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Snafus Make Better Companies

jetblue cartoon It’s Valentine’s Day 2007. There is a terrible storm plaguing the Northeast with ice and snow. Most airlines have canceled flights. But JetBlue, a newer, innovative, popular airline, is betting the weather would clear up enough for a few flights.

Well, the bet didn’t pay off.

The decision not to cancel flights created the largest fiasco in the young company’s history. Planes were stranded on the tarmac, frozen to the runway. Passengers were not informed about what was going on. Imagine sitting on a plane for 10 hours with the terminal in sight while the air gets hot and the smell from the toilets (which you have been politely asked to use as little as possible) creeps into the cabin. How would you be feeling about JetBlue?

Apparently, not so bad.

Later that same year, JetBlue was ranked ‘Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Low Cost Carriers in North America’ by J.D. Power and Associates…for the third year in a row.

This success despite the snafu was not just due to the fact that David Neeleman, the company’s founder and CEO, was on every media outlet humbly apologizing. It was also not just due to JetBlue’s full refund and free tickets.

Most of the success was because JetBlue had done the legwork before the tarmac incident to build a relationship with their customers—more leg room, no price gouging or nickel and diming, in-flight television, etc.

jetblue inside JetBlue’s leaders also used the incident as a catalyst to change the way they do business.

“From the board leadership level into the organization, there was no doubt that this was a wake up call,” says David Barger, JetBlue’s current CEO. One of the founders, Barger was COO in February 2007. “We had tremendous growth and, at some point, all companies go through something like this. But if you have the right attitude, amazing things can happen. We created comprehensive fixes. We got to the core of those issues and solved them. We wanted to become a better company as a result of it. I firmly believe that we have done that.”

Since the Valentine’s Day snafu, JetBlue created a Customer Bill of Rights. Among some of the more interesting entries, JetBlue will provide customers experiencing an Onboard Ground Delay with 36 channels of DIRECTV®, food and drink, access to clean restrooms and, as necessary, medical treatment. For customers who experience an Onboard Ground Delay for more than 5 hours, JetBlue will take necessary action so that customers may deplane.

Also, they changed their leadership structure to create more stability and continued to look for more ways to go beyond their customer’s expectations. This sort of sweeping change could only take place in a company that created an environment for entrepreneurial thinking and flexibility. A company that uses the unexpected to its advantage.
So, in the end, the bet paid off. Their biggest screw up was turned into a catalyst for a different way of thinking about how they relate to their customers and allowed them the time to work out what was needed in their company.

Here is something that is not a screw up: their first quarter earnings reflect that the company is continuing to grow…most other airlines can’t say the same thing.

TRY THIS ON:

How can you turn your biggest screw up into your largest asset? How well are you prepared for the unexpected?

Creative Freedom of a Restrictive Economy

Published February 24, 2009 St. Louis , business , communication , creativity , entrepreneurship , innovation , leadership 1 Comment
Tags: business, creativity, inspiration, leadership, recession, small business, St. Louis

table-vice

The latest issue of Wired has a special feature on design. The subject that they hit upon is one that is close to my heart. Here is the article. They are designing in a medium that predates embedded video and infographics. It is a blank white rectangle. “At Wired, our design team sees this as our daily bread,” they point out.

The constraint of the page actually inspires more creativity.

It reminds me of a creative writing course in college. You would think that the most clever and creative work would come from a no-holds-barred approach to expression. However, that was not the case. The best work we produced came as a result of placing restrictive guidelines and forcing us to come up with a way to express an idea from inside a cage. The most inspiring work happened when we had to write in iambic pentameter or rhyme certain lines or begin our stories with some random sentence (I saw the horse in the rain, and I knew I had to leave my wife…who couldn’t write a good story with that line?).

The constraint of the economy can inspire your creativity.

The beauty of our current economic situation is that it forces us to strip down our business into the essential elements. I am not a neurologist, but it feels like there is a part of my mind that works better under restriction. Be it real or imagined.

The same is true for many successful companies that I talk to. They are coming up with ways to still express their value when prospects have less money. One example is Kuhlmann Leavitt, Inc., a St. Louis-based design firm. They have spun off a new company, Stax Modular, a mobile display product that can be used for anything . So far, the response to their new product has been exciting, and they are going to showcase it as trade shows in the Spring.

With markets crashing around us and a breakdown of the financial world, this gives those who have always been on the outside of traditional forms of capital even more reason to innovate. Small business owners have always had to be creative and design something striking and beautiful out of very little.

The trick now is distilling your idea of what your business is and allowing constraint to design your business better.

