Coachella Valley Part 1

Here's a photo tour of our journeys:

The weekly Palm Springs street fair:




Lily got a chance to hold a Ball Python at one of the vendors was "wearing".


Lily was having a hard time sticking with us at the fair, and needed to have a heart to heart with Mom. Had to capture the facial expression and posture.


The kids both had a squirt bottle for the 105+ heat. Jack used it more on other people than himself.


This guy has been playing here for the last 10 years or more. He's got this great routine with an electric strings synth and loop machine/effects box.


This guy is John. The return of the old school salesman-showman. He put on a great magic show for the kids before making his pitch to the parents for a pack of children's magic tricks.


This guy has to be 5'10" and at least 240 pounds. An amazing breakdancer, especially for his size.








An org that rescues horses in the valley had a couple large draft horses at the fair. Lily got a kick out of feeding them carrots. Here's Cara taking her turn.


Salton Sea. Has a Hollywood-like past, but for the last many years has been slowly dying as the salt level in the water is rising year after year. Here's Cara and Lily looking at a skeleton of a Tilapia.


Despite the salt levels, apparently the Tilapia fishing is still quite good. There's no limit, and these folks had caught dozens by lunch time.


More to come on this odd so-cal site. Salvation Mountain marks the entrance of Slab City as seen in the movie, Into the Wild.

Location:Landmark Golf Pkwy,Indio,United States

A Matter of Stinky Feet

I've had lots of questions regarding my Vibram Five Fingers, and after recently purchasing a pair of Soft Star Shoes RunAmoc's, I'm turning a lot of heads with those too. I've now had my VFF"s for about 7 months or so, and the RunAmocs about a month.

First of all, I highly suggest purchasing your VFF's through REI or REI.com. Their satisfaction guarantee is best in class. Last week I noticed the strap on both of my VFF's was beginning to break. There's a friction point on the shoes, that after while, it starts to cut the strap. A design flaw they may have addressed in the Bikila's. I took them to REI and without a hesitation they swapped me out with a brand new pair. Fair, considering I'd probably only put 20 miles on them- They should last longer. Nonetheless, REI is the only store that would have done that. (At least the only one that carries VFF's)

Okay, so the RunAmocs. They are handmade in Corvallis, Oregon. I actually met the cobbler that made my shoes. Very cool.

The shoes are a super-light moccasin that is comprised of a loose fitting perforated black leather, a pig-skin insole, and a 2mm (or 4mm if you choose) Vibram outsole. They have an elastic drawstring that keeps them snug, but comfortable. From the moment you put these on, they are comfort embodied.

They feel like they would be awkward to run in, given how loose they are, but I have not put them to the test. I've enjoyed them so much as an everyday wear, I've really had no compulsion to take them on a run.

VFF's had been my choice for daily wear. At one point I had two pairs, one for running and one for street wear. I love the lightweight minimalist feel they give. However, they STINK. Maybe I just have sweaty feet. I don't have athlete's foot or anything like that, but after two days of straight wear, VFF's are ripe.

I ended up taking back my second pair and using that money to buy the RunAmoks. A great decision. I've been wearing the RunAmocs for days on end. Hot weather and cool. My feet don't sweat in them, and they don't stink. At all. Soft Star told me I'd have less trouble with stinkage due to the natural materials they use. They said the leather would breath great, and it does. I am exceedingly happy with this.

One of these days I will do some runs in the RunAmocs. I know a number of marathoner's run races (including ultra's) in them, so I imagine I'll be pleased with them on runs too.

I continue to be very pleased with my running experience in the VFF's. Adequate protection from hazards on the ground, while still providing maximum feel and feedback. I will never return to normal shoes again.

2 Miles in My Birthday Suit

Some of you know I'm training for my first half-marathon, the Eugene Women's Half. Ya, I know. Talk to Paul Shih. He's the one that talked me into it (something to do with the included herbal footbath's at the end).

Well anyway, I wasn't sure when I was going to get my run in today, as I'm on Mr. Mom duty. My folks though, invited us over for dinner, so I had a shot at getting my run in while the kids played with Grandma and Grandpa.

The only trouble was, I didn't have my VFF's. I wasn't about to run in my strappy Nike sandals, so I took off completely
barefoot. A quick two mile route down Conifer, past Cheldlin, turning around after Conser- all on concrete and asphalt.

I didn't expect that it would be uncomfortable on my joints- I've never had any discomfort running in my VFF's, but my bare feet we're tender. Some of the concrete surfaces actually felt great on my feet. Nice and smooth or softly round and pebbly. Some sections however, were downright pesky. I had to dance over those sections, a couple of times pausing to brush tiny pebbles off my feet.

