I usually try to stay away from issues like this after the Bush vs. Kerry election almost destroyed a close friendship. However, when I came across this clip from Glenn Beck addressing one of Michelle Obama’s many socialist comments, I had to share. I find this comment both disturbing and offensive. Mark Steyn said it best when he said Michelle Obama was “Kim Jong-Il dressed up with a bit of Oprah Winfrey dressing”.
Here is Michelle’s quote:
“The truth is, most Americans don’t want much. Folks don’t want the whole pie.”
“Most Americans feel blessed to thrive just a little bit, but that’s out of reach for them.”
“The truth is, in order to get things like universal health care and revamped education system, someone is going to have to give up a piece of their pie so someone else can have more.”
Beck fires back with one statement to sum up that little outburst… “Well, hello and welcome back, Karl Marx.”
After over a week of neglect, something finally excited me enough to post an update. Gary Vaynerchuk is going to be taping his 500th episode of Wine Library TV on July 10th in San Francisco and I am giving serious consideration to attending. Additionally, I take some e-mail heat from a statement in Now Boarding at the Gate. Watch the video below for more details.
Finally, Bill Gates officially resigned from Microsoft today. Regardless of your views, you have to acknowledge the contributions he made to the computer industry. Thanks Bill!
UPDATE
I actually removed Now Boarding at the Gate from this blog awhile back and have since had a few friends ask me where it went. Since I make mention of it above, you can check it out below. If you want to jump to the e-mail response referenced in the video above, just click on the tag for E-mail in the video timeline.
I was messing around on YouTube today and came across some nostalgic Windows 95 videos. This one in particular made me laugh. You can totally tell this was from back when people were still a bit unfamiliar with computers and the “lingo” by listening to the reporter. I remember this time very fondly as this was when I started to get into computers. If you used Windows 95, I think you will find this entertaining.
I also found this entertaining as well. I had almost forgotten some of the classic Windows startup sounds…probably because I think I used to disable them.
Not much to say to welcome this post… just me doing what I do. Enjoy and have a great rest of the week
Update: The e-mail address in the video is incorrect. My correct e-mail address is cphadley1@gmail.com I will update the video later today to reflect the change.
This is a topic that has been coming to mind for me quite a bit lately.Read pretty much any textbook or article about being a successful business and you will likely notice one thing regularly ends up omitted – accountability, trust and respect.This has always baffled me.Do the authors assume this is common sense practice and intentionally leave it out or do they honestly not see the value in these key staples?
Do why are these three things so important?Most importantly, you should always practice accountability, trust and respect in everything you do.If you make it part of your life practice, not only will you be a better member of society, but your integrity will shine through to your business.There are so many reasons why this practice is paramount to any venture’s success, however there are a few reason that should stand out above most others:
Repeat work – Have you ever had one of those experiences where you receive a level of service that honestly surprised you.Perhaps the service was only marginally better than a competitor, but because the bar had been dropped so low you were still shocked.I bet nine times out of ten most of you went back to that establishment.
For example, I regularly fly Southwest Airlines after having numerous positive experiences with them in the past.Booking is easy, the phone ticketing and sales team members are wonderful, lines usually move smoothly both at the ticketing counter and at the gate, flights are on time far more than any other airline I have flown and the flight staff are, for the most part, wonderful.
Now, these all seems like common sense practice to me and I’m sure you as well.Unfortunately, for one reason or another, so many other airlines do not uphold a similar standard.Heck, there are times with Southwest where their tickets are more expensive than a competitor and I still fly with them.Another fine example, just the other week I received a $585 travel voucher for volunteering to take a later flight.Sure, I got home about five or six hours later but I got a free flight (or two) out of the deal.No fuss no muss.
By simply implementing small improvements over their competitors, Southwest has earned a loyal customer.So long as they uphold this level of service, I will continue to fly them whenever I have the chance.All of this by simply taking accountability for their mistakes, being honest with me when there are issues and respecting my frustrations.Of course, your experience with them may be far different and thus you use an airline you feel has treated you with respect.Case and point.
If you make accountability, honestly and respect a part of your daily life; it will be easy to implement into your business.Be a good person and then be as transparent as possible.Letting people see the real you should be a good thing.If not, you have work to do.
