WELCOME TO ISKTBN!

Welcome to ISKTBN!

ISKTBN  = I Should Know This By Now!

This is a blog about those little things that leave you slapping your forehead going, "I KNEW THAT!" If you've ever had those moments, you are at home here.

For the last couple years, a good friend has been telling me I should start a blog...get my name out there. Writing is hard so I put it off. Plus, so many others put out amazing content. Rich, educational, succinct, and just what you need. What more could I give or have time for beyond what I provide in my current role under my company's blog?

Probably nothing that will change how people think. 

BUT, after I had a moment of "DAMN, I should know this by now (ISKTBN)!" I realized I might have something I could share. Perhaps it'll give readers a chuckle...although maybe only those that know me. If not, perhaps they'll leave with the notion that I love the word 'DAMN' (I don't, but it's fun to type) and a nugget of knowledge that will help them avoid the same ISKTBN moments.

Every day and every little one of those ISKTBN moments is a reminder there is still so much out there to learn. My current position allows me to do just that. I work with a variety of clients, mainly small businesses with only a handful of people running the show. It's enlightening to hear their perspectives and to learn about their issues and all the unique ways they run their business and how email loops into it in many expected and unexpected ways. 

It's an interesting dichotomy to compare my experience with small businesses today to my past experiences with the Fortune 500 clients I used to work with. 

Coming from a large ESP, clients were vetted and onboarded using a very specific process, one that doesn't allow mail until everything is just so. Leaving the majority of issues tied to poorly deployed strategies or just plain bad decisions.

Now I have the opportunity to speak and work with clients that either have no technical knowledge of email or they know just enough to follow all the directions provided by the ESP. 

This distinct difference between small senders and large senders highlights how much work we still have to educate others about email, email technology, and deliverability. 

As I mentioned, there is SO much to learn! It never ceases to amaze me how much MORE there really is to learn, even about the stuff I thought I knew so much about. Add to that all the stuff I learned, forgot about, and had to relearn.

For example, I forgot about the simple task of slowing down and paying attention to detail leaving me with an "oh shit, why didn't I just look closer" lesson. 

It brought a smidge of personal self-doubt and shame. Not necessarily fun to experience, but what better way to emotionally cope with our own errors than to share with everyone else. Maybe someone else will relate to my mishaps, mistakes, and goofs and not feel so bad about their own.

I don't anticipate all stories will be tied to a "derp" moment. Instead, I hope they will all be friendly reminders of the little things we need to look out for or the things we've taken for granted or haven't come across yet. 

Enjoy and reach out if you have a ISKTBN moment you want to share.