By the end of my run, I noticed a blister on my right foot. I initially thought it might have been a sliver of something, but after pulling a small piece of skin away and cleaning it out, it appears it was just a blister. No biggie. My other foot is tender, but no cuts or blisters.

All in all, the upside to the run was the light weight, uninhibited running. It felt great running naturally shod. And in a way, the periodic pain was a welcome distraction to the running. I ended with a great pace, and slightly less winded than my recent runs.

I'll likely stick to running with my VFF's, but in a pinch, running naked ain't half bad.





- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

At $100/hr, Sometimes Apology is Not Enough

When we make a mistake in our office, and it happens, more often than I like, I feel like I owe the client something, moor than just an apology.

Think of all the times you been on hold with Bank of America, or Verizon, or (you fill in the blank) for something that was out of your control- a mistake was made on their end, and you have to suffer through 10, 15, 20 minutes, or an hour during your day to get it resolved. Of course the call ends with a genuine "I'm sorry" (in most cases), but nothing to account for your time, taken from you.

Although I don't see this on paper, I tend to value my time at $100 an hour- free time is scarce. I have relationships I can be nurturing, whether it be clients, future clients, my family, or my employees. I also have things I enjoy doing like blogging, reading, working out, taking pictures. And frankly, I'm pretty good at what I do. There is a value on my time, and there's a high value on yours too.

It has always annoyed me, that after wrangling with these call centers for sometimes hours to correct a mistake of theirs, I get nothing in return for that expenditure.

So in my office, when we screw up, if it's caused our client time, in any amount, we nearly always send a card with a gift. Certainly, we can't apologize to the tune of $100 an hour, but I feel like it's important people are compensated for their time. It's a simple gesture, but an important one.

I like this. It doesn't quite make me feel better when I mess something up, and it's certainly not something I can be proud of doing. It just seems like the right and reasonable thing to do.

This post is tough to write, because I know we haven't executed this policy perfectly, but that's our goal. Of course a business' goal in the first place is to not make mistakes, but when they do, the great ones make it right. And sometimes an apology just isn't enough.

What do you think? Have you found companies that truly have satisfied you after screwing up? How did they show they valued your time?

Professional Networking- reflections of a small business owner

Last night I attended our local Young Pros event. It was at Epic Day Spa and there must have been at least 50 or more people in attendance. A well-executed event and fun seeing many familiar faces and a few new ones.

As I was leaving, I overheard one of the young pros commenting to a couple others, " wow, that was tacky, did you notice how they just barged in to the conversation without even introducing themselves? That was awkward."

Over the course of my relatively short career in sales, business development and marketing, I've lived through hundreds, if not thousands of awkward social/professional moments. Some of those moments I've been the source of awkwardness,and many others, An innocent bystander.

Socializing in large groups, as a general rule, does not come naturally for most people, particularly when there's a professional tone or objective to the gathering.

If you're new to networking or attending groups like Young Pros or Chamber events or other gatherings, whatever your motivation is, allow me to share with you some best practices I've gleaned from many experiences over the last 7 or 8 years. I'll conclude with an article that think offers some additional practical tips.

When I first began building businesses, volume was the most important thing to me. I felt that the more people I knew, the better. Go to all the events, and figure out how to meet as many people as possible, along the way doing my best to remember everyone's names with various mental tricks.

This approach was not fruitless, but it doesn't scale well. I met many wonderful people over those first few years, and many have become great friends and clients, but it took substantially more investment, beyond just showing up, shaking hands, and asking what they do (where do you work?).

Over the last few years though, my focus has changed dramatically. I reflected on this as i left Young Pros. I'd rather connect with 1 person at an event, in a meaningful way, than shake hands and give my name and/or card to 50. (in fact I rarely carry biz cards with me any more.)

Most of those contacts and acquaintances from my early years that have actually become friends and clients, are ones I became personally vested in. I gave of myself in some way and/or spent significant time in non-business related conversation.

I'm finding it's best to focus on making friends, versus making clients.

I don't think my earlier years were markedly less authentic on my part, I simply put a lot more pressure on myself to be more "productive" at events and meetings. Turns out, "productivity" can come much more naturally and pleasurably than I initially thought.

If you're new to "networking" or just wanted to dig through a good read, check out some practical tips and reminders in this article from CIO.com

One of the guys in the article is Keith Ferrazi, who wrote the book, Never Eat Alone. Keith is very focused on networking via meaningful connection and authentic relationships.

How to Network: 12 Tips

Thanks for reading, would love to hear your thoughts about networking and navigating social/professional events.

