Isn’t This How Culture Evolves?
An homage, a celebration, a shout out, a gesture of respect, admiration and appreciation is now potentially cultural appropriation? Isn't this how art, music, film, food and culture evolves?
Reframing Neighborhood
The real estate appraisal industry, like most industries, is stuck in old thinking. Perhaps the worst of this thinking is the term and concept of Neighborhood. Most people correctly understand neighborhood as a collection of homes and perhaps businesses near their homes. Google images of neighborhood and you get what most people imagine a neighborhood [...]
Where Is the Modern Coffeehouse Scene?
Where is the modern Algonquin Round Table where artists and thinkers from a variety of disciplines come together to discuss big ideas? Where are the coffeehouses of Vienna where the likes of Jung, Freud, Zweig, Klimt, Loos and Adler would get together and toss about some bon mots? Where are the non-fiction Central Perk, Cheers or [...]
A Welcome Change
Last week President Trump signed an Executive Order allowing the sale of health insurance across state lines. This is all well and good, I thought, but how would it work mechanically? So I did some research and realized that this is change could be very exciting, especially for people who own small business or are otherwise [...]
Ignore Your Cobra
I take issue with modern psychology. Sure we want to uncover repressed issues and deal with them, but discussing a problem ad nauseam hardly seems like the path to peace of mind. After all, nothing makes a wound fester like scratching at the scab. Let's say you bought a baby cobra (yes, a cobra, stick [...]
The Safest Place
My extended (including boyfriends) family is planning a pre-Halloween outing this Saturday in Sleepy Hollow, New York. Last year Miss Kelly and her friends stumbled upon The Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze, where volunteers create sea serpents, dinosaurs, a train and yes, the Headless Horseman Himself using hundreds of carved pumpkins. Unbeknownst to us, the Blaze [...]
I Don’t Mean to Complain, But…
This past Saturday was my 56th birthday. Not a particularly special birthday, but I had a lot of fun training to volunteer for the upcoming President's Cup at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City. It was a golf nerd's dream. During the course of the day, my Inbox swelled with well-wishes from well-wishers, which [...]
Delivery Counts
I am cancelling my subscription to the Wall Street Journal, which saddens me. I once gave up the Journal because the delivery of the physical newspaper became unreliable. So I started reading it on my iPad. But the app sometimes locks me out of stories for no reason. It takes forever to download today's news. [...]
Altruism?
Drew University last week announced that it was slashing its tuition by 20% from $48,336 this year to $38,668 next year. So what prompted this act of altruism? Economic reality. Drew, like many small private universities, has struggled to maintain enrollment while charging a higher-than-average tuition. So how can Drew increase enrollment and maximize revenue? [...]
If You Get the Chance…
Say a kind word. You will probably make someone's day. You may even hear about it years later.
Get Uncomfortable
I have done some reading lately by and about a Dutchman named Wim Hof. For years Hof, using himself as a guinea pig, has done experiments on the limits of human endurance (okay, some of them were stunts), specifically resistance to cold. Hof discovered that exposure to cold increases the number of brown fat cells, [...]
A Recommendation
Set you DVR and record the 2003 Daredevil move starring Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner. It is an overlooked and often maligned film but is one my favorites: the Daredevil character is compelling and the cast includes some great actors: Jon Favreau, Joe Pantoliano, Colin Farrell and (the sadly missed) Michael Clark Duncan. Check it [...]
On Choosing Oneself
The age of the internet has spawned a new way of thinking. No longer do you have to wait to be cast, signed, published or discovered. You can publish your own e-book, shoot and edit a comedy video, or perform, mix and release a bluegrass song. Probably the first person to express this sentiment was [...]
A Fool and His Ears
Listening to Spotify's Labor Day Cookout Mix, a song by Jill Scott song came on that caught my ear. The chorus was: Living my Life like it's stolen. Living my Life like it's stolen. Living my Life like it's stolen. Living my Life like it's stolen. Wow, I thought, what a profound lyric! Exciting, stolen [...]
The Work is Never Done
Unless you do your laundry naked, the wash is never really done. And you will be chilly.
Path Dependence
Path Dependence is a fancy way of saying, "We have always done it this way." It is defined by the Business Dictionary as, "Tendency of a past or traditional practice or preference to continue even if better alternatives are available." Examples of Path Dependence include the QWERTY keyboard, Microsoft Word (if you are going to [...]
