Author Archives: David

Two for One: A Parenting Fail Turned Good

January is sort of kicking my ass. Even with my new, improved scheduling and my 2016 hunter attitude, I am feeling the stress of not having enough hours in the day. We all know time does not stretch and in this particular tug-of-war, time is going to win.

In the past ten days, I’ve traveled, I’ve hunted, I’ve been in meetings that last for hours, my son lost his first tooth, my wife has prepared several meals I’ve missed, and I’m not logging more than 5 hours of sleep. Something was bound to go bad and last night it happened. And I could not have been more wrong about the way it went down.

My son, Hunter, and I had a big outing planned. Picture this: you are eight years old. It’s a school night. Not only do you get to go out to dinner with your dad, but you get to go to a Pistons game. Yes! Dinner quickly goes from dad’s choice to kids’ and we go to B-dubs…yes, some Buffalo Wild Wings, messy and not mom-approved (at least at our house). We have a good time at dinner, everyone eats, everyone gets cleaned off, and Hunter and I head for the Palace.

Where all the gates are closed. And the parking lot is empty. Nobody’s home. In the back of my mind, I vaguely recall my wife saying something about the game being on Wednesday…

I immediately jump into crisis-aversion mode and apologize to Hunter. “Homey, I’m sorry, Dad screwed up.” Hunter, being the wise and wonderful boy he is, says “Dad, are you crazy? I got to go to B-Dubs for dinner, and I get to go out again tomorrow to the Pistons game? This is AWESOME.”

And just like that, all my perspective was flipped and I woke up. I started thinking about how every business success I have had came not from everything going according to plan, but from the twists and turns of events and embracing the philosophy that just being in on the hunt, as Hunter so beautifully put it, is AWESOME.

Stay in the Hunt and Cool Sh*t Will Happen!

As I looked around the suite in the late hours of our Carbon Media Annual Shot Show party, I found myself filled with a powerful sense of pride. Like many true hunters, I’m often focused on the hunt that lies ahead, but this time, I relished the moment. With an arm around by good friend Bela Kogler, I embraced this healthy pride and absorbed it into my mind and heart: no tears, no cheesiness, just this moment, an incredible moment out of time and fully immersed in The Hunt. Hundreds of our friends in the outdoor industry were hanging out laughing, high-fiving, and enjoying a celebration of our right to hunt, fish, shoot and do how we do.

Nine years ago, a bunch of like-minded people set out to do something significant in the outdoors. We made it through the ‘08 recession where it got crazy scary, we morphed models, we innovated, we survived, and now we are thriving. Today, at 36 million unique visitors per month, Carbon Media is the undisputed leader of the digital outdoors. Our quality daily content on Outdoorhub.com, the #1 website in the outdoors, the advances we are making at Carbontv.com, the streaming video outdoor worldwide leader, and the hundreds of outdoor websites that are part of our family are the defining factors of our current success.

The love I feel for The Hunt is something only those closest to me can fully appreciate. Who’d have believed when we were working out of basically a closet at Farbman Group that we would create Carbon Media and what it has become? I did, and that is not a coincidence! It wasn’t easy, but a great hunt never is (that’s kind of what makes it great!).

One of the things we said from the beginning is that if we stay true to our core values, find employees who feel the same, look out for the people around us and do right by them; good things will happen. Of course, we had to build premium technology, put out high caliber content, partner with the right people, and believe, even when it got rocky, that we would accomplish our mission to be the best. Through it all, we stayed in The Hunt. We had our asses kicked along the way, at times it was downright terrifying and seemed hopeless, yet we stayed in the Hunt.

When you combine authenticity, focus, passion, belief, and some smart people, crazy good things can happen. If you are for real, if you give it everything you’ve got, and you have people around you that believe in the mission, anything is possible! Anything! But you have to stay in the hunt. It’s not easy building great things, whether it’s a car, a business, a family, a culture, but moments like that in our suite are what make it all worth it. It’s my hope that you feel inspired and get your ass back in the hunt, commit fully and get it done!

