I was sitting in a conference last Thursday morning when I received the following text message:
“Is it interesting?”
I glanced up from my phone to see a group of professional football players flexing their biceps on the stage in front of me. Behind me were approximately 100 enthusiastic women assembled atop a strange configuration of chairs and stools. Why the strange configuration? Because the stools weren’t ordinary stools; they were barstools. We were, in fact, sitting in a pub. An Irish pub no less, replete with shamrock and leprechaun decorations. That’s right: 100 women in an Irish pub ogling football players. This being just before 10.00am, my only response could be: “yes, it is interesting.”
So how did I get there? And what the heck was I doing? (Continued)
Have you ever been so baffled by a seemingly simple concept that you wanted to just give up?
For me that thing is marketing. You need do nothing more than say the word ‘marketing’ in my presence to elicit a groan. I’m told it’s vitally important to any small business, yet it renders me, a small business owner, clueless.
When my Dutchman-at-large showed up on my doorstep a few days ago for a surprise visit, I was ecstatic, until he opened his suitcase. Ok, I was still completely delighted to see him, but less so to see the book entitled “Online Marketing” that had been a birthday gift several months earlier. I had inadvertently on purpose forgotten to take the book home with me after my last visit to Amsterdam.
Seeing the book did not quite elicit a groan, but something more like a wince; the familiar irksome twinge of running into an old adversary. Over the past year, I have been trying to understand marketing and how it could work for me. I’ve poured over many books on the topic, amassed a collection of emails offering marketing advice, and have asked a lot of business people lot of questions. I learned a lot from my investigations, but also ended up with more questions. And the realization that I still don’t have a succinct answer for my original question: What is marketing? (Continued)
Happy Monday!
I just found out that there’s a new brand profile up at Eco Fashion World. Thanks to the guys over there for adding us to their Eco Fashion Guide! Check it out here.
It’s been awhile since I’ve written here!
Despite all the best intentions, sometimes just sitting down to write can prove to be the most difficult thing. In the past few weeks my writing attempts have been thwarted by annoying things such as the flu, snowstorms, and travel delays. While there’s not much that I can do about snowstorms or being trapped at the Newark airport for hours (and hours…), I do know a great little trick for getting instant relief from a cold. Keep reading and I’ll share it with you. (Continued)
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Salty Portland, Maine (Photo: mattie b)
Last week, I decided that it was time to get out of the mountains for a day, so I packed an overnight bag and visited my brother, Sean, in Portland, Maine. It’s a city with a colorful past and is Maine’s cultural capital today.
A few years back, a resident of Portland told me a fantastic story about some wayward local shipbuilders during the Revolutionary War. It was a tale of conflict between a wealthy sea captain and some stubborn hard working locals. The Sea Captain commissioned the Portland shipbuilders to make a bunch of 60 foot long ship masts from the wood of the native pine trees. The masts were built and ready for delivery, but when the Captain didn’t deliver his payment as promised, things went sour. The shipbuilders, not keen on being taken advantage of, hid the masts in the dead of night and claimed to have no knowledge of them. The enraged Sea Captain, intent on getting his masts, threatened to light the city on fire. The local shipbuilders refused. Then the Sea Captain returned to his ship, fired cannons at the peninsula which ignited the flames that burned the city to the ground. (Continued)
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Snow Sculptures
During yesterday’s lunch break, I went to take a look at a recent snow sculpture event. Apparently I was a little too late because all I found were chunks of toppled snow that vaguely resembled objects. This is a good sign because it means that the snow had a chance to melt before refreezing. And melting snow means spring is on it’s way, right?
