Don Kowalewski
Writer. Ad Sales and Marketing. Social Media Content Creator. Aeropress Coffee. Makes the best salsa in the world.
Mowing My Lawn Barefoot
Hear ye! Hear ye! From wenceforth forward and hereafter (and here to for), I will mow my lawn barefoot. Well, not barefoot, but in a minimalist shoe.
Hear me out. For years, I’ve kinda bought into the barefoot movement. In theory, our feet evolved to walk without shoes in a natural way and feet have muscles and arches and everything in our feet work the way the parts should when we walk without shoes. Shoes were a great invention, don’t get me wrong. They protect our feet … from sticks and sharp objects and from stubbing our toes. And from stepping on scorpions.
I wear shoes. Every day, in fact. And corporate America frowns on being barefoot at the office … or at the grocery story … or the library …or Church. Where was I? Oh yes … barefootin’.
As it relates to lawn care, I have a good pair of work boots. With steel toes. Why? For protection. There’s a story from my youth. It might’ve been my Uncle. It might’ve been an old wives’ tale. But my Dad said someone’s lawnmower rolled over his own foot and cut up the guy’s foot really bad and, so, my Dad said, “wear work boots … just in case.”
And I do. Because my Dad told me to.
Father’s Day, “I Love Don Week” and my Birthday Wish-Lists
Just a reminder, we’re officially in “Buy Don Stuff” season.
For those who don’t know or pay attention, I keep a list of “Stuff I Want” here on my website, and I’m constantly updating it so people know what I want (and then “what I have” once I receive said-thing as a gift)
I’m not greedy, obviously, because I really only point out the “stuff I want” at Father’s Day, the week leading up to my birthday, and Christmas. If you think about it … I ask for “stuff” only for about 48 days out of 365 days in a year. See? Not selfish, at all.
I mean, yes, people are free to buy me things year-round, and that’s why I keep a list, but I don’t expect it outside of the Father’s Day, Birthday, and Christmas Seasons.
What Is “Too Nice?”
Here’s something I’ve been chewing on for about 8 months. Late last year, a lifelong friend, when talking about jobs and life said to me . . .
“If I can give you some advice, and don’t take this the wrong way, but sometimes I think you’re too nice.”
This came from a friend. Someone I’ve known my whole life. So it kinda rattled me. I didn’t react (maybe that’s part of “too nice”). I just said, “hmmmmm. That’s interesting.”
I have to admit, in the moment, it was all I could do not to respond with an “F you” and start telling him all the weird, bizarre things about him and explain to him that while he has more money than me and using career as the only “success metric”, fine, but I was also biting my tongue and not telling him why he has so few friends and a failed marriage and why I had to apologize for his oddities back in our youth because people would ask, “why are you friends with that guy?” Or, “can we not invite so-and-so this time?”
Gonna Make My Website Better for SEO & AIO
What are the Key Takeaways from this Blog?
- Audacy’s AI Solution: Don Kowalewski discusses Audacy’s new partnership with Next Net, offering local businesses AI discoverability tools.
- The Experiment: Don is using donkowalewski.com as a testing ground for SEO and AI Optimization (AIO) concepts.
- Personal Branding: By optimizing his site, Don aims to better represent his work as an ad sales expert, ghostwriter, and the creator of Donnie Jalapeno Salsa.
I work for Audacy. In January, Audacy announced a partnership with Next Net and now we offer an AI discoverability solution to help local and regional businesses compete in the next era of Search.
I have my own website (which you’re reading, right now) and one of the reasons I have my own website is for experimenting and playing around with advertising concepts. I figured, if I’m going to sit in front of brands and business owners and give them advice, I should have a basic idea of what it’s like to have a website, to have Socials and create content, and I should have my own small business (aka side hustle) and I put my money where my mouth is.
Sales is like Sales.
It’s my own fault. I listen to too many Podcasts and audiobooks about Sales. Regular readers know I work in advertising sales. More specifically, I work in Radio sales with a healthy dose of Event Sales and Digital Sales. The “Digital Sales” part is even more nuanced. Sometimes I’m in Streaming Audio sales … which can be actual LIVE-streaming audio and can also be Podcasts (and many would say Podcast Sales is its own niche).
Do you pronounce “niche” as “neesh” or “nish”?
Breaking down the “digital sales” further, there’s the audio I already mentioned, but there’s also Paid Social, ConnectedTV, Display, Video and much, much, more.
So when these Sales Podcasts and books and audiobooks compare “sales” to everything else (called an analogy), I’m starting to get sick weary of it.
New Trimmer, who ‘dis?
How was I supposed to concentrate at work, on a Friday, a day known to be notoriously hard to stay focused, when I know there’s a brand new trimmer and leaf blower at home just waiting to be opened and used? Excitement. Adventure. Pride in my home and my lawn. Things to-be checked-off the checklist. So many “feels” (as the kids say) sitting right there in my garage … while I’m at work. All day.
Maybe I should’ve taken a vacation day.
But also … a little guilt.
See … here’s the thing. I had a loyal, hard-working, flawless Black & Decker trimmer for, oh, about 10 years. I didn’t even really take care of it like I should’ve. That Black & Decker? It trimmed and edged so … many … miles … it seemed like I should’ve exercised a little “brand loyalty” and replaced my Black & Decker with the same or similar Black & Decker. Plus, I have a 20V Black & Decker battery, already, and it works.
