With the NFL's annual Big Game having just concluded in (more or less) my own backyard, it has given me yet another reason to really give some thought to what makes businesses tick. Many fans watch the Big Game not just for the game itself, but for the commercials too. I found myself with barely a spare moment, due to the fact that I didn't want to miss either commercials or the sports action that occurred in between the commercial breaks.
What makes it interesting to me is not just the entertainment value, but also the underlying benefit for the companies who sponsor the ads. Large compnaies like Frito Lay or Anheuser Busch have the luxury to advertise, knowing that their commercials will both help retain loyal customers and attract new ones. It's about branding and an image. If you have a smaller business (or are considering one in the present economy), what do you do to help brand yourself? Is it about a catchy company or product name, a type of service that is unique to you, or something else? That is of course a rhetorical question, but the idea is to get you thinking about what you are doing to brand your own business.
Most small businesses choose to directly market their services to targeted custoemrs or clients. This means approaching the right kind of person or group with an offer for your prodcut or services that should match up with their needs. As opposed to advertising, which is much broader in scope (and thus more expensive too), marketing is the life blood of most small businesses and also one of the most common shortcomings in small business today.
Chameleon Freelancing offers writing and presentation services that can help your small business improve its visibility, and convey an informative and compelling message while doing so. Contact us today for more information on getting the Chameleon team working for your business.
Friends and visitors, it has indeed been too long since I last posted on this site. It has been an exciting 2007 and my sincere hope is that the past few months have also been rewarding for you. As a writer, speaker, consultant, and entrepreneur, I have come to some personal and professional realizations in the past few months that I think are worthy of passing along. Amidst a couple of office moves, developing relationships with new clients, and countless cups of coffee, I have realized that I am now officially doing exactly what I want to do. And this is exactly where I want to be. We may not think about life this way but we all have the opportunity to pursue life in whatever way we see fit. For all of those who may feel they are 'stuck' in careers, relationships, etc., I have a message for you. I don't buy it! You can escape the grind of work if it is a path that is not ideal fro you. You can find personal relationships and friendships that are healthy and productive for you. I've been stuck in ruts before in different phases of my life and I've always found ways to move beyond them. If a stubborn, head strong Scandinavian can pull this miracle off, then I know that you can too. I have had the great fortune to be involved with some great projects in the past few months that have helped me see life and success in a new, exciting, and better light. In the coming weeks, I will be submitting new posts that address some of these issues and that will hopefully enable my readers and visitors to benefit from these same techniques that have had such a big impact on my life. Stay tuned, have a great Thanksgiving holiday, and don't forget that falling asleep after turkey dinner is the best compliment you can pay to the cook!
As a postscript to this post, for all of you who enjoy a good read that can help you improve your life and your success, I highly recommend 'The Four Hour Workweek', a pretty recent release by the author Timothy Ferriss. For all of you who have aspirations of spending less time at work and more time doing the kinds of things you really want to do in life, this book is a must read and, quite frankly, will blow you away. It is a fun read but is not the typical 'rah rah' kind of stuff you sometimes see in motivational 'self help' business books. It actually gives you substantive content to build a game plan around and I highly recommend this book. It has indeed changed my approach to business and to life itself.
Just a humble urban country boy's two cents worth and until next time.....
We all remember the old adage about apples and avoiding the doctor and personally, this ideal does seem to hold true, even though I think my true aversion to the doctor lies in just being a guy and being too stubborn to go when it is necessary. What about avoiding the blues or minimizing stress, though? There is little in the way of food that is a sure fire cure for the common day to day psychological or emotional challenges that many of us face. Women may contend that chocolate is a good start, while us guys might favor a nice cold beer, but I think these really just mask the issue at hand. Why not humor as the antidote for the blues? I can honestly say that a good joke is always a good way to suppress those down feelings, bringing credence to the 'Laughter is the best medicine' adage that one may also hear from time to time. If I'm feeling down, I just need to pop in one of my favorite comedy CD's or check out the assortment of free jokes available online and a smile quickly replaces whatever less savory facial expression had preceded it. Humor is not just a good tonic for you own personal sanity. Try it out on friends, loved ones, or even someone you're trying to get to know a little better. In fact, I'm going to offer you the Chameleon approach to curing the blues. Not patented, not copyrighted, but effective all the same. Step One is to identify your target, someone who, in your opinion, needs a little cheer. Step Two is to send that person a joke a day for an entire week. Use either your own personal library of humor or feel free to look elsewhere if you don't know a lot of jokes. The key is to be consistent. Step Three is to talk to that person after the week is up and just see if they don't feel a little better about things. Equal parts humor and just knowing that someone is thinking about them on a daily basis can make a huge difference in someone's life and I encourage you to try it. It may not work in the long haul or permanently fix someone's problems but it may be all you can do at any given moment and that's a pretty good start. Just a humble urban redneck's two cents worth and until next time.....
