Strands of Genius: Artisanal Advertising, Acquired Taste, Call to Action
Plus: the negotiation workshop that pays for itself
Strands of Genius is a newsletter from the co-founders of Genius Steals, Faris & Rosie Yakob. They are award-winning strategists, facilitators, creative directors, writers and public speakers who get excited about working with smart people on interesting challenges. You should probably go ahead and hit reply so we can collaborate on something together :)
:: THE UPDATE ::
Spring is springing, it’s suddenly all green, and time to frolic, apparently. We are heading on various trips in the next few weeks - Faris is heading to Europe and Rosie to Mexico, before they meet back up in France.
In other news, we were delighted to receive a book in the mail from the lovely Giles, co-founder at agency Gasp! It’s a gorgeous compilation of 10.5 Proper Marketing Principles, as told to their excellent podcast Call to Action. It features Mark Ritson, Andrew Tenzer, Jenni Romaniuk, Greg Hahn, Richard Huntingdon, Paul Feldwick, Orlando Wood, Dr Grace Kite, Fer Machado and… ahem, the creator of Taskmaster - Alex Horne!
And us! How very lovely.
The book is not available to buy but Giles has very kindly offered to send a strictly limited number of copies to people who send him a very nice email with some creativity [giles@gasp.agency] or reach out to Gasp! on LinkedIn….
:: A MASTERCLASS IN GETTING WHAT YOU WANT ::
Here’s the scoop: Kim and I have both been running our own businesses for 10+ years, and we’ve each negotiated for bold, brilliant, and occasionally bizarre things — from sabbaticals to safari stays to strategy sessions across six continents.
And after years of working in rooms where ideas are shaped and sold, one thing became crystal clear:
👉 Hard work doesn’t always speak for itself. We have to.
We’ve seen firsthand how many brilliant people undersell themselves — not because they lack value, but because they’ve never had a space to practice asking for more, or the understanding as to how to ask. That’s what we’re building here.
Together, we’ve created this workshop for anyone who’s ever walked out of a conversation and thought:
“Ugh, I should’ve said more.”
This isn’t about being louder. It’s about being unapologetically clear. Being strategically prepared. And being audacious enough to ask for what you actually want—because settling is so last season.
You’re not negotiating just for money. You’re negotiating for time. For credit. For creative freedom. For the kind of work (and life) you actually want.
Come learn with us. Speak up. Cash in. Get what you came for.
🔍 What to Expect:
🧠 Small cohort. Big clarity. | Capped at 20 participants for real connection, live coaching, and hands-on practice.
⏱ 2 hours. Dense. Practical. Human. | Actionable strategies. Real examples. Zero fluff. (Plus a few delightful extras.)
Core Concepts We’ll Cover:
+ Guiding Principles of Negotiation
Negotiation is everywhere. It happens in emails, Zoom calls, SOWs, and brainstorms. It’s not a one-time event—it’s a continuous dialogue. You’ll learn to recognize it when it starts, not just when it’s too late.
+ How Cognitive Biases Shape Outcomes
Your brain has shortcuts—and some of them short-circuit your best thinking. We’ll help you spot and sidestep biases like anchoring, framing, and loss aversion so you can play smarter, not smaller.
+ Tactics to Deploy
Think: silent pauses. Micro-agreements. Strategic reframes. The subtle, sharp moves that shift conversations in your favor. These tactics aren’t aggressive. They’re elegant. And they work.
+ Case Studies
From pricing creative engagements to redefining project scope, we’ll break down real-world negotiations—what worked, what didn’t, and how to apply it to your own world.
Use GENIUSSTEALS for $50 off. I’d love to see you there :)
:: THE LINKS ::
CALL TO ACTION
Since we featured the book, it only seems fair to give you the chance to hear the original podcast that led to our feature in the Gasp! book: “the low down on life on the run road, how Rosie earned $10,000 babysitting, ‘Ask Faris’, US vs UK education system, the lack of industry practitioners as professors, engineering moments of in-betweenness, K-shaped recovery, Blair Enns, charging for what you know (not what you do), entertainment as the cost of admission to someone’s brain, the key to creative effectiveness, and a whole lot more.” [Gasp!]
ARTISANAL ADVERTISING
Faris’ new column for WARC is about industrial alienation, artisanal advertising, and generally what he think might happen to the industry because AI etc—>
"We’ve been discussing the various contradictions in economic data [see previous columns] and a recent report helped clarify what has been happening. In the USA, Moody’s reported that the wealthiest 10% of households account for nearly 50% of all consumer spending, the highest level since 1989.” (Warc)
ACQUIRED TASTE
Some things we like immediately but other things take time to appreciate. Why is that? “We’re talking about aesthetic taste, not just what goes in the mouth, but the ears, eyes, and brain as well. I think the entire idea of acquired taste is puzzling—why do we not like a thing at first, but after repeated, possibly directed, exposure we come to love it? Even more, this is a common occurrence, not some weird anomaly. It’s certainly something I’ve experienced plenty of times.” A thoughtul analysis of how aesthetic preferences are ….honed? “acquired taste has to do with learning to identify and appreciate the subtle properties of aesthetic experiences.” (HilariusBookBinder)
:: THE POWER OF SIMPLIFICATION ::
:: STEAL THIS REPORT ::
Speaking of entertainment…
[Tracksuit / Small World]
This week, we’re writing to you from Chattanooga, TN. We’re especially thankful for:
our plumber, reset buttons [there is one on the garbage disposal, in case it suddenly stops working, and you fear that it could be a massive problem], dry cleaners, better weather, Elmo, Lexx, the Houston art car parade, Kate Warren and Art 120, the jellyfish bike that Rosie got to ride in the parade, the return of hummingbirds, and YOU!
If we can ever be of help to you, even outside of a formal engagement, please don’t hesitate to let us know. You can hit reply to this email if you’ve got anything to say, and we’ll endeavor to get back to you promptly!
rockON,
faris & rosie | your friends over at geniussteals.co
(still want more? @farisyakob.com is on Bluesky sometimes while @rosieyakob prefers instagram stories)
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It's called Genius Steals because we believe ideas are new combinations and that nothing can come from nothing. But copying is lazy. We believe the best way to innovate is to look at the best of that which came before and combine those elements into new solutions.
Co-Founders Faris & Rosie are award-winning strategists and creative directors, writers, consultants and public speakers who have been living on the road/runway since March 2013, working with companies all over the world. We have a distributed team ourselves, an accounting team is based in Tennessee where our company is registered, our admin extraordinaire is based in Playa del Carmen, and our collaborators are all over the world. Being nomadic allows us to go wherever clients need us to be, and to be inspired by the world in between.
Hit reply and let’s talk about how we might be able to work together :)