Rachel Karten writes an outstanding Substack about social media marketing called Link in Bio. 

She had a great take about Gen Z (that also applies to literally everyone) arguing that we don’t have short attention spans, but we have extremely short consideration spans. We can watch the Odyssey for 3-hours, but decide almost immediately whether a person, product, or cringey influencer hawking their protein-infused creation is worth our time. 

As it relates to our world of inbox-driven sales, you have a tight window to be assigned to the bucket of sellers who send thoughtful outreach vs nonsense outreach.

Which bucket you land in matters, and a client entertaining invite is no exception. 

— Robbie

Bitter Root Pottery hosts beginner pottery classes in Marina del Rey, Beverly Grove, and Culver City.

Their most beautiful and client-friendly options are Marina del Rey and Beverly Grove, where you can take the whole class outdoors at sunset looking out over either the marina or the LA skyline. Both locations also have an indoor space if that’s preferred, or you luck out and organize your event the same day as one of LA’s three days of annual rain. 

You’re welcome to bring food and drinks, and they recommend foods that don’t need too many utensils since there isn’t much of a formal table to sit down. 

Private groups can opt for the 2-hour class, which includes a 10-minute introduction from the teacher and a 10-minute break in the middle. 

They also offer a 3-hour option that includes up to an hour to mingle/eat before getting into pottery. The associate I spoke with recommended the 3-hour since it’s LA and no one arrives on time and most groups want to catch up and eat for a bit before wheelin’ and dealin’. 

At the end of your class, you’ll leave your beloved creation, most likely a bowl, vase, or matcha bowl, at the venue. The Bitter Root team will let it dry, put it through multiple kiln firings, and notify you when it's ready for pickup, or ship it to you. The process takes 4-6 weeks and your finished piece will be food-safe, microwave-safe, and dishwasher-safe. 

Reservation note: It’s easy for them to add people to your group, but you’re not able to remove people from the group. If you’re not sure of the group size, or just have some flaky people in the mix, they recommend booking a smaller number of spots and then adding people closer to the day of the event. Once you’ve reserved, the event date cannot be moved.  

Marina del Rey location (IG video preview):

Beverly Grove location (IG video preview):

Added value: Like surfing and skiing on the same day, this one feels like one of those things out of California lore. Great option if you’re seeking a very ‘Gram-friendly artsy experience with your client. As a plus, if you decide to pick up the pieces once they’re ready and drop them off with your clients, you’ll get to relive the magic all over again.

Bad Roman is an over-the-top new Italian restaurant in Beverly Hills from the New York restaurant group Quality Branded.

An outpost of their NYC location of the same name, Bad Roman has been making the foodie rounds on Eater, Infatuation, and LA Mag as well as the food-influencer crowd (here, here).   

The restaurant is known for its maximalist decor and unique (aka photogenic) takes on classic Italian dishes like a filet mignon with a big gooey cacio e pepe ravioli on top, or a cheesecake in the shape of a lemon (menu). 

For a goofy celebratory moment, they also have an ‘Italian Carpool Shot Menu’ with shot glasses glued to the top of little race cars (picture).  

For larger private parties, Bad Roman also has event spaces for groups of 20-24 people. 

Added value: To stand out in the sea of swanky, small-plates Italian restaurants, you need to do something unexpected, and Bad Roman delivers on that front.  From a client dinner or team outing perspective, it feels like a distinctly memorable option and one of those dinners everyone will want to take photos and videos to share on their Story.

If you have clients down to join you in belting out anthems like ‘Call Your Girlfriend’ or ‘Dancing On My Own,’ Swedish pop icon Robyn will be playing at the Kia Forum on Wednesday 9/23 and Thursday 9/24. 

Added value: I have a good friend from Sweden who helped really drive Robyn into my head by putting on her music every time he’d had a few drinks (which was not infrequently!). She feels like one of those iconic acts that are important to see once. Also a good option if you have clients who binge-watched the HBO show Girls and remember this famous scene from season 1.

Ever been hanging with a client and conversation just runs dry? Whether it’s recent and topical, or general and evergreen, the Oasis is about giving you one idea for helping you in that moment.

Resale tickets as a means of money laundering.

As someone who regularly buys tickets for groups, I’ve always wondered why resale ticketing sites often have some insane outlier prices that are far higher than nearby seats. 

I’d always assumed it’s just some fiendishly optimistic seller waiting to find the perfect moment to offload back row seats to Rod Stewart’s 15th farewell tour. 

A neighbor of mine works for a major ticketing service, and she told me a ton of fishy stuff goes on with these sites (even beyond making you wait in a digital holding room forever only to crash the moment you actually try to check out). One of the company's biggest issues is organized crime and rogue states like North Korea, Iran, and others using its platform to launder money.

Here’s how it works: one part of the operation buys cheap seats to an event and posts them for sale for an outrageously inflated price. The other part of the team uses its dirty money to purchase those wildly inflated tickets and is then reimbursed by the ticketing service with clean money.

Something to keep in mind next time you’re eyeing the $50,000 upper deck seats to see the Dodgers.

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