I'm in the middle of The Bear Necessities of Business by Maxine Clark. Maxine is a former president of Payless Shoe Source and the Founder of Build-A-Bear Workshop. She has a chapter entitled, "Bring Out the Child in Everyone." Naturally, this credo resonates with me a great deal. I have also spent a lot of time on this blog and in presentations for business people about the importance of infusing a business with childlike spirit. Among other things, it improves customer loyalty and can fatten the bottom line. As Stanley Goodman, former CEO of May Department Stores said, "When the customer has …
Jason's Random Musings
Dads Are the Best Salespeople
I am without my bride for a few days. I am in Michigan. Kim is in Chicago. I spoke in Bad Axe last night and I'll be in Bay City this evening. Kim is with our Sales Servant Jenna at a conference, promoting the speaking side of our business. It is always helpful to have an assistant on the journey -- to help navigate unknown areas, to staff the book table while I scribble my John Hancock on people's purchases, and to manage all of the details in order to help the events run smoothly. My assistant on this trip has been my dad. …
The Journey, Not the Destination
Kim and I are in Palo Alto this evening, the heart of Silicon Valley. Tomorrow we'll head north to Modesto for a business conference at which I'm speaking. Amidst all of the traveling and all the neat places we've been, I've discovered that the best part of it all has to do with people. …
Candy Connoisseur
If you have an Easter basket jammed with sugary confections (sans the favorites that didn't make it past the first round), you may be wondering: which of these candies is worth the calories? Thankfully, there is a Candy Blog, written by Cybele May, which offers up in-depth reviews of hundreds of different kinds of candy. It features old classics and new creations (Have you tried the Ice Cream Skittles?) The 10-point scale deems candy as "Tasty", "Unappealing", and even "Inedible." I myself was impressed with the thoroughness of the reviews; I doubt you'll find a more authoritative guide …
Hey Look, it’s Spring!
With all the traveling we've done of late, it was nice to be reminded last week of why we call Madison home. As I mentioned a few posts back, Kim and I were kicking around the idea of taking a week off. (What fun is running your own business if you can't take liberties with the schedule once in a while?) We decided that last week would work perfectly. Other than updating the web site and some very limited checking of e-mail, we were completely off and unplugged. The only TV we watched was the updated version of The Ten Commandments. (Not bad, by the way.) …
Just a Little Rusty
In my book and in my presentations, I speak at length about the eight "secrets" that children naturally possess. One of the reasons that adulthood can often be so stress-filled and life not nearly as fun as it was when we were kids is because we have forgotten these "secrets" we once knew so well. I was re-reading Thinking For A Change by John Maxwell (one of my favorite books) and was ran across an interesting excerpt he included from Skipp Ross: …
Evil Veal Baby Food
I just posted my first video on YouTube. Shhh...nobody tell my wife. P.S. You can add the video to your website or e-mail it on to friends. …
Who Wants to Be a Superhero?
Attention wannabe (or misunderstood) superheroes! Suit up and pull out the video camera! SCI FI Channel is partnering with legendary comic book creator Stan Lee’s (Spider-Man, Hulk, The Fantastic Four, X-Men) to cast a six-episode, one-hour reality series that will challenge a lucky few to create their very own superhero. …
Rated Rookie
Today I got word that the newest issue of Madison Magazine hit the newsstands. In it is an Up and Comers article that features yours truly. It's a pretty neat article discussing my crusade against Adultitis. But I think it's weird to be called an "Up and Comer." Considering I've been at this for almost six years, I'm not sure what qualified me. …
I Didn’t Realize That Was on the Menu
"I'd rather eat my own fingers than beets." --My wife, when asked if she'd rather survive on beets, radishes, or liver if she was stranded on Mt. Everest. …