Collaboration May Be The Answer You Are Looking For To Be Successful With A Product

Collaboration May Be The Answer You Are Looking For To Be Successful With A Product
By Andrew R. Spriegel

Here is a product that we have just started to commercialize successfully after 7 years of sitting on the shelf because it was 2 complicated. It is a drip-less baster that required tooling, $50,000+

We had received several licensing deals on the baster from numerous companies but all of the companies were offering pennies on the dollar, so we turned them down.

I was introduced to a marketing professional this year and we spoke about the products I have at various stages of development. When he looked at the baster he said “you don’t have to license the baster, you only have to license the valve!”

This is why collaboration is critical. We gave the marketer a percentage of sales and went from a position of weakness with the baster to a position of strength with just the valve.

At the Chicago Home and Housewares show this year we offered companies a non-exclusive license to make and use the valve for a royalty on each valve sold. Of all the companies we approached only one wasn’t interested. We showed the companies this video http://www.WonderValv.com and they realized without the valve their baster would leak and the basters with the valve wouldn’t…If we hadn’t brought someone else on the baster would still be on the shelf gathering dust.

youtube=http://www.WonderValv.com/watch?v=JaNH56Vpg-A

The worst voice of the brand *is* the brand by Seth Godin

The worst voice of the brand *is* the brand
By Seth Godin
April 3, 2011

We either ignore your brand or we judge it, usually with too little information. And when we judge it, we judge it based on the actions of the loudest, meanest, most selfish member of your tribe.

When a zealot advocates violence, outsiders see all members of his tribe as advocates of violence.

When a doctor rips off Medicare, all doctors are seen as less trustworthy.

When a fundamentalist advocates destruction of outsiders, all members of that organization are seen as intolerant.

When a soldier commits freelance violence, all citizens of his nation are seen as violent.

When a car rental franchise rips off a customer, all outlets of the franchise suffer.

Seems obvious, no? I wonder, then, why loyal and earnest members of the tribe hesitate to discipline, ostracize or expel the negative outliers.

“You’re hurting us, this is wrong, we are expelling you.”

What do you stand for?

Reprinted with permission from the author

Planning the perfect party -The “Artisan of Wine” Services may be the Answer for You

Planning the perfect party -The “Artisan of Wine” Services may be the Answer for You

A story about a start-up business based on passion

By Jim Murphy  –  The “Artisan of Wine”
April 2, 2011
jmurphy29@neo.rr.com
330-256-4761

My profession is Marketing and Advertising but my Passion in Wine and Wine Parties!  I love to educate people about wine and at the same time help your guests have a great time.

Introduction

The following information has been complied by me after 25 years in the restaurant and wine industries and some of the observations I have made.  I have worked in every type of restaurant from fast food to fine restaurants.  I have also dined and made keen observations in thousands of restaurants across the USA.   One restaurant where I worked in particular taught me the joys of food and wine.  As I gained more knowledge about wine, my passion only grew.  This is meant to be educational as well as a way to gain more appreciation for wine.

A Short History of Wine

Wine has been an integral part of society for almost 10,000 years.  The Phoenicians around 4000 BC were dependent on wine for trade.  The Roman Empire by far has had the largest impact on the development of viticulture and enology (the science and study of all aspects of wine and wine making).  Wine was an integral part of the Roman diet.  As the Roman Empire expanded so too did the wine industry.  The Romans invented the first wine bottles and barrels and also saw the start of the current appellation system identifying certain regions as being better than others for growing grapes.

In the 18^th Century, wine was universally used almost exclusively by the Catholic Church and as its missionary ventures expanded, wine went with it.  By 1823, the missions had established themselves in Sonoma, California.

During Prohibition the wine trade was subsidized by “church wine”.  As Prohibition ended, the wine industry grew and evolved into what it is today.  Major improvements occurred in the 1960’s that led to advanced methods of producing higher quality wines.

How Wine is Made

The key components of wine making are soil, climate, and propagation.  It normally takes 3-5 years to establish vines.

The harvest begins at varying times depending on climate, grape, and geography.  Once grapes are harvested they are crushed resulting in the “must”.  The must is 80% juice, 16% skins (wine pigment), 4% seeds (tannin).  All juice is white, exposure to the skins and seeds imparts color and flavor.  After the crush the juice is pressed and fermented.  After fermentation wines are aged and/or bottled.

