red plume marketing

We've moved...

2011-01-15T16:26:00.000-08:00

Our blog has moved to WordPress so please join us over there for all the fun and frivolity that we're working on. Hope to see you there!

~ Karen & Rebecca

Still Thankful

2010-11-24T10:38:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since our last post, and it's just coincidence, now that we're here at Thanksgiving, that the post in October was about being thankful. I think here at red plume, we're in a constant state of thankfulness. We've met amazing people, work in an amazing community, and have worked with some simply amazing clients. Yes, it is our own hard work that has gotten us here, but taking that moment of gratitude really puts it all into perspective, into a world view. We're blessed. And we hope we are returning the favor to others.

Thanksgiving is the perfect time to tell you all how thankful we are for you and your support and friendship. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Happy Thanksgiving to you, your families and friends!

Thankful for the Support

2010-10-26T23:29:00.000-07:00

Having a network is critical for a small business owner. Yes, it is a good place for referrals and with hard work, income. But more importantly, I was thinking of the support it provides. People in your field commiserate with your obstacles. Business owners in the same season of business understand the growing pains. People outside of your field give fresh perspective, and seasoned veterans depart wisdom. Together, we provide stronger services for our clients and build our local communities. We can learn something from every entrepreneur and in turn, can share our stories to help others. Starting a business sounds scary, but there are many others out there willing to give you a boost. Find them and you're on your way.

Writers can be Superheroes!

2010-10-11T12:02:00.000-07:00

Uh-UHM, that's Superheroines to you

A hearty guffaw for a Monday...

Hardly Strictly Truth: A Plea for Passion

2010-10-07T11:49:00.000-07:00

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass is a music festival in San Francisco each year, and 2010, being the banner year in my life that it is, happened to be my lucky year to finally experience it. Why I was out of town or busy on this date in each of the previous seven years, I’m not sure. But here I was so there I went.

I’m not a huge fan of bluegrass – just have not spent enough time with it – but as the name implies, it is hardly strictly just bluegrass music. MC Hammer performed – sorry I missed that. But I did get to see some really talented performers on Day 2.

One of those great performers was Bonnie “Prince” Billy, self-described as alternative/folk/rock. I had heard of him before, but thoroughly enjoyed his set, the ballads and the rock, the slide and the harmonies. He chatted it up with the audience and he seemed genuinely pleased to be there, singing in the mist.

One song away from retiring from stage, he addressed the audience. His plea was for each of us to take this musical experience, the idea of this festival, the enjoyment of this music, and bring it to the corners of the nation. Spread the word about what you felt right here, right today, and try to make it happen for others. Share the depth.

So was he saying that you should go out and start a bluegrass festival in your hometown? Well, yes, actually, he was saying that. It sounds a bit huge, I know, but break it down into steps, the first being: spread the passion. If you did go back home to your roommates or coworkers and talked about your amazing musical experience, the passion is contagious. A few more fans converted, a bit more excitement around the subject. Soon, it’s a movement, and soon after that, people are demanding a bluegrass festival in town. But the key, the main starting point, is to start spreading the passion.

You have a passion – I know you do. It can be anything: antiques, music, belly-dancing, your business, your kids, food, spirits (liquid or ghoulish), teapots, gaming, biking, sleeping, whatever. How are you pursuing it, if you’re pursuing it at all? Why not start? And why not share your love with others because you know what? There are plenty of others out there who share your passion or at least appreciate it. And that makes it even more fun, a richer experience. So let it out, talk it up, and make some passionate connections.

Big things a'brewing...

2010-10-05T15:05:00.000-07:00

Yes, we've been kind of silent over here. Been away from our beloved blog. We just wanted to share with you that there has been a good reason for that.

We've been doing some internal work to strengthen our communications with our clients and fans. We're updating our website, in content and format. We're creating an email newsletter (long overdue). We're gathering some great work and kind words from clients to really showcase our passion. All this combined, we hope, will express how much we love to help businesses tell their stories and be heard.

So please, keep calm and carry on. We're back here, poking around behind the scenes and writing away. Look out for these exciting new things in the next month.

UPCOMING EVENT: Indie Mart - Sunday 9/19

2010-09-16T11:39:00.000-07:00

Stroll through 85+ vendors selling their independent wares, ranging from jewelry, apparel, vintage, art, letterpress, screenprinting, and DIY for guys and girls. Right outside Thee Parkside at 17th Street and Wisconsin, there will be bands both inside and outside, as well as food and drinks.

Rebecca and I went to the last one back in July and were amazed at the talent that was there. If I were a rich girl (na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, nah!), I may have bought out most of the jewelry, such beautiful stuff. Enjoy and fun day in the sun and support local indie shops.

The Indie-Mart Street Fair
Sunday, September 19
Thee Parkside - 17th and all down Wisconsin
12-6 PM, with after-party from 6-7:30 PM

Being OFF is as Important as Being ON

2010-09-15T10:22:00.000-07:00

I had the luxury of spending some time by myself on Saturday, wandering through the packed streets at my own pace and stopping where I pleased. I spent a ridiculous amount of time (and money) in a local bookstore, and then felt inspired to sit down and write in my new little notebook. Passing by one of my favorite cafes in my neighborhood, I decided to stop in and sit there to write, rather than in my familiar apartment.

The first thing I see when I walk in to the café is Robin Williams. And who is he sitting with? Craig Ferguson, one of my favorite comedians. (My apologies to the other guy they were sitting with – I’m sure he’s amazingly funny and fabulous as well, but I didn’t recognize him)

So yes, I just name-dropped. Forgive me – I’m excited because I rarely see celebrities. Honestly, though, it’s a rather lame name-drop, as I didn’t talk with them or take a photo with them or anything. I just happened to be in the same space as them. I don’t think they even looked up at me as I walked by, but I’m sure my face registered some surprise. I had to reign myself in from being an annoying fan. I sat away from them to control myself, but did bend an ear in their direction.

It was a revelation. They are NORMAL PEOPLE. It was just three guys sitting around together, catching up, talking about work. Nothing juicy, no punchline-per-second. If you’ve ever seen an interview with Robin Williams, you would think he had no OFF switch, but he most certainly does. He’s a normal guy talking normally with friends. Conversational, friendly.

There’s a time and a place for being ON. For these comedians, it’s on stage or in front of the camera. But when hanging at a coffee shop with friends, they are themselves. Think of your business writing in the same way. There is a time and a place to lay on the sales pitch, throw in jargon, focus on the product rather than benefits. The place for this is usually not your website.

There are so, so many avenues to express your business. Your website does not have to be the one and only thing that must include it all. Sales sheets, brochures, blogs, taglines, postcards, posters, trade show booths, videos, promotions, etc, etc – all can help you share your message in a more targeted way. They do not have to be expensive or viral, they just have to get to your message to your audience in an authentic way.

Authentic being key. On stage, a comedian is a performer. Sitting in a café, a comedian is a person. He would have no friends if he was performing 24 hours a day. Authenticity is key to making a connection with your audience. Allow your website to peek into your true self. Yes, there is a way to do that while still being professional. And then experiment with other avenues that pique your interest. There’s a lot of creative space out there – use it.

Forbes' Best-Ever Advertising Taglines

2010-09-02T15:45:00.000-07:00

I've got to admit I do like most of these on Forbes' list. I guess they know what they're talking about.

Off the Grid - mobile food & community

2010-09-01T09:52:00.000-07:00

On Friday, I went to the meeting of the food trucks. It’s called Off the Grid - about 8 trucks and a dozen other street food vendors formed a circle in the Ft. Mason parking lot and sold their delicacies. All kinds of food was represented: tacos, Korean barbecue, empanadas, dumplings, Japanese takoyaki, s’mores, chai, curry, ramen bowls, teriyaki bowls. Really, you name it, it was there.

San Francisco locals are quite familiar with the food truck revolution, elevated from the standard “yuck truck.” These food vendors are gourmet cuisine on wheels. My husband said, “Only in San Francisco would I stand in a parking lot on line for about 45 minutes for a Korean barbecue taco.” He’s right.

It was crowded, with a few hundred people at the height. There was a band smack in the middle of the round (and a mighty good one, at that – the Ferocious Few) And some lines were looooong. But everyone was having a good time, and it was a novel event.

Past being full, my biggest take-away was the feeling of community. Here we all were, standing outside, eating off our laps. Talking with people in line around us. Some were from the neighborhood, some from across town. And then think of the vendors – they have built their own community, as well. Although some of the foods overlap, there’s enough to go around for everyone. It was great exposure for them and, I hope, a lucrative night.

What can we do in our businesses that support community? What events can we be involved in that support our local neighborhoods and businesses? And what other businesses can we join forces with to offer something truly remarkable? It’s worth the time to think about – when we think of each other, we all win.

How Will You Measure Your Life? - article link

2010-08-30T13:21:00.000-07:00

From Harvard Business School professor Clay Christensen, on applying his academic principles to your personal life. Get ready to be inspired. It's a good reminder to us all that there is a deeper meaning behind all our work, and it's worth the time to think about what exactly that is.

How Will You Measure Your Life?

Backpacking & the Challenges of Your Own Business

2010-08-24T10:00:00.000-07:00

I took my first backpacking camping trip this past weekend. That’s when you haul your tent, sleeping bag, and food into the wilderness on your back, rather than just unpack it from your car a few feet from your campsite. I was excited and nervous. Would I have enough food? Did I have the right supplies? What if there was a change in weather? I prepared myself as well as I could, thanks to backpacking enthusiasts on the internet, and was on my way.

The four of us were tackling Half Dome, the most recognized peak at Yosemite National Park. None of us have ever climbed it before, but have heard stories about how all kinds of people, big and small, have climbed it. I’m not sure about those stories anymore. It was scary. Much scarier than I had anticipated. I’m talking about the cables up at the top. But just when you think you may not make it, and when your heart is beating its fastest, you dig deep to continue and finally reach the top. And then you are rewarded by the most breathtaking views of the park. We had started out really early that morning and at one point, were the only four people up there.

Over the three days, we hiked close to 20 miles. I have never hiked for multiple days in a row, nevermind for such distances. We would go for hours without seeing other people. Just us and nature. It was so peaceful. We saw beautiful sunrises, beautiful sunsets, high peaks, mountain streams, lots of trees, lots of squirrels and chipmunks, and even a bear. We got water from streams, climbed up and up some more, celebrated dehydrated food, and kept walking even when we wanted to stop.