THE LIST

Here are questions you can ask yourself to get to the root who your company is:

Who would notice if my business went away? List the people, institutions, etc. These folks are your champions. Get to know them better. Most people cover up when times are tough. People will be more important than ever now.
What is it that is valuable about my company? Is it people? Is it a product that is unique? You service. Whatever it is, don’t fall into the temptation to cut it lose for budget reasons.
What makes us money or raises our funds? These are revenue streams. Pour resources to them. They, as our former commander-in-chief says, “keep food on your family.”
What other talents do I or others on my team have that we have allowed to go by the wayside? These are new revenue opportunities. You have good ideas already. Use them now. See the Kuhlmann Leavitt example above.

This is only a beginning to a job that really should not require a crappy economy. You probably have some better questions. Now is always the time to continue innovation.

LET ME KNOW

Send me some better questions to distill a business down to its core. I will send you a copy of the sestina they made me write in my poetry class. If nothing else, it will be a good laugh.

- Jeremy Nulik, Creative Energy Officer, St. Louis Small Business Monthly

How to make sure no one will read your blog (or listen to your ideas)

Published January 30, 2009 authenticity , blogging , business , communication , creativity 15 Comments
Tags: authenticity, blog, blogging, business, communication, marketing, screwing up

not-listening After only a few months at this blogging thing, I think that I have found something that I can truly say I have incredible perspective on: being a terrible blogger.

The blogging world has a set of values and ideas. I am certain that this phenomenon will make for the kind of stuff that fine academic institutions will soon create use to create literature and sociological theories. It sounds like the kind of class I would have taken, ENG 562: Blog Theory.

****************************************************************

Here are some of the blogging communication mistakes I have made.

THE LIST (of unwritten miscues…well, I guess they ARE written now, but, nevermind)

Don’t post regularly. If you are not posting at least a couple of times a week, then don’t be shocked when nobody is regularly commenting or digging or stumbling or whatever stroke of validation you were searching for. In blog world, as well as the world outside, consistency matters over being clever…much to my chagrin.
Being a great writer is better than being a good reader/listener. Blogging is to offer something to the world, so it needs to be unique. You begin this process by looking at and imitating other’s blogs. Find some to whom you can relate. Write down what you like. Start doing those things. If you are even mediocre, you are ahead of the game.
Fall victim to overt ploys at traffic-nabbing. Being Stumbled Upon can be great, but that is the ADHD of web browsing. Stumblers and traffic seekers are sometimes like Homer Simpson when he was saw a military-grade deep fryer that could flash-fry a buffalo in 40 seconds, he whined, “Forty seconds? But I want it now!” Nothing is more important than consistent, relevant content. There is no secret traffic pill/search engine optimization pill. Anybody who says differently is selling you something.
Join everything. It is not required nor is it an advantage to rocketship your name and presence into every single social networking site out there. You need something that you are going to add to each place. Also, it is not a requirement that you add every widget in the world to the side of your blog (or Facebook page or LinkedIn profile). Visit Adam Kreitman’s blog for more on how to not get sucked into the shiny, sexy, overwhelming vortex of social networking.
Be afraid to screw up. I only learned these rules by breaking them and not by following advice. So, I really should have taken my own advice, not posted these, which allowed you to figure these out for yourself. However, these are merely suggestions, so, if you think I am off my blogging chair, then try it for yourself. If what I said doesn’t apply to you, please let me know how you did it. I need to learn.
Feel the need to create the deepest most Earth-shattering idea before you start writing. I do this a lot. Ask yourself some tough questions…what types of readers do I want? What would they need? What is my goal in communication? Usually, they don’t need your ability to sound incredibly clever. They need something real they can sink their teeth into and implement.
Don’t worry about your readers. While “good content” means relevant, it doesn’t mean clinical or verbose. Be terse. Be entertaining. Be authentic.

Looking over the list, it strikes me that these mistakes apply to the world outside of blogging. Being consistent, authentic and truly seeking to serve another person is just a more effective way to live and communicate. It took screwing up at blogging for this guy to get that.

ANSWER ME THIS

Here is my question…if you had to teach the ENG 562: Blog Theory course who would you use as your examples? How would you structure the course? What is unique to blogging language?

Also, please let me know if I missed anything important. I am still new, you know, with much to learn.

The person with the best reply gets to have a FREE lunch…note, that I am not specifying where the lunch would take place.

- Jeremy Nulik, Creative Energy Officer, St. Louis Small Business Monthly

You like? Let others know:

5 Ways To Make Your Customers Publicly And Joyfully Sob Into A Microphone About How Awesome You Are*

Published January 19, 2009 business , communication , customer service , leadership , sustainability 5 Comments
Tags: business, customer service, recession, small business, WWF

Alright…I admit it. I like a train wreck. I complain about the gawker’s block on the Interstate, but…if you guys ever see a blue Honda Element slowing down near a wreck…you can guess that it is me.