Free marketing – Once you have established yourself as a trusted business (be it goods or services), people will start to talk.In an era of online communication and social networking, word of mouth is more powerful now than ever before.The entire online presence aspect is so in depth that I will touch on it at a later time.The quick breakdown, if you want to save money on advertising and marketing, let the way you run your business be its own marketing campaign.Why so many large organizations don’t grasp this is beyond me.
You would be amazed at how quickly people will start spreading the word about something - positive or negative.Granted negativity almost always spreads faster, positive news finds its way around at a rapid pace as well.Why is this?Simple – the bar has been set incredibly low.So many businesses put their customers last and profits first that by simply making people your number one priority, you already have something people are going to talk about.
You may be great at what you do or have an amazing product, but if you fail to deliver a positive experience to your customer/client, it is unlikely they will pay you a return visit.Even worse, they will almost certainly instruct other to pass you by as well.Once the bad news ball starts rolling, it can be very difficult to bring it to a halt.
This is how Apple lost me as a customer (I know I know… I should prepare to be slammed by Apple loyalist who will defend Apple to the bitter end).I literally received one product after another from them that developed some type of hardware issue within a very short period of time.When I called customer support, I was told to go into the local Apple Store.Upon arriving there, I was told to call customer support.When I did finally get someone to speak to me, I was told the problem was not covered under warranty.I would then have to talk to a manager who would finally take the product in for repair only to send it away for over a month for a simple fix.
Did Apple ever take accountability for these issues? – not until I forced them to through moving up the chain of command.Even worse, I never even received an apology in most cases.I was definitely not respected as a customer and therefore I stopped trusting the company.OS X is a solid platform and I have a great deal of respect for its performance, however I lost respect for the company supplying the product and thus I still run Windows (a Thinkpad for which I have always received fantastic support).
Strategic partnerships – While this may not seem important for some, forming a positive partnership with another business can prove to be a symbiotic relationship that will make both of your lives easier.However, it is unlikely others will want to do business with you if they do not feel a level of trust and sincerity.
I serve as the communications specialist for a large construction firm and I have gained a great deal of respect and understanding of partnerships and joint ventures.We are able to take on very large scale projects thanks to the partnerships we have formed with fellow construction firms.
There are times when we rely on our partner or joint venture firm to give us the resources we need to take on a large-scale project.There are also times our company would be capable of taking on a project by ourselves, however, we work with partners to maintain the relationship we have established with them and the client. Partnerships are give-and-take and something that require a great deal of trust and understanding.
Doorway to future success – This one is short and simple.When you treat people with respect and give them your trust, they will want to work with you again.I think so often people get the idea that quality of your work far outweighs the quality of personality – a HUGE mistake.Sure, you can make a great product or service and people will keep coming to you.However, you are setting yourself up to lose customers quickly should any mistakes me made. Should a mistake in your product or service occur, if you have instilled a level of trust and accountability in your customers, the situation will be far easier to handle.You are also far more likely to see that person come back if you handled their issue correctly.
In the end, live you life under the golden rule – treat others like you would want to be treated.My mother used to tell me that time and time again growing up and I am so thankful she did.It has helped me in my personal and professional life immensely.I honestly feel good about treating people right; treating them with respect and kindness (unless given a reason otherwise).
In business and your personal life, remember this – practice accountability, trust and respect and you will be helping to make the world a better place and raising the bar for others around you.
It has been quite some time since I have been able to find the time to update the blog. Thankfully, the circumstances keeping me busy were all positive. I completed the final touches on the office (with the exception of some art on order for the walls) and my best friend got married this Saturday. Huge shout out to Greg and Rachel for a great wedding.
Also, I have been playing around quite a bit with Seesmic.com over the past week. I finally started using it last evening and it really is quite an interesting service. If you have not checked it out already, you should definitely head over to their Web site and sign up to get an invite code. Be warned though… it can become quite addictive.
Finally, be sure to check out the video below my video. Thank you Nate (check out his blog here) for sharing this fun little stunt from Gary Vaynerchuk in Chicago. He actually found his book on the shelf in Borders and left a secret message within for the future buyer. Leave it to Gary to bust out another random yet entertaining marketing move.