It was a phenomenal weekend. I learned a lot about backpacking, and about myself. As cheesy as that sounds, it’s true. When not distracted by cell phones and email, you’re left with just your hiking partners and your thoughts.

So here are a few of mine, forged over a few days of walking. It seems to me that a backpacking trip shares a lot of things in common with building your own business.

Prepare as much as you can
Research what you can, but as some point, you just have to start and see what happens.

Gear is important
Backpacking is more successful with efficient equipment. Lightweight, compact, not more than you need. Make sure you have the few key pieces that will really make a difference.

Sometimes you don’t know where you are
You may not have the best map, or maybe the trail is taking longer than you thought it should. Check in with signs when you can, and don’t wander too far from the trail. Keep heading in the direction you want.

You have to go up high to enjoy the coolest stuff

But it’s a real challenge to push yourself there

It’s a mental game
When you’re tired, the last thing you want to see is a trail going straight up. How will you get yourself through it?

Your hiking partners can make the difference in your success
When you are losing at your mental game, those around you can inspire you in a new way. Never hike with naysayers.

There is a lesson in everything
Learn from this experience, and make the next one better.

You can go further than you ever thought you could
Without the encouragement from each other and the fact that we had to keep going to get back to basecamp, we would not have gone that far and pushed through the tough spots. It’s there within you, you just have to wake it up.

What other things have you learned from hiking? And what are some of your favorite hiking spots? I'm ready to take another journey...

Yosemite

2010-08-23T23:11:00.000-07:00

In a weird coincidence, both Rebecca and I went to Yosemite this past weekend. It must have been time for red plume to get inspired by nature. If you have not gone, I highly recommend you do. It is breathtaking.

SFFAMA Fashion Mash-Up: Marketing and PR for Fashion Entrepreneurs

2010-08-20T17:20:00.000-07:00

With an interest in writing and marketing for the fashion industry, Karen and I went along to one of the Fashion Mash-Ups hosted by Owen Geronimo of the San Francisco Fashion and Merchants Alliance. They’re held every third Thursday of the month at Pigment on Market and have a panel of fashion industry peeps sharing their knowledge and fielding questions from an eager audience.

Last night’s session was Marketing for Fashion Entrepreneurs and featured an audience of bright eyed and impeccably trendy youngsters who quite frankly made me feel like an old sack. The panel consisted of only slightly older and, if possible, even more trendy beautiful people who were succeeding in areas my fellow attendees no doubt dream of cracking, despite the butt-busting work and dire pay.

There was a Johnny Depp-esque young man who owns a shop in the Mission called Artillery Apparel & Gallery where clothes and art are showcased. I’m certain that this shop is one in which I would venture two steps across the threshold before realizing that my lack of cool forbids me from entering such a place and that I should promptly haul myself off to Grannies R Us. But I am going to peek through the window if only to get a glimpse of the young man’s phenomenal hair.

Joanna Riley (no relation) of 360 Fashion Network was obviously the most experienced at talking to an audience about what they should be doing when it comes to mobile platforms. I can’t explain what those are and why we should have them because her tech-talk grazed the top of my head as it flew over. Besides which I was more mesmerized by her amazing shoes. Black patent sky-high platforms that looked like something out of a ninja’s toolbox.

Katie Quinn was my favorite. A stylist who not only works on fashion shoots but will come to your home and tell you how to wear the clothes in your closet, and go shopping with you to help you figure out what you should be buying. Like your own personal What Not to Wear episode. She was lovely and personable, and stylish (as one would hope) without looking down her nose at those of us more fashionably challenged. I heart her and when I am rolling in the dough, she will be one of the first people I call.

There was a makeup artist who while lovely looking didn’t really inspire much in me. I’m pretty good at makeup so thankfully will not need to put her on my payroll alongside Katie, but if any of the 100 brides-to-be I know need a makeup artist I would recommend they check her out.

Finally there was Shannon. Loud, bubbly, busty, blond Shannon. Normally I wouldn’t make mention of a woman’s chestular area but in this case it is perfectly reasonable. She has invented a new kind of clothing tape, the kind to prevent peep-shows, where your blouse falls away from your body and reveals unwanted cleavage, and peek-shows, where your ample bosom (and I do mean yours, since I’m definitely not referring to my own) proves just too much for your corporate button-down blouse and allows anyone who cares to have a keyhole peek at your goods. They're called Show Stoppers, which I think is awesome, and she's done a fabulous job of branding and marketing what is essentially foam tape. I wish the very best to her.

The panel was somewhat of a motley crew but their intentions, and definitely their achievements were praise-worthy. Owen too was a little…unrefined, I suppose, in his delivery and management of the proceedings. But he is passionate about the non-profit SFFAMA and what he’s trying to achieve with it – fashion for the people – and for that I give him great kudos. He’s hosting a Fashion Mash-up: Fashion and Tech Forum on September 16th and anyone at all interested in the industry would do well to attend and support him.

Writing Tip: Your Professional Bio

2010-08-17T12:23:00.000-07:00

One of the hardest things to do is write about yourself. You know yourself so well, it's hard to detach. You're an interesting person with lots of ideas and hobbies, but which to leave in and which to leave out? And how do you make it interesting to someone else?

Here are some tips, sent to me by my mom. Bless her, she keeps everything "just in case." Not sure why I would need this again, but seems she had kept all of my drafts and information on essay writing for college admission applications. Although these guidelines, published in 1991, are geared towards writing an essay about yourself, they are perfectly appropriate - and still relevant - to writing your professional bio.

Do's
~ Do think "small" and write about something that you know.
~ Do reveal yourself in your writing
~ Do write in your own voice and style
~ Do show rather than tell. By giving examples and illustrating your topic, you help bring it to life

Don'ts
~ Don't write what you think others want to read
~ Don't exaggerate or write to impress
~ Don't use flowery, inflated, or pretentious style
~ Don't neglect the technical part of your essay (grammar, spelling, sentence structure)
~ Don't ramble - say what you have to say and conclude.

(From "Writing Your College Essay" by John C. Conkright, Dean of Randolph-Macon College)

Let's dig a bit deeper...

Think ~~"small"~~ focused
The idea is to narrow your scope. Throwing too many things at the reader will sound watered-down and maybe overwhelming. How did you get into your field? What experience do you have that integrates well into your field? Rewriting your resume is the watering down; focusing on the job that sparked your passion for your field is the brightening up that you want.

Reveal yourself
People can read your resume for facts. Use this piece of real estate to go beyond the facts and sound human.

Show rather than tell
"I have 15 years experience in chemical engineering where I..." ZZZZZZZZZZZ. Alternative: "During my time developing extra-strong nylon fibers for parachutes, I worked with the head scientist at Tufts University to not only create a better product for military usage, but reduce the environmental impact of production waste." (My apologies to chemical engineers, if this is nothing like what you really do)

Write in your own voice
We are red plume are HUGE proponents of this guideline. There is no added benefit of sounding like cardboard; it does not sound professional - it just sounds like everyone else, which is boring. You are special so sound special. (Awwww...)

Do not cater to others
Once you start writing with the idea of what others want to hear, your writing comes off as insincere and sales-like. You cannot please everyone so you might as well please yourself by speaking from a place of passion and authenticity.

Do not exaggerate
People will find out the truth and you will be embarrassed. Just be honest and honest business will come back to you.

Don't use flowery, inflated or pretentious style
The best juxtaposition of this is using a five-syllable word when a one- or two-syllable phrase will do. That's pretentious, unless you do use that kind of vocabulary every day when chatting with your friends. Flowery phrasing includes many delightful and intriguing adjectives and maybe exclamation marks! Distracting. Start by writing how you would speak in conversation, then go through and replace "dude" and "stoked" with more professional words.

Don't neglect the technical part
Yes, this is the most un-fun part of writing, but the most important. We have encouraged you before to reread (here and here) and yes, it's still true. We mean it. Skipping this is the easiest way to look silly.

Do not ramble
People want information quickly. Especially online, you have about 30 seconds to engage a reader. Running off on tangents will have the audience walking away. Start with the good stuff, and stay there. Yes, this will take a few rewrites to get rid of wandering phrasing, but your final product will be clear and meaty.

This is a lot to think about at once, I know. A good tip is to review your work a few times, concentrating on different guidelines each time. For example, reread the first time looking for rambling phrases and extra adjectives. The next time, check for typos and grammatical errors. A good piece of writing does not come about the first time, but a good piece of writing is the most memorable.

"I'm not a very good writer, but I'm an excellent rewriter."
~ James Michener

Typo Alert

2010-08-11T11:13:00.000-07:00

It seems not everyone paid heed to Karen's advice to always reread. And don't even get me started on the irony. From Yahoo News.

A Small Business Easy Button?

2010-08-06T17:33:00.000-07:00

Upon telling a doctor that I really wanted to find the motivation and get up early and go running rather than face the mountainous task of exercising after work, she told me “the body knows what it needs; the thing that you obsess over the most but never do, is the very thing you should be doing.” Dammit. She seemed so assured I knew I had no recourse.

But, much like anything that doesn’t thrill me I was soon able to forget that bit of sage advice - evidenced by the fact that I have not once gotten up to run since that appointment two weeks ago - and then there it was again in Stacy Karacostas’ article 10 Simple Rules for Growing a Successful Business. Rule number ten, which I think makes it the most important, demands:

“Face your fears. The very things that scare you the most when it comes to marketing and growing your business are probably the things you most need to be doing.”

Dammit.

Deep down I know this to be true, both about clawing my way out of bed every morning with more than ten minutes to spare, and doing scary stuff to grow this business, but I also like this advice from Seth Godin:

"Q is for Quitting: Sticking things out is overrated, particularly if you stick out the wrong things. In fact, I think you'd be much better off quitting most of what you do so you have the resources to get through the hard slog I call the Dip... The challenge, then is to not quit in the Dip, but instead to quit everything else so you have the focus to get through the slog of what matters."

So how do you know to which scary things you should square off your shoulders and from which ones it is permissible to run a la Scooby Doo fleeing a bad man in a monster mask?

We’ve come across this quandary already when trying to figure out whether we should be networking or writing, finding clients or doing work for the ones we already have. In this case we were blessed with an easy and definitive answer in the sit down with Giselle from CherryBranch Consulting I mentioned last week. According to her 50% of the hours you work should be billed, 25% on marketing yourself and 25% on education. This is where I press my easy button (I really like that voice).

