Corporate Thought

Starting July 1, please join us with special guest Annalee behind the microphone discussing life from the viewpoint of a teenager.  We will return at the end of July with new conversations with entrepreneurs and business leaders but we believe hearing from Generation Z is important and provides a more varied and enriched collection of voices as we develop businesses to meet the needs of many.

Incidentally, the bells you hear in the background are from The Tide, light rail train that runs past my new office!  Please let me know if it is distracting.

Nicole and I started discussing what is social media and ways to utilize it including her use of LinkedIn.

We plugged Zack Miller and his book, Anomaly.  He was on my podcast – check out his episode.

Context and tone in texting is an issue and we lamented those who don’t pick up the telephone to talk.

Nicole let us know she is good at pushups.  Here is how to do them with proper form.

Here is Nicole’s video on Full Service vs. Triple Net leases.

Nicole and I had a great discussion about regions (specifically Norfolk/Virginia Beach) lacking identity and its factor in social media and the newest attempts to create branding.

I love using Evernote and since recording this episode I am using the product as a regular part of my system.

I recommended Atomic Habits by James Clear to Nicole.

Nicole was excited to talk about Public Policy and how it fits into her world of commercial real estate and she is completing her Master’s Degree in that.

Jacob is a documentary about Jacob Appel and is available on Amazon Prime.

Nicole listens to How I Built This with Guy Raz. And mentioned a recent episode about Dippin Dots.  She also listens to Freakonomics Radio.

She is NicoleCampbell1 on LinkedIn

You can email her at [email protected]

Maya and I had a great conversation almost initially about the books sitting on her nightstand, all of which I will be reading too:

Becoming by Michele Obama

Scaling Up by Verne Harnish

Rise and Grind by Daymond John

The Holy Bible

Maya mentioned a Facebook Group she started for small business owners, Leading through Crisis.  It is described as a private group for small business owners and entrepreneurs to gain the tools, support, community and inspiration to effectively lead in times of uncertainty.

Maya commented that “Sometimes our darkest moments inspire brightest ideas”  I found numerous variations on this quote and also this article.

I loved Maya’s idea about recording herself to perfect her pitch.  Others have been using this concept to improve themselves as well.

Maya told me all about 1 million cups and indeed it is nationwide.

Maya told me about trying to crowdfund using ifundwomen.com. Also, I guessed wrong about April/May as this episode is finally being released in June!

We had a great conversation about sharing ideas rather than keeping them to yourself.  I found this article from Richard Branson espousing similar ideas.  On this topic, I love how Maya stated it is about “Community over competition” and I subsequently learned that this is a trending hashtag, which is likely a very good sign for the future.

In another sign that you can find anything on the internet, here is the Lipstick scene from the Breakfast Club.

I mentioned Dan Harris and his ideas that meditation can be performed in small increments.  For more about his ideas, see here.

Maya can be found at: ewedded.com

@mayaholihan at Facebook and Instagram

Maya also hosts a podcast, Happily Altered After available here and likely everywhere else you get podcasts.

We discussed not working for the weekends and the question of work/life balance along with the question of pursuing a paycheck (job) vs. passion.  See this TED talk too.

We talked about pricing models and 6 minute increments (Time & materials) vs. widget pricing (unit basis).  Here is a detailed dive into pricing.

Dan used the opportunity of money he inherited from his Grandfather as the cushion allowing him to “jump” which he calls stupid financially but really isn’t.

Dan plays the lottery which he thinks is financially stupid but he does it anyway.  Check out this podcast.

Dan talks about the loss of structure in setting up his own business so is building back structure by renting studio space.  He also books appointments early in the day to force structure to his life. Here are other ideas.

Dan is always in learning mode.  He believes that is one of the nice factors of the photography industry in sharing knowledge.  He mentioned the following organizations:

Professional Photographers of America

Texas Professional Photographers Association

Dan discussed the difference between specializing and meeting the needs of the many by offering a more full spectrum of photography services.  He has favorites but needs to offer all to earn a living.  Here is an interesting discussion.

