Every comedian knows you end your set with a closer.

Something strong. Punchy. Memorable.

And yet... most comedians neglect to bring the same intentionality to their social media profiles.

No call to action.
No link to book you.
No clearly defined next step.

Instead, it's usually a jumble of linktree buttons that nobody will ever click.

Oof.

Your feed might be funny…

But if there’s no clear next step, it’s just a missed opportunity with a laugh track.

Social Sellout is a live online workshop I’m running on April 2nd that’ll show you how to make your profile do the heavy lifting:

✅ Get booked

✅ Sell tickets

✅ Convert fans into actual buyers

Right now it’s $27.

The day-of price will jump to $100.

Not a joke. Just a deadline.

→ Grab your seat here

You’d never bomb on purpose.

Don’t let your profile do it for you.

Stay Silly,

David

P.S. I've included some helpful social media templates. Check 'em out here.

When I think about what has made my clients super successful over the past two decades it boils down to one thing: intentionality.

Nobody bumps into success. You hustle, test, tweak, embarrass yourself, occasionally apologize, improve, gain some victories and eventually your wins catch up with your losses.

Some of us have to get knocked around a bit, but then there are those who take the wisdom of professionals to shortcut past the bruising.

Momentum is a constant state of action. It builds and builds.

But it can be stopped.

Because you never just arrive at success.

It's a declining escalator, constantly driving you back if you stay put.

At a certain point, you need some help to keep the momentum going.

The problem is that most comedians stay in DIY-mode for years, and it shows.

• Stale old images.

• Inconsistent messaging.

• A website you can’t view on a phone.

• Social media posts that get zero engagement.

• A bump-into brand, held together by good wishes.

That’s not how professionals in other industries treats their business.

The smart ones follow a framework, a methodology, or some level of guidance.

That’s why I created The Comedy Brand Blueprint.

It’s a free eBook and video training that covers the 5 foundations that comedians need to fully turn their comedy into a brand that gets booked, fans, and revenue beyond performing, even without a manager or booking agent.

Because we can do better, and I’m on a mission to bring more humor through business.

Download the Comedy Brand Blueprint and tell me which level you’re stuck at. I read every reply.

Stay Silly.

David

I just rebranded a 27-year comedy veteran known for his high-energy performances for church audiences.

Here's the transformation he achieved:

→ A visual style that captures his fun chaotic energy while maintaining a tone suitable for all audiences.

→ A logo that highlights the boldness and essence of his comedy and unique name.

→ A tagline that clearly defines his approach and audience, giving confidence to booking agents looking for clean comedians.

→ A beautiful mobile-friendly website highlighting his 5 comedy specials, active tour dates, award-winning book series, and conversion-focused booking page.

→ An event and campaign management tool that broadcasts tour dates to multiple channels and thousands of fans.

→ A complete social media makeover with consistent branding across all social platforms, featuring custom avatars and banners.

→ Customized graphic templates for all future social posts, newsletters, videos, announcements, and backdrops for live appearances.

The result? A happy comedian whose already-successful career is about to skyrocket to the next level.

Because in today’s digital landscape it’s unbelievably rare to be polished and consistent as a performer.

When you stand out, you get noticed.

When you get noticed, you get more opportunities to grow your audience, book more gigs, and monetize beyond the mic.

View Bob Smiley’s website at bobsmiley.com and see his branded socials by looking up @bobsmileycomedy on your platform of choice.

If you’re ready to upgrade your visual brand and presence to increase your opportunities, book a 15-minute fit call. I’m taking on two more comedy clients in Q1.

Stay Silly,

-David

P.S here are a few of the final social images Bob is leveraging.

I’m thinking about rolling a new workshop out.

It's called Social Sellout and the objective is to optimize your social media profiles so you can get more gigs, sell out shows, and grow your audience as a comedian.

I'll walk you through everything you need. Step-by-step. You'll have it done before the day's over.

If I roll this out, would you like to join me?

Reply with “SELLOUT” and I’ll share the details.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve got a holiday hangover.

The kind that comes from over-eating, excessive napping, and parenting kids who are over-stimulated. I give myself permission to be a little reckless on Christmas each year.