*Photo by WHIR.com

Zappos and the Age of Reciprocity

There's been a lot of hubub over Zappos' recent web debacle that resulted in a $1.6m loss. Apparently some web dev person made a coding error that priced all items on the site at $49.95, even these. You can read the story here if you want the details.

Most of the coverage has focused on how rad Zappos is for standing behind their pricing despite it being a mistake. I actually find this humorous. This kind of thing happens quite often, of course maybe not on the same scale, but in every case I'm aware of, the company eats it. That's business. Mistakes generally cost money, and companies with over $1B in revenue make $1m mistakes. That is not news.

The story is interesting no doubt, because a "handful" of late night shoppers scored big time.

The real story though, is the love affair America has with Zappos, including the press and the blogosphere. I awoke to friends and bloggers I read tweeting and retweeting the story like crazy. Zappos has built up so much goodwill from it's Wow! service model, that people are chomping at the bit to promote them. They can't help themselves.

This is human nature. Robert Cialdini talks about this in his book, "Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion". When we give first, without expectation of receiving, there is an innate and powerful drive in that recipient, to reciprocate that generous act.

Zappos has harnessed this law of human interaction perfectly, and it's been costly-the word on the street is that Zappos technically has yet to make a profit (free shipping/returns, get well soon cards, bereavement flowers, and generally all around awesome treatment doesn't come cheap). And yet Amazon recently bought them for $1B. Crazy. Or maybe not so crazy when you consider the goodwill that Zappos possesses.

Jeff Bezos didn't pay a billion dollars for a web retailer. He paid a billion dollars for a deep customer portfolio that just can't wait to reciprocate.

Your Opinion Please, Really

Had a great chat with a friend of mine last night. At one point he said, "I want more of your opinion on me. More honest criticism. I like the cheerleading and affirmation, but I need more criticism. It's valuable to me. I'm interested in what you have to say."

Being positive, affirming, optimistic, and generally nice is virtuous, to be sure. But if it's not tempered with genuine candor and thoughtful criticism, it's pretty shallow and empty.

Offering criticism requires a lot of courage- it puts both the giver in a pretty vulnerable spot.

"Maybe I'm making too big a deal out of this."
"What if they don't agree with my perspective?"
"If they keep it up, then I'll say something- maybe this is an isolated occurrence."
"It's not my place to call them out. If they want my opinion, they'll ask."
"If you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all"
"Maybe it's just a matter of personality- it's probably not worth bringing up"

We have no problem talking ourselves out of providing criticism/feedback. It's far more comfortable to avoid it.

Here's a thought to ponder:

The trouble with most of us is that we would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism. ~ Norman Vincent Peale

Brett the Barber and the Multi-Media Train

Yesterday, I participated in Corvallis Social Media Brigade's most recent event, the Multi-Media Train. The goal was to photograph and video as many businesses as possible on our route, and use that content online to promote them in a unique and long-lasting way.

Much to our surprise, most, yes you heard me right, most of the businesses gave us a cold shoulder. Here was a crew of movers and shakers in Corvallis, some families with kids, professional web developers, videographers, bloggers and other social media types, eager to help local businesses, and in some cases, they even turned us away.

I wish I could say I was shocked.

Granted, we were an odd bunch. This doesn't happen every day in Corvallis, and yes it's a little weird when a group of people comes in with video cameras and point and shoots aimed in your direction. However, is it that hard to see the opportunity in it?

For most of the shops we went in, we were met with blank stares, sheepish grins, and when given a chance to welcome us to their business on camera, at least 3 to 1 declined. Because our group loves Corvallis, most of this video will never see the light of day- because it'd be shameful for these business owners.

The question is, would it be shameful to the employees we met? Have they ever been taught differently? Have they ever been given license to think on behalf of the business? It certainly makes me stop and think, as a business owner. Do my employees know how I would respond should a group of passionate community folks randomly stop in my office? Would they respond with excitement and warmth, or would they try to protect our space and keep the "weirdos" out?

Now, before I end on a sourly reflective note, let me tell you about a RAD experience we had while on the train.

I insure a lot of barbers and hair salons. So I bounce around a bit, as far as where I get my hairs cut. One of the places I go is City Barber Shop. It's a little two person shop with a real barber pole hung outside of the door. No frills. Old school chairs, a tv, and a rack of magazines. They close at 5. We came by at 5:05 and the door was already locked and the blinds drawn. I could tell they were still in though, so I knocked on the door.

Brett came to the door and asked what we were up to. I said "We're doing a photo walk, taking video and pictures to promote local businesses, can we come in?" He said of course, put the barber pole back out, raised the blinds and started chatting us up. We finally have a live one, I thought!