Obviously Staples still has some work to do because it’s not always that easy. Another Godin nugget is about choosing your customers. He claims we get to choose them not the other way around. I know that in theory if you market yourself to a certain audience or price yourself out of the reach of certain groups, you are choosing, but how does that play out when you have bills to pay, and people to whom your income is important. Surely then there has to be some flexibility or realism?

At what point can we quit the customers we don’t like? I suppose at the point we’re able to quit the abhorrence of getting out of a toasty bed to go jogging because we’re now free to set our own hours. Ah, if only Staples had an easy button for that.

Personality in Business: Southwest Airlines

2010-08-03T13:21:00.000-07:00

It seems a lot of companies are afraid of personality. Many company websites, from a small business to a large corporation, read like styrofoam. Dry, stoic, functional but bland. Environmentalists have told you how bad styrofoam is for the earth. Well, content styrofoam is bad for your company environment.

Will content styrofoam bring your company to its knees? No. So it won’t kill you. But how is it helping you?

If your website is pretty bland with standard industry verbiage and long-winded text, it either means you are (a) a bland company or (b) has a website that really doesn’t reflect your company. Option (a) cannot be true, since every company was built from someone’s passion, a fire from deep within, and that’s always exciting. Go with option (b) and you’re selling yourself short.

It’s scary to stand up and announce your personality. It’s very personal and there is the risk of alienating people who don’t mesh with you. But when you do stand by your personality, you work more confidently, knowing you are yourself, and you attract people who respect all that you are. The naysayers who are scared of this honesty can go find another bland company to work with, while you celebrate each day with the people you want to meet.

Businesses tend to confuse personality with unprofessional. That is not the case. You can be both. Personality does not mean bold colors and jokes and all smiles, unless that is your personality. If you are a pretty mellow accountant, personality means relaying that there is a person behind the jargon and answering the fears that most people have in seeing an accountant. Personality is being human, and at the end of the day, in business and in everyday life, all people want is a human connection.

Southwest Airlines shows their personality through bold colors and jokes and all smiles. The flight attendants, as I mentioned yesterday, inject humor into humdrum airline speak. Their commercials are a bit irreverent. They focus on great customer service instead of extra food or charging for baggage. Their coffee cups say a lot about them:

Yes, I took a photo of the coffee cup, I liked it so much. They put time into designing an original cup that shares a glimpse into what Southwest is all about.

1. They put time into developing the thing you get for free.
They have a signature coffee blend, LIFT, as the cup tells me. Spaced along the top are adjectives to tell you more about the blend = “Mountain Grown,” “Freshly Brewed,” “Smooth.” You do not pay extra for great coffee - they just want you to have a great coffee experience. They are squashing the swill-on-airplanes stereotype.

2. They care about the environment.
True, an overplayed hot button of the time, but an important one nonetheless. The cup is 12% post consumer recycled fiber, as it says on the cup. This has nothing to do with your coffee experience but it is a nice added bonus. No styrofoam here! Why not tell others about the nice things you are doing?

3. They are community-minded.
They proudly donate to the Guatemala Light Project. Not enough room to detail what this is, they leave you with the sentiment: “Drink our coffee and LIFT others!”

4. They are proud to give you such a nice coffee experience.
The LIFT blend has its own logo. They did not just slap their normal Southwest logo on the cup and call it a day. This is special - you should feel special.

For a small spot of real estate, they explained a lot about themselves without gimmicks. Never before in my life have I taken a photo of an airline coffee cup. The personality of this cup made it stand out, made it memorable and obviously, even made me write about it. And that’s a coffee cup. Think of what you can do in your business to showcase your personality and seem more like a human. Make a real connection. Be styrofoam-free.

Southwest Standup

2010-08-02T11:08:00.000-07:00

Southwest Airlines is known for its fun, slightly irreverent personality. I am tickled when the flight attendants make funny announcements. Here are a few from the flight attendant who was on fire Friday afternoon on our way to Phoenix.

(During the safety announcement)
"...and breath normally through the air mask." (heavy breathing) "Luke, I am your father." Then a dead-on impression of Chewbacca.

(on the taxi to the gateway)
"We have a special guest on the plane today. A 76-year-old passenger and it's his first flight today. Let's give him a round of applause." (we all clap) "And you can congratulate him yourself as he comes out of the cockpit..."

"Apple has been kind enough to give us a $100 iTunes gift card to one lucky passenger. Before you boarded, we stuck it in the back pocket of a lucky passenger's chair. So start digging." (pause) "No one yet? Ring your call button if you won." (pause) "Well, sorry, folks, that was a joke. But while you're in there, be sure to take out all the trash that was stowed in the back pocket. LOL."

I'm forgetting half of them but not forgetting the light-hearted feeling on the plane. Maybe it was Friday afternoon, maybe it was him, but it didn't feel like normal tense travel.

More on Southwest tomorrow...

Ask and Ye Shall Receive

2010-07-23T10:53:00.000-07:00

A friend recently said to me “if you don’t ask the Universe for what you need, how will it know what to give you?” What a lovely sentiment. Six months ago I would have thought this existential tosh but since red plume has really started to take off, I’m learning that the Universe might actually be looking to help a girl out.

The wise friend in question is herself an example of the Universe doing its thang. Karen and I are Creatives and at the beginning of our venture were much more enthusiastic about getting stuck in with the writing than say, creating a business plan, or setting some goals – you know, little stuff like that. The business was starting to gather speed and we were loving life, all except for a teeny-weeny but very persistent voice in the back of our heads telling us that it was time we sit down and address the hard stuff. And it was hard. It felt like the “we need to talk” conversation of so many relationships and left me wanting to curl up in a corner and take a nap.

Then, with a sprinkle of fairy dust, into our lives walked Giselle of CherryBranch Consulting. She sat us down and with an array of brightly colored pens and intelligent questions, got us to start really thinking about what the future of red plume looks like. Don’t be fooled, that fairy dust and pleasant demeanor doesn’t mean you won't get grilled – you just won’t realize it until you’re finished and are flaked out wondering why you feel so spent. Giselle was exactly what we needed.

Another example of the Universe finding a square peg for our square hole came in the form of an SEO Queen. She started asking us strange technical questions about our website to which she received long...blank...stares. She ran a report for us and it turned out that our website, while stunning, is invisible to the Google Gods. In this instance we didn’t even know we needed help and wham! up it shows anyway. Now our website is going to be like catnip for those Google spiders, and it has even got me interested in becoming an SEO Queen myself – there’s room for plenty in this Kingdom.

What Karen and I didn’t realize was that in sucking it up and networking, which Biznik believes we should view as a community rather than a tool, we were asking the Universe for help. We were telling the world that our business was out there, and worth paying attention to; any help or advice greatly appreciated. If you have something the world should know about, but there’s something holding you back, just take a deep breath and plunge in. As long as you ask for help along the way and are receptive to it you’ll do just fine, and you’ll meet some awesome people along the way.

More "Food" Madness

2010-07-22T09:33:00.000-07:00

Remember my lament a few weeks back about Uncrustables? The pre-made peanut-butter & jelly sandwich you can store in your freezer? Well, now we have Candwiches, that's right, sandwiches in a can. You can't see me but I'm shaking my head.

Within the can you get a hot-dog bun and two sachets, one of peanut-butter, and one of jelly. The caveat is that you actually have to squeeze the peanut-butter and the jelly onto the bread yourself. What? "Harumph" is what I say. My only exertion of energy should be in popping open the can.

Where the Candwich beats out the Uncrustable is that:

you don't need a freezer.
It was created by a single, regular man, Mark Kirkland (well somewhat regular, he did put a sandwich in a can after all), not a huge corporation who we know to be completely lacking in regard for our health.
The name actually makes sense - I appreciate that.
Oh, and with the PB&J Candwich you get a packet of taffy for dessert. So...more sugar then?

Despite all my incredulity towards the idea, I do admire Kirkland's noble belief that sandwiches in cans could be useful in disaster relief efforts. I really hope that's the case, I do. But I just can't help be turned off by the notion of a BBQ Chicken Candwich, because that's what's coming next folks, BBQ Chicken, BBQ Beef and Calzones. From a completely professional stand point I hope they are a success because I want to see how effective Kirkland's marketing campaign is, which involves his friend Jeff Pierson, telling anyone who's interested, "When it was just peanut-butter & jelly, I was pretty excited about it, but when I was handed my first meat sandwich I was a little hesitant. I thought, ‘How safe could this be?’ But I’ve eaten them after a full year, and they were still good — and I’m still here.”

Aww, it's kind if endearing, don't you think?

The Company You Keep

2010-07-20T09:37:00.000-07:00

I’ve been grappling with some heavy business questions recently, the largest being, “What the hell should I be spending my time on?" That speaks to company direction, daily activity, overall goals, lots of big things. In some melodramatic moments, it seems too big to handle. I might curl up in the corner for a bit.

I shuffle over to the corner and find it already taken. Fear is scrunched so close to the wall, I almost didn’t see her there. Looks as if she’s been there a mighty long time and would continue to hog my corner. She shifted a bit to give me some room to scooch in.

That is not the company you want to keep. This was not the friend you envisioned having when you started our business. No, you envisioned out running with the bulls with Courage and climbing mountains with Determination (Dee for short). You guys would meet up for drinks with Confidence and Goals, and you’d play racquetball with Inspiration.

But here you are, paling around with Doubt and Negativity. And every time you hang out with them, you feel worse about yourself and the cycle continues.

What changed? How did your vision go awry? What defining moment switched your confident thoughts to doubt? You may have to dig deep to find the answers.

Once you have the answer, take a minute to figure our why its so paralyzing to you. Then tell yourself you can get past this. Because you can. You just have to believe you can. Once you do, you’ll know exactly how to tackle it and keep the momentum moving forward.

We will all have moments of doubt and pain. You’re allowed a bit of sympathy for yourself, but be kind. A lot of what we face every day as entrepreneurs is brand new and we’re still learning. Don’t beat yourself up over it, but be sure to get fired up from it. Onward!

