One of my favorite companies has a great small business magazine. Costco and its Costco Connection. This magazine has it all. They have small business tips, advice and trends. They have targeted ads for cool Costco products. They have 65-70 pages of great info. This is not a AAA magazine with a bunch of fluff. Costco will highlight a particular product in their magazine and explain why it is a great value- examples in the past are their apple pies and their pizzas. Most magazines like this go straight into my circular file- not Costco's.
Costco has a really neat company. If you ever get a chance to see the special that one of the major networks did a few years back, then take an hour and tune in. Their CEO limits his income to something like 9 times the lowest salaried employee at Costco. I believe the starting pay is around $17 per hour, and their employees customer service tells me that the starting rate is $17 per hour. If a line develops its like a team of firefighters slide down the polls and begin opening new lanes or scanning items for those waiting. The employees who sample products act as if each sale will make or break their paycheck.
We patronize this company even though their prices are higher than Sam's Club. It's much more organized, with better customer service and better quality products.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Monday, March 17, 2008
Where do you get your coffee?
Business First had an article with the above title on Feb 29, 2008. Out of 733 local responses the breakdown is below:
Home led the way with 36%
Work was tied for second at 16% with those who didn't partake in the beverage (another 16%)
Starbucks had a 10% stake.
Heine brothers took 5%.
Java Brewing (my favorite) McDonald's (not bad these days) and Thornton's (livable) were all at 3%.
Other made up 8% which I'm guessing would cover a multitude of mom and pop options along with restaurants.
My personally I go back and forth on this issue. Sometimes I make it at home or work to save money. I'm reminded of Jay Leno's joke a few months back in regards to Starbucks heavily publicized price increase. Leno, said the thing that amazed him about the coffee dilemma was the that many people failed to realize that coffee could be easily made at home. Still something is special about going to a coffee shop. The atmosphere-the steaming hot coffee that even the best home machine struggles to reproduce- the buzzing chatter or the quiet peace- the networking and business contacts one can make- or just the escape from the grind for a moment; all these things keep me coming back to spend 2-3 dollars per day. It's just not the same when I make my own. Don't get me wrong I do several times per week, but I can't give up the trip to the coffee shop. I'm not a big Starbucks coffee fan although I go nowhere else for a latte. They are the masters of the latte. My only other thoughts on coffee are:
Yes McDonalds has improved their coffee must you can't replace the human error in not making a fresh pot when needed. The coffee may be better but the service is not always predictable.
Secondly, has Starbucks made a strategic mistake in not offering free wirless internet access. I'm not sure but I do think they made a mistake by allowing Kroger's, Barnes and Noble, Target and Meijers to compete with their own corporate stores. Not wise planning from a company that has always seemed to be on top of things. Starbucks is not a franchise system as many people think, most if not all of their stores I believe are corporately owned.
Where do you get your coffee?
Home led the way with 36%
Work was tied for second at 16% with those who didn't partake in the beverage (another 16%)
Starbucks had a 10% stake.
Heine brothers took 5%.
Java Brewing (my favorite) McDonald's (not bad these days) and Thornton's (livable) were all at 3%.
Other made up 8% which I'm guessing would cover a multitude of mom and pop options along with restaurants.
My personally I go back and forth on this issue. Sometimes I make it at home or work to save money. I'm reminded of Jay Leno's joke a few months back in regards to Starbucks heavily publicized price increase. Leno, said the thing that amazed him about the coffee dilemma was the that many people failed to realize that coffee could be easily made at home. Still something is special about going to a coffee shop. The atmosphere-the steaming hot coffee that even the best home machine struggles to reproduce- the buzzing chatter or the quiet peace- the networking and business contacts one can make- or just the escape from the grind for a moment; all these things keep me coming back to spend 2-3 dollars per day. It's just not the same when I make my own. Don't get me wrong I do several times per week, but I can't give up the trip to the coffee shop. I'm not a big Starbucks coffee fan although I go nowhere else for a latte. They are the masters of the latte. My only other thoughts on coffee are:
Yes McDonalds has improved their coffee must you can't replace the human error in not making a fresh pot when needed. The coffee may be better but the service is not always predictable.
Secondly, has Starbucks made a strategic mistake in not offering free wirless internet access. I'm not sure but I do think they made a mistake by allowing Kroger's, Barnes and Noble, Target and Meijers to compete with their own corporate stores. Not wise planning from a company that has always seemed to be on top of things. Starbucks is not a franchise system as many people think, most if not all of their stores I believe are corporately owned.
Where do you get your coffee?
NCAA Conference Tournaments and Brackets
Well I didn't fare too well in the darkhorse picks.