Dan would love to be a documentarian. See this guide to documentary photography.

I believe Dan is a natural storyteller.  There are numerous resources on improving your storytelling skills.  Here is one.

Dan can be found at dbephotography.com and @dbephoto on Instagram

Please excuse some of the background sounds evident in this episode.

Almarie mentioned liking Live with Kelly & Ryan.  I don’t watch daytime television so I have nothing to add here.

Definition of Normal according to Merriam-Webster

Almarie mentioned 50 Shades of Grey

Almarie was excited to discussed Competing Values Framework.  Here is a primer.

Almarie is currently reading Diagnosing and Changing Organizational Culture: Based on the Competing Values Framework

Definition of Recalcitrant according to Merriam-Webster

Peter Drucker was indeed the father of business management

I spoke of reading The Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad in high school.

Almarie mentioned the business book, Who Moved My Cheese by Dr. Spencer Johnson

Almarie mentioned the concept of Hitler as a Great Leader albeit with a horrible agenda.  This is a section of the US Holocaust Museum website on rise of Hitler as a leader.

We discussed the concept of Values Based Leadership.

Almarie can be found at @almariedonaldson on Facebook or email [email protected] or @dralmarie on Instagram

Richard discussed the importance of having three plans: Business Plan, Marketing Plan and Financial Plan. Read this for the basics of a plan.

We discussed the idea of having concrete goals in uncomfortable settings and the benefits of a  micro goal.

Don’t ask people what they do.  I have referenced this article in the past but it bear repeating.  27 questions to ask instead of What do You Do?

The Art of War is the one book that Richard believes everyone needs to read.  This website contains side-by-side translation and commentary, cross references, and PDF and text downloads of the full book.

Richard spoke of charting a course and mapping out getting from point A to point B.  This made me think about mind mapping, a tool which I employ regularly.  There are lots of technological solutions around mind mapping or you can use paper and pens or markers.  Here is a basic overview.

Richard is a big believer in writing down his plans and goals.  There are lots of articles about the benefits of doing so.  Here is one.

I recommended Atomic Habits by James Clear to Richard.

Expensive notebooks and pens – Richard was trying too hard to be neat so he goes with cheap notebooks. Expensive tools dissuade him.  Here is an interesting list of the “best notebooks”.  Note the wide range in prices.

Richard talked about his non-profit foundation for young entrepreneurs ages 7-17.

Richard can be found at www.Suffolkexecutiveoffices.com

or email him at [email protected]

In the introduction, I introduced Dana Todd as formerly The Queen of SEO.  I found this old interview with Dana about Search Engine Optimization.

Dana talked about people missing live experiences because they are too busy with the technology.  She specifically referenced the idea of recording a live concert and watching through the tiny screen rather than absorbing it in real time.  Recording and watching live concerts on their iPhone as recording it...it is annoying and likely illegal.

Dana is building an online marketplace in bespoke women’s clothing.  I mentioned that there are a lot of entrepreneurs entering the “online marketplace” space.  Apparently, there is significant growth in online marketplaces. 

Dana spoke about the practice of Subud.  I knew nothing of it and started down a rabbit hole on it.  Start here if you are interested

It is Moldova and it is in Eastern Europe.  I experienced major problems saying it correctly during the conversation.

I mentioned Tony Hsieh’s book, Delivering Happiness

Dan is reading (or rather listening to) The Transparency Sale by Todd Caponi

Dana mentioned “Ask Me Anything” livestreams that Business of Fashion is running in different time zones and the sharing of information by business leaders.

Dana loves to connect with people and is happy to connect on fashion and literally anything else.  She can be found at Balodana.com

Social Handles:

@balodana on instagram

@balodanafashion on Facebook and Twitter

@danatodd on Twitter

Lots of links in this episode:

Including Gary Vaynerchuk including his old Youtube show Wine Library TV.

The " iron man" book,  Finding My Voice by Mike Reilly.