Music to read by: Company I Keep by White Rabbits

Writing Tip: Avoid the Selfish Sermon

2010-07-13T13:10:00.000-07:00

So it’s Tuesday. It’s my day to post something fantastic on our company blog. So here it is. Yup, this is it. I’m going to talk a little bit about something, expound upon it in the middle, then finish up with something witty or thought-provoking. It’s going to be a topic you’ll enjoy.

I’m now moving into the meat of the post. This is where it starts to get juicy. I’m not only making a good point, but I’m going to back it up with some solid facts or mind-blowing observations. I am 96.3% sure you will be intrigued, and will start considering passing this post along to your friends. You will keep reading.

Now closer to the end, I’m starting to wrap up the loose ends. Your questions have been answered and you are walking away richer than when you started reading. It was a great visit and you learned a lot about me.

Or did you?

You, in fact, got nothing more out of this than fluff. As the writer, you envisioned a Jedi mind trick, willing the audience to be excited about you, but that’s not the result. You actually ended up with the Selfish Sermon, a name I made up this very moment.

The Selfish Sermon includes three bad habits:
~ describing a process when not meant to be a How To
~ using “I” over and over
~ telling people how to feel

Avoid these pitfalls if you want to connect with your audience through your writing, on your website, your blog, a brochure, anywhere. Just a few simple alterations, and the Selfish Sermon becomes the start of a conversation.

Let’s use an example for illustration – an excerpt from the website of a massage therapist:

“First I choose a fragrant oil based on your preferences and massage it into the back, shoulders and arms. After a few minutes, I take warm rocks and use them to massage key tension points of the same area. After 15 minutes, I use more warm rocks and lay them along the spine. Once the heat is gone, I remove the rocks, finish with some gentle pressure, and allow you to reflect with soothing music. You will be at your most relaxed”

Instead of describing the process → describe the benefits
Process is factual, results are emotional. What compels a person to get off your website and onto the phone with you is what you can do for them. How can you improve their current state? The question is not how exactly, in what steps, will you improve their state. It’s a question of how will they feel different after working with you? And how is your help different from another provider’s help? Describe results, not a process.

Original:
“First I choose a fragrant oil based on your preferences and massage it into the back, shoulders and arms.”

Refreshed:
“We use organic fragrant oils during your massage, gentle on the skin and relaxing to the senses.”

Instead of using “I” → focus on the reader
Yes, it is your company. Yes, you are the one providing a service. But you are selling it for THEM, your audience. Involve them in your writing or you’ll be talking to yourself.

Original:
“After a few minutes, I take warm rocks and use them to massage key tension points of the same area. After 15 minutes, I use more warm rocks and lay them along the spine.”

Refreshed:
“After a few minutes, we start working with warm rocks, erasing pain and stiffness by massaging the key tension points of your back and neck. The spine is then treated to lasting relief as the rocks are placed along key points to bathe the tired muscles in warmth.”

Instead of describing a feeling → create a feeling
The first two points are building an emotional reaction in the audience. Now is not the time to break that. This step is a bit trickier, but your goal is to think of the things picked up by the senses and relate them to the end result. In the case of a massage therapist, there is touch, smell, and sound, but all combined equal extreme relaxation and comfort.

Original:
“Once the heat is gone, I remove the rocks, finish with some gentle pressure, and allow you to reflect with soothing music. You will be at your most relaxed.”

Refreshed:
“As you drift into deep relaxation, the last gentle touches remind your body to let go of its lingering tension. Lay as long as you need, reflecting on the serenity in your muscles and mind.”

Granted, this is not my best writing, and it is easier to refresh text as a whole rather than sentence by sentence. But it does its job - illustrate ways to avoid the Selfish Sermon. Focus on the benefits for the customer, how your product or service applies to your client’s life, and create a genuine connection.

The World's Largest Gummy Bear

2010-07-12T13:47:00.000-07:00

Both Rebecca and I like gummy bears. Preferably Haribo, if you’re keeping notes. But even we are not sure if we could handle a five-pound gummy bear.

This is the invention of the inventive people over at Vat19. It comes in your choice of colors and flavors. It is the equivalent of 1,400 regular gummy bears. That is a lot of gummy anything.

But I kind of want one, and this seems to be a result of watching their funny promotional video. (See, marketing does work!) The video does address the problematic questions of, “Is this really TOO much gummy bear to eat?” and goes on to explain why it is so awesome. It’s funny and creative.

Maybe I just gave you the best idea for a birthday gift, but at the very least, you’ll get a laugh out of their video. Happy Week!

Ally - Frustrating Kids Since 2009

2010-07-09T16:55:00.000-07:00

Judging from some message boards (yes, message boards dedicated to commercials do exist) the Ally commercials cause some contention. A lot of people complain about how much they would like to punch the grown-up in the face – I think that’s kind of the point. Some people say it makes them feel so bad for the children – erm, like I said…

I personally think they’re great. At least I think they’re funny, I’m undecided as to how effective they are.

Normally I intensely dislike commercials with children in them, and I generally like children. They’re saccharin sweet and boring. I particularly dislike any that focus on a child’s success in the bathroom. I know it must be awesome when your kid finally learns how to take themselves to the bathroom rather than presenting it to you in a diaper, but still, the jumps of joy and slow-motion grins belie the fact that there’s going to be a mess for you to clean up in the bathroom anyway, at least for the next few years. I don’t like the googly, sweet way children speak in commercials – the acting is so, so bad, which is understandable, given that they’re toddlers and have yet to grasp the nuances of true character acting, dahling.

The reason I like the children in the Ally commercials is simply because they’re not acting. Or if they are, blow me down with a feather and hand them each an Oscar, because it’s great. Their emotions are simple ones - pleasure, surprise, frustration, disappointment, confusion – and they wear them so clearly on their faces. There are no dead eyes here. What a difference to those kids who sing with delight that the adhesive on their band-aids works. I highly doubt that is a top priority for three-year-olds.

Despite being all grown up (supposedly) I can completely relate to the Ally kids. Even though I should be thinking “where the hell would I put it?” about the real life pony, I’d still be mad about not getting offered it at all. And I love the brutal honesty of the boy who is given the shiny red truck to play with only to have it swapped for a cardboard cutout two seconds later. “It’s a piece of junk! I want the red truck.” Ahh, if only social etiquette didn’t stop me expressing my feelings so honestly every time I was presented with a piece of junk.

Yet, despite my clear enjoyment of the commercials, which I think the Germans refer to as schadenfreude, and even though I've mentioned "Ally" a dozen times in this post (you're welcome), I couldn't remember what the bank's name was without looking it up, in fact I wasn't even certain it was a bank. It is a bank right? I suppose that I wanted to blog about them lends something to the effectiveness of the commercials, but if I had been walking down the street and suddenly thought, "I must open a checking account," as you do, I wouldn't have considered anyone who didn't have a storefront to remind me of their existence.

Anyway, what's your take on the commercials? Love ‘em or hate ‘em?

Class in Defeat

2010-07-07T08:27:00.000-07:00

We recently did a short test run of two online Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems in the hopes of falling in love with one. We fell in like with one and feeling that was enough, said farewell to the other. We have no regrets. Well, maybe a bit of regret, based only on what happened right AFTER the sale.

We cancelled our subscription with Highrise. It is a smart, beautiful service that for us, was a bit expensive and did not offer the breadth of what we’d like (unlimited contacts, room to grow, a calendar). So I log in to the system to cancel and thankfully find the cancellation button in a very obvious place. It is preceded by a short sentence that started, “We’d hate to see you go…” That’s so nice. I confirm I do indeed want to cancel and the next new page again mentions how they would hate to see us go, and more nice things. I find this endearing.

Once the cancellation is done, a new page pops up confirming the cancellation. How often do you cancel something online, and nothing confirms, so you are nervously stuck not knowing if it actually happened? And then for them to be this nice?

In thanks for being them being so responsive, I went for the exit survey. I strongly believe in the power of feedback. The company asked a few simple questions about why we were leaving and the last box told us to be completely honest. Refreshing. I did tell them their competitor won out on price and breadth, but we appreciated our nice experience with Highrise. Upon clicking “Submit,” a new screen popped up.

“Thanks again for taking the time to give us your feedback. We're sorry to see you go, but we'll be here if you ever want to try us again. We wish you success in whatever you're working on.”

A few simple words was all it took to make me a fan. A fan that doesn’t even use their product. I appreciate that kind of thought in the fast-moving online world, especially when a sale is NOT made.

Compare that to Salesforce, who did make the sale with us. From the beginning, it was obvious they prefer a more hardline approach to sales. Obvious from the numerous phone calls and emails I received within the seven days of our trial. It’s nice that they wanted us as a customer but it was a bit much. And once they did have our credit card information, do you know what we got in return? A form letter (email) that was an order confirmation. It started with “Dear Karen Hancock, Order #78257305 was activated on…” Warm and fuzzy. We had to scour the entire thing for a thank you, and it came in the bland form of “Thank you for your business.”

Both companies made a conscious choice in how their communications reflect their personality. In other words, Salesforce is like a car salesman and 37 Signals is your neighborhood coffee barista. Only time will tell if the car salesman makes good on his promises but right now, the coffee guy holds a warm spot in my heart.

Networking Is a Dirty Word

2010-06-29T22:50:00.000-07:00

That was my opinion a couple of years ago. The thought: networking is painful and awkward, stuck in a room with a bunch of strangers trying to impress one another. Smarmy sales guys in suits trying to sell you insurance. High-powered executives making big deals and not bothering to even look at you. People that just want to talk about work, when I have more interesting, personal activities to tend to.

Yes, this definition of networking is out there. Some people thrive on it. You can guess I was not one of those people. So after a few too many slimy handshakes, I abandoned networking as something not for me.

But that was a hasty conclusion. At the time, I was working in a corporate job, not thrilled with the industry nor the work, so of course, the last thing I wanted to do was talk more about it. Now that I have pursued my passion and hand-built a company, I can’t STOP talking about it. I talk about it because I love it, but also because I want to help people with this talent we have. I don’t feel like a smarmy salesperson – I feel like a real contributor to the small business world.

That shift in thought made all the difference. Once you realize you have so much to offer, a conversation becomes an exploration more than a chore. You listen. You give - work tips, a referral, or maybe just support. It has evolved from a business card exchange to a relationship.