I did avoid in most cases picking the top 3-4 teams in a league. In the larger conferences I avoided the top 5-6 teams.
So Temple was the only team that came through.
Minnesota had an impressive run.
Syracuse had no magic this year.
None from Texas Tech either.
Georgia Tech pulled off a couple victories before being knocked off by Duke.
Houston was a bust as was UAB.
I was close with Ole Miss (given that the winner of that game went on the win the tourney)
The only glory I had was a pre conference prediction for San Diego. I thought they were a solid team when they came into Rupp and beat Kentucky early in the season.
What to make of the 65 teams in and the few bubble teams who are out?
No Florida or Ohio State- think there is parity in college bball these days. The two teams from last years championship game are headed to the NIT. Ohio State had a pretty good case against Oregon and Arizona.
Ohio State beats Syracuse and Florida in the non conference and finishes with 10 wins in the Big Ten- sitting in 5th place. They lose to North Carolina, Butler, Texas A&M, and Tennesse in non-conference. That a pretty tough schedule.
Oregon loses to St Mary's, Nebraska, and Oakland and they beat Kansas St (11 seed) and Utah.
They have a 4 game losing streak and a 3 game losing streak and finish 18-13- 9-9 in Pac 10.
Quite the resume- wait a minute, it's a terrible resume.
Arizona finishes the year 4-10- on fire. They finish Pac 10 play at 9-11- 19-14 overall.
They lose to Virginia, Kansas and Memphis (very respectable) They beat Texas A&M, UNLV, Houston and Illinois. Two on the 4 were not in the bracket last time I checked. They get beat by Arizona St twice (even though St didn't deserve a berth either)
Let's look at another team that could have gotten the nod over the Pac 10 schools mentioned.
UMASS- goes on the road early to beat Boston College and Syracuse. They beat Houston at home. They lose at Vandy. Know anyone who has won at Vandy lately.
They finish third in their conference and end the year with a 6-1 streak. Not all too impressive but a better resume than Oregon and Arizona in my opinion.
Syracuse finished 9-9 in the best conference this year. (coming from an SEC fan) They played a very good schedule in non conference.
Siena (W against Tourney team)
Saint Josephs (W against Tourney team)
Ohio State
Washington
UMASS
Virginia
Cornell (W against Tourney team)
Rhode Island
Tulane
It's not power house city but it's not a bunch of cupcakes either. 10-3 non conference and 9-9 in the Big East with wins against Georgetown, Nova and Marquette.
To me it's not even close when comparing with the Pac 10 schools who got the nod.
Last but not least. Mississippi:
Did they deserve a berth- I don't think so with a losing record in the SEC west (during a down year) They have a much better case than Arizona with it's losing record in the Pac 10 and it's one less win and three more losses.
Mississippi beats some good teams in non conference:
Mississippi Valley State (NCAA bound)
South Alabama (NCAA bound)
New Mexico (on the bubble or considered in the tourney by Joe Lunardi until this weekend)
Winthrop (NCAA bound)
Depaul
Clemson (NCAA bound)
Wins against Miss St, Vandy, Arkansas and Florida in SEC play.
The highest RPI of the teams left out of the tourney I believe.
So why the credence to the pack 10 this year? Is Stanford really that great. Was USC deserving on their top 20 ranking with 10 losses? I believe UCLA is the real deal but is Washington State going to make it past their first round game?
I did avoid in most cases picking the top 3-4 teams in a league. In the larger conferences I avoided the top 5-6 teams.
So Temple was the only team that came through.
Minnesota had an impressive run.
Syracuse had no magic this year.
None from Texas Tech either.
Georgia Tech pulled off a couple victories before being knocked off by Duke.
Houston was a bust as was UAB.
I was close with Ole Miss (given that the winner of that game went on the win the tourney)
The only glory I had was a pre conference prediction for San Diego. I thought they were a solid team when they came into Rupp and beat Kentucky early in the season.
What to make of the 65 teams in and the few bubble teams who are out?
No Florida or Ohio State- think there is parity in college bball these days. The two teams from last years championship game are headed to the NIT. Ohio State had a pretty good case against Oregon and Arizona.
Ohio State beats Syracuse and Florida in the non conference and finishes with 10 wins in the Big Ten- sitting in 5th place. They lose to North Carolina, Butler, Texas A&M, and Tennesse in non-conference. That a pretty tough schedule.
Oregon loses to St Mary's, Nebraska, and Oakland and they beat Kansas St (11 seed) and Utah.
They have a 4 game losing streak and a 3 game losing streak and finish 18-13- 9-9 in Pac 10.
