Declining Loyalty: United Airlines

It's June of 2014 and I'm on the phone with the the loyalty desk at American Airlines. More specifically, the Executive Platinum desk of the airline that serves their most loyal customers that fly over 100,000 miles per year. I'm sitting next to a pool and asking the agent on the phone if she could upgrade me to first class. The agent puts me on hold for a few minutes and comes back on the line indicating that they have specifically filed a request to open up space in first class for me. That's American Airlines and that is my definition of loyalty. 

And it's not a one-time occurrence. On a flight between New York and Miami, I miss my chance for an upgrade. A flight-attendant comes up to me in coach and asks me what I would like to eat and drink - on the house - since I wasn't upgraded. That's loyalty. 

On the other hand, it's November of 2013 and I'm flying between Mumbai and Newark on United Airlines. I am fortunate enough to have 3 seats next to me that are open. I ask the flight attendant to move my brother into one of these Economy Plus seats. She refuses. I then ask the purser to do so. And she refuses as well. Not only do I fly over 75,000 miles per year on United Airlines, entitling me to 8 companions in Economy Plus, my brother is an elite (or "Premier") member as well - primarily through high fares, thanks to corporate flying. 

I pay $179 for the upgrade and let it slide. Upon arriving in Newark, I immediately call the CEO's office and send them a scathing email with facts and the non-recognition of benefits. I get a call back within 24 hours and all is taken care of.

United Airlines has significantly downgraded its loyalty program, but worse, has nearly destroyed any and all goodwill it had built up over the past few years - even with customers - that flew over 200,000 miles on their airline while spending upwards of $40,000 per year. 

United Airlines is not the first company to chase after the next penny instead of enjoying what they have now. However, it seems to be the only airline that is actively trying to piss off its customers just to please the market - a tactic that will definitely and absolutely fail. 

Believing in Yourself

Through a series of missteps, I had dinner with a friend on the final night of Memorial Day weekend. Apart from catching up, we spent time discussing deeper things that we all deal with – careers, work and personal situations.

Although this person is a friend, in my professional opinion as someone who has produced 200+ TV shows, I can confidently say that she is one of the better people suitable for a job that requires on camera experience. Her current gig? Entirely different.

And she’s not alone. I was once in that bucket and every once in a while still am. It takes a lot of courage to go out and do the one thing that the system has failed to do – believe in your self. The system is designed to be a series of education levels, job promotions, two-week vacations and a path to retirement.

I have yet to find anyone who agrees with that

But, the system is not designed for failure. The system is designed for success and learning through failure. I can’t even count the amount of times, me or my ideas have been rejected. You will always ether be too young or too old to have a relationship with someone. You will always either be too rich or too poor to afford certain items. And you will – always – have the world against you regardless of how good your ideas are.

Fortunately, none of that matters.

My mentor and the one and only person who taught me photography was 70 when I met him. I had dinner with him and his wife at their house when my grandmother passed away and when the rest of my family was dealing with the rituals. Age doesn’t matter. Relationships do.

4 years ago, I couldn’t truly afford a plane ticket to Bangkok for my brother and I. Last year, we flew to Hong Kong for 2 days in business class. Money doesn’t matter. Experiences do.

3 years ago, the studio I was running and was the majority investor in, didn’t have enough money in its bank account to buy another meal. Less than 24 hours later, we booked a campaign that saved us from shutting our doors. Safety doesn’t matter. Believing in yourself does.

3 years ago, I was fired from my first adult job. 72 hours after that, I was hired to run ad campaigns for two of the largest companies in the world. Failure doesn’t matter. Courage does.

Life is a about experiences and people that you meet. Make it worth your while and make sure that you believe in you. Others do, so why not you?

Death by Status Quo

I’m writing this on a flight between Los Angeles and New York, with a stop in Dallas. Why? I need the miles to retain my frequent-flyer status with American Airlines.

Last week, I did the same flight, except it was between Hawaii and New York.

The week before, it was Tampa and New York.

It’s been a crazy few weeks and I’ve never been more productive.

A little over 2 months ago, I left my last full-time job to pursue PaLaCart. It was time to give up my last roots to a tradition that has been expected of people for a very long time.

And I couldn’t be happier. PaLaCart has raised a significant amount of money since then. I’ve traveled to Ecuador, Tampa, Hawaii and Los Angeles over the past few weeks and a few more trips coming up shortly.

During this process, I’ve also cut down most non-essential activities and responsibilities to focus on the company and to help other entrepreneurs grow their businesses. As Twitter would say, it’s the #bestjobever.

But – this isn’t a post about my company or a change in lifestyle. It’s about uncertainty and how people deal with changes. As I’ve gone from entertainment to advertising to entrepreneurship, I’ve had the privilege of working with and knowing so many talented people. But, they’re terrified of pursuing their dreams. It’s natural. It took me years to rip off the band-aid. You may not be successful on the first try, but the perspective gained is far more valuable than any form of professional education.

Death by status-quo is the worst form of regret and the worst way to live life. If you have an idea – go out and pursue it. I promise you that the experiences – regardless of the end result.

Thinking Before Doing

As I transition away from working in corporate environment to a full-time entrepreneur, I’ve run into a strange problem lately – passion. Big companies do things because a) they’re easy or b) they’re cost effective. However, the opposite is true for startups. Startups are driven by pure passion and the drive to solve hard problems.

Whether it’s re-inventing e-commerce (shameless plug) or disrupting medicine, there is a lot of work that needs to be done.

Big ideas take a long time to come to fruition and every action needs to be deliberate. When you try to grow too fast – you stumble. When you mix terminology – you lose credibility. When you try and do everything in one single day – you burn out. Once or twice – they’re necessary. However, when they become daily problems – you’re doing things without thinking. And that will ultimately haunt you in the short term and long term.

So, next time you want to do something – think. Even if it is for just a minute. It’ll serve you well in the long term.

Balance

Every few months, I end up taking a solo trip for the sole purpose of clearing my head. That definitely doesn’t sound amazing. Or fun. But, it is exhilarating.

I’m writing this from a no frills hotel in Quito, Ecuador. I arrived here on Saturday night after flying nearly the entire day, spent all of yesterday exploring the city and most of today either working or napping. I depart in a little over 12 hours and I couldn’t have been more glad about this time off.

Being an entrepreneur is a funny thing – you invest so much of your time and heart into focusing on one product, but the reality of the world comes striking down on you at some point. Call it survival. Call it reality. Or, like most people – call it fear. I call it energy to double down and push through hard and fast.

I’m fortunate enough that I have nearly unlimited resources to travel the world without making a significant impact on my bank balance. But, at the end of the day, even a 3 day trip such as this drives people to reality. In this case, reality being that having the best job in the world requires sacrifices that most people will never ever understand.

Ask anyone who has started a company. If they haven’t been through the insane highs and the brutal lows, they haven’t pushed themselves hard enough.

And often times – this is what makes my job the greatest job in the world. It requires a ton of sacrifices, but the rewards and the journey balances the entire thing out.

So, to those with all work and no play – get a balance.

And to those with all play and no work – what’s your secret? ;-)