So, that sentiment alone is enough motivation for me to post this video:

Favorite parts: “IT IS STILL REAL TO ME…DAMMIT!” and “Among the choices are Jim Carrey, Mike Myers and Philip Seymour Hoffman.”

On a more serious note, though. Take note of this:

The level of belief and enthusiasm that these guys have for wresting is amazing. This is WWF-style TV entertainment. Are they really that serious? Of course they are. The sport has such a hold on them that they have become more than just fans…they are followers. They are believers. They are unashamed worshipers.

Are you creating that for your customers during this recession? Are they at your office door asking who would play you in your autobiographical movie? Do they believe in you so much, they would cry fearlessly in a high school auditorium with other grown men?

Right now is the perfect time to do the things that no one else will do..the tough times allow you to stand out more. Here are some ideas to get you started that I received , but please create your own as well.

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THE LIST

5 Ways To Make Your Customers Cry Over You In Public Places

Face-to-face time with your key partners. This isn’t just customers, but investors, vendors or just plain professional friends who get what you are doing and support you. Go to more lunches. Attend more charity events that are important to you and your partners. The more people see your face, the more confident they will be in you and in their choice to do business with you.
Expressing authentic gratitude for business. This cannot be forced. It needs to be real. If you are not actually that grateful, then please don’t send cards, don’t call and don’t offer discounts, etc. BUT, there is nothing like tough times to make you grateful. Take this humbling as a wake up call. Now you have room for some gratitude.
Find out more about your key customers as people. What is it they really want out of their business? What goals and dreams do they have for their families? Do they have families? Do they have food allergies? What are their pet peeves? Get to know these people…in a tough time, they are going to save your ass and help you to thrive.
Get the right people on the bus. Don’t settle for less than great performance from employees or partners. If they are not performing with passion, then it won’t cut the recession mustard.You need ambassadors of your good news, and right now, there are lots of A-players available. However, the passion and the will to go above and beyond has to be yours first. Before you blame employees, look in the mirror.
Stop lying to them. If you are telling them that everything is “JUST GREAT” with your business, you are most likely not truthful. Be honest about weaknesses. Be honest about your concerns. You can still approach them from a position of strength and belief about your company. But, pretending that there is no elephant in the room makes you sound distant and naive.

SOME PERSPECTIVE

When I wrote “Right now is the perfect time…,” I really meant, “Right now is always the perfect time.” In other words, let’s not wait for an economic collapse before we decide to change the way that we do business – here is more on that perspective.

LET ME KNOW

What are you doing to inspire your customers? How are you reconnecting with them during hard times?

- Jeremy Nulik, Creative Energy Officer, St. Louis Small Business Monthly

*Results are NOT guaranteed to produce actual tears, the existence of a microphone or WWF wrestlers, but they will at least allow you to remain in business.

The Best Business Bobs, or Rising Above Any Name

Published January 14, 2009 authenticity , business , communication , leadership , marketing 10 Comments
Tags: authenticity, Bob Burg, Bob Costas, Bob Kochan, Bob Sommers, Bobby Knight, branding, business, Rob Amberg, Robert Kiyosaki, Robert Skandalaris, Robert Sutton

nametag-copy Everyone knows a Bob. He is your uncle, your next door neighbor or your Dad’s friend from college.

“You know Bob, right?”

“Oh, of course I do. Hey, Bob, how’s the wife and kids?”

It is the most unassuming name there is. It is the small pickup truck…the quarter-pounder with cheese…the denim shirt of names in the United States.

Being a Bob, however, could have some drawbacks. Since everyone knows a Bob, how can you make yourself known if you happened to be christened with that label. In a world of Bobs, how do you make yourself stand out?

I have seen this dilemma occur with business. “Hi, we’re in IT, and we provide um…technology solutions.” Or, “I like to blog about innovation, creativity and leadership.” Wait, that one hits too close to home.

You may be the best company ever, but, as far as most people are concerned you are Bob…an IT company or some blogger.

There is no reason to fight this. Don’t try to be an Alejandro. You very well may be Bob. There is nothing wrong with Bob…in fact, being Bob has some great advantages, since people are comfortable and familiar with Bob. Embrace your Bobness.

In my experiences, I have met some Bobs that have transcended their moniker. They have made a profound impact on both my personal and business life. I sometimes even forget that they are named Bob. I only remember the difference they have made in the way that I think.