Loyan Roylance was outside on the sidewalk, so I flagged him down. "We've got a taker, come on in!" I then asked Brett the Barber, "If you'll give Loyan a mohawk right now, we'll produce a YouTube video of it and throw it up online for you. You interested?" Brett replied, "Sure, come on over, hop in the chair."

Over the next twenty minutes or so, we all laughed and joked around, snapped 20 or 30 photos of Brett cutting Loyan's hair, and listened to Brett give us the history of the shop. The impromptu media event culminated with the group photo above.

That 30 minutes restored my faith in the small business. There is hope. Some "get it". Do you think it was worth his time to stay those extra 20 minutes and give a "free" hair cut?

(Oh, and by the way, Brett doesn't even own the business. He's an employee, and has been for 11 years.)

What are we teaching our employees? Wait, better yet. What are we modeling for them?

Never Just Say No

I posted recently on the Madison Avenue Collective's blog. Would love for your thoughts and comments:

Here's a preview and a link to the rest:

Never Just Say No
Never just say no. There’s almost always a better answer, for both of you.

I monitor some keywords on twitter via some Hootsuite columns. One of them is “insurance” and I have a geo-tag with it to grab tweets mentioning “insurance” within a 40 mile radius of Corvallis.

Once every week or two I catch someone asking a question or mentioning they’re getting quotes, and I respond. Earlier this week was just such an opportunity. (Cont'd)

Lessons on Business from Marriage (or vice versa)

As humans, we generally don't take criticism well. This really greets us in nearly every sphere of our life, but perhaps most painfully in marriage.

As a professional, I have both publicly and privately embraced the value of criticism. I cherish the rare bits of negative criticism I've received over the years, and actively evangelize the value of criticism to fellow business owners.

Despite that professional posture, I too struggle with criticism, specifically, as mentioned above, within marriage. Cara and I have been participating in a marriage class for the last couple months. It’s been a great experience, significantly heightening my awareness of how I communicate my wife, and by extension, others I interact with.

One of the things we’ve been encouraged to work on during this class, is truly committing to understanding our partner’s deepest needs. This involves genuinely seeking to understand our spouses feelings. Here comes the challenging part for me: when Cara reveals her feelings to me about something, my gut reaction at times is to take a defensive posture, or to explain to her why her feelings aren’t valid.

Case and point-
Last week Cara texted me earlier in the day asking when I’d be home from the office/work/meetings/networking. I told her my last meeting was done at 6, (at least that’s how I remember saying it). What she heard, (and what I probably did say) was that I’d be home at 6. Well, 6:25 rolled around and I finally traipsed through the door. You can see where this is going.

*Update
I shared the post with Cara, and afterward felt like it was only fair for me to share a bit more. First of all, this whole episode (along with the hurt feelings) started with a phone conversation as I was driving home from my meeting. That phone conversation ended with me hanging up on my wife. Ugh. Not proud of that. A moment of frustration- frustrated at myself that I was yet again late, but ultimately putting it on Cara. Oh, and for a bit more perspective, this particular week, I'd been out after 6 nearly every night of the week. (I don't at all want to present my wife as being petty or a nag. Quite the contrary)

Fast forward later into the evening. “Babe, I feel like you’re upset with me for some reason. Are you upset because I was late?” (knowing full well that was likely the cause of her funk) She replied, “ Ya, actually it really hurt my feelings that you showed up late. You said you’d be home, so I had dinner already to go and it’s been a long day with the kids.”

I then went on to explain why occasionally I don’t have control over when I get out of meetings/events. “I don’t have a 9-5 job, where once I leave the office, I just hang up the hat and I’m done.” and “I never know when I’ll run into an existing client, or take a call from someone who needs to get a policy going,” or “Look, it’s just 15 minutes. When was the last time you miscalculated and came home from work 30 minutes late? Did I give you a hard time about it?”

Man, it’s hard to bare this out for all to see. but truth is, this is my world.

My response ultimately shut the conversation down. Where can Cara go from there? I’ve just invalidated her feelings. She was trying to help me understand better how I make her feel, and I’ve essentially told her to buck up and get over it. Ugh.

Obviously, this gut reaction to defend and invalidate is not just limited to our marriages.

Have you ever taken a similar posture with a client that is trying to provide feedback? Has a business owner ever given you that kind of response? Is there ever a good time to “defend”, invalidate or marginalize the feedback someone is giving?

