"Looking Forward" Reflections on 2018 and Thoughts for the Year Ahead

Today's post focuses on some thoughts and musings which have been percolating around in my brain during the last few days. While I haven't always taken time to reflect on the past, this week I've definitely taken time to pause and ponder the year which stretches out behind like the wake of a passing boat.

Have Yourself A Merry Little Screen-Free Christmas

It's the holiday season and maybe it's time to stand up and shut down the gadgets which while oh-so-conveniently serve to disconnect and distance us more than we admit. Maybe this is the year you decide to put a sign on your front door advising relatives and guests to turn off their phone or just leave it in the car? 

It's All In The Details: Vintage Automobiles and Making Your Brand Stand Out

Vintage automobiles have always held a special attraction for me, inspiring a sense of appreciation and admiration for the exceptional craftsmanship and luxurious materials used to create and adorn yesteryear's transportation. I find myself almost drawn into another world when at a car show, fascinated by the features and ornate accessories which grace these vehicles produced so long ago, right down to the fancy script letters, detailed trim and ornamental company branding.

"What I learned after 13 years at Darrenkamp’s Markets"

The following was posted on Facebook as the independent grocery store chain Darrenkamp's Markets made a heart-breaking decision to close their stores. While doing a bit of research on the company (and mourning the loss of yet another family-owned business), I came across this Facebook post by one of their employees. The heartfelt and honest sentiments struck me as powerful words we may all take something away from and thus I wanted to share it here. Credit is 100% to Quint Eno, and while I have not received a response to my inquiry about sharing this, it was a public post so I’m assuming he does not mind. Thank you sir, for your inspiring words.

Social Media Cartoons and Humor For The Holidays

Merry Christmas! Enjoy a few funnies celebrating technology and online humor.

How to Get Your Community To Support Your Cause

There are a few principles of life which you've probably heard mentioned on my previous posts or social sites, key points I believe make up the heart and soul of strong organization; essential elements with which one builds a respected business. A main theme of mine has for years revolved around the concept "if you want to be valued, then deliver value".

The Lighter Side: Tech Humor and Social Media Funnies

We subscribe to a way of thinking which believes that taking a break and recharging is the best way to energize your mind and spirit. It is with that thought in mind that we often post humorous graphics on our social channels over the weekend, not entirely so of course, but we definitely kick back and enjoy the lighter side of social networks, online humor and technology funnies. Here are fourteen of the most recent graphics we've stumbled across and wanted to share them with you.

"A Recipe for Outstanding Customer Service"

Creating an ideal blend of components for an exceptional visitor experience is the goal of every business, right? That is least what most companies will say, however even the best intentions sometimes become overlooked or get lost in the daily rush to move people in and out of a retail store or through a call center. Ensuring that the comfort and happiness of your guests is the primary focus of a business, along with establishing a philosophy which extends down to each member of the company, builds an environment which is truly a "people first" mentality.

Tips for a Tech-Free Thanksgiving

Have you ever considered making a change to avoid the usual gathering of relatives staring at the their gadgets? Perhaps this year is the perfect time to start a new holiday tradition!

"Learning to Listen" | Tips for Communication and Hearing Others

One of the most common issues in business, personal life and daily interactions is that of miscommunication. Perhaps I say one thing in a certain tone of voice and you react in a manner that is completely opposite from what I meant, and while trying to correct such a situation we end up muddying the water more. Pretty soon, what started out as a conversation winds up in hurt feelings and a sense that "no one understands". Sound familiar? We've all been there!

Holiday Reminders & Inspiration for Small Business Owners

Hello there and welcome to my blog! This post focuses on several aspect of seasonal engagement, holiday promotional ideas and the all-important discussion on how to survive the upcoming holidays. These topics are simple, however they are also some of the most frequently overlooked details about preplanning and strategies for small business.

10 Topics for October | Links and Notes On Marketing and Small Business

Articles, information and useful resources I've compiled for the month of October ~ some of this material seemed helpful or was content I'd come across for the first time, or found discussions from a new and different point of view. I think you will find some of them offer value to you and your marketing growth as well!

