![[Two skydivers freefly in red suits.] Blue Skies Magazine i113: May 2019 | On the cover: French freefly Team AirWax members Greg Crozier and Karine Joly photographed above Skydive Sebastian in Florida. Photo by Norman Kent normankent.com](/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/i113_May2019-244x300.jpg)
The best example I see is what my parents do every day.
Tag - DZ Marketing
Don’t Settle For Good
We've been made to believe that excellence or greatness is glamorous. It isn't. To be excellent is...
Five Skydiving Brands to Watch in 2017
Was James right in his 2017 predictions?
How to Win and Keep Skydiving Sponsors
All brands in the world want to associate with a powerful force of energy that’s light, bright...
The Weakest Link
What business school didn’t account for is the happiness factor of people.
The Six Traits of Highly Successful DZOs
The best DZOs recognize that they can't do it all and must build a team based on both skill and...
Listen to the Churn
Will this be the year that you allow yourself to be vulnerable and take the risk in order to pursue...
Lessons from Lodi: The Perfect Storm
How one skydiving center operates can affect the rest. We’ve got a blind spot, and few can agree...
Make People Feel Special
The epiphany came while sitting in my office trying to answer the question, “If I went to a boogie...
Sport in Crisis?
Common sense says the low price of $99 to $169 tandems can't possibly be maintained.
Let’s Give a Zach Welcome
I think that we all want to have a sense of belonging and walking into a DZ for the first time can...
Know Culture, Know Happiness
Online Reprint Originally printed in issue #78 (June 2016) of Blue Skies Magazine. This article...
All for the Love
Can there be a more pure form of sport than one in which participants literally put their lives on...
The Toughest Gig in Skydiving
To be a DZO is to be fraught with worry the majority of the time.
Manufacturing 100-Percent Reliability
"When creating a device that must work 100 percent of the time in order to save a life, failure is...
Live the Dream
If you’re toying with an idea, a career move, the aspiration to open and develop your own business...
The Gentleman DZO
If you’ve ever jumped at Skydive Carolina, you know it’s a DZ that welcomes guests with Southern...
Take the Risk to Pursue Your Passion
As a child, I remember my father saying to me, “Son, if you decide to be a garbage man, be the best...
The Spirit of Lower Light
Arriving at Lower Light is a little like walking into the past. This DZ has been around for more...
More than an Audible: Larsen & Brusgaard
Mads Larsen and Niels Brusgaard were RW pioneers on the weekends but worked as mechanical and...
Could you be Des Moines Skydivers’ sugar momma?
The Des Moines Skydivers are looking for women who are able to put up with our adrenaline seeking...
With Gratitude
Today while driving home I passed a truck that was proudly flying the Confederate flag. I felt my...
The Road Ahead
Not since the phenomenon of “Point Break” in 1991 has the U.S. Parachute Association seen a surge...
Reflection, Perspective and Privilege
This week has been one of reflection. On Wednesday, I attended a marketing conference where I had...
The Magic in Great Marketing
In 2004, the skincare company Dove came up with an incredible concept: Showcase women for who they...
Welcome to the Wisconsin Skydiving Center
In the small, quiet town of Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin is a drop zone offering one of the best...
Want Great Marketing? Start with Culture.
This morning, I was scheduled to make an early hotel pickup for some guests who would be kayaking...
Killing The Competition, La Barrie Style
My parents are extraordinary people. Aside from being married for more than 38 years, they have...
If You Want to Make Money … Stop Worrying About Money
I’m an avid “60 Minutes” fan despite being under the age of 50. A couple of weeks ago, Anderson...
Marathon Training Sucks
So why am I talking about running a marathon in a skydiving magazine? Because managing a DZ is lot...
How to Not Hate Skydiving
It’s October. The end of the season is nearly here. If you’re a DZO, how do you feel? You’re tired...
The Devil Is In the Details
The emotions felt on a first date aren’t dissimilar to those felt by our students who come to the...
Connect, Inspire … Win
If skydiving was more prominent in the national spotlight, Airspeed would have sponsorships with...
A Cultural Revolution
They say it is easier to be accepted to Harvard University than it is to be hired at the Zappos.com...
Transformative Marketing: Culture, Service, WOM
The tides are changing in our sport. They say competition makes you better and if that’s the case...
Competing Against the Evil Empire
The great irony of being a DZO is the disparity between what an up jumper experiences and what a...
DZOs: You Need Yelp
Once considered to be in a different category from marketing, customer service has transitioned...
We’re Creating Quitters
The sport of skydiving routinely provides new students with every opportunity to …quit. Here’s a...