Share your experience, start a conversation. This is good for us to mull over. I'm curious if this example even resonates with folks. I tend to find a lot of lessons from marriage that have application in my business. If it strikes a chord, I'll continue to share these examples as they come up. -chris

The Upside of a Down Review by Andy Vaughn

I liked this post by Andy so much I wanted to repost it. This whole conversation around online reviews is only going to be more important as time goes by-If you're a business owner, it is a must read. If you know a business owner, do them a favor and email them the link.


http://andyvaughn.com/2010/04/the-upside-of-a-down-review/

Communication 101

Man, I feel like I'm in a season of learning experiences. I suppose that's normal with a young, growing business. Here we go...

Lesson: Talk to people the way they want to be spoken to.

I love social media, am still fond of email, and ultimately love face to face best. However, over the last year, I've been defaulting to social media for much of my communication.

Recently it rubbed someone the wrong way. Big time. The tone I intended to use didn't come across the right way, the medium itself was one the recipient was not comfortable with, and the key takeaways I hoped would get through were largely missed.

After apologizing and resolving the situation, I'm reminded that us early adopters and tech geeks can't assume that everyone else is comfortable being communicated with in tweets, emails, blog posts, and facebook messages.

A smart communicator chooses their method based on the person they're trying to connect with, not the method that is most convenient for them.

Alright, off to a client meeting.

Here's to better relationships,

Chris

My first "Bad" Review

Well, we all hope we never get a bad review, but alas, none of us are perfect. Here is the exact yelp review and the URL, along with my response. (Unfortunately, Yelp only allows 600 characters to respond, so in my reply I included a link to this blog post)

http://www.yelp.com/biz/chris-nordyke---state-farm-corvallis

From Tom Q.

When we went looking for insurance, we checked with Nordyke because of recommendations. For all the recommendations, we got the feeling he was really just interested in building up his client base and adding another "chip" to his pile. We also felt that his political views were very "out there" for all to see. Now, it's not that we need our insurance agent to vote the way we do. But we don't need to know he doesn't, right?

We went elsewhere.

Tom, I'm sorry we gave you the impression you were simply a "number". Frankly I'm embarrassed. That is exactly the opposite kind of experience we want to create for our clients. I've tried to build my entire business around being relational, so I'm disappointed we failed in your situation. I'll talk with my team about it at our Monday team meeting.

Re:politics, I try to be an integrated person. I want to be the same guy I am at the office, that I am in my living room, at a city council meeting, or at the coffee shop with friends. Occasionally via Facebook or my blog I've mentioned my perspective on current issues simply to share my personality and perspective. If you've felt like I've forced my views on you, I apologize.

Thank you for leaving feedback. I'll take it to my team, and we'll work to do better.

Cordially, Chris Nordyke

Are Bad Reviews Really All That Bad?

I found out today that someone was very unhappy with me about some criticism I posted publicly. My knee jerk response was panic. I'm a relationship guy. I work hard to preserve relationships and goodwill and when I know I've offended someone, my tendency is to quickly apologize and go into repair mode. I deleted the critical material.

This critique I wrote was as a customer. I had spent money with this person's business and was unsatisfied with what I got.

Last year I blogged rather transparently about a customer that left me. It was a painful experience. I asked that customer earnestly to provide me with some candid feedback and I was very fortunate they obliged. I've applied that feedback to my business, and to great effect. Here's the post, I'd still welcome your comments on it. Learning from the Lost Customer

I've found that in business it is extremely difficult to get good candid feedback from people. There will always be good reviews if you simply put out the effort, but it's tough to learn anything from them. (Not to say I don't love great reviews and testimonials)

Not-so-great reviews though, often present a much greater opportunity for a business owner, particularly in this uber-public new business paradigm we're in. Not only can I learn what people don't like about my business, but I have a chance to connect with them, clarify, change or correct, and then respond publicly to their critique. If I am earnest and sincere, the net effect may actually be more positive than the run-of-the-mill glowing review.

So on the one hand, I'm bummed that this business owner is upset with me, but also disappointed it didn't spark a better online interaction. I'll follow up with this person offline and hopefully mend the relationship. But for the rest of us, I think there's a best practice we can latch onto as business people.

Let's not only be a business community that responds well to criticism, but let's invite it, no, seek it out. None of us are perfect, but once we're alerted to our flaws, we can change, improve, and win again.

Are bad reviews really all that bad?

My Book List

These are books I'm either enjoying, are challenging me and/or are having a formative effect right now on my business or personal life (In no particular order)




1) Switch by Chip Heath
2) Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh
3) Drive by Daniel Pink
4) Crush It by Gary Vaynerchuck
5) Trust Agents by Chris Brogan
6) Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini
7) Linchpin by Seth Godin
8) What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell
9) Crazy Love by Francis Chan
10) The Pastures of Heaven by John Steinbeck

Delivering Happiness Coffee Meetup

Tomorrow morning I'll be at a round table at Coffee Culture on Kings from 6am to 730. If you own a business or are starting one, let's meetup. We'll focus our chat on company/office culture, particularly as modeled by Zappos.com

I'll buy the first 3 people their coffee.