It turns out that the phrase “Welcome to the Thunderdome” from Mad Max has been uttered in numerous films and TV shows including Waiting,  and Superbad.

The Poster of Old Yankee Stadium made of words that hangs in my office.

Correction – My parents launched Vanmarc Shipping in 1974 not 1973. 

Zack mentioned Scrivener which I use too -  Great for organizing longer form content.

We spoke about companies legacy systems hampering technology innovation and adoption .  This is a great article about it.

Merriam-Webster definition of Infotainment

Zack lamented the handling of the Ryan Lochte scandal in Brazil by journalists. Here is a rundown on the story from USA Today

We were talking about binge or marathon watching tv and how many subscribers Netflix had.  Not surprisingly, Netflix added 16 million new subscribers in the first quarter of 2020 for a total of 182 million subscribers.

Zack mentioned two shows he binged - Breaking Bad  and its spin off Better Call Saul.

Zack mentioned Ramit Sethi’s book, I Will Teach You to Be Rich and the idea of learning at least one nugget from every book you read.

Squirrel, we then went off into a tangent about nootropics including a Shout Out to Four Sigmatic as well as Michael Pollan and his books Omnivore’s Dilemma, and How to Change Your Mind.  See the episode with Sheryl Ryan for more.

Zack mentioned  The Game Changers and its effect on him as well as athletes who follow a vegan diet, Rich Roll, the ultra-marathoner came up and we discussed the Tennessee Titans who have numerous vegans among them as Derrick Morgan’s wife is a vegan chef.

Zack challenged me to post about the proper form for cycling.  The trainer I referenced is Walt Gonzalez of Peake Endurance in Chesapeake, VA..

My favorite novels: Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett and The Stand by Stephen King and my favorite show was The Sopranos 

The ESPN 30 For 30 about Allen Iverson in which he did not appear.

Zack’s favorite books: North by Scott Jurek, Living with a SEAL by Jesse Itzler, Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins and My Fight Your Fight by Ronda Rousey.

We also mentioned the Barkley Marathons and the documentary about the unsupported bike race across America (the Trans-Am).

Zack’s favorite tv shows are Lost and the US Version of the Office.

Zack can be found everywhere at zackmillersays and leaves us with the hack to use the same handle under everything.

Please excuse the echo – we recorded this in a public room with some ambient noise and bare walls.

Sheryl talked about the difference between structure and rules.  I found this great blog post about it. 

The amazing book The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan entered our conversation several times.  One of my favorites!  

We lamented the growth of clickbait.  I found this interesting article questioning whether all clickbait is bad.  

Sheryl uses Tailwind to plan her Pinterest and Ingram posts. 

I told Sheryl about my love of the podcast Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard Experts and Monica Padman. 

Sheryl described herself as a solopreneur and talked of some of the difficulty in using others especially with her content.  Here is an interesting article about entrepreneurs versus solopreneurs. 

Sheryl mentioned how she uses templates in Canva in designing her content. Canva is a very robust product. 

We struggled to come up with the term Safety Data Sheets (SDS or MSDS) which describe the toxicity of chemicals and other materials. 

Apparently Oreos are NOT vegan. 

Sheryl spoke about one ingredient swaps as a simple way to make environmentally sensitive changes in your life.  Truly a great resource for this is her own Greenopedia.com

Sheryl loves the book Cradle to Cradle by Bill McDonough  

I mentioned Michael Pollan’s recent book How to Change Your Mind and that led to a brief discussion about mushrooms – both hallucinogenic and adaptogens varieties. 

Sheryl also spoke of her interest in enneagrams.  I recently took an enneagram test myself.  Here is a site for a free test and explanation.  

Sheryl mentioned that one of her favorite business books is Winning the Story Wars by Jonah Sachs https://amzn.to/3bxDWXg

We also discussed, In Defense of Food also by Michael Pollan with the mantra “Eat Food, Not too Much, Mostly Plants” 

Sheryl can be found at Greenopedia.com

She can also be found @Greenopedia on Facebook and Pinterest and  @SherylRyan on Instagram