I hope everyone is having a great week. I hope to see some of you soon on Seesmic.
Gary Vaynerchuk putting his random marketing skills to work
Decked in my full painting attire (old shirt, glasses and stained jeans), I thought I would take a break from the work today and give you my review of Gary Vaynerchuk’s new book – 101 Wines Guaranteed to Inspire, Delight, and Bring Thunder to Your World.Also, I touch on the book tour and tasting group a bit as well.I hope everyone is having an enjoyable holiday weekend.I can smell the charcoal grills going as I type this and it sure smells delicious!Maybe now is a good time to get to know my neighbors a little better…
The time has finally arrived for me to paint my office. Once that is complete, I can finally get my wine into my EuroCave 260 wine cellar. I thought I would give you a quick tour of my wine collection as it stands now. As you will see, my collection is currently spread throughout my house so it will be nice to get it collected into one location. It will also be nice to know the wine is being stored in appropriate conditions for cellaring. I hope everyone is having a good holiday weekend!
Monday afternoon, just hours before boarding a four-hour flight to Phoenix, the mail arrived at the office with my copy of Gary Vaynerchuck’s 101 Wines Guaranteed to Inspire, Delight, and Bring Thunder to Your World. The timing could not have been better!
To give you an idea of how excited I am about this book, I am typing this from the Phoenix airport because I had to get my thoughts in writing as soon as possible – and I am just on wine number 89.
Numerous things have impressed me about the work so far.First off, Gary’s usual demeanor is more than evident in the first page of the book.He does not lead you on that he is going to make you a wine expert or change your wine tasting abilities.He simply states his desire to help you appreciate wine and share it with friends, family and loved ones.Thank goodness - after reading a few issues of Wine Spectator, I could definitely use a fresh take on vino.
Within the first five wines, I already found myself feeling overly giddy; full of excitement and wanting to get on my computer ASAP to check out some of these wines.Within ten wines, I had already read about numerous $10 and under wines that I really want to seek out.I found myself almost thankful to be on a plane and away from the internet as it helped keep me from spending hundreds of dollars in the first 25 pages of the book!Of course, now I’m in the airport and back online so I must keep the book shut.
Even the pricy wines are getting me excited.I will probably never buy any of those because I’m cheap like that; however, I find it refreshing to see Gary covering both ends of the spectrum.For example, wine number 94 (a desert wine) will run you $85 for 500 ml bottle while wine number 91 (a 2005 Bordeaux) comes in at just $13.Also within the first 25 pages or so, Gary addresses the great Bordeaux crisis of 2008 brought on by the 2005 vintage changing the price point.I have already comes across two great Bordeaux recommendations within the first 89 wines – a budget collectors dream!
The relaxed tone used in the book is also extremely refreshing.I enjoy reading Wine Spectator for all the good information contained within.However, I frequently experience a very drowsy side effect from reading that publication.Nothing against WS; it is what it is - an informative publication about a product that can be rather dry.
Gary, however, has found the perfect middle ground to get the tasting notes across while keeping you entertained.With sentences like “…and the euro is totally kicking us in the nads because of dollar deterioration” and “It was a revelation, as vivid as biting into that Hershey’s dark miniature, the one you never really liked but ate anyways”, Gary is making wine something for which we can all relate.
I will continue to read on, promising to not skip a single wine, and let you know my final verdict.From what I have read so far, this book completely blows me away.Even if you are not into wine, give this bad boy a chance.You will probably find yourself with quite a curiosity towards the seductive and unique beverage I so affectionately call wine.
Once I board my flight back to Indianapolis, I will definitely be hitting the book hard once again.From what I can tell, it should only continue to get better.Now I just have to stop myself from buying any wine tomorrow.
I was fortunate enough to score front row tickets to Flight of the Conchords this weekend. I took some video from the trip to share with everyone. If you don’t know who Flight of the Conchords are, check out the link below this video. Also, a lot of the random background music in the video comes from the Tim and Eric Awesome, Show Great Job. If you haven’t heard of the show before, check out the link for that below as well. Greg and I had a great time and I hope you enjoy the random fun that came along with the journey.