Part of being Catholic is the guilt … so I feel it over an inanimate object … I feel the guilt for the hard working marketing people who work at Black & Decker … the engineers who go home at night feeling like, “hey, I really designed a nice trimmer that’s as good as any other trimmer out there,” and now? Ol’ Don in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, just crapped all over all their hard work and years of engineering and re-engineering and I went with a Greenworks trimmer.
But, Greenworks got me. A couple years ago, I got myself (for my birthday from my wife) a battery-powered Greenworks chainsaw. I’m not felling forests … but have enough trees and limbs, I wanted a chainsaw (and I’m terrible with combustion engines). Then one day I needed a hedge trimmer to replace my electric (with a power cord) hedge trimmer and realized, hey, if I already own a Greenworks and have a 40V super battery, and those batteries are expensive … I learned both devices can use the same battery.
Which brought me to my weed trimmer. Again. I have a great battery. And I’m not a professional landscaper so I rarely (never) need to use my hedge trimmer, weed trimmer, and chainsaw all at the same time, so it made sense to get another Greenworks.
Again … huge apologies to all the hardworking people at Black & Decker.
Like with everything I purchase, I take a long time to decide. I research. I ask people on Facebook. I watch YouTube videos. Some people, if you can believe it, do this…
1. Need a thing
2. Go to the store and buy that thing
Is that lunacy, or what?
But I am who I am. It took me a good 10-days to determine which Greenworks trimmer has the right amount of power and figure out which price point I’m looking at. I settled on somewhere between $90 and $126 for the trimmer only (no battery) and … this time … my overthinking paid off becuase . . .
On my guilty-pleasure website, Edealinfo, a “deal” popped up … the EXACT Greenworks trimmer I wanted showed up as an “Edeal” and … get this … it was the trimmer, a leaf blower, a battery and charging stand, and 4 string spools.
For how much? You won’t believe this. $126.
So … BAM! Guess what I’m doing this weekend? Unboxing. Assembling. Using. And (hopefully) loving my new Greenworks Trimmer. Stay tuned for more updates and reviews.
Donnie Jalapeno 2026
Did you know? Donnie Jalapeno is still in business. You can order here anytime you want.
Yesterday was Cinco De Mayo (if you’re reading this on May 6th, that is) and I’ve been talking, at work, alot about “the best salsa in the history of the world,” and everyone’s been asking, “well …when are you going to bring some in?”
Today… I did. As I knew would happen, everyone loved it. And if I was still firing up the ol’ salsa-makin’ laboratory every week like in the pre-pandemic days, I would have a whole new slew of customers.
How many is a “slew”, anyway?
It’s officially springtime and it will soon be summertime. Grilling and cookout season is upon us. Memorial Day is near. The Fourth of July … the 250th year of our great land … it’ll be here, soon.
Lawn Mowing Bliss = A Honda Harmony Lawn Mower
I’m guessing I’m not the only guy whose feelings are hurt by this Progressive “Becoming Your Parents” commercial. Mostly, those are funny … but when Dr. Rick said, “lawn care is not a hobby.” I was a little offended. I got my best stationary and wrote a stern letter to Dr. Rick, I can tell you that.
However … laugh all you want because 2026 is gonna be an amazing year-of-the-lawn because I “stole” a new (used) Honda Harmony HRB 217 with Honda’s Quadra Cut and Xenox (plastic) deck. Oh, I know what yer gonna say … “really, Don? The HRB? Isn’t that like 20+ years old? You couldn’t find an HRX?” Yes! But trust me, before I bought it off Craigslist, I gave it a good exam in the seller’s driveway and let’s just say … he and his wife both came out to meet me, their garage was cleaner than my kitchen, and they had two immaculate large Honda touring motorcycles parked on a speckled garage floor and their landscaping looked like it belonged in a magazine. And, and, and … they had a brand new battery-powered Honda lawn mower sitting beside motorcycles.
Dude “get’s it.”
Me and My Long, Pointy Nose
Part of me is proud of my long, pointy nose. My nose isn’t too long. But it is pointy. And it looks like the pointy noses of many people in my family … generations of noses … and I think it’s very cool how noses have so many different shapes and sizes and that I can look at old photos from family members from many generations ago and point and say, “hey, that guy has my same nose.”
I dig noses. At least twice in my life, before my prefrontal cortex fully formed and gave me the gift of self-editing, tact, and discretion … I’ve told people, “I like your nose.” Or, “your nose has a really cool shape.”
At the time, it felt like a compliment. I haven’t complimented anyone’s nose in years … but believe me! I’m often thinking it.
There is, hoever, one drawback of a long pointy nose. Well … two drawbacks.
First, it’s difficult to look through a peephole in a hotel door. Luckily, the need to lean in close to a peephole and look at who’s on the other side of a hotel door is a very rare occurrence. Read More
Weezer Has a New Song, Tour, and Album (soon)
Today’s a good day. No. A great day. Because Weezer has a new single … “Shine Again”, written by Weezer’s drummer, Patrick Wilson, and is the first song released off their yet-to-be-named and yet-to-be-color-coded new Album. All part of a new Weezer tour this Fall (September/October and the Detroit date is 9/23).
This Blog, my Blog, isn’t where Weezer fans come for breaking news, but if there’s some fans who just love more gushing, glowing things written about Weezer, you could do worse than DonKowalewski.com.
“Shine Again” feels like an anthem. Maybe not for you, but for me … a 52-year-old who loads and unloads the “dishwasher” with great precision and pride, and someone who knows a thing or two about a “dog walk.”
I quoted lyrics from the new song, if you’re wondering. Read More
Don Kowalewski 