And now it’s Thursday, but it feels like a… Sunday? We’re in that weird vortex of time and space.

The final days of 2024.

If this week were a performance, it’d be the encore. The moment where you get to decide how you want to leave your audience (or yourself) feeling as the curtain falls.

So here’s the question: What do you want to actually accomplish in the next 3-12 months?

Not the vague, “I should probably…” goals.

The real stuff that makes you excited to pick up the mic (or the pen, or whatever tool you use to deliver your genius).

Because January doesn’t have to be some high-pressure, “new year, new me” panic-fest. It can be the starting point for momentum that builds all year long.

And momentum doesn’t start in January—it starts now. With the plans you make and the clarity you get this week.

Take some time to:

• Revisit your goals. Are they bold enough to scare you a little?

• Get specific. What small, manageable actions can you take in the next 90 days to get closer to them?

• Set the tone. What kind of energy do you want to bring into your work in 2025? (Fun? Confidence? “I’m coming for Netflix” vibes?)

If you’re not much of a planner, aim for progress, not perfection.

Even the tiniest step forward will make January feel like you’re coming in hot instead of starting from scratch.

And know this: You’re not alone. I’m rooting for you every step of the way.

Be Brave. Stay Silly. Finish Strong.

David

P.S. If you’re ready to elevate your brand in 2025 into an audience growing, gig-landing, merch-selling machine, I’ve got a handful of spots to talk this week. Reply with TALK and we’ll coordinate a time to chat.

This week The Onion founder Scott Dikkers wrote a very generous newsletter post about me and the power of having a strong brand. I woke up to an inbox full of notifications. Downloads, subscriber alerts, emails.

What the what! Here’s a video that captures my surprise.

It was in that moment that I was thankful I had 3 foundational assets to point people to:

• A website for my services - UribeCreative.com

• A high-value freebie - The 5 Brand Assets Guide

• A newsletter to subscribe to - The Sillypreneur

What would have happened if those weren’t in place?

Where would Scott have pointed them to? An instagram page? PSHHHHHH. One swipe to watch a cat video and the momentum is gone. Poof.

In my podcast conversation with Comedian Nazareth, I shared how comedians and business owners leave so much money on the table by relying solely on the social media platforms for brand building.

Social platforms are great for discoverability, but lousy for long-term audience building. Our attention spans are fickle and the algorithms are changing daily.

Social Media is shaky ground. It’s rented land at best. Zuck and his competitors can ban you, boot you, throttle and derail you.

Take TikTok for instance.

At the moment of writing this, TikTok is scheduled to be removed from all US phones on January 19, 2025.

If that happens, imagine the regret you will feel on January 20th after building up an audience and losing them in a single day.

There’s only one place you want your fans and prospects to exist. In your email list.

Other than your text messages, email is one of the most intimate forms of communication.

Nobody is threatening to take that away from you. It’s yours. You own it.

But how do you build a list? I’m a fan of starting a newsletter.

A newsletter is a fantastic way to keep your followers engaged, announce specials, produce offers, make them aware of upcoming gigs.

It’s your way of staying top-of-mind and building trust over years and years.

This is your sign: Build your email list. Today. Right now. While you have a chance. Or risk losing your hard-earned followers with the next social media ban.

If you want help building a breakout brand system that turns followers into loyal fans, let’s talk.

I’ve got a few 15-minute spots available this coming week.

Stay Silly.

When I was in kindergarten, my brother taught me how to shoot a rubber band.

“Lock it up between your index finger and wrap around your thumb.

Point at your prey. Shoot.”

I was amazed.

I practiced every day.

Toys, cans, you name it.

And then I took my rubber band to school.

A substitute teacher arrived that day.

He was kind enough to roll in a cart with a TV to entertain us for the day.

The lights were off, we sat on the floor and stared into the glowing box.

And I thanked him by shooting a rubber band to his eyeball.

Was it satisfying? Yes.

Was it cruel? Definitely.

Did I get caught? Absolutely

He grabbed at his face in wincing pain, turned to me and ordered me to the corner of the room where I would remain the rest of the afternoon.

I stood in the corner, quietly crying while my classmates watched Baby Beluga.