Celebrate What’s Great: Life in the D

Once a month, I’m going to share a snapshot of what it’s like to live in metro Detroit and the sometimes strange but wonderful people, places and things that are happening in the D.

Here in Detroit, we have a second stage holiday season, during the second week of January. It’s our Oscars, our raison d’etre: a little thing we casually call the Auto Show. It’s like opening day of deer season for car enthusiasts. This year, I was lucky to attend a preview night and man, my hunter’s heart was intrigued and awed by the amazing artistry and technology crafted right here in my hometown.

Even though I never worked in an auto related field, I feel very connected to the auto industry and the cars that drive our local economy. My father, Burt, fostered in me my love of American cars, and the importance of being loyal to the people, communities and businesses here in Detroit. My first car was a Pontiac 6000 and with my October birthday, I was the first of my friends to drive. That car saw so many good times and I still remember how the sun shone off its hood and the sound the engine made as I drove through the neighborhood. (I’m sure my neighbors remember, too…sorry Mrs. Eisenberg, Kepes, George, you name it…)

This year at NAIAS, it is what’s inside the cars that got me most excited. Technology is advancing with light speed to meet the needs of drivers who spend a lot of time in their cars. Designers are adapting interiors to be more comfortable and adding user interfaces that marry the ease of smart phones with the sophistication of an advanced computer system.

Before long, something only Michael Knight (Knight Rider! Google it!) had and I have always wanted will arrive: the driverless car! Now you tell me, hunters, what was your first car? What is the next great advance you’d like to see come out of Detroit?

Note to Self: Stop Doing the Splits AKA Let the Past Go

The year was 1977. The movie: Saturday Night Fever. I probably didn’t see it until the early 80s, but that movie shaped my dance moves for all time. When Travolta goes down into the splits and wins over the crowd, he inadvertently planted the seed in my brain: splits = dance floor success. With one move, I get the girl, the trophy and the street cred to take my mad skills to Broadway (wait, that’s not me…that’s Tony Manero). I get the “best dancer” title in my high school yearbook (which so did not happen, LMAO!)

I have employed that move with great success over the years. But it has come to my attention that it might be time to give it up. In 2008, I was dancing myself into a frenzy at my friend Pete’s lake house up north. As I dropped into the full splits, I heard an audible pop. Not one to be a quitter, I kept going, unable to hear the cries of pain coming from my leg over the pulsing dance music and my own determination.

I woke in the morning barely able to move with a torn ligament in the back of my thigh. (I feel like Travolta just might stretch before he lays out our signature move). With three months of recovery ahead of me, I proceeded to torture my wife, my family and all my friends with daily photos of the rainbow of bruising and swelling I experienced. It was a veritable sunrise of purple to red to yellow, and no one could escape my oversharing. It’s gross, and it’s true, and everyone should remember that I am the original “what you see is what you get.” NO FILTER, authentic Farbz, 24-7.

Flash forward to the HealthRise Holiday Party 2015: me, Travolta and the band were all back together again! This time, I only went half-splits (my wife was thrilled), and I felt it all the way down to my Achilles. Half-tear! And this is when it finally hit me: the splits are not the answer. The move has to be left behind to gather dust alongside the things I managed to leave in the 80s, like skateboards and MTV, Hot Pockets and Mountain Dew. It’s all yours, Tony Manero, because, unlike me, I think Travolta left the move behind long ago.

All of this brings me to this point: how much of the past are we carrying into the present causing pain and discomfort? In 2016, I challenge you to let go of whatever old behavior no longer suits you. We are hunters, looking for our next trophy, not relics stuck in the past revisiting old ground. 2016 is going to be a breakthrough year for all of us and the only way to breakthrough is to try something new and be present and aware, able to accept what comes our way.

As far as my dance moves are concerned, I’m going to work on improving my classic moves, holding my wife close and leading her around the dance floor. She can take center stage while I nurse that Achilles’ tear back to health.

