Growing a Champion
Every winter I get a copy of the Vesey’s Seed Catalogue in the mail. The vegetables pictured in the catalogue always get me pumped for spring. One of my favorite pictures is of Howard Dill’s "Atlantic Giant" pumpkins. These are the World Record pumpkins, routinely over 600 pounds each.
So today, as we left the Annapolis Valley and headed to Nova Scotia’s Eastern Shore, we took a detour to Windsor, NS to check out the Dill Farm. The picture is of a single pumpkin plant that is ready to be pollinated. They’ll pollinate 1 fruit per stem and then cull back to the two fruits which are growing the fastest (ideal is two inches per day!) That single plant gets the entire bed all to itself; it will take the whole 20×20 bed to feed those massive squash. I’d love to come back in seven weeks and see how they’re shaping up! NOTICE: This confidential e-mail message is only for the intended recipients. If you are not the intended recipient, be advised that disclosing, copying, distributing, or any other use of this message, is strictly prohibited. In such case, please destroy this message and notify the sender.Pearle’s in Paradise
Part of the thrill of travelling without an itinerary is that one is often hungry or tired without knowing where the next meal or bed is.
That was the situation today, as we left Lunenburg in the 35C heat and headed overland to Annapolis Royal and then east to Bridgetown. By the time we got to Bridgetown it was 7:30PM and the whole town was shut down. On Friday night in July, no less. So camping at Valley View wasn’t going to work (we had no food.). Quick decision: head northeast toward Wolfville, find food on the way, and a place to stay after that. 10 minutes later, I hear Cindy shout "Pearlesfishburgershotdogsicecream!!" I pulled a hard left into an amazing shack by the side of the road. It’s in the middle of nowhere, if you don’t count the 30 cars around the lot and the lineup in front. The burgers were awesome and the fish was huge, if a little "moist". Just what we needed. Now let’s see if we can find a motel… NOTICE: This confidential e-mail message is only for the intended recipients. If you are not the intended recipient, be advised that disclosing, copying, distributing, or any other use of this message, is strictly prohibited. In such case, please destroy this message and notify the sender.
Peggy’s Cove: Beauty, Fog and Mould
We left Halifax, heading south along the South Shore. Beautiful old cottages (houses really) dotted along miles of bays and small islands.
Took the side road to check out the lighthouse at Peggy’s Cove. Beautiful! Spent an hour or so climbing on the huge rocks and seeing what we could from the fog. It was very pleasant weather but very foggy on the point.Last time we were here there was a post office in the lighthouse, but now the post office is closed down. I guess they painted the lighthouse last year and found mould inside, so shut everything down. I thought mould could be cleaned or treated or something, but I guess not at a government operation? Not sure. It sure seems mould is more scary to North Americans than Al Qeida these days. "Holmes on Homes" needs to take some of the blame (OMG! MOULD!! Tear it all down!!!). Maybe I should start Moldy Mark’s Home Cleaning and make my fortune… NOTICE: This confidential e-mail message is only for the intended recipients. If you are not the intended recipient, be advised that disclosing, copying, distributing, or any other use of this message, is strictly prohibited. In such case, please destroy this message and notify the sender.
What’s your favorite dish? Fish!
The family pecking order for Good Eats on this trip goes something like this:
– home fries: Required– great fish: Required
– burgers or chicken for Robyn (who doesn’t eat seafood): must be nearby.
– pop in bottles, from local brewer: 1point bonus
– a shack where you stand in line to order: 1 point bonus.
– picnic tables out back with a view of water: 3 point bonus. The Battered Fish on Halifax harbour scores full points. Pure bliss! NOTICE: This confidential e-mail message is only for the intended recipients. If you are not the intended recipient, be advised that disclosing, copying, distributing, or any other use of this message, is strictly prohibited. In such case, please destroy this message and notify the sender.
Hup Hup Holland!
Was wandering around downtown Halifax looking for a place to watch the game when I saw a huge World Cup banner.
It turns out I found the dutch enclave too! Kickoff in 15 minutes and I can hardly wait. NOTICE: This confidential e-mail message is only for the intended recipients. If you are not the intended recipient, be advised that disclosing, copying, distributing, or any other use of this message, is strictly prohibited. In such case, please destroy this message and notify the sender.Typical attire in Halifax
It’s a warm day, but the ladies still prefer traditional attire. And if I understand things correctly, beer. Alexander Keiths beer.
NOTICE: This confidential e-mail message is only for the intended recipients. If you are not the intended recipient, be advised that disclosing, copying, distributing, or any other use of this message, is strictly prohibited. In such case, please destroy this message and notify the sender.Land of the Living Skies
Civilization V Announced!