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THE LIST

Here is a Possibly Incomplete List (in no particular order) of The Best Business Bobs (and sometimes Roberts or Robs since this is my blog and I can cheat if I wanna):

Bob Sommers - If you want to meet someone that understands how to be approachable and likable, look no further than “Maui Bob.” His website, Recognized Expert, is an incredible resource to entrepreneurs, writers, bloggers or anyone who wants to get known on the web. More importantly, Bob is a good person. When you get done talking to Bob, you can’t help but feel good about yourself.

Favorite quote: “Likability is not your ability to make everybody like you. It is your ability to make others feel liked.”

Bob Costas – Not necessarily a “business” Bob, but a master of personal branding. How can you not like Bob Costas? Consistent. Cool. Humble. Mr. Olympics (even when he is putting the smack down on ego-driven athletes).

Favorite quote: “I don’t believe there’s a single American sitting around saying, ‘I’d like to see Bob Costas’ take on this.’”

Bob Burg - Author of the books, The Go-Giver and Endless Referrals. More than an expert on stratospherically successful life attitudes, he is also a student of business thinking. Having a conversation with this Bob is like talking to a library of business knowledge and application.

Favorite quote: “I think perhaps the most prevalent false-dilemma question is: ‘Would you rather be rich OR happy?’ What an awful question. Why not be both? And far too many people have bought into that artificial contradiction. Let’s instead see the world as one of abundance. In this great country, if you can create, if you can add value—you can be rich and happy.” From BusinessWeek.

Robert Kiyosaki – The first non-Bob. The Rich Dad guy – author of many books, notable speaker and personal financing guru. Some of his truths can be hard to swallow, but there is no finer analysis of how the rich get richer and how to think differently about what wealth means.

Favorite quote: “A lot of people are afraid to tell the truth, to say no. That’s where toughness comes into play. Toughness is not being a bully. It’s having backbone.”

Robert Skandalaris – An innovator, author, smart entrepreneur and philanthropist…Skandalaris is the type of guy who has his name on the side of buildings. I had the pleasure of hearing him speak at the Skandalaris Center for Entrepreneurship at Washington University. An inspirational guy who walks an innovative, fearless walk.

Favorite quote: “Innovation is America’s last bastion of competitive advantage…”

Bob Kochan – A guy who is not afraid to be a little goofy…Bob was named one of Small Business Monthly’s Top 20 Under 20. Starting out his professional career as a Six Flags magician, he now owns Kochan and Company (founded in 1987), an innovative and fun advertising company in St. Louis that continues to grow.

Favorite quote: “I look for talented, enthusiastic people, so we have low turnover. It’s a family environment, so we check our egos at the door.”

Rob Amberg – Another advertising/marketing guy, Rob is the vice president and general manager of Cushman/Amberg Communications. He has a cool blog where he shows his abilities at telling a relevant business story…he understands both the value and the costs of Internet marketing.

Favorite quote: (from his blog) “When it comes to marketing ‘shoes’ you can only last in the painful eye-catchers for so long. And you’ll know when that time comes. It’s when you have to walk the talk. The rest is just show and tell.”

Bobby Knight - The opposite of likeable. Not a business man, but one heck of an inspiring leader and clearly a passionate person. I can’t say that I agree with his style, but 1. I have not coached successful teams and 2. his ability to inspire greatness is clear – 902 NCAA Div. I wins, 3 National Championships and 11 Big Ten Championships. Most of his players graduated.

Favorite quote: “You don’t play against opponents, you play against the game of basketball.”

Robert Sutton – You know him…he’s the No Asshole Rule guy. Anyone who can get the Harvard Business Review to print the a-dash-dash-hole word is to be revered. The management science professor from Stanford has the cajones to call most workplaces on their rudeness and lack of civility…and his research is impeccable. Also wrote – Weird Ideas That Work – another must-read for any entrepreneur.

Favorite quote: “Indeed, I am starting to believe that, as a management professor, part of my job is to teach people when indifference is more useful than passion.”

See all the magic and inspiration that can come from a Bob? See the irony in Bobby Knight and the No Asshole Rule guy in one blog post?

ANSWER ME THIS

What is the Bob about your business that you have not really made shine? People like a Bob. They can relate to a Bob. They feel comfortable with Bob. The Bob is the human part of your business that is authentically more concerned with the client or customer than itself…it achieves great things without suffering the sin of significance.

Let your Bob shine.

ALSO

Do you know any good Bobs that I missed? Please post your favorite Bob.

- Jeremy Nulik, Creative Energy Officer, St. Louis Small Business Monthly

Stop worrying about the credit market…get creative

Published December 12, 2008 St. Louis , authenticity , business , competition , creativity , entrepreneurship , innovation , leadership , sustainability 3 Comments
Tags: business, creativity, entrepreneur, freedom, innovation, leadership, small business, st. louis business, success

Tom Schlafly is one of the most successful business people (and human beings) I have had the pleasure of talking to. He built the St. Louis Brewery in the town that has…um..you, know… THE Brewery. However, since InBev came to town, Schlafly now enjoys status as St. Louis largest locally-owned brewery.