Identifying Wine

Wine is identified in different ways depending on the origin and type of wine.  Generally, Old World wines are named by the chateau or area and negociant/grower and not by the grape. In the New World most wine is identified by the grower/winery and type of grape.  Reading the label will always provide the pertinent information regarding alcohol content, vintage, type, origin and source.

Innovators and Genius in Ohio – Ron Ponder

by Andrew R. Spriegel
March 23, 2011

Ron Ponder – Radio Personality

Ron hosts a talk show “POINTS TO PONDER”, News-Talk 1480 WHBC – Canton, Ohio.  WHBC is the oldest full-time AM radio station in Canton, Ohio.  The website http://www.whbc.com is popular in numerous countries, particularly in the US.

“Points to Ponder” is known as “the fastest 2 hours in radio!!!” Ron covers topics from local news, politics & sports to the world and there are very few topics he is afraid to tackle (and I am sure he pisses a “few” people off).  His show airs Monday through Friday 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. with his contact information (330) 450-1480 or rponder@whbc.com (www.whbc.com).

Ron Ponder was born in Lafayette, Georgia, raised both there and in Akron Ohio.  He is often called “one of the world’s last remaining renaissance men” and/or a “corny guy” owning Ponder Systems media and marketing.

Ron has interviewed and/or discussed:

1.      Greg Gray, author of “Dad from a Distance”, a wide ranging interview that addresses everything from the biggest mistake non-custodial fathers can make to what these dads can do when they are an “unwelcome” presence.

2.      Democrat John Boccieri and Republican Jim Renacci

3.      YMCA gets Homeless Grant

4.      Affordable Housing Project in Canton

5.      Barack’s Speech

6.      The Jim Brown Saga in Cleveland

7.      Canton City Schools

8.      Congressman James Clyburn to call in about Voting Rights Act

9.      and on and on…

As an independent television producer (producer of programs for PBS affiliates, network affiliates, cable systems, corporate clients…television programs, commercials, documentaries, such as the history of Stark County; producer of the weekly program, and “The ESPN2 Local Sports Break”

Ron serves as the Chairman of the Board for Coming Together Stark County (formerly the Town Hall on Race Relations) and is a Board member of the President William McKinley National Presidential Library.

Ron has acted as a speechwriter for various national personalities, served as Deputy Mayor City of Canton and is a former publisher/part owner of “The Stark County Advantage” newspaper.

Ron served as a cardiac surgical assistant at Aultman Hospital.

He is the former president of Stark County branch NAACP and a guest columnist “The Canton Repository”

His favorite movies are: High Noon, King Kong, Cabin in the Sky, The Bourne series, Malcolm X, Captain Blood; favorite music: jazz, blues, country (old), clean hip hop and rap, zydeco, Motown, oldies; favorite books: Lord of the Rings trilogy

Ron attended both The University of Akron and Kent State University.

If you get a chance, tune into 1480 WHBC, Monday thru Friday 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.  You will be glad you did or as least enlightened/entertained.

By the way don’t forget Stephon King, Ron’s assistant/manager/”boss” that makes it all seem effortless. (Normally he is smiling)

Reject the tyranny of being picked: pick yourself

by Seth Godin

Reprinted with permission

Amanda Hocking is making a million dollars a year publishing her own work to the Kindle.  No publisher.

Rebecca Black has reached more than 15,000,000 listeners, like it or not, without a record label.

Are we better off without gatekeepers?  Well, it was gatekeepers that brought us the unforgettable lyrics of Terry Jacks in 1974, and it’s gatekeepers that are spending a fortune bringing out pop songs and books that don’t sell.

I’m not sure that this is even the right question. Whether or not we’re better off, the fact is that the gatekeepers–the pickers–are reeling, losing power and fading away. What are you going to do about it?

It’s a cultural instinct to wait to get picked. To seek out the permission and authority that comes from a publisher or talk show host or even a blogger saying, “I pick you.”  Once you reject that impulse and realize that no one is going to select you–that Prince Charming has chosen another house–then you can actually get to work.

If you’re hoping that the HR people you sent your resume to are about to pick you, it’s going to be a long wait.  Once you understand that there are problems just waiting to be solved, once you realize that you have all the tools and all the permission you need, then opportunities to contribute abound.

No one is going to pick you.  Pick yourself.

Things Your Burglar Won’t Tell You

Things Your Burglar Won’t Tell You

Sources:

1. Convicted burglars in North Carolina, Oregon, California, and Kentucky

2. Security consultant Chris McGoey, who runs www.crimedoctor.com

3. Richard T. Wright, a criminology professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, who interviewed 105 burglars for his book “Burglars on the Job”.