I'm happy to announce the launch of my new affiliated website: www.cosmoredneck.com. This site is designed to promote networking between and to provide valuable insight for good people with country roots who now live in or near larger American cities. Of course, the site has a bit of a humorous undertone and is therefore also intended to provide entertainment to its viewers. I encourage visitors to this site to also check out www.cosmoredneck.com and to stay tuned for some of the exciting information it will feature, both now and over the coming months.
First things first...to all who may read my posts, I hope you had the best of holidays, a very Happy New Year, and best wishes for 2007...
What is it about sports that can bring together complete strangers? I recently had the good fortune of attending an away game for my favorite sports team (Go Seahawks!) and found there to be an uncanny amount of good will between my companion and I and the other scattered fans of my team in attendance at the game. Was it the pursuit of a common goal in victory or does it run deeper than that? I find the camaraderie among fans of a common sports team to be similar to that among fellow citizens of a common country. I've been on several cruises in my day and I've seen how fellow countrymen unite in friendship with only their nationalities in common. The same can be said for sports fans. Why else would complete strangers be able to unite, take pictures together, and otherwise act like they'd known each other for years? Certainly, a little basic good nature helps. Beyond that, it is an issue of loyalty. Loyalty to a common cause, heritage, or to a sports team can create powerful emotions that can unite even the most different of people. So America, I know we have a national heritage in common but consider, even for just a moment, the additional value and the uniting effect of allegiance to a cause or to a sports team. There are so many distractions in today's day and age that remove us from the power of positive interpersonal interactions and most of us would benefit from having more in common with our fellow human beings. Being American is a very broad identifier so I encourage you to try sports or some other means of uniting with other people. Those of us who embrace a cause or a sports team know what I am talking about and trust me when I say it's a lot of fun. Just an urban country boy's two cents worth and until next time...
PS For those readers who especially enjoy my blog posts that contain a certain rustic or even, shall we say, redneck point of view, stay tuned and bookmark the site www.cosmoredneck.com. It is one that I am working on currently and that will contain much more on that theme. I'm looking forward to its completion and I know that you will enjoy it.
Starbucks has become the industry standard for coffee connoisseurs nationwide and I am no less fond of it than the next person. Despite their extensive menu of coffees, teas, and other confections, I still request what is known as a black eye, a coffee with two extra shots of espresso. Yes, it's quite the concoction and I've asked clients before if they've ever seen a flying Scandinavian. When they reply 'No', I just tell them to keep their eye on me after I've had a couple of Starbucks black eyes and they'll see what I'm talking about. It is awfully good coffee but I do have a couple of suggestions to better cater to the urban redneck type, as small town America is typically devoid of any such establishments. For example, Starbucks could branch out beyond the eclectic music selections they offer to reach more of their loyal coffee fans like me who buy just the coffee because none of their other stuff interests me. No offense to Sarah McLaughlin or to Ray Charles but where is the occasional Metallica CD at Starbucks? They play music like they're pretty amped up on coffee (and for that matter, Metallica hails from the infamously liberal Bay area) so it would seem to be a good fit. I do recognize that Starbucks likes to present that hip, eclectic image but lets give some love to the red-state mentality too. We still love your coffee Starbucks and it's sufficiently addictive to bring us all back but the day I see Lynyrd Skynyrd or Toby Keith on your music rack, I'll finally see that you're truly appealing to all your fans. And we will then buy your music with our lattes and coffee cake. Oh, and while I'm in a requesting kind of mood, how about a 'coffee cushion' on your accessory shelf to go along with the mugs and bean grinders? Just like a whoopee cushion but more fashionable, complete with the Starbucks logo and all. I think it would sell like a champ and keep us redneck types happy for hours, long after the coffee cup is empty. Just think about it Starbucks. You're missing the boat with a previously silent portion of your customer demographic and we like your coffee just as much as the tree huggers and stay at home moms do. We'll still show up in pickup trucks instead of hybrid cars or Volkswagens but we'll be as happy as a dog rolling around in a mud puddle if you take my suggestions to heart. Just an urban country boy's two cents worth and until next time..
As something of a frequent traveler, I face a common dilemma or quandary when I return home, that being determination of how edible certain leftovers in the refrigerator may still be. This issue, while not a source of perpetual thought and musing, does bring up a certain need for some so-called industry standards, especially for us guys who, as a gender, are likely to view such things far more liberally. The foundational question is: 'Am I the right person to be making such a bold determination?' After all, I have been known to partake of a piece of a pizza sitting in the box on the coffee table......the morning after it was originally ordered. That was then (college) and this is now so I'll let you be the judge America as to whether I'm on target or just crying over spoiled milk. All that being said, here's what I propose so all you germophobes out there beware!
Item 1: Milk. Lumps and odors that singe nostril hairs should give you a pretty good sign that the two-week old expiration date actually had some relevance. Furthermore, even if the odor didn't make you pass out but your milk-enhanced coffee seems to bear the taste of low-fat sour cream, you may want to pour yourself another cup.