As Tom points out in his witty column Top Fermentation, “In any discussion of local industry in St. Louis, Schlafly is now The Brewery.” The irony is thicker than the head on one of Tom’s stout winter brews.

The man who:

claims that he “would never have started his business if he knew anything about business”
attracts an entire team of people with liberal arts degrees and no business background
had to change Missouri laws on microbreweries to grow his business
holds an irrational love for St. Louis
continues to bring a creative wonder to his business

…is now wildly successful against all odds and in the shrined shadow of a St. Louis darling – Anheuser-Busch.

Entrepreneurship is a lifestyle choice and a way of thinking differently about:

what it means to be in business
what it means to have success
what it means to be professional

Many times at the root of this decision (to rip the employee label off your life and think in this manner) is a very emotional and peculiar drive. As my friend Richard Sacks (author, consultant and entrepreneur) puts it, “most entrepreneurs are on plan B.” They are creative, innovative, passionate people who got ticked off at the way that their industry was working, or feel that some population is grossly underserved.

If there is this distinction between an entrepreneur and a manager or executive, then why do entrepreneurs constantly feel they have to behave like the rest of business world when it comes to financing their business?

I have heard many entrepreneurs complain:

The banks don’t take me seriously.
I don’t have the right contacts.
The credit market has dried up.
Venture capitalists aren’t giving out money.
Angel investors are watching their portfolios dwindle away.

This reaction to our current economy is not an irrational response. This is fear-based thinking that will be a secure lockdown to any growth that your business could hope to have.

To survive the slowdown and the limited access to capital, you must see this fear, name it and move along on the path. You must be irrational. (For more on this see Dixie Gillaspie’s article on moving through fear.)

You are an entrepreneur…be creative. Here are some practical steps that I have seen the best entrepreneurs take to make long-term financial goals. (All of these steps were taken assuming that you had the right attitude, have had solid business ethics and want to grow your business.)

Get skin in the game. This is a battle. If you can’t stomach a big personal loss, you may need to find a job. While it does not sound pleasant, I have yet to meet a financial backer who is comfortable taking on all the risk. Collect up your capital and what you have of value. If it was a comfortable process, then everyone would do it. Two retailers I know have doubled their business in the last year by leveraging collateral to get credit.
Negotiate and make terms with your vendors. Make it as simple as possible. “Hey, things are slowing down for me. Can I pay you $x amount per month?” Most folks will allow you some latitude.
Find easy ways to monetize what you do. This is dangerous because you may end up going down sales paths that can distract you from a primary purpose. What do you do already do that adds value and you can easily charge for? This could be scaled-back versions of a larger service for a reduced rate. However it looks, find new ways to make money at what you are already doing.
Find like-minded folks that share your vision. They may not be instant sources of money, but you can certainly find advise, empathy, friendship and accountability. The monetary value of true friendship is immeasurable. The most successful people that I know found and inner circle that they went to in good times and bad. You start finding these people by becoming an approachable person.

It may seem as though the universe is conspiring against you, but take a look at Schlafly’s situation 17 years ago. You do not face nearly the odds that he did. He made it. You can too. It may not look the way you thought it would, but your company will be better for it.

And, if you are a St. Louis-based entrepreneur, then you have access to at least 49 growth opportunities that are unique to your city.

TRY THIS ONE ON:

If you wanted to hear what it was like for a passionate, eccentric business owner, then read Tom Schlafly’s book, A New Religion in Mecca. There is a great deal of hope in there. It seems that Schlafly contends that the universe conspired to make his business successful, but, someone who knew what she was talking about once said: Luck is the residue of rigorous, persistent action.

- Jeremy Nulik, Creative Energy Officer, St. Louis Small Business Monthly

Time wounds all heels…especially in a tough economy

Published November 18, 2008 business , leadership , sustainability 5 Comments
Tags: business, economy, leadership, shoes, st. louis business, St. Louis folk, success, sustainability, toughness

This morning I heard a story that I did not expect to hear. It was about a St. Louis company that was seeing an increase in business despite a tough economy.

