Category Archives: Business

Business Work

Create a Slidedeck of Relevant Theories, Research, Principles

February 13, 2012 – 10:12 pm

Ironically because of an article I read early in 2011, I decided it would be a beneficial for me start reading more books, as opposed to reading much shorter online articles.

The shift was made because of my belief that any piece of information that I could in the future easily recall and weave into discussion needed to be digested for longer than four minutes of my time.

And while I have found this to be quite true, I have found that books also happen to be jammed packed with references to other bits and peices of information that can at times be overwhelming. To combat this, I started a new Google presentation document of marketing prinicples and ideas that I have read about, studied, and think could be useful to me in the future.

I thought that my idea of archiving this information was unique, until I heard in a podcast by marketing speaker and author Mitch Joel this morning that he has a slide deck of over 10,000 slides. At which point I decided that it was indeed a damn good idea for every new college graduate or lifelong learner. The only thing I regret about it, is that I wish I would have started this earlier in my career.

And please, unless you are my employer or have $20,000 (I am trying to finance grad school), I sorry but I am not going to share my deck. That wouldn’t be the point anyway. My deck represents things I have found to be relevant to me. Your deck, depending on what you like and want to achieve, should look completely different even if we read the same material.

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Business Education

Studying for the GMAT and #OWS

December 11, 2011 – 8:09 pm

Over the past 20 days, I’m estimating I’ve spent close to 75 hours studying for the GMAT. I’m not trying to brag, but really, my knowledge of quadratic formulas and figuring out how many different combinations there are for four out of ten people to be appointed to a committee needed some brushing up.

To make the time for this activity, I’ve had to let go of a few normal activities, most notably watching television. In some ways this has been a blessing, but in other ways I have often found myself irritable, grumpy and tired of doing math problems that seem to have little or no relevance except for the fact that someone, somewhere with a higher salary than mine thinks this will be a clear indicator of whether or not I will be successful in an MBA program.

Now that is off my chest, I have had to really motivate myself to keep going. One of the largest motivators for me, beyond my family, has been the occupy wall street (#ows) movement.

Sounds odd right? But I have been reflecting upon what it must mean to be a part of that movement and what they are fighting for. To me, and I think it might be different for everyone involved, but I think this movement is about the inability for a regular guy to work a regular job, such that he can afford to raise two kids.

In applauding their efforts, I wish some of them would realize, as I have, that education is the key to change. Take all of the time spent protesting and spend it on studying innovation and new job skills. The results of such actions would be amazing.

And to that end, I am going to keep truckin’ with the 60-day GMAT study guide and hopefully prove that I am worthy of the highest level of education Minnesota has to offer.

20 down, 40 more to go.

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Advertising Business Mobile

Black Friday Mobile Thoughts

November 28, 2011 – 11:11 pm

I listened to a podcast this morning about the use of mobile by retailers during Black Friday. Apparently some retailers were trying to use mobile to lure away shoppers from other stores while they were out and about.

A lot of really smart marketers on the podcast looked at this in many different ways. The best point was raised by Joseph Jaffe that it is important to look at this from a human experience aspect. That said, here’s my anecdotal typical Thanksgiving and Black Friday experience:

  1. Go to Mom’s/Aunt’s/Grandma’s house for a Thanksgiving feast
  2. Watch football and drink a “soda” while absorbed in constant smell of turkey, potatoes and pie
  3. Flip through newspaper ads looking at how cheap television and tablet prices now are
  4. Try to convince yourself you are not one of the crazy people who is going to go shopping in the morning
  5. Look through the ads again and wonder how you could afford not be one of those crazy folk
  6. Eat lots of food and talk about whether or not we are going to go shopping at midnight or 6 a.m.
  7. When finally deciding to go, plot out the course and timeline for where you are going and what you want
  8. Set the alarm for an appropriate time, whether it be for 11 at night or four in the morning
  9. Wake up, find coffee, race to the mall, grab stuff
  10. Recap with the rest of the family members who stayed home what great deals you got
  11. Get them all excited and debate going out again once they decide they too want to go out

Looking at that experience, I find it hard to believe a lot marketers could sway consumers with mobile marketing on Black Friday. So much of the planning and debating about where to go shopping happens while family members pass around print ads while the food is cooking and during football commercial breaks.

It should be interesting to see though, if anyone was able to have success with mobile. If you know of any case studies, please share.

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