The Large and Small of American Business

Think back five years ago and see if you are able to recall what the HOT businesses were or what was popular marketing in America. The enormous HUMMER brand of vehicles were the hot new thing everyone wanted, McDonalds was promoting 'Super Size your meal', the size of homes in America was near the all time largest. Everything was BIG.

I fell into the craze myself and went to look at the nifty new HUMMER vehicles wondering why they did not publish the MPG on the sticker, on any documentation or even on the Internet. When I asked about the gas mileage the dealer smiled and said "If you have to ask you can't afford it" proceeding to explain the HUMMER was an exclusive upscale Sport Utility Vehicle based on the military off road vehicle which could be capable of extreme off road use if I bought the Air Suspension Package, the Luxury Package (so I was comfortable driving over rocks and trees), the 24" Grappler Off Road Tires and the Grill Guard to protect it from damage.

Looking back this seems like a tremendous waste of money but it was HUGE and it was fun. Everything in America was huge, we super sized everything from trucks and SUV's to breakfast, lunch and dinner. Single adults were buying 4 bedroom homes, soccer moms all drove over sized Sport Utility Vehicles to the grocery store and I was getting 8MPG driving to our website company office in the new HUMMER. The perception, marketing and consumption in America was BIGGER, BETTER, MORE! Some of this was alleviated by the health fad leading to the advent of apples and fruit as side order options to replace french fries. There are no more Super Size Menu's today, the largest auto maker who led the way in the SUPER SIZE VEHICLES went bankrupt and a tiny weird looking battery powered car named the Prius is the hot new car to have instead of a HUMMER.

Perception changes then times change and business changes. American businesses adapted to the paradigm shift from large to small in many unseen ways. At the grocery store nearly all ice cream sold has reduced the size of the cartons while maintaining the same price. Go to dinner anywhere and there are 'Two for Twenty Dollars' menu's everywhere providing smaller portions of regular menu items at a smaller cost (the menu does not say the items are smaller, they just are). Everything in America is getting smaller from houses to dinner portions, food at the grocery store and vehicles often times without anyone consciously noticing the change. I will never buy a Prius and DID use the HUMMER to go off road every opportunity that arose. As society changes so does marketing, then marketing and news changes perception for the masses and most people never notice.

Business today has changed, the # 1 place to reach buyers is on the Internet and the Internet is going to put several traditional businesses out of business. Be conscious of change, of customer needs and constantly research where business is headed online. Search Engines change every day, social networking connects over 70 million people worldwide and your business needs to take advantage of change to be successful.

Robert 'Dot Com' Jackson
BuilderConsulting.com - Building Better Websites & Online Solutions since 1995
913-814-8844 Office

Large or Small, Personal or Business, You Know Your a Success When...

Throughout history the people who made the most difference, changed the world, brought about innovation, social expansion and created everything we take for granted today were loved and hated. Consider Microsoft, undeniably the most influential company in history in terms of computers and software used by hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Chances are you are reading this Blog on a computer using Microsoft Windows or Microsoft Internet Explorer and sent email using Microsoft Outlook or Exchange today.

Do a quick search for the term 'Microsoft Sucks' and 42,200,000 (over 42 million) search results are displayed starting out with a website dedicated to 'Why Microsoft Sucks'. To date the Microsoft Office is the # 1 selling office productivity software in the world, Internet Explorer is used by 98% of all businesses and still there are more than 42 million results about 'Microsoft Sucks'. Can anyone name the company that created Open Office, the free 'imitation' of Microsoft Office that has been around since 1999? The company does not come to mind, they now offer Open Office in more than 80 languages worldwide but nobody knows who they are because it is just a cheap imitation of Microsoft Office who came first and dominated the market (Sun Micrososystems developed Open Office).

