Good morning!
This week's rhyme every time introduction is inspired by Wes Eishold's quote in a recent Wednesday Magazine post.
“A poem is a light in the dark of the night”
If you're unfamiliar with Wes & his wife Amy's publishing house Heartworm Press & books store, The Daily Planet. Heartworm Press began in 2006 to release Wes' recordings and writing, from cassettes to fanzines, blossoming into offset printed books, deluxe vinyl, curated collections, multi-media, and an annual literary journal of contemporary and classic cultural figures. Check their new arrivals here.
In other news, I'm back in the Dam since yesterday morning after a week in Florida with my son & daughter. We had a blast & even got to ride tall bikes at Mr. Rodger's Bike Shop! : )
Today we have a new intern, Melissa, kicking off, and this week marks a month since we welcomed Charlie to the Twotone team!
Since you heard from me last week:
- 🎁 The Twotone Annual Gift Guide went live! We'll be adding a few more goodies in the coming weeks as nice ideas catch our eye, so lemme know if you have tips!
- 📻 The Mechanics of Joy returns this week with special guest Petor Georgallou, aka Dear Susan & Co-Organizer of Bespoked! Add it to your agenda to not miss the show.
- 🚴 I'm talking about 500k in-a-day rides on Nov. 23 at Rapha Amsterdam with several other speakers. RSVP here.
- 📦 We're attending the International Cargo Bike Festival Nov 24-26 with Omnium at the Rohloff booth!
- 🥳 #Twotoneturnsnine, Dec 1 at our office!
- Tattoos – sneak peeks of flash designs are coming through soon!
- We did our Hold Your Line, You'll Be Fine shirt drop! – Order before Nov. 13 for €10 off & free shipping!
That's it for the intro this week!
as always, thank you so much for reading & sharing this newsletter!
Jon
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Cycling
The Twotone Gift Guide 2023
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The Twotone Gift Guide is an annual tradition here in the office that, of course, collates some fave products from our customers but also some unexpected offerings as well. It's not set in stone, so if you have additions you like us to consider, let me know!
The Ultimate Guide To a Perfect Bike Wash
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#yourbikehatesyou, so you might as well take SILCA's tips for a proper bicycle spa experience!
The War on War on Cars
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"People get emotional about their cars, making them potent culture war fodder." I know this first hand from my recent time in the USA. Though I see the needle moving slowly. Great post, Ali!
Business
The Public Relations Podcast: Ways to get journalists attention in PR & lots more
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The PR techniques discussed in this week's show with Jon Woodroof 🚴 from Twotone Amsterdam are pretty varied......
- Creating go-to resources for journalists and how to build lasting personal relationships in the industry, including unique ways to engage from hosting parties with tattoos to crafting newsletters that actually get read.
- We look at the importance of a long-term focus over quick results, and why data should inform but not dictate your strategies.
- The importance of getting journalists/content creators hands-on with products and ideas.
- We discuss employee advocacy programmes and how they can be implemented but also the challenges from a comms perspective.
- We even discuss how you could partner with rival firms or organisations in a way that benefits both of you.
As usual, it's packed with ideas and discussion for independent PRs and in-house comms pros.
10 Tips for Saying an Effective "No"
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lol. Okay, this one is hard for me. Some great tips in here. My .02? Have a system & criteria in place to leverage instead of relying on judgment calls. I use Calendly for this. "Sure, we can meet, it just might be 6 weeks from now." 🙈 p.s. While we're on the topic: What to say instead of 'I'm Sorry', 3 ways to respond to difficult questions you don’t want to answer,
The Art of Quitting
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Allie Volpe is a senior reporter at Vox covering mental health, relationships, wellness, money, home life, and work. If you're holding your line but wonder if its worth your time. Give this one a read. Allie quotes Annie Duke, author of Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away in saying: “Our goal in life is to stick with things that are worthwhile and quit all the rest.” Word.
Friends
Riding with Rie: Super Chill Bday Bikepacking Vol. 1
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Brompton Owners Stories - Kim Peters
Shot & edited by my colleague Kike for #twotoneclients, Brompton; this Brompton Owners story features our friend Kim Peters who resides in Bussum, a small town 30km outside of Amsterdam. I love it! : )
True Love Will Find You In The End, A cover of Daniel Johnston by Benjamin Southworth.
Benjamin, this is beautiful! I heard it because he recently reshared it. I sing this song for my kids, but Benjamin's rendition puts mine to shame! Listen to more of his music here. And more about him in his own words here.
Radness
Inside Just Pedal, Wheelrunner, and Studio ROOK
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Such a rad feature, Evan! Awesome how amped Jelle, Rokus & Bas all are & their customers too!
Thank you for reading!