OK, I’m a little late on this, because it the announcement came in February. But i’m very excited to learn there is a new version of Civ coming out in the Fall. Civilization IV is my all time favourite PC game and I can hardly wait for the new version.
When Civ IV came out in 2005, gamers all over had to upgrade their PCs to handle the graphics and calculation complexity. I wonder if this will be the excuse I need to upgrade my laptop!
Shirky’s myth of complexity
Clay Shirky has given us a surprising number of Internet myths. And by this I mean not falsehoods but the opposite: Broad, illuminating ways of making sense of what’s going on. For example, Clay’s post about the power law distribution of links in the blogosphere (based on research by Cameron Marlow) changed how we view authority, fame, and success in the Web ecosystem, and provided the structure within which Chris Anderson could point to the Long Tail. And Clay’s Ontology Is Overrated made clear that a change in how we categorize our world affects very real power relationships; that essay was highly influential, including on my own Everything Is Miscellaneous.
Clay’s new post — The Collapse of Complex Business Models — gives us a broad way of understanding why those who used to provide us with content will not be the ones who give us content in the future…and why they cannot fathom why not.
business, media –> Tagged with: everythingIsMiscellaneous • everything_is_miscellaneous • media • shirky–>
I found Clay Shirky’s post via Joho the Blog, so I want to credit the source. But be sure to click through on the link “The Collapse of Complex Business Models” and read it three times.
How many of you work for large companies or institutions who are trying to ’simplify the business’ or design simple products? How many of you have been trying for at least 15 years? I have, and it doesn’t seem to work. I think Clay is on to something.
Marketing for Small Local Businesses
I was talking to a friend who runs a mobile massage business. She takes her table to you, does the work at your office or home or wherever. It’s great for people who maybe can’t leave the office, but could spare the extra hour within the day, or who could benefit from having a massage at home after a long day. Might be great for stay-at-home parents, too. We were talking about marketing, and what she’d done so far to get herself more business.
First, understand that the best clients for this kind of business are local-ish, have some discretionary money, and are hopefully shooting for being a repeat customer (that would work best for her business).
It’s not a simple transaction business. It requires loyalty. To that end, here are my ideas for marketing a business like hers.
Search and Listen
My first effort would be to find local prospects. I’d start with Google Blogsearch, putting in local town names, to see who’s blogging in the area. I’d use Twitter Search to find some more folks. I’d look around for other sources, like local online newspapers. You can even do some clever google work. Once I had a decent list, I’d start determining who, if any of them, are actually prospects. Just because they’re local doesn’t mean they fit the other criteria. Break the list down a bit more from there.
Promotion
You need a home base. I’d recommend a blog, but even a static website is better than nothing. Then, I’d see whether or not you can get listings with any other local businesses, any local groups related to the field, possibly even the Chamber of Commerce.
Make your site a combination of explanations of your business and the value you provide, as well as a chance to get to know a bit more about you. Personalized businesses like this, especially a body works business like massage means that people want to know more about you, want to get a sense of who you are, and want to understand what matters to you.
If you’ve got a blog, consider doing video so that people can see even more about you. It’s a great way to add some promotional oomph.
From here, you might start reaching out into outposts. Facebook might be a tricky place to pick up business when starting. It’s not like a bunch of people will rush in and join the massage company fan page. That said, you can always try. Twitter might work better, insofar as people speak more openly there, there’s serendipity, there are more chances to find new people without “friending” first.
What do you do once you’re there?
I’d recommend talking about them. Them= whoever you’ve found at these outposts, the people you’ve found via these lists. As for WHAT to talk about, talk about what they’re into. Get to know them. It’s an important part of building relationships, to be there long ahead of the sale.
Newsletter
What might also work is an email newsletter, talking about other health and wellness tips, but also with a few subtle offerings from your organization. I mean subtle, too. Make it more about equipping them for success and much less about finding clients immediately. It will be a slower build, but you’ll have a better chance to build a community you can tap into when needed over time.
Sales
From here, you can work on conversions and sales. My friend who runs the massage business did a promotional event at a local arena. I think there’s an opportunity to do a few more gigs like that, even maybe calling around for corporations to offer two hour blocks of time for 10 minute chair massages (so 12 massages) at a rate of $300 (so close to the $150 an hour that a quality massage therapist gets). This is also a great lead generator for future business, so bring business cards.
Obviously, this step would be different for different types of businesses, but realizing that some kind of demo, promo, introductory offer is always a great way to seed future opportunities is the first step.
What Else?
I’ve given out a few steps, a few ideas, especially aiming towards social media and the like. What else would you tell someone looking to promote their massage therapy or similar business? How have you handled the challenge? What matters to you if you were the prospective client?
By the way, this kind of stuff is exactly what I cover in my new book, Social Media 101, should you be interested.