Why We Don’t Know Each Other Any More | The Risk of Overdoing Online

Our world is changing faster than we ever could have thought possible these days. We're rolling down a slippery slope of progress at lightning speed while applauding each new aspect of technology, but at the same time perhaps losing ourselves a little more each day. A priority has been placed both on “acquiring things” and “being seen”, causing us to frantically collect items we believe grant a certain status, or to connect with events and images which make us temporary celebs on social channels.

Two Words That Changed Holiday Spending: "Shop Small"

One of the most popular hashtags in the retail world takes it's turn in the spotlight just two days after Americans sit down to eat turkey. November 24th, 2018 is the 9th annual celebration of Small Business Saturday and the event which sparked the #shopsmall tag when launched back in 2010. Created by American Express as a movement towards getting people to spend not just locally, but at the thousands of unique, mom and pop establishments across the country has turned into an annual celebration of small business of enormous proportions.

Community Events, Respect and Consideration | "Making It All Work In Your Small Town"

"How we treat, view, and interact with others"

I decided to share what will be a fairly short post (not really fitting the criteria of how the experts say one must blog, because I don't think every piece of material can BE 1000 words), since this seems to be a fairly simple, basic topic. The reality however, appears to be that while many of us charge forward enthusiastically with plans and ideas and good intentions, a lot of us also fail to communicate well. Holding events within your community, advocating for public activities or planning a town-wide festival for example, are essential steps for building a thriving downtown or destination - and yet some of the smallest misunderstandings can have ripple effects of enormous proportions. (I should probably note here that I am a big believer that respect speaks volumes, and that careful consideration of one's attitude, tone of voice and style of conversation can be extremely useful).

Promoting Your Community as a Destination

The following article was originally published by Becky McCray in 2013, via her website SmallBizSurvival.com. I'm re-sharing it here with you as I feel it covers a number of topics similar to what I'm often posting, such as the concept of "defining your niche" and how people may be thinking about or searching for your location. Of course, those similarities could be because I've been following Becky and soaking up her material for quite some time, but one of the topics which I'm most fascinated by is that of tourism marketing, or the effort to promote a specific location.

How to Participate in National "Get To Know Your Customer" Day

Did you know National "Get To Know Your Customers Day" takes place four times a year? It's observed annually on the third Thursday of each quarter (January, April, July, October), creating a perfect occasion to reach out to your patrons and get to know them better.

Farm Fresh Fridays "The Importance of Supporting Our Local Farmers"

Saturday, July 7th: A couple of weeks ago I posted on my Facebook page about a recent purchase of some ultra-delicious, fresh, corn from a nearby farm (shown below - and oh, so tasty!). It occurred to me that a "Farm fresh Friday" concept would be kind of a neat experiment to do this summer, while chronicling feedback of others and also sharing the places I would visit. (Later on today I'm going to add a photo of the place on my list for this weekend).

Too Shy To Network? Get Over It! (An Article That Speaks Volumes)

I came across this article several months ago and thought it was excellent material for any entrepreneur or small business owner. Published by Dawn Rassmusen of Pathfinder Writing and Career Services, the simplicity of the writing style drew me in, because being sort of a shy and socially hesitant individual, this is right up my alley. I don't think it's just me, however - I suspect many us can relate and identify with these points, and I'm betting that this may open your mind about branching out.

What Is Leadership? Reflections on People, Confidence & Teamwork

Moments which provide us with an opportunity to witness, observe and interpret certain behaviors can be the most valuable to learn from. Some of the most challenging situations I can recall, stick with me today not as a negative experience but rather "a moment of clarity" where I began to realize what draws the line between leadership and just being a control freak.

Although many people believe they can learn to inspire others, such skills are not easily replicated. One cannot just copy actions of a successful person or repeat the same words to their team unless sincerity is at the heart of their actions. People will see right through such efforts which then discredit anyone attempting to shortcut the process towards success.

The best people I've known in roles of leadership have not been busy yelling and screaming about "winning". They are just quietly, powerfully, motivational - perhaps while still being the brains behind a great idea - but without needing to leap up on a table and proclaim "It was I who did this great thing".

Inspiring people posses something that can't really be faked or made up. They generally have the confidence to remain quiet and to let the actions of a group speak for themselves, rather than being insecure and needy or craving the spotlight.