In the end, networking is all about relationships. It’s not a contest to see how many business cards you can accumulate, or how many people you can add to your email newsletter. It’s about quality. Well, of course, it’s about business, but anyone can shake hands and give empty promises. You are not like that so don’t surround yourself with people like that. Your network will reflect the company you keep. You will only be more inspired when around motivated, smart, trustworthy people.

And when you’re not having a good networking experience, not meeting the right kinds of people or businesses, then it’s time to try different networking events. But don’t stop networking. Don’t throw up your hands and abandon it. Don’t jump to a hasty conclusion about it, as I had. Just give it time and attention and you’ll soon find you gain back what you give.

Writing and Moods

2010-06-25T16:44:00.000-07:00

About a week ago I was supposed to sit down and do a piece of writing. By lunch time I had an impeccably tidy desk - all the dirty glasses were dropped off in the kitchen sink, the pens all stood to attention in the pen pot rather than rolling around underneath my paper, ink-staining my forearms where I have neglected to replace the caps. Had I done any writing? No, I had not – not a jot. No matter. I had the whole afternoon stretching out in front of me with nary a paperclip out of place to distract me from the task at hand – until I had a disagreement with a friend.

I won’t go into detail because as is often the case, the details are not worth mentioning, and I fail to recall exactly what they were anyway. What is important is that it upset me so much that I couldn’t write. I had wasted the whole morning and then when I finally came to sit down and write, I couldn’t give it the attention it deserved. I promise this was not just another avoidance tactic, believe me, I’m the first to admit my tendency to procrastinate. I actually sat down to write and realized that what I produced would be angry, because I was angry. If it had been a bit of personal writing, it might not have mattered. Dark moods have their place. But this was professional, business writing that called for a clear head, not excessive banging of the keyboard.

I ended up waiting a day and completing the piece to my satisfaction, but the incident reminded me of how difficult it is to be a professional writer, or any other kind of artist for that matter. I personally find it very difficult to turn off my emotions and write feelings that aren’t true. Just like I would find it difficult to paint a field of sunflowers if I’d just stubbed my toe. That I’m a terrible painter is by the by. The reason this doesn’t work for business writing is obvious. I’m not representing myself in that instance, I’m representing the client, and I’m pretty sure that the newly-opened, fluffy bunny shop from around the corner doesn’t want Miserable Maud writing their copy.

Even in personal writing emotions can cause difficulties. I remember a creative writing teacher saying that the environment in which you write has to stay consistent throughout the piece. If you started writing as dawn broke listening to Mozart’s Andante, then you should do that every time you sat down to work on that piece. I find this to be a little extreme. What if you were writing something really long? You couldn’t possible listen to Mozart’s Andante every single day for a year. Ken Follett’s Pillars of the Earth is 976 pages and spans a century if not more – heaven knows for how many years he would have had to recreate his environment. Presumably the same thing applies to emotions. It’s not helpful to your piece if you feel angry or sad because it’s almost impossible to not let that feed into your writing somehow and affect the consistency of your voice.

If you want to give your writing the attention and the respect it deserves, which should always be the case, take a break and revisit it at a later time. In the long run it will serve you much better. And whatever you do, definitely don’t start a piece of writing when you’re angry, otherwise you’ll have to spend the rest of the year poking yourself in the eye in an effort to keep the tone the same, and no piece of writing is worth that.

The Distance Traveled in a Year

2010-06-24T10:00:00.000-07:00

A year ago this month, red plume marketing was born. It was an idea long before, but it became a reality in June 2009. Here we are a year later and how far have we come?

Some days, we have not come far at all. We are currently not swimming in clients, but we are swimming in receipts. Our accounting system is an Excel spreadsheet and Outlook is our CRM system. We have 47 followers on Twitter. We had envisioned, by this point, turning a profit and being Entrepreneur of the Year. We’re not.

Well, not yet. Because some days we see no limits, since we’ve come so far in a year. We have had clients – paying clients - and have a positive difference in the life of their small businesses. We have created work that is amazing and that we’re proud of. We have a logo, a website, and a vision. We have 47 followers on Twitter. What was once a daydream is now a reality.

This back-and-forth seems to be common among small business owners. One day, we’re unstoppable, and the next, we’re wondering why the hell we thought we could do this. If you remember WAAAYYYYY back to when you were working for The Man, it used to happen then, too. Really. It just feels much more pressure-laden now since you are the business. But you wouldn’t trade it for anything, would you?

So on the days you’re feeling low, remind yourself how far you’ve come. And most importantly, celebrate that progress. Owning a small business is HUGE and every step you’ve taken to make today what it is, be it registering your business or hiring a staff of five people, is an accomplishment to be proud of. So before you get back to work, pat yourself on the back and give yourself a handshake because you’ve come farther than you thought you could.

The Attempts and the Grief of the Translation Software

2010-06-22T12:00:00.000-07:00

In his book The Mother Tongue, Bill Bryson takes a look at the problems of translation, furnishing us with such wonderful examples of English gone awry as this from a Japanese eraser wrapper.

“We are ecologically minded. This package will self-destruct in Mother Earth.”

Here, at least, the Japanese got their point across – we’re not under any delusion that erasing pencil lead is an impossible mission. But this message on a shopping bag featuring dancing elephants, while rather lovely, makes no sense at all.

"Elephant family are happy with us. Their humming makes us feel happy." Ahh.

These mistranslations were presumably made by humans but translations made by computers tend to fare even worse (although personally I’m quite thankful that there is at least one thing we still do better than computers). The title of this post was originally The Trials and Tribulations of Translation Software, but using freetranslation.com to turn it into German and back again gave it a certain level of melodrama not commonly associated with Germany. Strangely, transliterating it into Korean and back produced almost perfect English.

NPR this morning reported the same kind of issue when trying to using translation software such as Babelfish (which as a side note has to be one of my favorite product names, referencing the hilarious Douglas Adams book, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) and Google Translate. These programs only perform sufficiently when they have enough data to learn from, as they do with English and Chinese. If you were looking to translate something from Urdu to Tagalog you would probably find computers seriously lacking. Philip Resnik, from the University of Maryland, and other linguists are trying to use what is called crowd-sourcing to move towards the perfect translation machine. The Haiti earthquake back in January is an example of this idea in action. A vital source of communication for the Haitians was text messages, but not surprisingly the US soldiers couldn’t read the local Creole language, Kreyol, that the majority of the text messages were sent in. Fortunately thousands of Kreyol speakers around the world were eager to help by translating the text messages online. Each message took about 10 minutes to translate, not as fast as a computer perhaps, but a darned sight more accurate.

We’re a galaxy away from a computer that could compete with one of Adams’ actual babel fish but thankfully while we have the spirit of human kindness and the internet, we can do some good. In the meantime we will just have to learn to enjoy following such instructions as this one that Bryson gives us from Tokyo.

"When a passenger of the foot heave in sight, tootle the horn. Trumpet at him melodiously at first, but if he still obstacles your passage, then tootle him with vigor."

I personally think that ‘tootling with vigor’ sounds like a lot of fun.

Business Lessons from the Library

2010-06-15T10:10:00.000-07:00

The library is one of my favorite places to work. It’s rarely quiet but has nice desks, free wi-fi, people, and loads of knowledge. I feel inspired and focused when I’m there. I guess I also look around a lot, as I found myself observing the library workings. That humble place can teach us small business owners a thing or two.

Go the extra step
There is a library employee walking around the shelves, rescuing abandoned books and straightening up the books within their stacks. This, of course, is not necessary. People will still come in search of knowledge, whether or not the spines of the books are flush with the shelf. But why not make it a little easier for people to find what they’re looking for? Make the place feel a bit more comfortable and welcoming?

Think of this in terms of your website, or your customer service system. We can all put out the minimum to suffice, but we can also put out something better with a bit more effort.

Have a system, but be flexible
The Dewy Decimal system – brilliant. From its humble beginnings at Amherst College, Massachusetts, in 1876, the system is now used in over 135 countries. It turns out the system has gone through 22 major revisions since then, integrating new categories such as photography (770) and paranormal phenomena (130). The libraries themselves also updated their system by creating a digital card catalog and book tracking system.

Jennifer Shaheen at Entrepreneur.com recently highlighted the need to build a flexible website that will grow with your business. Same goes for your business plan, marketing plan, business model…

Give your knowledge freely
Without any money or identification, you can sit in the library and enjoy all the knowledge it offers. For a few minutes and a few key strokes, you can sign up for a library card and check out books for free. The library asks for your information so they know where to find you should you never return the book – they do not ask for your info to add to their email newsletter or to spam you.

We cannot give away all our products for free, or that would not be business. But we can find a comfortable balance between tight-lipped and sinking ships. When you offer profound expertise (meaning, profound content), people will keep coming back to you – no need to force the issue.

There is not enough time to read everything
Just in the fiction section alone, the choices are overwhelming and my “to-read” list gets longer each week. But there is no time to lament over what has not been read. Either pick the top choices, or become a full-time reader.

Sound familiar? It’s the blogosphere, and it’s even more conveniently located than the library. There are many, many great ones to read (ahem… why, thank you!) but unless you want to trade in your business for reading, you have to bypass some and stick with the ones that resonate with you.

See you at the library. You'll find me in section 780.

Soccer and Social Media

2010-06-11T12:37:00.000-07:00

The 2010 FIFA World Cup has begun – thirty-two teams battling for a chance to lift the cup on July 11th. The last World Cup was four years ago in 2006, which doesn’t seem all that long ago. I remember watching the final between Italy and France in Belden Lane, here in San Francisco. I was with a French friend who, upon Italy’s win, immediately switched allegiances so that we could fully participate in the North Beach celebrations. Italy is not a favorite team of mine, I find them prone to dramatics, but France had cheated a much deserving Irish team out of being there at all so I wasn’t enamored with them either, leaving me to find a way to enjoy the revelry no matter what the outcome.

Four years doesn’t seem all that long but in terms of social media, it’s a lifetime, and the effect social media has had on this World Cup is huge. There are endless streams of Twitter feeds, Facebook pages, and blogs all dedicated to the tournament. I’m currently following two Twitter feeds and am ‘liking’ one Facebook page, all while watching the BBC’s play by play commentaries anyway. Sadly I am lacking the wherewithal to circumnavigate my company’s internet security and stream it live.