Things Your Burglar Won’t Tell You

1. Of course I look familiar.  I was here just last week cleaning your carpets, painting your shutters, or delivering your new refrigerator.

2. Hey, thanks for letting me use the bathroom when I was working in your yard last week.  While I was in there, I unlatched the back window to make my return a little easier.

3. Love those flowers. That tells me you have taste… and taste means there are nice things inside.  Those yard toys your kids leave out always make me wonder what type of gaming system they have.

4. Yes, I really do look for newspapers piled up on the driveway and I might leave a pizza flyer in your front door to see how long it takes you to remove it.

5. If it snows while you’re out of town, get a neighbor to create car and foot tracks into the house.  Virgin drifts in the driveway are a dead giveaway.

6. If decorative glass is part of your front entrance, don’t let your alarm company install the control pad where I can see if it’s set.  That makes it too easy.

7. A good security company alarms the window over the sink and the windows on the second floor, which often access the master bedroom – and your jewelry.  It’s not a bad idea to put motion detectors up there too.

8. It is raining, you’re fumbling with your umbrella, and you forget to lock your door – understandable.  But understand this: I don’t take a day off because of bad weather.

9. I always knock first.  If you answer, I’ll ask for directions somewhere or offer to clean your gutters. (Don’t take me up on it.)

10. Do you really think I won’t look in your sock drawer?  I always check dresser drawers, the bedside table, and the medicine cabinet.

11. Here’s a helpful hint: I almost never go into kids’ rooms.

12. You’re right: I won’t have enough time to break into that safe where you keep your valuables.  But if it’s not bolted down, I’ll take it with me.

13. A loud TV or radio can be a better deterrent than the best alarm system.  If you’re reluctant to leave your TV on while you’re out of town, you can buy a $35 device that works on a timer and simulates the flickering glow of a real television. (Find it www.faketv.com)

14. Sometimes, I carry a clipboard. Sometimes, I dress like a lawn guy and carry a rake.  I do my best to never, ever look like a crook.

15.  The two things I hate most: loud dogs and nosy neighbors.

16. I’ll break a window to get in, even if it makes a little noise.  If your neighbor hears one loud sound, he’ll stop what he’s doing and wait to hear it again.  If he doesn’t hear it again, he’ll just go back to what he was doing.  It’s human nature.

17. I’m not complaining, but why would you pay all that money for a fancy alarm system and leave your house without setting it?

18.  I love looking in your windows.  I’m looking for signs that you’re home, and for flat screen TVs or gaming systems I’d like.  I’ll drive or walk through your neighborhood at night, before you close the blinds, just to pick my targets.

19. Avoid announcing your vacation on your Facebook page.  It’s easier than you think to look up your address.

20.  To you, leaving that window open just a crack during the day is a way to let in a little fresh air. To me, it’s an invitation.

21. If you don’t answer when I knock, I try the door.  Occasionally, I hit the jackpot and walk right in.

Application Event Streams – Attack of the Social Machines

Application Event Streams – Attack of the Social Machines

By: Hunter Richards
Accounting Market Analyst, Software Advice
on 3/9/2011

(Published per a request from Hunter Richard to post on this site – Great Article, thanks Hunter)

Application event streams – timely business intelligence (BI) updates that can be followed and discussed in a social activity stream – promise to kick-start conversations around critical business data.

We have all witnessed the value of Twitter and Facebook acting as critical communications networks in times of crisis… or just boredom. Yammer and Salesforce.com’s Chatter application apply these same concepts to business, enabling workers to share their thoughts and experiences in a social activity stream for the enterprise.

Now middleware vendor TIBCO is extending the conversation to include machines. The company’s Tibbr offering pulls application event data from existing systems and incorporates the data into an activity stream. Workers can take it from there, adding their own qualitative assessment of the data. Users can follow relevant event streams and form groups around related topics.

Social Media and Business Intelligence Converge
Enterprise applications such as enterprise resource planning (ERP) and customer relationship management (CRM) systems have created overwhelming troves of corporate data. BI tools provide a sophisticated means of summarizing and analyzing this data, but these tools have not become pervasive across the enterprise. Too often, they are limited to a few executives and business analysts. Social media concepts, when implemented with more traditional BI and middleware tools, present a new opportunity to disseminate and discuss intelligence gleaned from corporate systems.