Next think about what Susan B. Anthony went through in her quest for Women's Suffrage (the 19th Amendment, right to vote) being arrested by the US Marshall Service, jailed numerous times, expelled from her Union, called a 'harlot', 'unpatriotic' and many worse things. She stood up for what she believed in, what was right and equal for all people and changed the world. In her time she was hated by most men and a significant portion of the female population for pointing out inequities in society and dedicating herself to changing them. Move on to one of the most well loved and most popular leaders in history with a 98% popularity rating in his country, Adolf Hitler.

As unlikely as it sounds, Hitler was extremely popular throughout Germany at the start of his power and throughout the initial war. Hitler utilized the emotions of the German people who felt they had been oppressed and taken advantage of after World War I using national pride, promise of change and most significantly propaganda to influence Germany to follow him. This technique has been used throughout history by scandalous people or companies to sway others to their views when they were unable to obtain influence or compete through legitimate means.

Ask yourself how is it that companies that have done so much to improve and influence our lives are so hated by so many or women like Susan B. Anthony that dedicated their lives to helping others obtain a fair vote in society could be so despised? Neither history or any of us remember the people who never made a difference or caused any 'waves'. The companies and people who take the initive, put themselves at risk, create change and influence life or business as we know it are the ones everyone loves, or loves to hate. When I officially started my business back in 1995 I made little difference, nobody knew who I was or heard of Builder Consulting and life was easy.

Move forward 15 years and hundreds of websites later to where Builder Consulting has been recognized as the Best Place to Work by the Business Journal twice, received 119 local and national 'Best Website' awards, created the industries first content managment system (BuilderAdmin.com), presented hundreds of educational classes worldwide and still conducts business without a single salesperson needed. Last week alone six 'hate emails' from the owner of a company that started up in the same city 8 years after Builder Consulting using a name that is eerily similar to ours. The week before an email was forwarded from someone in Tulsa stating they were told 'Robert Jackson is slimy' (really...I take showers daily) and last month a company in Texas became a customer after another website company told him 'watch out for Builder Consulting' prompting him to research our company and become a customer.

Success, we finally made it! Builder Consulting has changed the way the industry markets online, created the websites, software and solutions others are now trying to imitate and continues to be years ahead of the herd. Customers love us for the success and solutions and other companies hate that they cannot compete no matter how many bad things they say!

The people and companies that make the most difference are those we all know, love, like or love to hate (TMZ is one of the top rated shows). You or your business has made it, you know your a success when the same happens to you!

What similar experiances have you had, did you notice an increase in this type of desperate activity as the economy slowed?

BuilderConsulting.com - Building Better Websites & Technology Solutions since 1995

Social Media for Small Businesses

Sarah Evans - the face of PR Newswire - had one of my favorite posts this weekend:

As an Internet marketer, I have to agree. Not everyone, and everything, needs a Facebook fan page, or a Twitter account, for that matter. Let's face it - it can get annoying. However, social media does have its place in the Web marketing toolbox. And especially for small businesses on a limited budget, social media can be effective - if it's used properly.

According to a recent article in eMarketer, lead generation is the biggest benefit social media brings to small businesses. Other benefits as listed in the "Small Business Marketing Forecast 2010" from Ad-ology include:

Like any marketing or advertising campaign, social media efforts need to focused, with a clear strategy and measurable goals. Unfortunately, most small businesses face several challenges when it comes to using social media effectively, including a lack of education and/or the necessary resources to use the channel effectively.

So, before you build that Facebook page or create your Twitter account, think about what you want to accomplish... If you aren't sure what, how or where to begin, get some help from an expert. As we've seen in many instances, a misstep in the social media world can cause more harm than good. By engaging someone familiar with the channel to help you get started, you'll reduce the risk of a foux paux, as well as the learning curve, and see results faster.

Cruising Along in Our World

A view of Lyon, France while attending the World Entrepreneurship Forum.

Posted by: Laurel Delaney, The Global Small Business Blog. 

Global Artistry in Delectable Dark, Milk and White Chocolates

We promised to provide you with unique gift ideas during the holiday season, and this one, Norman Love, is made in the U.S.A.