Gimmicks
Marketing is simply a way to get attention for your business, charity or organization. A way to stand out from the crowd, to create a story that attracts customers to your door (or website). Some gimmicks are personal in nature: Slash's top hat, Angus Young's schoolboy outfit, Richard Simmons' striped short-shorts, Steven Tyler's scarves. Some [...]
Everything Old Is New Again
I recently learned of an online dating site called Bumble. Bumble bills itself as a feminist dating site, because only women can initiate a conversation. Huh, I thought, Bumble nothing new. It is an electronic Sadie Hawkins Dance.* A prize to anyone under 30 who knew what a Sadie Hawkins Dance was without clicking on [...]
Decisions
Miss Karen and I have a philosophy. Decisions make themselves. When the time is right circumstances come together and - boom - the answer is right there. So gather the facts. And trust your gut.
Bad Idea
Several websites including Google, PayPal, GoDaddy, Uber, OKCupid and Spotify have banned white supremacist groups from using their services. Clearly, no sane person supports these morons, but trying to censor them out of existence is a bad idea: It encourages their sense of martyrdom and provides a common enemy (in this case, the entire world), [...]
The Diminutive
When I was a young professional, I was very sensitive about being called the diminutive, Bobby. Around the time I turned 50 I cared a whole lot less, because I was truly and indisputably an adult. Plus, I think I am 18.
Totally Worth It
He is old school. His partners are old. They don't use email. Those kind of guys. I sent my proposal. He pushed back on the fee. I stood my ground, and he agreed, but he had to convince his partners that I was totally worth it. I did my research and analysis and wrote up [...]
Musing on the Eclipse
Why does no one mention the marvelous and intriguing fact that the the moon fits almost perfectly over the sun?
The Dark Side of Marketing
All virtues have a vice flip side. Thrift can turn to greed. Self respect can turn to pride. Righteous anger can turn to wrath. And so it is with marketing. Marketing is meant influence behavior, to change people. Through empathy, generosity and vulnerability, trust in the marketer grows and the student-customers can be influenced to [...]
Let’s Try Plain English
Look, your business is complicated. You have to know a lot to do your work. But listen to yourself. When you are talking to a lay person, how much jargon do you use? How many initials or acronyms? How many [shudder] buzz words? You don't have to dumb it down, just use plain English. So [...]
Tito’s
I was giving some thought to recent marketing successes and Tito's Handmade Vodka came to mind. Tito's is the fastest growing brand in a very crowded field, full of well-known incumbents like Smirnoff, Grey Goose, Absolut and Svedka. I hate to burst people's bubble, but vodka is ethanol. It is what comes out of the end [...]
When Was the Last Time?
When was the last time you: Updated your curriculum vitae? Updated your website? Checked in with your best customers? Sent a thank you note? Got new photos taken? Asked for a testimonial? Increased your prices? Really challenged yourself? Made some art? Today would be a good time. Pick one.
Better Than Plants
According to an article on the website Futurism, an incinerator in Switzerland was recently fitted with a carbon capture plant that is reportedly 1,000 times more efficient than plant photosynthesis. Filters capture the CO2 over several hours. The filters are then heated to 212 degrees Fahrenheit (no great feat, your teakettle does the same thing and [...]
I’m Just Trying to Help
You may not be familiar with the initials ACC. ACC is Anthropogenic Climate Change, more commonly called Man-Made Global Warming. There are a lot of people who are deeply and sincerely concerned about the effects of ACC, and rightfully so. The stakes are high. Without taking a side, however, it is clear that ACC supporters [...]
On Time
I am pathologically prompt. Five minutes before meeting time is what I consider on time. I think it is a sign of respect. But it is probably just insecurity.
Adventures
Okay, adventures don't always turn out great. There can be problems. You can be inconvenienced, frustrated, frightened or even hurt (not badly, I hope). But all that shrinks into the background And the adventure becomes unforgettable. When you can tell the story.
Three Words to Get Buy-In
If you are proposing an out-of-the-ordinary project, trip, event or place and need team buy-in, add these words: "A little adventure." What man, woman or child can resist a little adventure?
It’s Not a Problem
Look, I know what you are going through. You have a problem, and it seems insurmountable. But it is not. Yes, there may be some hard choices. Things may not be the same. Maybe it is time things changed. You are being prompted to move on. So move on.