Cheers,
Chris

Nordyke on Gadgets, Take 1

I've long struggled with an addiction to gadgets. Ever since I was a kid, I've been enamored with them. For 2010, I thought it'd be fun to share this passion with you.

My first review is of Built NY's Large Cargo Camera Bag. I first saw this at CES 2010 in Las Vegas a few weeks ago. I've been looking for a couple years, for a streamlined man-bag that also had some protection for my SLR- something I could carry my gadgets, wallet, AND my Nikon D90.

There is virtually nothing on the market. Anything that has the functionality, lacked the style, or looked too much like a geeky, boxy camera bag.

I instantly recognized it as a possible winner, and asked Built if they'd like me to review it, (At the time, it literally had no reviews) and they sent me one. So **disclosure** I got it for free. Thanks Built NY, with only one exception this has turned out to be a rad bag. Glad I asked.

Occasionally I will receive free items. Usually, it's an item that I've thoroughly researched and am seriously jones'ing for and/or does not have many (or any) reviews about it yet. Other times I'll review stuff I've purchased for myself. No matter what, I promise to give you a candid assessment of the product.

I know I'm going to have fun with this, I hope you find the reviews helpful.

What does Apple and Trader Joe's Have in Common?

I'm thrilled to have a Trader Joe's in town. And I'm one of those "buy local" guys, for the most part. Trader Joe's reminds me of Apple actually. They are the one grocery store I can think of that is actually more of a "brand" than a chain of "places".
Trader Joe's feels like more of an enhancement to my lifestyle here in Corvallis, than a grocery store.

Here's three features that I think the Trader Joe's and Apple brands share:

1) They're easy. Not too many choices, but enough.

2) There are no bad choices- They have magically vetted the options to make sure I will virtually like everything.

3) They staff with "cool people"- Not a Zappos experience, but always above average.

3+) Great design- The stores are clean and fun to be in.

The more I think about it, the more I want to be like Trader Joe's when my business grows up. The easy pick. The one where you know it may not always be the cheapest, but it's always a good deal. The one where you always walk out having made a good choice.

Any other brands you can think of that evoke this kind of feeling for you?

Rolland Fields, 30 minutes ago

Rolland is 48, looks good, smiles, has good hair. If you're a local here in Corvallis, I swear you'd say he looks like the late and great Scott Zimbrick. Rolland works for the NFIB, a business advocacy organization I support. I met him almost exactly a year ago when he walked into my office. Rolland just found out he has terminal pancreatic cancer.

Today he walked into my office with the same stride, the same casual smile, and his NFIB papers in hand. He asked me how business is going, and I asked him the same. That's when he filled me in on the cancer.

A couple months ago, Rolland went to the doctor with some pain in his side. Initial lab results showed nothing, then an ultrasound showed growths on his liver and a lymph node. A CAT scan revealed the cancer in the pancreas. Pancreatic cancer has been in the headlines recently, so when Rolland heard pancreas, he was speechless-6 months to live.

Rolland has been married 26 years, has a son who is a senior in high school, heading off to Corban College in the fall, and a daughter who's in 8th grade. You can imagine the flood of emotions and concerns that he and his family have experienced over the last 4 weeks.

Rolland has life insurance. Not as much as he wishes he had now, but some. One less thing to agonize over right now as he enjoys these last months (hopefully years) with his family.

Do you have a well thought out plan to protect your family? Are they prepared if something like this happens? Remember this on Valentine's Day- the most practical way you can show them you care, is with life insurance.

Frogs and Pollywogs- A Lesson for Our Local Merchants

Why can't more businesses be like Frogs and Pollywogs? I'll explain.

Most of you have seen me in my Vibram Five Fingers, the funny-looking gorilla shoes that make everyone point and stare. I bought them at REI in Portland. Great service, great experience and a great guarantee.

I tried to buy them in Corvallis. I've bought shoes in Corvallis several times before, and after reading Born to Run, I started asking around in Corvallis at the various shoes venues if any of them carried, or planned to carry the VFF's. Each location (I checked with 3) informed me they were too weird for our market and said they don't, and probably won't carry them.

So I bought them at REI, a store I really, really like. They make everything easy.

