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| Entrepreneur Vows: No More Dry Humping | Mentioning your company's core values on your website is nothing unique. Usually, these values include integrity, honesty, commitment, etc. Not for one young St. Louis entrepreneur.
Paul Scheiter, owner of Hedgehog Letherworks, mentions "No Dry Humping" as one of his three corporate values.
I must admit, that's an interesting core value. However, when you realize the story behind the "No Dry Humping" philosophy, it makes you wonder if more firms should embrace the mantra.
Paul's golden retriever, Ollie, had an awful method of greeting people at the door by latching onto their leg and giving them the "Elvis Pelvis." It bothered the guests, and it embarrassed Paul. After being "humped" each time they visited, Paul's friends refused to come around the house. Who could blame them.
When it comes to business, Paul refuses to leave his customers with the same impression.
"We find it funny that most businesses treat their customers that way… they hump you to death with emails, brochures, and pesky salesmen," according to Paul's website, http://www.hedgehogleatherworks.com/. "When you deal with Hedgehog, rest assured you will never get the "Elvis Pelvis," not even from Ollie."
Nice touch Paul. It's a message that I am certainly embracing. As the owner of a business that has, from time to time, dry humped a few customers, we certainly don't want to leave the same impression as Ollie. If we've dry-humped you in the past, we're sorry. We can't lick you in the face like Ollie to say we're sorry. You'll just have to accept our apologies.
We're always striving for ways to market and become a valuable resource for prospects without dry-humping. It's a task more and more businesses should embrace.
A special thanks to Paul for taking the lead on this concept.
--Ron Ameln, SBM | | 5/11/2008 9:05:00 PM |
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| Something To Remember This Political Season | Even though I have some strong political views, I very, very seldom write about politics. I think politics and religion are very personal issues. However, I did want to make one political commentary as we head into the campaign season.
With the presidential campaigns in full swing and the candidates running around the country, it’s important to keep perspective on where we are as a nation and as Americans. One thing all candidates (Yes, even the one claiming to be part of “New Politics”) do is highlight our flaws as a nation. They make us feel as much pain as possible in order to steer us to their solutions. After listening to months of our problems and how we are spiraling rapidly downhill, it’s no wonder the political game leaves many frustrated and depressed. Some get so discouraged they tune out.
Remember, however, that this is the greatest country on Earth.
We shouldn’t take this for granted. Sometimes I think everyone in the World realizes this but us. The bodies of 50 Cuban refugees washed up on a Bahama beach last month for this very reason. These refugees sacrificed everything to get on a rickety, make shift boat and come to our country. They ultimately sacrificed their lives to be a part of what we have.
Columnist George Will recently responded to a comment made by Michelle Obama, who stated that most Americans’ lives have “gotten progressively worse since I was a little girl.” Obama was born in 1964.
The following is Will’s response:
“Since 1960, real per capita income has increased 143%, life expectancy has increased by seven years, infant mortality has declined 74%, deaths from heart disease have been halved, childhood leukemia has stopped being a death sentence, depression has become a treatable disease, air and water pollution have been drastically reduced, the number of women earning a bachelor’s degree has more than doubled, the rate of homeownership has increased 10.2%, the size of the average American home has doubled, the percentage of homes with air conditioning has risen from 12% to 77%, the portion of Americans who own shares of stock has quintupled…”
As we head into the heart of the campaign season, let’s keep some perspective. Do we have problems? Yes, certainly. Some of the politicians may even have answers to solve these problems. However, we’ve made great strides the last 40 years as a nation and we will continue to strive. Don't let the politicians, in their efforts to create pain, persuade you otherwise. I hope we all keep that in mind.
-Ron Ameln, SBM | | 5/7/2008 9:19:00 PM |
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| Will My Employee Go Postal? | I just read an interesting article in this month’s edition of Men’s Health magazine. The article talked about whether or not one of your employees might go postal.
Mark Safarik, a 23-year veteran of the FBI, offered the following tip for spotting that pre-postal employee:
“Look around his cubicle. If his walls are plastered with pictures of his family and him fishing, he’s probably not a risk. On the other hand, if the walls are blank, or push-pinned with complaints, or everything appears obsessively neat, he bears watching.”
I started to think about our employees. I started to check off, in my mind, who in the office has pictures on the walls. Only one person failed the test. A nice young girl we hired about nine months ago. Nine months. Nothing on her wall. Now I’m worried. Her office is also obsessively neat.
I must admit, I don’t have anything on my walls but the obsessively neat thing pretty much takes me out of contention.
Then I remembered. This young lady just hung something on her wall a few weeks ago.
A Chicago Cubs banner.
The ONLY thing hanging in her office right now is a Chicago Cubs banner.
That can’t be a good sign.
I hope her family doesn’t own any firearms. | | 4/30/2008 8:41:00 AM |
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| A Special Thanks | I just got back from a whirlwind tour of Washington, D.C. and New York City. I was fortunate to win the honor of Small Business Journalist of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration. It was certainly an honor.
I was able to visit the White House at a reception with President George Bush, attend a gayla in DC where I received my award and attend the closing of NASDAQ in New York’s Times Square. It was quite an experience.
I must say, however, that I felt un-deserving of the honor. I think the honor should really go to all the employees who currently work at SBM and for Judy Meador, who really worked diligently to get the paper up off the ground and continue the mission of helping business owners succeed.
The real winners are our current employees and our supporters, who go to work each day with one goal in mind: help businesses in the region succeed and encourage renewed commerce in our region.
To all of you—thank you from the bottom of my heart.
--Ron Ameln, SBM | | 4/27/2008 8:43:00 PM |
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| Five Ways To Win Over An Angel | Once you’ve found potential angels, how do you win them over? Angels, like venture capitalists, want to see the following:
Strong management: Does your management team have a track record of success and experience?
Proprietary strength: Will your product or service grab consumers’ attention.
Market potential: Higher market potential translates to more opportunities for the investor.
Return on investment: Most angels expect a return of 20%-25% over five years. However, they may accept a lower rate of return if your business has a lower risk.
Spell out the terms of the investment: This is no place for amateurs—seek out a lawyer with extensive experience in drawing up investment agreements.
Source: U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) | | 4/8/2008 5:10:00 PM |
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