Quite the resume- wait a minute, it's a terrible resume.
Arizona finishes the year 4-10- on fire. They finish Pac 10 play at 9-11- 19-14 overall.
They lose to Virginia, Kansas and Memphis (very respectable) They beat Texas A&M, UNLV, Houston and Illinois. Two on the 4 were not in the bracket last time I checked. They get beat by Arizona St twice (even though St didn't deserve a berth either)
Let's look at another team that could have gotten the nod over the Pac 10 schools mentioned.
UMASS- goes on the road early to beat Boston College and Syracuse. They beat Houston at home. They lose at Vandy. Know anyone who has won at Vandy lately.
They finish third in their conference and end the year with a 6-1 streak. Not all too impressive but a better resume than Oregon and Arizona in my opinion.
Syracuse finished 9-9 in the best conference this year. (coming from an SEC fan) They played a very good schedule in non conference.
Siena (W against Tourney team)
Saint Josephs (W against Tourney team)
Ohio State
Washington
UMASS
Virginia
Cornell (W against Tourney team)
Rhode Island
Tulane
It's not power house city but it's not a bunch of cupcakes either. 10-3 non conference and 9-9 in the Big East with wins against Georgetown, Nova and Marquette.
To me it's not even close when comparing with the Pac 10 schools who got the nod.
Last but not least. Mississippi:
Did they deserve a berth- I don't think so with a losing record in the SEC west (during a down year) They have a much better case than Arizona with it's losing record in the Pac 10 and it's one less win and three more losses.
Mississippi beats some good teams in non conference:
Mississippi Valley State (NCAA bound)
South Alabama (NCAA bound)
New Mexico (on the bubble or considered in the tourney by Joe Lunardi until this weekend)
Winthrop (NCAA bound)
Depaul
Clemson (NCAA bound)
Wins against Miss St, Vandy, Arkansas and Florida in SEC play.
The highest RPI of the teams left out of the tourney I believe.
So why the credence to the pack 10 this year? Is Stanford really that great. Was USC deserving on their top 20 ranking with 10 losses? I believe UCLA is the real deal but is Washington State going to make it past their first round game?
Monday, March 10, 2008
Chip Ingrams book summary
Sorry, we had a short weekend trip. You'll have to wait until next week for the update on Chip Ingram's book "Good to Great in God's Eyes"
Mike Huckabee's historic run in 2007-2008
Well what else is there to say. Mike Huckabee as of last week did not get the Presidential nomination for the GOP in 2008. I was extremely disappointed to say the least. I felt from all my research since July's New Man Christian magazine article, that Mike Huckabee was the next Ronald Reagan or Abraham Lincoln. I thought he was what America needed in our time of trial. I believe he fought a valiant fight, and ran the race marked out for him. The former diabetic and obese man is an avid marathon runner, so it did not surprise me that he stayed in the race until he crossed the finish line. The bell sounded and he was not on top. In politics anything is possible and November is a long time away; so I'll keep some hope alive, but realize that Mike Huckabee is a young man in political years and his time will come.
Isn't it inspiring to know that a man whose parents were uneducated country folks from Arkansas can raise a boy who will go on to lead his state as governor and then mount the most effective, efficient, grassroots campaign in the history of politics. I've put this statement out there without any real research, but I'm betting that no one can disprove it- all things considered. Mike Huckabee had a hope and a prayer and he finished in second place for the GOP nomination in 2008. He won Iowa when nobody gave him a chance. He almost won South Carolina and the media blacked him out for Florida and Super Tuesday. He managed to win Tennessee, West Virginia, Georgia, Alabama and Arkansas that day. He nearly won Oklahoma, Missouri as well. They were surprised at the campaigns resiliency. Operating on very low fundraising dollars- less than even Dr. Ron Paul; getting outspent nearly 15-1 in some markets, Mike Huckabee forged ahead. Next he would win Louisiana and Kansas in a landslide. Middle America and the South knew who their man was no matter what Washington or Fox News said.
In the end Mike Huckabee fought the good fight all the way until the end. Even though he trailed in polls by 25 points he shocked the media again with a near miss in Virginia. Can you imagine a no name candidate, blocked by his own party; and ignored by the media still managing to get over 30% of the vote in Ohio and Texas at the end of the campaign road. I'm honored to have been a supporter with my money, my emails, my calls, my buttons and my prayers. I believe I supported an honorable man, and I believe his time will still come.
Who has ever done more with less?