It was only in 2006 that Twitter and Facebook came to be, and only then after the competition was nearly over. Yet now it’s hard to imagine a world without them, isn’t it? It seems perfectly normal that people can shout their chants and hurl their insults to each other as if they were together on the stands. It’s even possible to share the FIFA World Cup President’s (Joseph S. Blatter) experience of the game as he tweets from @seppblatter. According to Twitter employee Robin Sloane, “… The World Cup will eclipse everything we have seen so far on Twitter, including the U.S. election, the Oscars, or the Super Bowl simply because it is so international.” Maybe this will finally make the US appreciate football (I'm British, I can call it that) for what it is, ‘The Beautiful Game.’

Launch Party Slideshow (with music)

2010-06-09T12:50:00.000-07:00

This Post is Sponsored by MegaCorp - or, Random Corporate Naming

2010-06-08T11:36:00.000-07:00

While waiting for a flight at Newark Airport, I was looking out at the runway, watching planes land and ground crews manhandle luggage. It was only about 20 minutes later that I noticed the advertisement. “HSBC Bank, the world’s local bank” was emblazoned on the side of the jet bridge (that accordian-style platform that connects the plane to the terminal). The jet bridge is now sponsored!

How many people do you guess are sitting in the airport thinking, “Hmm, I need to switch banks. Now who should I choose? Why, maybe HSBC Bank!” Advertising gurus tell us that immediate action is not actually the point of billboards and name placements like this. The point is name recognition so even a year from now, when you’re choosing a new bank, you’ll feel comfortable looking into HSBC since you’re familiar with the name.

This is also the reasoning behind corporate naming of stadiums. Good times = good emotional affiliation with the brand. The companies in the naming pool usually have a strong local presence, in the case of Coors Field in Denver and the very first sponsored stadium, Busch Stadium in St. Louis (now closed). Companies interested in naming a stadium are also very rich, as deals range from $2 million to the record $20 million a YEAR for a decade or two. That seems like a mighty steep price for name recognition, a method whose success rate is not easily measured.

I personally find corporate stadium-naming ridiculous. The $20 million per year (as in the case of CitiGroup for the Met’s home, Citi Field) seems like it could be used in better places for better products. Seriously, CitiGroup better offer the best customer service I’ve ever seen or the $20 million might be a waste. I also find it sad when historic stadiums are renamed. The Boston Garden, Candlestick Park, the Meadowlands. Well, it seems Candlestick Park will always be Candlestick Park, no matter what you name it. And the new Meadowlands has yet to find a sponsor.

But above all, it’s the randomness of corporate naming that I find crazy. Local or not, AT&T has nothing to do with baseball. Jobing.com has nothing to do with hockey (those poor AZ Coyotes). HSBC has nothing to do with travel, though I guess they do sell life insurance. Will they slap their names on anything? Where will the line be drawn?

A Fish in the Wind

2010-06-04T10:01:00.000-07:00

I woke up late this morning, on a Friday that I thought was a Saturday, to rain. Talk about hitting a trifecta. And yet, on the bus to work, where I did get a seat it has be said - albeit a sideways one that has the potential to induce nausea when combined with reading - I managed a giggle. Here's why:

I am currently reading Bill Bryson's The Mother Tongue, subtitled english and how it got that way, and on page ninety of my edition, he comes out with this gem explaining how humans manage to speak so quickly.

"In normal conversation we speak at a rate of about 300 syllables a minute. To do this we force air up through the larynx - or supralaryngeal vocal tract, to be technical about it - and, by variously pursing our lips and flapping our tongue in the manner of a freshly landed fish, we shape each passing puff of air into a series of loosely differentiated plosives, fricatives, gutturals, and other minor atmospheric disturbances."

A freshly landed fish? Minor atmospheric disturbances? Brilliant. I last read Bryson a few years back when I picked up A Short History of Nearly Everything, and I had forgotten how much I enjoy his intelligent, conversational way of writing. And he is just so funny, in a subtle, creeps up on you and tickles your ribs kind of way. With A Short History... my poor colleagues had to put up with me incessantly looking up from my book with a gasp of "did you know...?" and "...fits on the head of a pin! Well I'll be." I don't know that nuggets of information about the English language are as likely to get me interrupting the determined Facebooking of my colleagues as say that pin thing...

"Protons are so small that a little dib of ink like the dot on this i can hold something in the region of 500,000,000,000 of them."

But, it is likely that you, the reader, is going to have to read rather a few more. Standby.

Yummy in the Tummy, Odious for the Ear

2010-05-21T15:03:00.000-07:00

I was handed a free food sample on the street yesterday. A pre-made, perfectly round, peanut butter and jelly sandwich, designed to save you the laborious task of having to make a fresh one yourself. Smucker’s, who make this gastronomical delight, call it an ‘Uncrustable.’ Mmm, appetizing. Sorry, but any use of the word ‘crust’ not preceded by ‘bread’ or ‘pie,’ just makes me think of a dirty bathtub, or an unfortunate dermatological condition – not what you want when you’re biting into something the contents of which could arguably resemble the latter. I take issue with the name, not only because it grosses me out, but because it doesn’t reference the main selling point of the product.

From their site:

Simply keep them in the freezer, then pack them in your lunch in the morning. By lunchtime, Uncrustables® are thawed and ready to eat.

The selling point is that they’re on hand, ready to grab, whenever you befall a brown bag emergency, not that they don’t have crusts. It’s true they don’t have crusts but given that the ‘soft bread’ barely resembles bread, the convenient lack of crust goes unnoticed. What should it be called instead, a PB & Scurry maybe? An instawich? At least then the door is left open for other lunchtime favorites – tuna, ham & cheese. Slowly defrosted cheese. Delicious.

Am I making too much of this? Gross moniker or not, we know people are going to buy them – this is America after all, a nation long in the habit of replacing natural foods with processed ones and then shipping them half way across the country in a refrigerated container – and we’ve certainly bought poorly named products before. iPad is a recent example – it’s full of amazing features but absorbency isn’t one them. Or what about a golden oldie? SPAM. Even if it is an acronym for ‘shoulder of pork and ham,’ neither the name, nor product, is any more appetizing than the apt suggestion that SPAM really means ‘something posing as meat.’ I’ve eaten SPAM, would buy an iPad if I could afford one, and in the interest of full disclosure I should admit I even ate the Uncrustable, the whole thing, but, I didn’t buy it and I only moderately enjoyed it, so it doesn't count.

Thank you for a successful launch!

2010-05-20T11:28:00.000-07:00

Last night, we celebrated our official launch! Yes, we have been in business for a few months but wanted to mark the occasion with friends and give thanks for all the support we've received.

Allow us to repeat ourselves, but there are some people we'd like to especially thank:

Casey and Ben at The Boardroom
~ a fantastic bar in North Beach. On top of the surf decor, you cannot beat how friendly and accommodating Casey is, and we were lucky to have such a sweet bartender as Ben. Thank you, guys - we're sending everyone we know to your bar.

Tina from TLCD Concierge
~ when you need a helping hand during busy times. She helped us search for a venue and hash out the details. And she's just an awesomely nice person.

Priscilla from Moonbabycakes
~ for your next event (or for no reason at all), treat yourself to these amazing cupcakes. Priscilla not only makes delicious, organic flavors, but she can customize the design to your liking. We recommend the red velvet.

Rob from his own (unnamed) photography biz
~ Rob is an accountant that really should be doing photography full time. His photos are amazing. He shot our profile pics, and we cannot wait to see the shots from the party. If you need a photographer, we'll connect you guys.

Michelle from her home kitchen
~ she was nice enough to contribute spinach dip to our party. We think you should consider going into catering!

Diana, a friend
~ thank you for wrangling balloons, helping set up, and snapping photos

Everyone who attended
~ some of you stayed for 15 minutes, some of you stayed for a couple of hours. We appreciate all of you and thank you for your support, over the last year and into this next year. Having you on our team really means a lot to us. A special thanks to our significant others, who have been generously supportive.

Everyone who could not make it
~ we understand you had other plans last night, but want you to know how much we truly appreciate your support. We'll be sending you a little something as thanks.

RAFFLE WINNER
As promised, we randomly drew a name from the business card pile to win a $25 iTunes gift card. And the winner is: Giselle S! Congratulations, Giselle - we'll be mailing the card to you!

Can Twitter Make You a Better Writer?

2010-05-17T14:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I found a blog posting entitled How Twitter Makes You a Better Writer. “Absurd” I thought, and read on with the sole purpose of feeling superior at the end. As the existence of this blog posting might imply, I was wrong. Not only does the author, Jennifer Blanchard, make some great points, she draws parallels between Twitter and an author I have great respect for, William Zinsser. Hmmm…color me confuted.

Blanchard’s three points were these:
· Twitter forces you to be concise – you have 140 characters to make your point.
· Twitter forces you to exercise your vocabulary – you need shorter words, and powerful verbs cut the need for adverbs and adjectives.
· Twitter forces you to improve your editing skills – you have 140 characters to make a point that people will want to retweet. Your first go will be great at 152 characters but that’s no good. It will need to be pruned.

Now read this passage from Zinsser’s On Writing Well:

“But the secret of good writing is to strip every sentence to its cleanest components. Every word that serves no function, every long word that could be a short word. Every adverb that carries the same meaning that’s already in the verb…these are the thousand and one adulterants that weaken the strength of a sentence.”

Zinsser, via Thoreau, insists that we need to “simplify, simplify” and it seems that Twitter might be a way to get good at it. Who would have thought? I haven’t always been the biggest fan of Twitter – too many disappointments from the people I follow (a comedian putting on his socks is no more funny than me putting on mine, it turns out) but Twitter as a tool for crafting better writing? I can see that, and I definitely have more respect for it now.

Sorry about your flight mishap - here's a coffee mug

2010-05-11T09:44:00.000-07:00

A friend was just reminiscing about her old job and all the traveling she used to do for it. It sounded like a lot, but to very enjoyable and sometimes exotic places. She racked up a lot of miles and soon joined the elite Million Miles Club.

Traveling that much, something is bound to go wrong now and again. When things were not satisfactory, my friend wrote a polite letter to the airline, describing the incident. From the first letter, she received a small mantel clock emblazoned with the airline logo. A nice gesture. The second time, she got a standard coffee mug, again with the company logo. Over the course of five years, she accumulated quite a few tchotchkes that had nothing to do with travel and did not leave her feeling any more satisfied.