Fast forward to my totally rad experience today with Celia, the owner of Frogs and Pollywogs. Frogs and Pollywogs is an independent toy store in downtown Albany. Incredible store- great merchandising, awesome selection of high quality toys, and really great service. As a guy, one of the things I love about her shop is she offers complimentary gift wrapping with every purchase. That is awesome when you're either 1) a guy or 2) a guy on the way to a birthday party with kids in tow.

During my lengthy chat with Celia, the Fed-Ex guy dropped off a package from Amazon.com. I said, "sweet, you've got an Amazon delivery (smile)". Turns out, a client asked if she carried a toy item that she didn't stock, so she had ordered it from Amazon, unbeknownst to the client.

The reality for retailers, is most distributors or manufacturers have minimum orders that make it hard for them to stock everything they'd like to- too cost prohibitive. But rather than Celia telling them no, she instead told them she'll get it for them and have it ready for pick up in 2 days. The client never new she bought it off Amazon. Her perspective- why send the client searching when she has the power of Amazon to satisfy her clients needs?

Sourcing a product from Amazon.com didn't cost Celia anything. Of course she didn't make a profit on the transaction, but what's the economic value of a satisfied and loyal customer?

Why couldn't one of the stores in Corvallis done the same for me? They could have bought three sizes of Vibram's from REI, invited me to the store once the shoes came in, sized me, and then sent back the pairs that didn't fit. REI's return policy wouldn't have cost them much at all. Yet these same stores spend hundreds or thousands on traditional media advertising. What's more impactful?

Apparently this wasn't the first time Celia did this- it's a semi-regular occurance. Ultimately, she does whatever she can to satisfy requests. It's no coincidence that Zappos.com came up several times in our discussion. Celia's business has a number of similarities. Let's all pause and take a note from Celia.

Check out Celia's website www.frogsandpollywogstoys.com and swing by her store some time to meet her. (She's got kids- generally you'll find her there between 11 and 4)

Why am I so shocked and amazed by this level of service though? Shouldn't this be the norm? Everyone has access to the same tools, no?

What in the world is an insurance guy doing at CES? And what is CES??

It looks like next week I may be traveling in a friends suitcase to CES. His company has been invited by Intel as one of their featured developers for their new Atom App Store. It's not a public event, so you have to be invited. Unless of course, you're me, and you invite yourself :) Looks like I may end up being the "camera man".

No, seriously, I really am decent with a video cam. At least a Flip. (haha, I think I have them fooled:)

Here's why I want to go- I love consumer electronics. I've been an early adopter and sneezer when it comes to CS for a long time. It started with cell phones. For now it's Apple products and e-readers. I've even become enamoured with a sister industry called "technical gear/clothing". Oh, and don't even mention web apps and social media. I am a hopeless early adopter.

I'm also a committed entrepreneur and aspiring angel investor. As my clients vote with their dollars to support my insurance agency, I want nothing more than to put that back in the community. One way I'd like to do that is as an angel- funding local startups with great ideas and talent to develop it.

If I'm going to be an angel investor some day, I want to have deep knowledge in a few areas (insurance, customer experience, sales) but also have a working understanding of a broad scope of industries and a decent knack for trend-spotting. That's where going to CES comes in. It will be a great learning experience, not just for my insurance agency, but for my bigger picture.

A little impulsive. Perhaps. But clearly aligned with my long term vision. Definitely.

Oh, and here's what CES is all about: http://www.cesweb.org/aboutces.asp Scroll down to "History"

Would Jesus Want Credit for All This?

I'm not sure Jesus is too excited about the celebration we've constructed around his birthday. I don't mean that in a self-righteous way. I just mean, you look at the stories of what he did and said, and one has a hard time thinking he'd be excited about a lot of the parties and events put on in the name of Christmas. This whole thing started on account of Him, right?

For those people that consider themselves Christians, is it possible that Jesus was expecting something completely different for his birthday? (But instead we did what we do every year, but made sure He got the credit)

Don't get me wrong, I love being with family and friends and eating lots of food. I also loved taking my gift certificate to Backcountry.com and buying an Arc'teryx polo shirt. But again, is Jesus honored through all that stuff? Don't most birthday parties revolve around the birthday boy or girl?

And then this whole battle between the politically correct "Happy Holidays" and the (c)hristian-specific "Merry Christmas"...

I was flipping through the local AM channels on the way to be entertained by Rush Limbaugh's post holiday (probably pre-recorded) show. The 30 seconds or so I took in included the end of a rockish Christmas tune, then Limbaugh in his usually jolly style, " Happy Holidays everyone...no, Screw It, Merry Christmas!" Then he dialed up the next song and faded it in.

Does Jesus need his followers or republican entertainers sticking up for him?

