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Such an awesome weekend with these three sexy animals!!
@ Glenwood Springs, Colorado

Hi. I'm back.
And I know nobody asked, but I'm still going to tell you where I have been.
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Sometimes in life, you need to take a step back and reevaluate your priority. That's right. Singular. ☝🏼
In our fast-paced world, it feels as if we need to achieve more and more every single day. Instead of using the downtime that technology provides us by minimizing the time common tasks used to take (think meal delivery services, etc.) to relax, we try and cram in even more work. We are always available and will jump up in tune with every new notification that pop ups. We are working for our phones. But shouldn't it be the other way around?
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Look, obviously I can see the irony here - complaining about the issues with our phones...on social media. But taking time away, has already paid off. So I want to invite you to do the same. So what if you don't answer that text today? What would happen if just shut off your phone right now for the rest of the day? Or even better, what if you just left it at home tomorrow? If those are scary thoughts, think about what that says about who is really in control. Personally, I don't like anybody or anything telling me what to do. Do you?

In case you haven’t noticed, I am desperately obsessed with this woman right here ☝🏼
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And last week she gave me yet another reason to be. Not only has she completely changed the way I view life and myself, but she does it with so much love and grace that it has made the happiest I’ve ever been.
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On top of that, she had an entire day planned for my birthday - ranging from donuts over couples massages all the way to a steak dinner. It wasn’t just the perfect birthday but quite possibly one of the best days EVER ♥️

Dubrovnik is simply packed with history and it really helps fuel the adventure in and outside of the Old City Walls 🏰
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What's the next place you want to go to? Why?
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📍 : Old City, Dubrovnik, Croatia
📸 : Canon Rebel T6i

Life is all about momentum...
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Once you are moving in the right direction, chances are it is going to stay like that. Unfortunately, for many of us the opposite is often the case. When we feel down, we lock ourselves at home, watch TV and simply waste away.
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Time to break that pattern!! One little step into productivity can change your entire mindset and fill you with accomplishment and joy. Before you know it, you will be off and running towards your wildest goals. But what do I know? 😏
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📍 : Red Sand Beach, Santorini, Greece
📸 : Canon Rebel T6i

Let's talk about
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You've probably heard that term thrown around in the past few weeks or months. Basically, it is the theory that your thoughts can control future outcomes. If you believe in something fully, the universe will grant it to you. Sounds like a bunch of Hocus Pocus? Maybe. But if it grants you everything you've ever wanted it might be worth the try 🧙🏼‍♂️
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With that being said, not a surprise that my eyes are locked on you... .nicole
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📍 : Oia, Santorini, Greece
📸 : Canon Rebel T6i

Do I even need a caption here? 🌿
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If you want to get “the shot” in Santorini, you better get up early. Crowds swarm the popular instagram spots just after sunset...we also got kicked out two seconds after taking this picture because it was private property 😅🤷🏼‍♂️ gotta get the shot!
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📍: Oia, Santorini, Greece
📸 :

My face when they just won’t get out of your shot 😒
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The Acropolis and Parthenon were absolutely incredible but you better get there early because it gets buuuuuh-sy
👫👬👬👭👫👭👬👭
Buy your tickets in advance to skip the line BUT be sure to read the fine print - some tickets need to be picked up, which puts you back in the line anyway...
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📍: Acropolis, Athens, Greece
📸 : Canon Rebel T6i

What an ass !! 🐴
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These little dudes are all over Santorini and available to take you up or down the many stairs that lead from the town all the way to the bay. Who would be down? 🙋🏼‍♂️
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📍: Amoudi Bay, Santorini, Greece
📸 : Canon Rebel T6i
@ Santorini

Reminiscing back to when my only worry was what to eat for breakfast 🥞
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This room was by far my favorite on the entire trip!! The entire thing was built inside a cave, your own private pool and look at that view 😲 is there anything better to wake up to?
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📍: Oia, Santorini, Greece
📸 : Canon Rebel T6i
🇬🇷

History doesn’t repeat itself; but it does rhyme 🎡
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📍: The London Eye, London, GB
📸 :

Back to our regularly schedule program...
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If you visit one place while in Barcelona it has to be !! There are very few moments in my life I felt as overwhelmed as I did when walking into this magical place ✨
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And I literally wasn’t able to close my mouth for a solid 15 minutes 😅 who else has been??

The road to success... (please read) 🙋🏼‍♂️
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As of this week, I am no longer part of and will not be Co-Hosting any future shows. Over the past year, mine and Ryan‘s visions have developed into different direction to a point where it simply became impossible to work together any longer. While I am frustrated with the way it ended, I am relieved that it did and am now looking forward to new opportunities.
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While health & Fitness will always be a part of my life, I can simply no longer agree with the ideals being portrayed. Spending hours at a time in the gym is not only a killer to your health but your quality of life overall. There is so much more to see in the world and I believe that if you are not a professional athlete, you should stop working out like one.
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Life your live to the fullest.
Believe that you can.
Find balance.
On to the next one ✌🏼

Got that Barcelona feeling!! Completely in love with this city and everything that comes with it 🐂