The airline was on to something positive. It acknowledged a poor airline experience and as an apology, sent a free gift. People want to be heard and people love free stuff – the airline nailed that. BUT it seems they could have done both parties an even better service by choosing better apology gifts.

Any gift is a nice gift, so I’m not implying ungratefulness. I do believe, however, that no matter what your budget, you can provide gifts that not only make your clients happy, but strengthen your relationship.

The airline thought of a clock and a mug. If you’re going with practical, why not make those a travel clock and a travel mug? Travel industry, travel gifts. A set of travel-size anything. Luggage tags. A neck pillow. Anything to make traveling a bit easier.

What my friend suggested as a great gesture would be airline miles. It doesn’t even have to be a lot. Or drink tickets, meal vouchers (when that was applicable), priority seating for a flight. With a printable voucher, this is a no-cost alternative for an airline. And by her reaction, much more appreciated by travelers. On top of that, these gifts encourage travelers to return to the airline, since they have these great bonuses to use there.

So before you drop cash on coffee mugs or clocks, think about your customers and how they use your products or services. What will enhance their experience with you?

Additional info: a good article on choosing an appropriate promotional product

Get fear.less

2010-05-07T08:58:00.000-07:00

"Are you ready for your fears to tremble in their boots?" That's a great description from the two-person team who just launched fear.less magazine on May 1. It's the first online magazine dedicated to stories on overcoming fear. We could all use a little help with that.

www.fearlessstories.com

The authors themselves were scared to go forward with this idea. Fear of rejection, fear of failure. But their passion and generosity pushed them to try. Their story in itself is enough to be inspired. Read through their first issue to feel unstoppable, and plan your own fight against fear.

The Disappointing Tagline - a group brainstorm

2010-05-04T08:54:00.000-07:00

I don’t watch much TV, but this past season of Shear Genius hooked me in. This is the reality competition show for hair stylists. I love seeing how each contestant interprets a challenge, and creates something amazing.

Like any show of this kind, Shear Genius is filled with drama, color, and celebrity. It is always entertaining. But there was one thing that bothered me. At the end of each show, the host would sign off by saying, “And remember, hair is important.”

Hair IS important, no arguments there. But I thought the line sounded like a weak afterthought. For a show that showcases such creativity and highlights personality, the tagline was lackluster. It needs something with more action and more finesse. C’mon, we can do better. Let’s brainstorm…

A great style is hairapy for the soul

Care for the hair and it will care for you

Give it your all

Between hair and heaven, I’d choose hair

Hair makes the difference

Care for the hair, smile for the client

Between hair and hell stands a great stylist

Locks are loaded – aim carefully

Care for the hair that lands in your chair

Hair that makes the grade will get you paid

This is brainstorming, so anything goes. I would not use half of these but maybe they will inspire you to create something great. Let’s hear what you came up with - storm away in the comments!

PS – for anyone who did watch Shear Genius this season, you know that Brig Van Osten won. She owns a salon in Simi Valley, CA, and has a really unique personal style. She has yellow hair and wears big bows. She also has a great blog, where she talks about hair and style. Check it out at www.brigknowsbest.com.

Stealth Marketing

2010-04-29T17:23:00.000-07:00

On April 19th The NY Daily News reported that Blackberry had launched a stealth marketing campaign whereby young women would flirt with men at bars to get them to use the new Blackberry model. The women would hesitate at taking a stranger’s number before acquiescing – I never usually do this – and handing over the device so the man could input his digits.

Glossing over what dark and ooky path this takes us down with regard to the kind of society that sets up unwitting bystanders to be disappointed, does this kind of stealth tactic work? If I had been hit-upon by a handsome man I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t remember the kind of phone he handed me, whether he ever called me or not. Well, that’s not exactly true. If it was pink and covered in rhinestones then I would remember but would likely fake-number him.

Maybe this kind of marketing wouldn’t work on me because I’m a woman. Even though I know there are women out there who love gadgets, I can’t see this ever playing out in reverse. But Blackberry must have had confidence that despite being given attention by a beautiful, young woman, men would not only notice but remember what a fabulous phone she had, otherwise they wouldn’t have bothered, right? Maybe not. With much chagrin I admit that the campaign has certainly created a lot of buzz and maybe that was the ultimate goal. Not to get a handful of men in a bar excited about the new Blackberry model, but for us, the offended masses, to sit up and pay attention, and once our indignation abated – which it would – to think “ooh, there’s a new Blackberry?”

Reunited and it feels so good ♫

2010-04-28T11:14:00.000-07:00

It’s official – we are now in business. We finally sent out an introduction of our company to all our friends and family. Most of them had a vague idea what we were doing over here, but now, everyone is well-informed and ready to call on us in a writing emergency.

While we were starting up our business, we heard over and over that we should be spreading the word to everyone we know. We admit, we were shy about it. We didn’t want to be pushy or sales-y. But we learned you don’t have to be.

Our communication of choice was an email newsletter. It slipped into email boxes around the world during the night. It greeted our friends first thing in the morning as they checked email. Their choice to read it or delete it. It was not a forceful introduction – it was a friendly one.

Our intentions were pure. We really just wanted to share our news with all the great people in our lives, to keep the relationships going. My litmus test was, “how would I feel if I received the same kind of email from them?” If it brought a smile quicker than a shrug, that person made the list.

The response has been overwhelming. Such positive thoughts, such supportive words. It’s really a confidence booster. That’s a good enough reason to put yourself out there. We all need compliments and love to keep us going. And these great people in your life are happy to give it.

So if you’re shying away from of the “tell everyone you know” theory, please don’t. Sharing that piece of yourself, something that personal, will have a hugely positive impact on your relationships. It’s scary, but worth it.

~ Of course, a special thank you to all our friends and family for your support and goodness. We could not have done it without you!

Writing Tip: Reread

2010-04-20T11:26:00.000-07:00

One of the most helpful tools for writing a good piece is to reread it. Out loud. That last part is important. Whisper it to yourself or make it performance art, it doesn't matter as long as you are hearing the words. What may be glossed over in your head will be striking in speech. An awkward sentence, overall flow of the piece, unusual words or phrases – all will pop out. And of course, typos.

A quick reread is good for any document, including technical or legal documents. Even these suffer from the problems above and sometimes can cause chaos with unclear writing. Leaving out the word “not” or a whole sentence when pasting in routine text is bad. You're not doing yourself any favors by being sloppy and your clients certainly will be pleased. Wait, no, they will NOT be pleased. Quite a different meaning.

You really owe it to yourself to take a second look at any of your writing. Think of how much you pour of yourself into your business every day. Any writing you put out there on behalf of your business is defining your business. This is obvious with marketing materials, but what about emails? These, too, define the tone, the message, the personality of your company. Don't sell yourself short with a smll typo or badly worded sentence with awkwardness just to save a minute of reading. (See, it does seem ridiculous, doesn't it?)

Bottom line, if you don't even want to read it a second time, why would your audience want to read it a first time?

The Science of Cooking

2010-04-15T15:31:00.000-07:00

Last night I watched the movie Julie & Julia. For those of you who don’t know it, a quick summary – it's the story of Julia Child, the famed American cook, intertwined with that of Julie Powell, a woman who in 2002 New York decides to cook her way through Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking in one year and blog about her experiences: 524 recipes in 365 days. That is a lot of butter.

I didn’t grow up in the US so I’m only somewhat familiar with Julia Child. I know she is large and that she sounds British, albeit far posher than me. I’m not even much of a cook, but this movie, among other things, is changing that. My feminist back-brain used to scoff at cooking as a hobby for being too stereotypical. Instead I would do things like fly gliders and become a reserve firefighter (both of these are true by the way) - that I loved makeup and shoes was by the by. My other, far less ideological reason for not cooking was that until recently I had been living in a 250 square foot apartment with only a kitchenette, also known as an efficiency kitchen. The suffix ‘ette’ doesn’t make something cute and deficiency kitchen is probably more apt. It isn’t efficient or fun to make a pumpkin pie in a toaster oven.

I’ve since moved out of what was really a glorified closet and have been finding my feet in a grown-up kitchen with a stove and, glory be, counter space. I’m finally admitting to myself that I enjoy being in the kitchen. But rather than simply wanting to work out some rage issues by whisking ingredients into a frenzy or beating them into submission – as you can see below, Karen wouldn’t let me succumb to such clichés anyway – it’s the science behind cooking that I find fascinating. Call me a fool but I’d never considered that there was a science to it. I just thought that my Nana was really good at cooking and I was mediocre. Julia Child knew that the best bowl for beating egg whites is a copper one. I doubt she knew this was due to copper ions from the bowl forming a complex with a protein in the egg whites, conalbumin, making them much less likely to denature. I bet she didn’t care, but to me it's interesting. So, I shall proceed to cook as if it were a laboratory experiment for it has already taught me two new things – how to make meringue, which I need to know for a pot-luck on Tuesday, and the word ‘denature.’ A contender for next week’s Word of the Week?

Clichés, or How to be Uncreative

2010-04-13T11:13:00.000-07:00

This is an actual phone conversation I overheard:

“Hi, Bob, this is Lisa. I'm doing well. How are you? Oh, that's good. Well, I was calling to pick your brain about the company event coming up next month. We’re adding some teambuilding activities to promote the theme of ‘Working as One,’ and we’d like to have some staff members lead the activities. We’re looking for individuals who are outgoing, who embody the corporate initiatives, who get along with their peers. Off the top of your head, do you have any staff that fit the bill? Oh really? That would be great. Would you mind asking her if she would lend a hand with this? We’re getting close to the zero hour so we’d need a decision ASAP. You’re a lifesaver. And please keep it in the back of your mind, as we’ll need a few more people. Ha, ha. Right? Easier said than done. Thanks again, Bob. Talk with you soon.”

I kid you not. That was the conversation. Every office cliché was used in the span of two minutes. It made me sad, and even a little angry.

Clichés are leeches. They seem harmless but they suck the life out of your conversation. They show a lack of creativity, and really, you're smarter than that. Think of clichés as saying “um” over and over again between real thoughts. They add no value.

You cannot convince me otherwise. Please do not argue that clichés are useful because people automatically know what you mean. Baloney. There are a lot of concise, basic words between clichés and Roget’s that are common enough to use in every day language. So use them. The goal is not to recreate Shakespeare with every phrase - the goal is to get your message across in the simplest way.