Communicating Value
I am a commercial real estate appraiser, but I offer much more than just a point-in-time value and a 100 page report. So how do I let my clients know that I have a variety of other skills that may be helpful? Here's something you may want to try: We send written proposals for many [...]
A Little Freaked Out?
Feeling overwhelmed? It happens all the time, you are not alone. I suggest you do what is in front of you. Today. Right now. And nothing more. If you feel freaked out, this is not the day for big decisions. Give it time. It will pass. And the big decision will make itself.
No, That’s Not What I was Talking About
I don't want to name the item or the company, it is a brand I respect. It is not Delta Airlines for goodness sake. I bought eight of the item three years ago and recently bought two more. But the new ones were different, flimsier, cheaper. I rarely post reviews on Amazon, but this time I [...]
Failing a Lot
In his April 2016 TED talk, Adam Grant made a point that I found fascinating. The best known and most re-recorded classical composers are the ones that generated the most content. Beethoven, Bach and Mozart wrote so much music that some of it turned out to be great. In other words, they were the ones [...]
You Are the Brand
A brand is not a logo, nor is it a clever name. It is who you are. It is what you commit to do for your customers. It is the story you tell about yourself. It is an issue of character.
tl;dr
There are some fine blogs out there, well written, thoughtful and authoritative. Too bad nobody reads them. They are just too long. I realize that Twitter's 140 characters may be too few to make a fine point, but holy smoke, 500 words? Every day? Here's a hint: if you write something so long that the reader has [...]
A Couple of Recommendations
Here are some software and web-based services that I find really helpful: ToDoIst This web-based To Do list software runs beautifully on all platforms: Windows, Apple, Android, even Google Chrome. You can set up an infinite number of To Do lists for your business and personal life, and your ToDoIst lists can be shared with [...]
The Best People
To paraphrase Eleanor Roosevelt: Small people talk about people. Average people talk about things and events. The best people talk about ideas. What do the people you spend the most time with talk about? Who do you want to be?
Limitations
How exactly does one market professional services? I mean, we are not creating the iPhone here, some brand new gadget with intriguing design and features. Sometimes professionals feel like they are doing the same, or similar work, day in and day out. We are bound by sets of rules, accepted methods and client expectations. Stifling, right? Not [...]
The A-hole Factor
Go on, admit it. You increased your fee because you think the client is or will be a pain in the patoot. In my experience, the relationship starts off badly and goes downhill. The client has a chip on her shoulder, demands a specific outcome, or complains about your terms of service. No matter how [...]
Creative?
Apropos of my post on modern marketing, I saw the strangest thing yesterday. A billboard on U.S. Route 1 in Lawrence Township. Advertising an Advertising and Marketing company. A billboard is relatively expensive and it is designed to market to a large audience, so it is most helpful if your customers are well, everybody. Big [...]
Puzzles, meh
I really don't care for board games. I have no idea how to play Backgammon, Cribbage, Yahtzee or dominoes. I don't know how to play Spades, Rummy or Bridge and I am fuzzy about the rules of Poker. I kinda sorta understand Blackjack, but when it comes time to split hands I get lost. I have [...]
What You Can Control
Here is what you can control: How you spend your time, one day at a time. Your attitude. The rest is out of your control. So don't spend any time thinking about it.
Yes Ann, Delta Sucks
I am a firm anti-ranter, but I decided to make an exception. Friends of ours have a time share in Florence, Italy and they invited Miss Karen and I to join them on their annual trip this fall. Because I am thrifty, I used our Chase Ultimate Rewards miles to buy two tickets. The timing [...]
Now We Are the Bad Guys
Spending the annual long weekend on the cruise ship on land called Woodloch Pines. In our first years here, the kids, all 11 of them, were little. As a team we didn't stand a chance against the families with older kids. They were too fast and they were better at trivia than our brigade of [...]
Give Backs and Take Backs
I am sure that you have received a request for a Give Back. Can you do the project cheaper? Or faster? I learned a long time ago that if you decide to give something back, you should take something back. "Want it cheaper? I will need more time," is my standard answer. I recently heard [...]
The Near Future Promise of Clean Energy
Wind and solar power are getting more efficient and cheaper all the time. Which is great, as long as the wind blows and the sun shines. The Holy Grail of research in Clean Energy field has been storage. We need bigger, more efficient and cheaper batteries. Well, this is about to happen. According to a [...]