That Time of Year Again, Part 2 "Build Your Own Board"

I've been thinking about this for some time- I need a board of advisers. Big businesses have them, non-profits big and small have them, and I think an entrepreneur should have one. How it should work exactly, I'm not yet sure.

But here's why I'm eager to form one: I really need outside perspective and tough criticism to grow as an entrepreneur. In addition to that, I think there'd be huge value in opening up my business to a trusted group that can provide input on everything from marketing strategy to HR, to financial operations.

If I'm only getting input from others in my industry or reading business books, I'm probably limiting my potential success and suffering from smallmindedness.

So how could it maybe look?

I'd probably meet with my board of advisers once a quarter or twice a year. We'd meet over a nice dinner (that I would provide) and spend a couple hours in discussion. Prior to the meeting, I'd send them a proposed agenda, financial statements and suggested topics, and the advisers could suggest changes to the agenda beforehand. At the dinner, I'd present to the group, then open myself up to feedback and discussion for the remainder of the meeting.

At first blush, it seems a bit one-sided, but in my experience, the times I've advised other entrepreneurs or taught students, I ended up benefiting greatly from the experience. Not only is it gratifying to play a role in someones success, but it often becomes a shared learning experience. In fact, I'd be honored to be on someoneelse's board of advisers at some point.

I've already spoken to one potential advisor so far and received a warm response. I'll keep you posted as I pursue this.

Could you or your business benefit from a board of advisers?

That Time of Year Again, Part 1

If you're tired, sleep. If you're awake, do something. I read that recently, I figure it's good advice. So I'm here at my office in the afterhours, working off a single cup of half-caff at a party earlier.

I'm working on my list of New Years resolutions. It's instinctual you know, to do this, every year, and it typically starts right about now. So here's part 1.

1) Spend less money. I've been in a cashflow crisis for the last couple months, and it's no fun. You remember the old addage "the more you make, the more you spend", well it's easy for a business to do that. Expense management is a new skill I will learn in 2010.

2) Time away every month. My wife still works part time as a nurse. Eventually she'd like to stay home. Really, she'd like to be working casual by this point, but we're not quite there yet. (I hired another employee instead) What I do have, is time. And in 2010, I'm going to start using it, for my family. A couple Fridays a month should do nicely.

3) Learn how to manage my team. I've got a team with a lot of raw talent, but I've not been guiding them. I basically hired them and turned them loose. This year, I need to learn how to set goals with them, motivate them, and then hold them accountable to their goals. I move at 100 miles per hour, but it's time to discover where the brakes are- I need to stop and manage occasionally.

4) I want to run- okay, this is an emotional knee jerk response. I'm still riding high off my recent finish of Born to Run by Chris McDougall. To say I'm inspired does not quite do it. Ultra marathons, probably not in my future, but work up to 5 miles a couple times a week, maybe.

5) Have friends over to our house semi-regularly. When Cara and I bought our house, we had a vision of using it for entertaining. It's a humble house, but it has a cool fire pit on the back patio, and a sunroom off the back of the house. We just haven't had people over much, and that bums me out. Time to use our house. Maybe a marshmallow roast in the near future. Don't be surprised if you get an invite.

More to come. I'd love it if you comment, and link to your blog with your resolutions. Cliche, I know, but still constructive.

Hello, can I speak with Mrs. Business Owner? This is the Young Pros calling.

Hi, my name is Chris and I am with a group here in town called Young Professionals. Each month we meet at a different venue in Corvallis. We'd like to come to your venue next month for our event. We have about 300 or so on our email list and we routinely get 30-65 young pros at each of our events, just to give you an idea of what to expect.

We don't ask for much, in fact all you have to do is feed us something and give us a special deal on drinks so we feel loved. You can woo us as much as you want though. If you'd like to hang out with us during the event, test new menu items on us, have us taste new drinks, or otherwise treat us like VIP's we likely won't forget it, and will find ourselves compelled to spend more money at your venue in the future. We'd probably bring friends and we'll likely write about it on Twitter and Facebook for hundreds to see.

Please however, don't treat us like an afterthought. Don't make us feel awkward as we arrive- don't make us explain why we're here or make us ask you where everyone is at. Make us feel like you've been waiting for us, like you've been looking forward to it. Treat us like a date. We're here to get to know you and to put money in your pocket, tonight and in the future- if you play your cards right.

Please take advantage of us while we're here. We expect we'll get sold- you've earned the right by hosting us. It's okay to passionately tell us about your favorite new menu items and remind us why you started your restaurant or store. We expect you'll ask us to come back, and if you give us a coupon to help us remember, that's okay too.