It’s easy to confuse simple with easy. Let’s think about it in terms of shopping. The simple way is to focus on your favorite clothing stores, looking for your size and buying things in your price range. Done, and you look fabulous. The easy way is grabbing clothes off the nearest rack and immediately buying them without checking the size or choosing the color. This would lead to a wardrobe of stuff you would never wear because nothing fits well and does not present you at your best. Same goes for your words.

It will take time and will take some effort. The best thing you can do is read more. It's true – reading any kind of medium will introduce fresh phrasing and words. Also pay attention to word patterns used by interesting speakers. Most of all, remember that just because certain phrases are used in the workplace does not mean they are good. Corporate offices are ripe with jargon and limp communication – don't buy into it. The English language is so rich, holds so many possibilities, that you're really cheating yourself if you don't express your thoughts in your own words.

Writing with Intention

2010-04-06T19:02:00.000-07:00

Today, we are all writers. For work or personal, we write more than 10 years ago. Phone calls have made way for emails, and anyone with an email address can create a blog. Information about the latest product or the newest addition to the family is passed around very quickly, and maybe even passed around again to another circle.

People with opinions can share them on public review sites. People with thoughts can write on their own blogs about any subject. People with knowledge can share it through electronic books, webinars and articles. People who like their own voices drone on in every medium. Everyone is writing. But not everyone is a writer.

I don't have a definition of what makes a writer, nor the formula for becoming one. Someone somewhere must, since some people win awards and others don't. It seems to be something you just feel when you read a really good piece. True, we all have personal preference but from comedy to editorial to sports writing, a good writer is obvious.

I am currently savoring the book On Writing Well by William Zinsser. My copy is now earmarked since I have found inspiration in so many passages throughout the entire book. But the excerpt for today responds to what makes a good writer, regardless of genre.

“Intention is what we wish to accomplish with our writing. Call it the writer's soul. We can write to affirm and to celebrate, or we can write to debunk and to destroy; the choice is ours. But nobody can make us write what we don't want to write. We get to keep intention. Nonfiction writers often forget that they are not required to acquiesce in tawdry work, to carry the trash for magazine editors who have an agenda of their own – to sell a commercial product.”

“Writing is related to character. If your values are sound, your writing will be sound. It all begins with intention. Figure out what you want to do and how you want to do it, and work your way with humanity and integrity to the completed article. Then you'll have something to sell.”

Most of us write with the end in mind at the start. The end being a commercial success. But we've got it wrong. Write something from the heart, something with deep meaning to you through comfortable words that reflect your meaning, and the rest will follow. Readers are looking for something real and recognize a hack from the first sentence.

When you write something you believe in, you not only make yourself happy but will find people who appreciate your style and subject. It may not be a few thousand who want to subscribe to your blog, but if that's your main goal, I probably lost you long ago anyways. In anything we write, including an email or a tweet, we have the choice of intention. It's powerful, something that should not be taken lightly. What are your words saying about you?

Scriptophobia? Not me.

2010-04-02T16:34:00.000-07:00

Today’s news sources are reveling in the opportunity to report US representative Hank Johnson’s concern that Guam would eventually “tip over” into the ocean due to over population. He didn’t mean this literally, of course, and he later went on to explain that he was referring to the future of the island’s fragile eco-system rather than the island itself. Regardless, my thought process immediately veered away from the quite likely very important issues surrounding Guam and its growing US military population, to images of an island falling into the ocean.

This thought led me to tsunamis and that thought led me to those of an old friend who had a morbid fear of tsunamis. Now, bearing in mind I knew this person prior to the devastating Indonesian tsunami of 2004, I thought his fear quite ridiculous. He was from Britain, an island, yes, but an island with a risk of tsunamis, no, and he had never encountered one. It was fascinating to me that someone could have a fear, or even a phobia of something they were so unlikely to ever come across. His girlfriend and I made him watch The Day After Tomorrow with us and his panic was almost palpable, which I’m sorry to say we found hilarious - as I mentioned, prior to the Indonesian tsunami.

So thinking about my friend with the fear of tsunamis led me to thinking about other strange phobias. Now this is a topic I am quite enthralled by, not only because the fears themselves are so interesting (genuphobia for instance, is a fear of knees) but because they often gift us with the opportunity to use such meaty and playful words, if you ignore the fact that they all end in ‘phobia,’ of course. Here are some of my favorites:

~Stygiophobia: A fear of Hell, which is a perfectly reasonable fear if you ask me.
~Mnemophobia: A fear of memories, just because it seems so unfortunate.
~Spheksophobia: A fear of wasps, because I completely appreciate this one.
~Linonophobia: A fear of string, which to me is as ridiculous as fearing knees, and finally…
~Sesquipedalophobia or Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia, both of which mean a fear of long words.

It’s a good job there isn’t such a thing as a fear of irony.

Writing Tip: 15 Minutes

2010-03-30T08:43:00.000-07:00

We hear a lot of people sigh when they talk about writing for their business. Or they change the subject. Writing anything longer than an email is too big of a mountain to face. That’s natural and understandable. But I have a secret to help you.

All you need is 15 minutes.

Block out 15 minutes of your day to write down all your thoughts about the content you need to write. Full sentences, bullet point, a formal outline – does not matter. Just write it all down, in any order. I guarantee you will feel better.

There are two solid reasons behind why this exercise is helpful:

Surprise the fear
The task of writing has been built up to such a painful level in your head, it seems impossible to begin. Fifteen minutes is a reasonable block of time to start hacking away at the project. See? You’ve started already! It’s not that scary a project.

Open up space
Clearing the thoughts out of your head leads to greater mental clarity. Your mind is now a bit freer to wander without this clutter. And once on paper, all in one place, you will begin to see the writing project take shape. Holes will be exposed, a flow will emerge. Your newly-cleared mind will now start filling in these gaps because it has room to do so.

Practice this 15-minute process each day, if possible. Yes, you are busy, but didn’t you just spend 10 minutes on You Tube watching funny dogs? Right, so instead, use that break today to clear your head, not fog it up. After a few 15-minute sessions throughout the week, you’ll be much further along than you imagined. The fear banished, the momentum moving forward. And you owe it all to a few simple minutes.

Give it a try and tell us in the comments how it works out for you.

Underdog vs. The Giants - a Small Business Reflection

2010-03-25T10:35:00.000-07:00

Congratulations, you are the owner of a small business. That takes a lot of guts, brains and sweat to pull off. Do you remember your first day in business for yourself? The first time you introduced yourself as the founder of Prestige Worldwide? Bet it's ingrained forever in your memory. The Current You is still stunningly proud of the Early You. And you should be – it's a huge accomplishment.

The journey since those early days has been quite a ride, but you've hung in there. Armed with your business plan, financials, and big ideas, you've showed the world a thing or two. And learned a lot, too. You've made connections and maybe a few enemies. Clients are happy, and that makes You happy. Business is humming.

Will you stop here? I doubt that bright-eyed, hungry Early You will let you. Because no matter how good things are right now, you see new opportunities for your business every day. Opportunities for growth, for creativity, for adrenaline. You never lost that drive – it just got hidden behind some invoices. The day-to-day is most often mundane, but it makes us feel secure. And at times like these, Early You will storm into your office without knocking, *BANG* a fist on your desk and demand action. Current You will oblige most willingly and things will move and shake. There are still plenty of mountains you want to climb.

Cherish these times, as scary and chaotic as they may be. You will never be here again. Enjoy the obscurity while you have it. Revel in the freedom. One day you will not be a small business and that, too, will be a day ingrained in your memory. Another milestone. But for now, remember this:

“Life is never more fun than when you're the underdog competing against the giants.”

That was a wise message from a fortune cookie. I have it on my fridge so I can see it every day. For me, it reminds me that now is the time to define yourself and introduce the world to how great you are. Small business does not mean small ideas or small actions - it just means you have a lot of room to grow.

Would You Buy This?

2010-03-22T18:21:00.000-07:00

It took a long time for me to believe that my uncanny ability to make up daft product names and slogans might actually be worth a dime. Who would have thought that throwing out a product name that made my father blush to the tips of his ears would eventually lead me to founding a business? The product in question was a vitamin that promised erm…let’s just call it growth…that I know would’ve been a far greater success had it been sold under the name I invented, paternal embarrassment or not.

Well, it seems that all those equally daft “inventions” that I periodically dream up may also make me a dime. There is a company out there called Suck.UK (no, I’m not a fan of that moniker either but I get it), who design, well, stuff. My personal faves are the Charity Money Boxes that feature forlorn children intended to guilt you into donating your spare change rather than losing it down the back of the couch, and Mummy Mike the rubber band holder, who as you wrap more and more rubber bands around his body, takes on the appearance of a mummy. Now the rubber band holder I would totally use in my office, I’m a fan of things that look like other things (such as a toilet brush holder that looks like a tree - I know, I’m weird) but I can’t help suspect that since these particular children look neither diseased nor hungry, their melancholy has more to do with their toys. What child wants a doll or a teddy bear nowadays? Don’t toys require Artificial Intelligence and need to cost as much as half my monthly rent check to be considered worthy? Anyway, I like the concept but you’ll have to throw a couple of bandages and pox on the kids before these money boxes work on me.

I learned of Suck.UK through a BBC article (I know, credibility!) about how China is the biggest producer of tat. Now I need to segue here because, as occasionally happens, a word that I and the rest of Britain use has a completely different meaning this side of the pond. In this instance Thesaurus.com tells me that ‘tat’ means to intertwine or weave. ‘Tat,’ in Britain means anything cheap, tacky and gimmicky that we in no way need but insist on buying anyway. It seems, however, that while China produces the tat, it is the British, or at least the West, who invent it. Yes, that Big Mouth Billy Bass singing fish that hangs on the wall of more places than you would expect, was actually invented by a Brit. This gives me high hopes for selling my inventions and making that extra dime. How about my towel-sock for spectacles that allows you to wear your glasses while playing sports, or the head frame to support your toothbrush so you can do other things while brushing your teeth? I’m absolutely sure that if I presented these ideas to Suck.UK, or a company like them, I would definitely, certainly, make a dime.

Can you feel the excitement?

2010-03-20T13:39:00.000-07:00

That spark in the air? The idea that something great is about to happen? It is.

The red plume blog will soon be starting up. We're excited. You may not be as excited as us, but we bet you'll enjoy what you read. See you soon!