Item 2: Produce. Fruits and vegetables like bell peppers were never intended to look like prunes so if your produce has experienced substantial shrinkage and/or wrinkling, you may want to offer it up to the trash guy the next time they come around. Also, it may not bear an odor but liquid exudates are acceptable from coffee, not lettuce and no, slimy does not add character. On the flip side, if the apple looks OK, feel free to eat it. Have faith in your refrigerator's crisper drawer.
Item 3: Meats. Ground meats naturally lose some of their red freshness (visually) over time but this does not mean they have necessarily gone bad. Grayish hues in a package of ground beef are perfectly acceptable in the absence of visible mold growth and a quick sniff test should give you all the validation you need to make the final call. Don't underestimate the value of the cooking process either. Pan frying and especially microwaving can effectively stave off any early bacterial growth so, if it smells OK, cook it up and enjoy. This being said, I do recommend fresh meats when cooking for groups or anyone you may want to impress, just to be safe.
Item 4: Cured Meats. Processed or cured meats like ham have been partially preserved so expect them to have better shelf life in the fridge. I can still look at leftover ham from Thanksgiving with a fair amount of confidence but please see the last line from Item 3 above as my token disclaimer before serving it to your friends.
Item 5: Pizza. This is probably the least understood food commodity when it comes to how long it lasts. Often left out because of the cumbersome shape of the box in which it came, pizza is too often the victim of senseless waste when a minute and a half in the microwave will render it perfectly safe to eat. The crust may be like granite but the rest of it is still oh so good..
Item 6: Beer. A few years ago, one of the major beer companies out there started a trend of dating their beer to promote freshness. It's a nice idea but so self-respecting beer drinker should ever, I mean ever, discard an unopened beer because it's sat around for a few weeks. We can thank Louis Pasteur for that America.
Just an urbanized country boy's two cents worth and until next time...
I have had the great fortune of traveling much of our great country, mostly in the past 5 years or so. I've met a lot of great people, seen some wonderful things, and have also seen a surprising amount of duplication. City names are seemingly as interchangeable as a socket set and that is what is so intriguing about travel; two identical place names might be as different in their theme and feel as night and day. I love that diversity and it creates a lot of opportunity to just sit back and observe. One of the most prolific examples of this is the huge culture gap that exists between the three LA's I've had the chance to visit. Two may be obvious, the first being the original: Tinsel Town, La La Land, you know, Los Angeles. The second is the state of Louisiana, having a complete culture unto itself with its French and Cajun influences unique to the region. The third LA, less commonly known to many outside the area, is Lower Alabama, or the Florida panhandle to those unfamiliar with the first description I used. Each LA has its own trends, sets its own rules to some extent, and has residents who unabashedly embrace these very ideals. I wanted to visit on each briefly, in search of some sort of cultural thread that warrants each being worthy of the title 'LA'. Los Angeles is of course what it is. Hundreds of miles of freeway, ridiculous traffic, smog, all the stereotypes do somewhat fit. It also has an understated mellow flavor that just exudes California when you get off the beaten path. That is the Los Angeles I recommend, with all the people watching value one could ever expect from even a short weekend trip. The people are different, laid back in a cosmopolitan kind of way, and just the most unique melting pot of culture, ink, and piercings you'll probably ever see. Plus, the weather is nice so there you go. LA number 1. LA #2 is Louisiana. It features a culture that is hard to describe but that certainly goes beyond the general revelry that people associate with Mardi Gras. Consider Louisiana for what it is, a Roman Catholic outpost amidst the predominantly Protestant deep south and you'll start to get a slight feel for the region. Fiercely proud of their heritage and producers of some of the world's best cuisine, the natives have a true flavor all to themselves and it is definitely worth the trip. Last, we have the Lower Alabama 'LA'. A unique mix of US Military personnel and proud southerners, this region is self-described as Lower Alabama by virtue of both proximity and perhaps as an intentional detachment from the more urban and externally influenced southern parts of the state of Florida. True to form, the architecture, climate, and attitude of the locals all reflect the southern heritage, thus making the Florida panhandle hard to distinguish as actually being Florida instead of one of its northern neighbors. Oh, and by the way, the panhandle of Florida has far and away the most beautiful beaches in the state and not near the snowbird presence in the touristy times of year so it is very much worth the trip. Comparatively inaccessible, featuring small regional airports, Lower Alabama is a hidden gem and has a lot to offer. So, the next time someone you meet introduces themselves as being from LA, take the time to ask "Which one?" If nothing else, you'll get a smile in return and probably learn more about that person too. We lead pretty sheltered lives America, even considering how easy it is to communicate with one another, so take the time, make the effort, and we may actually know one another better than before. Just an urbanized country boy's two cents worth and until next time..