Lessons Learned or Gifts Earned?

I am having the strangest December. I don’t know if it’s the weather or if I’m just not ready to say good-bye to 2015, but it feels very late fall…like I’ve still got a couple of weeks to get in that tree stand and get my nature on. But 50-degrees or not, this year is wrapping up in just a few short weeks, so I sat down to take a tree stand view of 2015. What I realized is every lesson was truly a gift in disguise.

Gift #1: Stick with your pack.

I made a conscious effort to take control of my schedule and make sure I was spending my time and energy in the places and with the people who mean the most to me. That meant dedicated family time, away from the phone and the office, where I could connect heart-to-heart and soul-to-soul with my wife and my boys. Our pack includes my amazing parents and in-laws, brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews and we are never happier than when we can all be together.

Gift #2: Once you are in the tribe, you are always in the tribe.

I reconnected with some old friends, people who I thought I’d lost along the way. As it turns out, we were all thinking about one another, but not taking that second to send a text or make a call and say so. I am now following through on my thoughts, so if I find myself thinking of you, you are going to get a call or a text. The universe has put you in my head for a reason.

Gift #3: When things seem like they are not going your way, be grateful that they are going somewhere.

Movement equals progress. Stagnation is death. These moments are when the patience you practice in the blind or stand comes into play. You need to be present and focused positively on your target so you can narrow your sights as you get closer to that bulls-eye. Each of my businesses made strides this year and yet, from time to time, I found myself down in the weeds with the judge, unable to see clearly the progression (it happens to us all). When I took the time to clear my mind and get above and clear, I was so proud of the tribes at HealthRise Solutions, Carbon Media Group and, of course, The Farbman Group, led by my partner, my brother, my friend Andy Farbman. Though we hunt with different styles, I could not have asked for a better collaborator or more trusted confidante.

2015 was, in actuality, the year I thought it would be. A breakthrough on every level: family, friends, and business. I am and will continue to be grateful for all the good health, love and friendship in my life and for the opportunity to share my experiences with you. I am taking the rest of the holiday season to finish 2015 strong but wanted to take this moment to wish each and every one of you a happy and healthy holiday. I will see you in 2016 so we can continue our hunt for success together.

We are Social Animals on the Hunt

Each day, around 3pm, I try to catch a glimpse of this herd of sheltered deer in the field outside my office window. I watch them during their social hour, hanging out in groups of twos and threes, one buck off on his own. I can’t help but look at them and think about all the holiday parties and gatherings my wife and I are attending this month and how we are not so different from those deer.

I’m going to tell you something, and it may come as a surprise: I love people and I love conversation, but I hate small talk. More likely that not, at parties and get-togethers, you will find me head-to-head in a deep conversation about a concern, a communication struggle, a business problem long before you find me talking lightly about the weather. I like to get into the meat of things, and am always ready to lend an ear and some words of advice to help others on their hunt for a meaningful life.

This willingness and openness has actually led me into quite a predicament. I was thinking about how stressed I’ve been in the last few months and it pushed me into making some tough decisions about time and energy and where mine is best spent. There is a well-known Harvard Business Review article (https://hbr.org/2007/10/manage-your-energy-not-your-time) about managing your energy and not your time. But I take a different view. I want to devote my energy to where it makes the most sense for my life, for my hunt. And that means finding the time for the things that are most important, most valuable to me, as both a father and a leader.

So I took a hard look at my schedule. And made some changes so I could focus on my core values and what gives my hunt meaning and significance. It was a bit of an overhaul and harder on my team and my amazing assistant than it was on me, but now I have time…to watch those social deer outside my window, to get in front of the ball rather than chasing it, to see my son’s play on last minute notice.

I’m looking forward to seeing friends, family and colleagues in a social setting over these next few weeks. I’m looking forward to getting into the thick of it, not being the buck off on his own, but reconnecting with my tribe and getting the most out of both my time and energy.