Being an outlaw is not for the faint of heart.

I dreaded being found out by my mother as she came to pick me up from school that day.

To my surprise, my aunt came instead.

She asked why I was standing in a corner.

The substitute was busy talking to another set of parents.

I lied and hurried her out the door before he could get her attention.

It was the perfect crime.

We drove off into the distance.

I smiled.

And shot her in the eye with a rubber band.

Stay Silly

David

P.S. You know what stings worse than a rubber band? Wasting time and money to market yourself only to get nightmare clients.

I’ve got a workshop this Wednesday called Attract Dream Clients where I help you prevent that once and for all.

Watch this video for more details

I got in, head slumped in shame.

Mom could tell I was upset.

I told her through tears about how some kids had been laughing at me in the after school program.

She hugged me, comforted me, and then looked me straight in the eyes.

"You can’t be afraid of people laughing at you. In fact, you need to be the first person to laugh at yourself. Then they will have no power over you."

Mom was right.

Something inside me clicked.

The next day I went back to school with a renewed sense of confidence and the ability to make myself the butt of the joke.

I made them laugh on my own terms. And it felt good.

My fear of being laughed at became my secret weapon: the ability to disarm through humor.

Now I wear my silliness as a badge of honor.

It's in my copy. In the videos I share. On my profiles. It's me. And so it's a major part of my brand voice.

It's the flaw that became a feature.

My not-so-secret weapon.

You have one, too.

Maybe you’ve resented it all of your life.

Wished you could have something else.

But it’s not your kryptonite.

It’s your superpower.

Embrace it.

And if you’re feeling brave, share it.

I’d love to know what it is.

Stay Silly.

This weekend I competed in a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournament called Tap Cancer Out, where proceeds support organizations fighting cancer. It’s a fantastic cause and a well-run competition.

It was my third tournament and my first time winning a match by submission. My opponent ended up in a position where I could choke him with his gi 🥋.

Cha-ching!

I had two other matches for a medal opportunity, but lost those to submission as well. My medals this time are shoulder pain, hip pain and subtle limp when I walk, which I’ll be wearing for a few days.

No biggie. Not my first competition, won’t be my last either.

Competing has me thinking about the 3 core values I've identified for my life:

Be Brave. Stay Silly. Keep Fighting.

"Be Brave" is about starting. It's about facing a difficult opportunity and saying yes. Whether it's a tough conversation, a monumental goal, or a painful process, I want to be the type of person that chooses to move forward in the face of discomfort. Fear is a key factor. You can’t be brave if the opportunity isn’t scary.

"Stay Silly" is about maintaining a joyful, unhindered approach to life. It's about finding fun and opportunity in a challenging situation. It's being willing to laugh at yourself before anyone else catches on. It's a willingness to ask a dumb question, take an unconventional approach, and risk further embarrassment because your pursuit of joy is stronger than your desire of acceptance.

"Keep Fighting" is about the commitment to improve, win or lose. The world brings a fight daily, so keep your boxing gloves on and mouthpiece nearby. You need to fight for clarity, family, health, wealth, and anything else worth it. Fight for the best solution, even if it's not yours. Fight to achieve your goals, even if you can't see your progress behind you.

As you move forward this week, keep those 3 core values in mind.

Feel free to borrow, steal, lend, or sell them on eBay. I hope they help you approach each day with bravery, silliness, and grit.

Start, because it's worth it.

Have fun, because joy is a choice.

Keep going, because challenges await daily.

Be Brave. Stay Silly. Keep Fighting.

I’m rooting for you.

Was this helpful? Forward this to a sillypreneur who needs to hear it.

I want…

The body of a greek god
The wit of Conan O'Brien
The improv of Amy Poehler
The drive of Daymond John
The tenacity of Justin Welsh
The portfolio of Codie Sanchez
The creativity of James Victore
The commitment of Kristen Wiig
The passion of Richard Branson
The charisma of Ryan Reynolds
The wisdom of Daniel Priestley
The discipline of Jocko Willink
The voice of Musiq Soulchild
The courage of Sara Blakely
The boldness of Chris Do
The humility of Ghandi

Halfway there.