If you don't feel the sense of teamwork in your heart, or have not developed an inner gauge of respect for others, it will be very difficult, if not impossible to come off as a truly inspiring leader.

If you are lucky enough to have experienced the best, hold those times and memories close to you as they will provide you wisdom for a lifetime.

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What To Say Online? "Inspiration for Your Social Media Posts"

Another day of facing down your computer screen, rummaging online or in your archives for content to add to your social channels. What to post? Where to find inspiration which resonates with your audience - and how can you streamline this ongoing process? Keep in mind the basic principles illustrated below, that the goals of "good material" center around being able to share information which is relevant, helpful, useful and/or amusing to your readers.

Animal Shelter Marketing | Cards for Promoting Your Adoptable Animals

How many index cards, printed forms or flyers advertising a dog or cat looking for their next home have you seen? Hundreds, right? From hand-written notes to ultra-short descriptions to long bios about each animal, there are a ton of ways to offer that information to the public. Standing out and providing that content in an eye-catching format, one which can be easily handed out, shared online and even collected by kids helping to get a pet a forever home is a win-win!

Adapt, Change or Find an Alternate Route (When The Road Collapses, What is Plan B?)

I killed off Motivation Monday hours ago. Like grains of sand on the beach, it washed away from me faster than I could comprehend or process, leaving me with only the grim realization that I'd screwed up yet another day due to my organizational breakdown. I HATE when things don't fall into place; when I struggle repeatedly to finish a project with what appears to me to have 999 options instead of the clearly defined two or three choices I need.

Motivation Monday, I sneered, well before noon, as the complexity of what stretched out ahead of me seemed to go on forever. In irritation I slammed the computer closed by 12:30, opting to address several less challenging tasks, but rather than helping me to feel even a tiny bit efficient it caused me to view my failures even more grimly. Sometimes you have to do a number of things when you hit a roadblock. There are thousands of articles and conversations on such topics floating around out there in cyberspace, offering tricks and tools for restarting your day, viewing situations in a different light, or sidetracking onto a completely alternate method of work to circumvent that which rose up to stop you. I've tried many of these suggestions and today I wasn't even in the mood to consider anymore options so I sulked instead; pointlessly pinning a few things on Pinterest and surfing around Twitter for couple of news stories I'd been following didn't offer any inspiration or closure.

The house needed to be cleaned up from the weekend so I dove into that as an escape. Maybe I'd reconsider my being at an impasse differently after chasing dust bunnies and scrubbing nose prints off of the windows, or perhaps I'd just run out of this irritable energy and subside into a less chaotic state of mind by this evening which would allow me to go back to the beginning and refocus. But maybe for me, right now on this Monday, there isn't a refocusing on those specific projects. Perhaps I need to offer myself a workaround of sorts and an alternate route to travel instead, because maybe a more abrupt, better defined shift to a totally different project would be more my speed. WHAT IF for me, the road isn't EVER going to be through the forest, but around, over or under? Maybe like a superhero mole I need to start tunneling, or find a faster mod of transportation AROUND since it's going to take longer, or heck, perhaps I'll just bypass all those possibilities and charter a hot air balloon to take me OVER the forest all together.

MAYBE I'm not the problem, but rather the forest is what lies between me and my goals. Maybe I will take those steps back and consult Google for the Balloons-R-Us company to glide me to the other side, because I'm still moving and working - I just got a little bit stuck in one place. I ditched the vacuum and headed back to my laptop to tackle not steps one or two, but instead six and seven, trusting that if I let my brain flow in a different manner perhaps, that I could wind up with the missing pieces falling into place later. After all, it doesn't matter sometimes how we get there. What matters is that we DO get there, and moving towards the goal line, a bit more carefully than some others, and yet still with all the pieces in place, is me.


Always have an alternative route. Always.

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Hashtags of the Day | Keywords to Add to Social Media Posts

You've probably seen plenty of these posts on social channels before, or noticed the "trending tags" section on Twitter or Instagram perhaps? These HOTD or "hashtags of the day" are popular and fun to use, connecting you instantly to others who share your love of vintage automobiles for #MoparMonday, sleepy dogs with open mouths for #TOT (tongue out Tuesday) or even the mid-week nod to camels on Wednesday, also known as #Humpday.