BlueCapra

Using Technology To Solve Problems and Create Solutions

What’s in your pocket?

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My pockets are full.  I’d like to say it they were full of money, but I tend to carry a collection of small items that may or may not be indispensable.  I carry what I think I will use on a regular basis, is fairly easy to carry, and mean something personal.  If I had a cool Batman utility belt, I would have it filled most likely.  I like small gadgets.  But, with everything, there must be a limit and carrying 50 pounds of stuff is too much for even the ultra-dedicated.  So, how do you choose what you carry and what does say about you?

I became interested in the concept of EDC or Every Day Carry (a good website I enjoy looking at is Everyday-Carry.com).  For most people that I have read about online, that concept tended toward weapons, survival, and other stuff of questionable use (at least, in my opinion).  There is always a wide selection of what people actually carry and I am very interested to see what people decide to dedicate their very limited personal storage space in carting around.  So what is useful and what is valuable?

It is said that you can tell what a person values by looking at how they spend their money.  Do they give to charity?  Do they spend all their money on fast food then complain they can’t lose weight?  Do they visit Starbucks often but complain they have no money to save? Do they spend more than they earn?  Money talks, in more ways than one.

That led me to wonder, what does the stuff in my pockets say about me and my values?  Before you can examine your stuff, I would suggest that you consider how it is organized.  I believe there are about three concentric circles of stuff that radiate outward from the person:

  1. EDC or on your person – items you would have in your pockets pretty much at all times
  2. Within arms reach, but not on your person – items you would carry in a coat, purse, backpack, other storage device that is not with you 100% of the time, but is very often at arm’s reach
  3. Ten-foot rule or very common places – items that you keep in your car, office, bedside table or dresser, etc.

Do you have an idea where your things fit within these three circles? If not, sit down and make a list.  Be specific and detailed but not to the point that you have a list of hundreds of items.  Just the items you interface with often, you want or need to have with you at particular times, and items that have meaning for you.  Do you have a particular pen or brand of pen you always use?  Do you rotate through a number of similar items (knives, key chains, etc) depending on where you are going?  Do you need a Sherpa to help carry your stuff?

In an upcoming post, I will explain what I have in each of the three areas, why I chose those items, what I would change and why, and how those choices speak of my values.  Until then, get working on your list, start thinking what those items really mean to you, and how your past and future choices express your personality and values.

(Name) tag, you’re it!

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Wood Name Tag

Wood Name Tag from Naag Tag

I know who I am.  Not only that, I rarely if ever forget my own name.  The problem is, try as I may, I can’t recall everyone’s name off the top of my head.  Sure, maybe after five minutes of thinking, the name may pop in my head.  What can we do?  Well, you can wear a name tag.

I enjoy watching David Siteman Garland’s interviews at The Rise To The Top.  He talks to some amazing guests and the information you glean from these interviews is great.  One such interview was with Scott Ginsberg.  Years ago, Scott made a choice that would change the direction of his life forever; he decided to wear a name tag everyday for the rest of his life.  He even went so far as to get a name tag tattoo.  What may have started as a quirky thing to do turned into part of a business that now supports him.  So, what is important about a name tag?  Should I be concerned with name tags if I own a business?

A big part of owning a business is having a professional image.  The image you and your employees project to customers, prospective customers, and the general public can have an effect on profits.  Would you hire a plumber in a three-piece suit?  Would you hire a banker in short pants, flip flops, and a Hawaiian shirt?  The image you project will often dictate the clients and customers that are attracted (or not repelled) by you, your employees, and your business.  So, how does a name tag fit in?

First impressions are important.  If you and your employees are dressed appropriately for the clients and customers that are in your target market, you have made a good first impression.  Now, assuming that you introduce yourself to your customer, you are continuing to make a good first impression.  What happens if the customer is bad with names, did not understand what you said, or was just not paying attention to the introduction?  Name tags allow you and your employees to become more personal with the customer or client.  Some clients or customers would feel more comfortable dealing with John rather than Mr Smith.  By having a name tag, you lesson the worry of the client or customer in using he wrong name.  Since name tags vary widely, what style should you choose?

 

Name Tag - Wooden Name Tags.com

Name tag from WoodenNameTags.com

Your first impression should be memorable.  The client or customer should remember you above the competition.  Your product or service may differentiate you from the competition, but how are you, as a sales person, being remarkable and memorable?  Does a small, plastic, generic name tag sound remarkable or memorable?  What if you interfaced with clients with a name tag from Wooden Name Tags?  What if the only thing your customer or client remembers is how unique your name tag was?  Wouldn’t you want to do everything you can to be memorable?

Many businesses try to be relevant and remembered.  They believe they are being memorable by offering their logo on pens and other small trinkets but how often do those trinkets get thrown away because they are low quality or not relevant to the customer or client?  A well designed, unique, creative name tag is memorable, cost effective (able to use it over and over), and is yet another way to make you and your business remarkable.  Remarkable is what gets remembered.  Remarkable is what differentiates the common from the extraordinary.  Being remarkable drives business, drives profits, and drives growth.

How are you being remarkable in your life and business?