Isn't it inspiring to know that a man whose parents were uneducated country folks from Arkansas can raise a boy who will go on to lead his state as governor and then mount the most effective, efficient, grassroots campaign in the history of politics. I've put this statement out there without any real research, but I'm betting that no one can disprove it- all things considered. Mike Huckabee had a hope and a prayer and he finished in second place for the GOP nomination in 2008. He won Iowa when nobody gave him a chance. He almost won South Carolina and the media blacked him out for Florida and Super Tuesday. He managed to win Tennessee, West Virginia, Georgia, Alabama and Arkansas that day. He nearly won Oklahoma, Missouri as well. They were surprised at the campaigns resiliency. Operating on very low fundraising dollars- less than even Dr. Ron Paul; getting outspent nearly 15-1 in some markets, Mike Huckabee forged ahead. Next he would win Louisiana and Kansas in a landslide. Middle America and the South knew who their man was no matter what Washington or Fox News said.
In the end Mike Huckabee fought the good fight all the way until the end. Even though he trailed in polls by 25 points he shocked the media again with a near miss in Virginia. Can you imagine a no name candidate, blocked by his own party; and ignored by the media still managing to get over 30% of the vote in Ohio and Texas at the end of the campaign road. I'm honored to have been a supporter with my money, my emails, my calls, my buttons and my prayers. I believe I supported an honorable man, and I believe his time will still come.
Who has ever done more with less?
Working from home- is it for you?
I have worked from home and from an office and I still don't know which one works best. I think it is completely dependant on the personality and the environment. Then there is the question of children. If you have small children at home throw everything out the window and forget about it! Small children don't stay in one room or on one floor. They open closed doors and close opened ones. They don't respond well to "can you be quiet please- just for a minute". They don't understand that you're going to work when you didn't go anywhere at all. My daughter used to ask me if I was joking when I would say "daddy has to work now".
The other problem for me with the home office, is the attire. I cannot make myself feel good about my work, when dressed in sweat pants and sporting yesterdays shave. I have tried, but I have to at least have some khaki pants and a company golf shirt to feel like I'm working.
God bless you if you are able to work from home with children or with your PJ's as your attire. I envy those who can concentrate and stay motivated through circumstances like so. I would love to work at home- the convenience is so nice. To have one office instead of two is an envy for my organized brain. To have no commute time works wonders for my efficiency mentality . To have free coffee, and 3 squares per day couldn't be more convenient. Maybe the time will come again when I can venture back home, but for now you'll catch me at the office- the one down the street.
The other problem for me with the home office, is the attire. I cannot make myself feel good about my work, when dressed in sweat pants and sporting yesterdays shave. I have tried, but I have to at least have some khaki pants and a company golf shirt to feel like I'm working.
God bless you if you are able to work from home with children or with your PJ's as your attire. I envy those who can concentrate and stay motivated through circumstances like so. I would love to work at home- the convenience is so nice. To have one office instead of two is an envy for my organized brain. To have no commute time works wonders for my efficiency mentality . To have free coffee, and 3 squares per day couldn't be more convenient. Maybe the time will come again when I can venture back home, but for now you'll catch me at the office- the one down the street.
It's NCAA Tourney time and March Madness
Who is your favorite team? Kentucky, Louisville, Indiana, Western Kentucky or is it another team from another part of the country. No matter who it is, if their conference tournament has not yet begun; they are still alive. There is hope yet for a miracle run.
San Diego has a chance tonight to notch a berth in the big dance. They needed 2 OT's to win last night. Who else could be the upset specialist? Can Syracuse make another run as they did a few years back? What about an SEC team like LSU or Mississippi? Does Georgia Tech or Minnesota have what it takes to pull of an upset run in their respective conferences? I'm not sure of the answers but it makes for a great week of basketball.
My picks for conference runs this week. These are not the favorites or who I think will win the tournaments. These are the darkhorse picks from the major conferences.
Syracuse in the Big East
Texas Tech in the Big 12
USC in the Pac 10
Georgia Tech in the ACC
Ole Miss in the SEC
Minnesota in the Big Ten
Temple in the A-10
Houston in Conf USA
San Diego has a chance tonight to notch a berth in the big dance. They needed 2 OT's to win last night. Who else could be the upset specialist? Can Syracuse make another run as they did a few years back? What about an SEC team like LSU or Mississippi? Does Georgia Tech or Minnesota have what it takes to pull of an upset run in their respective conferences? I'm not sure of the answers but it makes for a great week of basketball.
My picks for conference runs this week. These are not the favorites or who I think will win the tournaments. These are the darkhorse picks from the major conferences.
Syracuse in the Big East
Texas Tech in the Big 12
USC in the Pac 10
Georgia Tech in the ACC
Ole Miss in the SEC
Minnesota in the Big Ten
Temple in the A-10
Houston in Conf USA
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