Application event streams empower people to stay aware and discuss information as soon as it emerges. Just as Facebook and Twitter have revolutionized social interactions, the application event streams of new enterprise social systems like Tibbr can revolutionize how businesses collaborate when analyzing data.

Do you think he would be a good boss or business owner?

Do you think he would be a good boss or business owner?
by Andrew R. Spriegel

I was at International Pizza Expo 2011 (organized by National Association of Pizzeria Operators) at the Las Vegas Convention. I walked the various isles and went up to a great booth and saw a Chef, in a great looking Chef’s “uniform”.  I assumed he was the owner and asked “if he owned the business”?  What he said actually shocked me.  He said ” do you think if I was the boss I would be wearing this clown suit”?  We both had a good laugh, but his comment bothered me.  In my experience, the great bosses (with the successful businesses) are those “bosses” that will do anything to make the business successful, they will scrub the toilets, they will take out the trash, they will do whatever it takes to grow the business.  They will wear the “clown’s suit” and do what is necessary to brand and grow the business.

As I walked away from the booth and thought “Would he be a successful business owner?”,  in my mind, probably not.  If you are not willing to wear the uniform, you are not the type to scrub the toilets, and you are probably are not dedicated to do whatever it takes to be successful in a business.

What do You do as a Famous Former Basketball Player and Present Coach in Your Spare Time? Invent!

What do You do as a Famous Former Basketball Player and Present Coach in Your Spare Time? Invent!

by Andrew R. Spriegel
February 27, 2011

Imagine you are Henry Bibby, basketball legend and the only person to ever win a NCAA, NBA and CBA championship as a player or coach, what do you do in your free time?  Why not INVENT?

Henry has numerous patents and his most recent product is the a new training basketball, the Dribblepro.

Henry while at UCLA knew how important dribbling was as the captain and the starting  point guard (the play maker and “the ball-handler”) for the UCLA Bruins to three NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championships.

Bibby at UCLA

In Bibby’s rookie year of 1973, his New York Knicks won the NBA title

Coach Henry Bibby

“Dribblepro is the must-have basketball training tool for all levels to help improve dribbling skills – including ball control, speed and footwork – in order to become a more complete ball-handler,” said Bibby, the inventor of Dribblepro.

The Dribblepro utilizes four uniquely shaped, strategically positioned, integrated deflection points that randomly cause the ball to bounce at 15 to 20 degree angle. They are positioned in such a way that the ball will have regular bounces combined with erratic yet controllable bounces. Also, the deflection points protrude just enough to remind its users to use their fingertips to bounce the ball and not their palm.
The durable indoor/outdoor pro-constructed synthetic leather ball has been endorsed by young and old, pros and non-pros, including some of the biggest names in basketball.

“Henry has clearly proven that he knows how to improve your game,” NBA Hall of Famer Bill Walton said.  “There’s no finer teacher or better human being to teach you how to be a better dribbler than Henry Bibby. Take control of everything in your control. I highly recommend Dribblepro for anyone who wants to get better at the game of life.

7 Branding Secrets: Ready or Not?

By Michele Schermerhorn

Every company has a brand (how people think of them) whether they created it through design or accident. By creating your brand through design, you shape the way you wish your company to be viewed by customers and potential customers. This will remove some of the uncertainty concerning what others will expect from you and say about you. The power of a brand can’t be over-estimated. The Golden Arches are known worldwide.

However, many people confuse a logo with a brand. The logo is a very small portion of the brand effort, especially during the startup phases. Later, once your brand has been repeatedly communicated, in multiple ways, with consistency, the logo can begin to embody the overall brand. But, it will never be the brand.

Do you know what makes your company or its products unique? If you don’t you can’t begin to establish a brand identity by design. There are seven elements to remember when designing your brand.

One: Know Your Customers Better Than You Know Yourself

Customers buy for their reasons, not yours. If you want to sell them your product, you MUST sell to their concerns, not your own. Every piece of marketing copy must FOCUS upon them. If you don’t speak their language, you don’t get their money. With branding as with selling, if you don’t understand your customers, you won’t build a brand of which they want to be a part.

Let’s say you were trying to sell a snowboard. To effectively sell a snowboard to a fifteen year old requires an entirely different conversation than selling the same item to his mother. How you brand your product in these two different customer bases is entirely different if you wish to be successful. If your product could be sold to a fifteen year old or a 40 year old, you’d better decide who you are going to focus your branding efforts upon for the greatest success.