Be brave. Stay silly. Keep fighting.

—

Who inspires you?

Reply with a name that stands out.

Leave a comment

Hurricane Milton plowed through our community, and we were fortunate to be spared from any serious damage.

Our property is covered in natural debris. The siding of my house has been somewhat ripped off, but that’s all cosmetic.

I can’t really complain.

Except I will complain because I’m an indoors kind of guy, and doing manual labor hurts my designer fingers.

Pity me.

But you gotta do what you gotta do.

Otherwise, your property is a disaster, your kids can’t play outside, and your wife keeps reminding you that everything is terrible.

I’m reminded of how, in solopreneurship, the buck stops with you.

If you don’t respond to emails, they pile up like twigs and branches in your backyard.

If you don’t send invoices to clients, then bills pile up like debris on your front porch.

Keep doing what you gotta do, even if it interrupts the thing you like to do the most.

But take a moment to enjoy the warm glow of your day.

There’s something satisfying about setting things on fire and watching the smoke billow into the sky.

Having an active fire pit has given us a reason to roast marshmallows on sticks this week.

An unexpected pleasure in the midst of all the chaos of cleaning up.

I wish the same for you.

Be brave. Stay silly. Keep fighting.

P.S. Enjoy the crackling of one of our burn piles:

Subscribe now

Do you suffer from RBF?

8 out of 10 business owners live with chronic Resting Business Face.

But you don’t have to suffer with a scowl. And neither do your clients.

Introducing: LEVITY! A world-changing approach to creating content that brings actual contentment.

Pepper LEVITY in your:
- Brand
- Marketing
- Sales calls
- Demos
- Emails
- Phone calls
- Forms
- Onboardings
- Error messages
… And more!

Humor increases engagement, builds trust, and leads to satisfied customers that feel like actual humans.

Say goodbye to stiff, sour-faced strategies and hello to humor that hooks.

Watch those frowns turn upside down with LEVITY!

Act now and we’ll throw in Brand Loyalty that increases lifetime value!

-
Stay Silly, mi amigo.

David Uribe

P.S. I’m in NYC for the next 2 days. What’s a must-have cup of coffee I should get while I’m here?

It’s a fiasco when the kids come home from school.

My wife pulls up to the driveway.

I open the garage door and assist in unloading our girls.

A symphony of exclamations, whines, cries, songs and orders begin.

I want mommy to get me out of the car!
Can I have a popsicle?
Look what I drew!
Where’s my iPad?
I want cookies now!

In the madness, the inevitable happens.

Lincoln –our labradoodle– sneaks out through the garage.

We’re too distracted to notice.

He explores the front lawn to his heart’s desire.

Chasing lizards.
Sniffing shrubs.
Watering bushes.
The sweet things of life.

I close the garage door behind me.

The parenting madness begins indoors.

We turn on our TV.
Snacks are distributed.
Dinner is being prepared.

And then I hear the sound.
The low rumble of thunder.
The pitter patter of raindrops.

Seconds later, the patter becomes pouring.

Lightning fills the sky.
We’ve avoided the elements by mere minutes.

Meanwhile…

Lincoln darts back and forth between our front porch and the closed garage door.

He’s desperate for shelter.
But we don’t hear him.
He claws at our screen door blocking the front door.
But the cartoons and cries mask his efforts.

I mistake his pleas for the hum and tumble of the washing machine.

But this is a strange sound pattern.

Is this washing machine… crying?

I stand up and investigate.
The washing machine is off.
I open the front door.

There he is, drenched in rain water, his eyes filled with despair.

A wet mop of a dog relieved to be seen and saved.

He scurries in and I throw a towel on the poor guy.
His soggy tail wags with joy.

Sorry, buddy.
Welcome back.

Are you like Lincoln?

Have you unwillingly locked yourself outside of your sweet spot?

Do you dart back and forth between tactics, desperate for something to work?

Don’t give up.
Make noise.
Get loud.

Make sure you’re heard.

I’m rooting for you.

Stay silly.

🥸 I help 12 service-based businesses a year attract, convert, and delight ideal clients with humor-centered branding and websites.

Take the Funny Business Assessment to find out if humor would work for you.