Adam Allington of KWMU reported on local St. Louis cobbler, Jeff Lipson owner of Cobblestone Shoe Repair. Jeff is a third generation cobbler, and, with the economy the way that it is, he is a very busy. Give it a listen: Cobbler’s Business Steps Up During Thrifty Times

Here are 4 things that I thought about on the remainder of my commute to work:

Maybe those small business owners have the right idea. Here we have Jeff the cobbler. It would be much more convenient if his name were Joe. He provides a simple service to complicated people – business executives, mostly. He is not plotting a hostile takeover or deciding whether or not to bail out the auto industry. He is fixing shoes. Right now, among his largest concerns is making sure that he has the infrastructure to handle the scale of business he has right now…pretty good problem to have. As Allington points out – “He’s glad he’s fixing the shoes of corporate executives and not standing in them”…this is an understatement. If there is one benefit to this on-the-cusp-of-a-recession economy, it is that the risk of being an entrepreneur and pursuing your passion is equal to the risk of a “safe” corporate job. This economy needs people who are not afraid to build something. Really, it is the truth no matter what the economic situation, but the rough time just exposes that truth.
Being on the radio allows you to say things that you would never usually say. Take, for example: “Waste-not, want-not…brewhaha.” Now that is some artistic latitude…or it could be balderdash or it could be my cockamamie excuse to use archaic terms…like “archaic.”
Americans are slow…uh…learners. There is nothing like a little pain to learn a lesson, but this report points out that really, things aren’t bad enough yet. The Great Depression was much worse, and our economy is different now. So, we would make habits like getting a $15 repair instead of buying $150 shoes more common if things just hurt more. I call this the toothpaste tube phenomenon. When my kids get a new tube of toothpaste, they tend to smash it in the middle using much more than necessary. We end up with toothpaste on their faces, in the sink, on towels, counter tops, etc. As the tube gets more empty they are suddenly able to perform the same task of brushing their teeth with a fraction of the toothpaste. This economy and thriftiness is thrown out the window the moment a new tube of Disney-themed toothpaste is introduced. Adults behave in the same way. When the economy gets better, whatever that means, I am sure that many of us will go back to our irresponsible spending…and why not? well, don’t worry. People like Jeff who have built a strong legacy business will be around the next time tough times hit.
Strange how the things that can help our environment are somehow just more economically sensible. I know a lot of folks who resist the idea of “going green.” They wonder what impact their habits actually have on helping the planet. But, in this world, it may be less to do with environmental thinking and more to do with just being a good citizen. My parents always had us reuse towels once or twice and always shut lights off…why? Because they cared about the environment? No…they are frugal and didn’t want to be wasteful for comfort’s sake. It seems that the universe has some ethic out there. Some kind of cosmic please-don’t-throw-your-Styrofoam-out-the-window force. Maybe getting your shoes repaired is just good green karma.

LET ME KNOW:

Do you know someone else who has a locally owned business that is doing well? I would love to hear stories about people who are growing despite the circumstances. Send them to me or leave a comment. Also, check out the December issue of Small Business Monthly…we will feature companies that are thriving and hear from experts in St. Louis on how to keep growing through tough times.

HERE IS ONE FOR FREE:

If you got to this page because you were searching for Cobblestone or shoe repair, then take a look at Jeff’s Shoe Car Tips…stay true to your sole, or take time for heeling, or think of a more cheesy metaphor and email it to me.

Keep fighting the good fight, Jeff.

- Jeremy Nulik, Creative Energy Officer, St. Louis Small Business Monthly

PS – Jeff is a son of a son of a cobbler…ah, I feel a Jimmy Buffett moment coming on despite the chilly weather. Also, if the cobbler’s son is without shoes, then what is the status of footwear for the cobbler’s grandson? Alright…I’ll stop now.

Business lessons from George Carlin

Published September 2, 2008 authenticity , business , creativity , innovation , leadership 6 Comments
Tags: authenticity, business, George Carlin, leadership

Choosing to become a business owner is absurd. Given the amount of businesses that fail, breaking from a career to start an organization becomes an exercise that is close to insane. Only a certain type of person, the entrepreneur, who would forsake the glory of the paycheck to start something unique, something counter-industry, something that your market truly needs would do such a thing.

On June 22, the entrepreneurial world lost one such person. George Carlin, who was not one for euphemisms, died (no “passing away”).

To appreciate what Carlin did for his industry, you have to go back to the time in which he started. After working as a DJ, a marketing director for peanut brittle and being discharged from the Air Force for being an “unproductive man,” Carlin teamed up with Jack Burns and started performing comedy shows that were pretty close to conventional. Then, in the late 60s, he and Burns watched as Lenny Bruce was arrested for obscenity.

Apparently, something clicked. Carlin saw an opportunity to expose a weakness he saw in the way that Americans view their freedom of language, and he saw a way to separate himself from the crowd of other comedians.

This is entrepreneurial fervor. Here are four things that Carlin taught through his comedy and his life that can be applied to your business:

1. See the same thing in new ways

Small business is the best opportunity to walk customers through a new experience, and it does not require you to act or behave any differently. Be a human first before you’re a business owner.