Norman Love® blends a master’s appreciation of the sensuous with the art of the chef to create handcrafted chocolates ... exquisite, silky, rich chocolates ... reserved for those who expect nothing less than perfection. Norman Love Confections® has been satisfying connoisseurs of fine chocolates since 2001, when the chocolatier first introduced the masterpieces he produces at his facility in Fort Myers, Florida.

Today, Norman enjoys international recognition for the incomparable, handcrafted natural sweets with tastes and textures that arouse the senses.

Think about someone special in your life -- employee, partner, spouse, friend, colleague, client, vendor, etc. -- and whether they might be in the mood for a nice surprise from you.

Gazebo makes a hot tub look cool

While buying a hot tub, it is necessary to have a detailed rundown of all those supplies and accessories which you will like to have in your hot tub. If you are one of those who like your spa to be an ultimate relaxation and entertainment hub, then go for a hot tub gazebo which already comes installed with a LCD monitor and a DVD player.

Splurge on your hot Tub

If money is not an issue, you can splurge on installing a marine radio and CD player with waterproof speakers, a remote controller on the top side of the tub. Once done, just enjoy the music or hear the TV through these speakers. Another feature one must have is fibre optic lighting. Bunch of small lights around the top of the tub which change colour make the hot tub look very fancy. At night they will provide a great deal of light and enable you to look around for CDs, drinks, towels and chemicals.

Construct a Gazebo

One doesn’t need to freeze while climbing in and out of the spa; instead of that, surround the hot tub with a Gazebo to keep yourself warm in the winter. Over here going in for a larger gazebo will allow you the luxury of having racks and a storage space for chemicals and towels. Another important thing to note out here is one should install a gazebo which has a sliding door and not a window. In a scenario, if something freezes then it will only be the windows and the sliding door. Lastly put in a few stools and furniture in the gazebo to make it a place where you and your family can have a good time.

Arctic Hot Tubs is one of the leading manufacturers and dealers of hot tubs and spas in Toronto, Canada. It combines the most advanced technology with world-class construction to offer you a high quality hot tub gazebo.

By Articles Directory

Three tips to run a successful small machine shop business

Small machine shops are usually started and run by entrepreneurs who are passionate about machining as a trade and are naturally uplifted by the machining business. These entrepreneurs are not swayed by the thoughts of growing their small machine shop business into a multi million dollar enterprise, but are rather satisfied with having a small batch of repeat customers whom they service with their heart and soul. Nevertheless, these small machine shop owners do contribute a lot to the overall economy by providing quick and dependable service to larger shops who either do not want to be bothered by the small jobs or are looking for a quick source of machining a job that would interfere with their normal production schedule. Nevertheless, as small as these outfits may be, they are still a business venture and all of the headaches and pitfalls that plague larger companies also affect these mini machine shops.

In order to succeed in running a small machine shop, there are three tips that we will consider in this article. The first tip is that you need to provide a very quick delivery on the parts that you are being asked to machine. This is the biggest reason you are in business as the owner of a small machine shop and your customers count on the quick turn time. Even if it means putting in very long hours, evenings and weekends if need be, you have to deliver quick results. Hence delivery cycle is the first and foremost item of importance.

Secondly, it is price. Your price needs to be as low as you possibly can go, without losing money on any job. Because small machine shops are easy to set up, if your price becomes unreasonable, your customer may simply move his business to the one down the street. Hence price needs to be the second important factor in succeeding with a small machine shop.

Thirdly, quality of workmanship is very important when operating a small machine shop. This means all of the blueprint characteristics have to be met all of the time. This includes maintaining proper tolerance levels, surface finish requirements, chamfer and radius data and so on. Quality is a given in today’s world of manufacturing and regardless of how quick you can deliver or how low a price you can sell your services at, your quality cannot suffer.

Thus keeping close tabs on the three issues of price, quality and delivery all of the time can ensure success for your small machine shop operation.