Our resident corporate Agony Uncle, CEO Ken Cheng, tackles business challenges – so you don’t have to
Dear Ken Cheng,
I’m hosting a Summer barbecue for my work colleagues but I’m worried no one will come. How do I make sure it’s an appealing event that people attend!
– Jacob, Derby
Ken Cheng:
I understand the fear that your party won’t be well attended, but remember, the most important thing is not how many people turn up.
It’s how many people it looks like turned up.
Years ago, I had nobody turn up to my 40th birthday party. Was I sad? Yes, I was devastated. Crying my eyes out into a whole birthday cake that I couldn’t eat on my own.
But then it hit me. Am I sad that I am deeply unpopular? No, I was sad at the perception that I’m unpopular. I was sad I didn’t get to post about the crowds of loving people who turned up to celebrate me.
And that’s when I had a great idea: AI. I could AI generate crowd shots for my own birthday to make it look like I was incredibly well-liked. I gleefully posted these knowing that people would be jealous they couldn’t come.
That’s when I realised: I don’t even need to have a party. Every birthday since then I’ve only sent out invites to people I know won’t turn up. Then, I don’t bother organising a party and simply fake the pictures afterwards.
I haven’t cried on my birthday once since.
To have your business issues addressed or to book Ken Cheng for your event: [email protected]