A St. Louis example of this is Joe Edwards at Blueberry Hill. What started as a restaurant and bar turned into the largest neighborhood transformation in recent St. Louis history. He organized other merchants to create The Delmar Loo p. His business became an advocacy for something bigger.

He achieved this by being himself. It was not his aim, rather a natural occurrence of being authentic and willing to see the same thing (business ownership) in an entirely new way (community creation). Vuja De.

Carlin was able to achieve this for comedy, and you can do this in your industry.
Do your customers know you? Do you stand for something beyond your business goals? How can your business reinforce your beliefs and allow your light to shine?

2. Get down to the core

One of Carlin’s famous routines was the Al Sleet, the hippie-dippie weatherman, “Tonight’s forecast: Dark. Continued dark throughout most of the evening with some widely scattered light toward morning.”

The act stuck because it conveyed a simple truth that most folks take for granted. Of course, there is much more to weather than the presence or absence of light, but what else can you say with this amount of certainty? The same is true for many organizations. Often we get hung up on tactics, projects or ideas that are really complicating. These things are important, however, remember the simple truths about you, your business and the role you are to play. Everything else is debatable, and, like the weather, difficult to predict. What is at the core of you and your business?

3. Don’t take yourself too seriously

Carlin had an HBO Special titled, “Life is Worth Losing.” To say, “Nothing is sacred to Carlin,” is an understatement. His comedic topics ranged from airplane food and colloquialisms to death and rape.

While Carlin may have gone to the extreme, a lack of levity is a problem that I see in business all the time. I have a friend who owns a contracting business, and he created a charter of 35 rules and regulations that he has difficulty in following. Now he has to police his workforce and dole out punishment for stepping out of the bounds.

Here is the problem: People will let you down. It is not a matter of if, but when. Try to remember those times you have let others down as a necessary dose of humility. The problem that my friend has is not the code of conduct, but his attitude toward it. To approach people from a moral hilltop is dangerous. Create a business that inspires others to take ownership.

Your legacy may outlive you, but only if you get out of the way. Carlin was an example of this. He was devoted to his craft and his creative legacy, however, he remembered that all of this was fading. It is nothing more than life and death. How are you taking your business too seriously?

4. Challenge everything…all the time

Carlin did not get ahead by regurgitating the same line of ex-girlfriend and cat jokes. He pushed the limits of what it meant to be in comedy.

People were forced to think…to make a decision on something that they thought they could evade. The perfect example of this was his “Seven Deadly Words” routine, which was based upon the seven words you cannot say on television. This routine landed Carlin in jail and forced a Supreme Court decision on broadcast indecency.

He stated his purpose in one of his many comedy routines, “I think it’s the duty of the comedian to find out where the line is drawn and cross it deliberately.”

Entrepreneurs and business leaders are situated to do the same thing. Challenge conventional beliefs about how people should be served. Not only does this set you apart from other businesses in your industry, but it is increasingly becoming the way that our economy will survive. We don’t need people who can play the game. We need people willing to change it. What do you do that is worth a Supreme Court decision? What are you doing to change perceptions about your industry?

- Jeremy Nulik, Creative Energy Officer, St. Louis Small Business
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Helping others understand your innovation

Published July 22, 2008 business , communication , creativity , innovation 2 Comments
Tags: Build-a-Bear, business, Chip Heath, communication, creativity, Dan Heath, innovation, Made to Stick, wine, Wine Necessities

I am not a wine connoisseur, nor do I understand the intricacies of what makes a good wine. I have pretended to know in the past, though. Swirling the Merlot around in the glass, swishing it between my teeth and saying, “hmmm…quite dry…and a faint hint of almonds.”

One thing that I do know is that they are prevalent in the St. Louis area. While many are based in outlying locations, they logically advertise to and service the urban and suburban markets. This means that your average St. Louis consumer encounters many marketing messages about wineries on any given day.

Two friends of mine opened a winery in Ballwin, Missouri that “provides quality wine with your personal touch.” Wine Necessities is a winery for do-it-yourself-ers. They have an area where you can make your own Pinot Blanc or Italian Sangiovese or whatever your palette desires. You can even customize the labeling that goes on the bottle for personal or business use. It becomes your wine – inside and out. They host parties and have social and community events around wine, etc.

This business presents interesting marketing challenge. How do you cut through the clutter of all the other wineries, appeal to wine lovers/wine makers and present an innovative idea (a wine-making, fun, social experience) to potential patrons?

How would you communicate what you do in a short and concise way to capture your innovation? To help people understand you are not just some other winery?