What can you do to your personal or professional image to be remarkable?

How can a simple name tag make you remarkable?

 

What’s my (business) name again?

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How important is a business name?  Does it really matter?  How about a made up name like Squidoo (not really original; there was already a fishing lure named squidoo if I recall, but the site was not named after the lure) or misspelling like Google (a googol is the number 1 followed by 100 zeros…).  How about a descriptive name like Quality Products or a name trying to get a good yellow page placement, AAA Towing?  Does it really matter?

Business names are important but in more ways than you might think.  You want your business name to tell what the business does (The Trophy Shop) or you may want it to be unique, but there are some important guidelines to keep in mind:

  1. Try to choose a name that has some connection with your personality.  For example, if you don’t like sports, don’t name your company “The Sports Shop” but choose something you like and can build a brand around.
  2. Be careful of generic names such as “Quality Service” or something like that.  I have always heard that if you are the boss, and you have to tell everyone that you are the boss, you really aren’t the boss.  Same thing applies; if I have to tell the world I sell quality products, there may not be a lot of truth in that.  Show people, don’t tell them.
  3. The domain needs to be available.  The more people that spend their lives online, the more important your business name matches your URL.  You don’t want your business name to be one thing and your web address something completely different.  The easier you make it for potential customers to find you the better.
  4. When choosing a URL (and thus, a business name), pay attention to the combinations of letters, not just the words, in the web address.  For example, when capitalized and spaced, Kids Exchange is fine but when used as a URL, http://kidsexchange.net/ is what you get (if you don’t see it, look at the first word being kid…)  There are others like this one, just make sure your business is not one of them
  5. The name should be different from your competition.  If you are not differentiating your business from the competition, you are just noise to the consumer.  Be remarkable and start with the business name

Although not all inclusive, these guidelines should help along the way.  There are business naming companies and services that you can pay to help you, you can get friends and family to give you their suggestions, but in the end, the name of your business has to mean something to you.  It needs to reflect your personality.  So, what are you going to name your business?

Do you prefer Audiobooks or Podcasts?

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For years, I listened to audiobooks when I drove.  They are entertaining, informative, and in my opinion, a much better alternative to listening to music.  Over the past 5 or so years, I have gone through over 400 audiobooks of varying lengths and subjects, from business to horror, self-help to history.  I enjoy listening to content while I drive, exercise (at least, when I exercised more regularly), and any other time I can.  Audiobooks, while a great source of content, are often not the most up-to-date information.  Enter podcasts.

Podcasts, while being up-to-date, may not represent the best source of information.  Anyone can create and distribute a podcast with little trouble.  They are much shorter in length; typically from a few minutes to an hour or so compared to many 10’s of hours for the typical audiobook.  The content is more recent; you can create a podcast and have it available in a few minutes compared to months or more for audiobooks.  So what is the best solution?

As most things in life, this is not an “either-or” choice but an “and or both” choice.  Both have their uses, strengths and weaknesses.  Seth Godin utilizes blogs, books, and other media options but does not create podcasts.  I would feel it a great disservice to myself not to have the wisdom of Mr Godin to learn from.  Justin Lukasavige from Coach Radio TV does amazing podcasts (up to 179 episodes as I write this).  The episodes are about one hour long and packed full of great information, stories, and coaching to help you do business better.  Again, I would feel it a great disservice to myself not to have the wisdom of Mr Lukasavige to learn from.

As we get further into digital content, we will be bombarded with more and more information.  There will be good information, bad information, and information so awful, terrible, and bad for society, it should be erased from human memory.  What is the best source of this information?  Is it from podcasts?  Is it from audiobooks? Traditionally published books? ebooks? Who knows?

As a society, we must keep an open mind in regard to content as well as content delivery.  Gone are the days of three television stations or nothing on the radio.  We live in an era of global access to information.  Not only can we access the information, not only are we content consumers, but we are  content generators.  We have the power, the tools, and in many cases, the passion to produce quality content for the world.  All you have to do is find your passion and get started.

What is your passion?

How can you turn that passion into relevant content?

How can you share it with the world?

 

A Wedding gift to stand the test of time

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Your wedding is a special day.  You plan for months if not years to make that day one to remember forever.  Often, the whole day is filled with action and you are the start attraction.  Well-wishers will bring gifts, but you often will not notice.  Days or weeks later, you will open the gifts, write your Thank You notes, and begin your married life.  What gifts did you receive?  Can you remember a year from now? Two? Ten?  What makes a wedding gift stand the test of time?

According to Nina Callaway on About.com, a great gift idea is a nice bottle of wine with instructions for the couple to open it on their tenth anniversary.  That day, you will look back fondly and remember the special friend that gave you that amazing gift.  Handwritten notes may get lost, tags will come off, those special instructions could be lost.  What better way to ensure your instructions stay with the gift than to etch them on the bottle.

So, what makes a wedding gift stand the test of time?  A thoughtful, useful, elegant gift that is chosen from the heart.  Toasters are fine and that new stand mixer would be great, but a personalized bottle of wine for the happy couple to enjoy for years to come, that is a gift you remember.