One place that I would look for help is from Chip Heath and Dan Heath of Made to Stick fame. In a recent Fast Company article, they outlined a great way to do just that. They call it the anchor and twist.

According to Chip and Dan, the best way to help others understand your new, innovative idea, is to start them with something that they already know, the anchor. Then, you hit them with what makes it different, the twist.

The challenge is that you sacrifice some amount of accuracy for the sake of helping people understand your company, product, etc.

One example that they give has to do with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

The “cardio” part — pumping on the chest — forces blood to circulate. The “pulmonary” part – mouth-to-mouth breathing — gets oxygen to the lungs. CPR has been ingrained in mass culture for the past 35 years, but what if a new innovation came along that supplanted it? That’s precisely what happened in March 2007 when a team of Japanese researchers published a surprising paper in the prestigious Lancet medical journal. It tracked 4,068 adults who’d gone into cardiac arrest with bystanders present but not in a hospital. The shocker: Victims who received only the chest-pumping part of CPR had slightly better health outcomes than those who received full CPR, including mouth-to-mouth. For most victims, then, mouth-to-mouth was pointless.

The American Health Association had to take an old idea (CPR) and get the word out quickly about the new one (no more mouth-to-mouth). How could they communicate this new innovation to so many who were used to good ol’ CPR?

Eventually, “Hands-Only CPR” was the term that they decided to use to express the new idea. CPR serves as the anchor, and “hands-only” is the twist. This is not completely accurate…really there is no longer the “P” since there is no mouth-to-mouth. But, for the sake of helping an audience understand, they let some inaccuracy go.

Here are some attempts at doing that for Wine Necessities from my feeble mind:

Wine Necessities is the Build-a-Bear of wineries.
Wine Necessities – the DIY winery.
Get your hands dirty winery.
The you-too-can-crush-grapes winery.

TRY THIS ONE:

Do you have better ideas for my friends at Wine Necessities? Can you come up with one for your company or organization that you would be willing to share?

What word cloud would your customers write about you?

Published July 15, 2008 authenticity , business , creativity , innovation 3 Comments
Tags: business, communication, creativity, customer service, innovation, marketing, words

When I meet someone for the first time, I have often wanted to hand them a preface. This would contain a few key moments from the past, failed relationships, funny/tragic stories, a songlist and a stack of DVDs (mostly bad 80s movies).

That way, when I say something like, “well, at least I have that going for me,” people would immediately recognize what I was talking about. Whether they would find me funny or not is another story.

Instead, what usually happens is that I get a few minutes into conversation, I say something that sounds inappropriate or misguided. Then, I attempt to explain my choice of words or reasoning for the placement of a story.

Personally, I am waiting for the folks at Google to come up with the iCloud. This is a digitally generated keyword cloud that would display above your head at all times. This way people would know what is important to you, how you define yourself and what your personality is like.

Here is what I think mine would look like:

This is how your iCloud may look after you realized you deleted all your episodes of your favorite reality TV show from your DVR:

You’re ready to make a killer sales presentation:

While you are dreaming at night:

All that would be required for this to come to fruition is some form of brain scanning device. This should be easy to come by for the Google folks. Aren’t they the royalty of the Inter-webs?

All of this is leaving out the possibility to tie this in with the social networking software and text messages. The Twitter people could grab a hold of this and the need to constantly update people on where you are and what you are doing. It could be the iCloud autoTwitter.

TRY THIS ONE OUT:

Go to wordle and create a word cloud for yourself and for your organization. Then, make one using the text from the last reviews of you or your company. You may notice a discrepancy, and that creates an opportunity to change what words your customers associate with you.

Really, the people at Google don’t need to create these. Everybody already sees them anyway…for better or for worse. They are writing one for you right now. As much as I would like to have a preface to make things easier for folks that I meet, people are already writing one for me. The cloud that we create for ourselves is pretty useless in relation to how others interpret who we are.

Your marketing does not belong to you, and you don’t get to write your word cloud.

So, what words are you putting out there? Please email me or comment below with your word cloud.

Creative Energy Officer

Posts Tagged 'business'

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Creative Freedom of a Restrictive Economy

How to make sure no one will read your blog (or listen to your ideas)

5 Ways To Make Your Customers Publicly And Joyfully Sob Into A Microphone About How Awesome You Are*

*Results are NOT guaranteed to produce actual tears, the existence of a microphone or WWF wrestlers, but they will at least allow you to remain in business.

The Best Business Bobs, or Rising Above Any Name

Stop worrying about the credit market…get creative

Time wounds all heels…especially in a tough economy

Business lessons from George Carlin

Helping others understand your innovation

What word cloud would your customers write about you?

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