Three Things that Help a Little Business

There are three things that can help a small business succeed. It is hard to compete against larger companies that have a lot of money and resources. So small businesses will need to do something different if they are going to be successful. The three things are:

1.: Find Your Niche: Don't try and compete with the "big boys" in the market. Find markets that are not into large corporations or who are not serviced well by them and cater to that group.

2. Be Unique and Have Best Atmosphere: Offering a great atmosphere that creates something very unique and interesting. Something they are unlikely to find somewhere else.

3. Service and Quality: If you are a small business provide the highest levels of services and specialization you can. Create relationships and be like a consultant.

Reading For Enjoyment as an Avenue of Intellectual Growth

I like to read! As a matter of fact, I read all the time. Within my Kindle subscriptions are at least 25 magazines that range in topics like sports, farming, economics, world affairs, and even style. Ok...so I don't have great style but I'm working on it! It is a connection to a greater world that allows me the interest level I need. Does it really get me anywhere?

For years I spent time in school studying and learning. Sometimes I wonder if I should have just gotten a library card and saved myself the ton of money that higher education costs. Sure...I might be working in a family business or at a factory but I would simply just go home at the end of the day and read for the enjoyment of it.

Actually...nothing wrong with that.

One of the issues of higher education is that we are not learning for learning sake. No longer are we just there to learn about the world and know about topics that interest us. Instead, we are there to get a job and justify the cost of such learning.

Inherent learning has seem to be something more focused on external needs.

Thus, higher education has taken on as a form of investment that is at lease partially removed from actual learning. If you have a degree you can apply for certain types of jobs. If you have experience, knowledge, and a degree you can move up the ranks and make more money.

The joy of learning has not sort of been warped into a type of hedge fund investment where specific outcomes are needed in order to engage in higher education. They got a great point but it is a shame. If you are going to pay for higher education you will need some tangible result when you get out. Over educated factory workers just seem sort of overkill.

The Traits of Good Friends Versus Bad Friends

Friends are important. It has been said that you can sum yourself up by your closest 5 friends. As with all social groups there are some good people and some not so good people. There are those that help you feel empowered and those who suck and drain your energy. The problem is that it can be difficult to tell who is who.

It is not like people come out and say, "I'm going to be a selfish jerk and tear you down every chance I get!" They don't think of themselves that way because when people are toxic they are always right in their heads; even when jealousy eats them alive.  So it is necessary to get to know each other and how people act without them disclosing their needs or intentions.

Let your feels and subconscious cues be your guide.

1.  Supportive of each others needs
2.  Encourage each other to be better.
3.  Kind and positive personalities.
4.  Fun and enjoyment.
5.  Slowly but surely going deeper as friends.
6.  Honest and trustworthy.
7.  Giving and able to think about the group.
8.  Inclusive

1. Jealous
2. Not supportive and trying to undermine each other.
3. Rude or backbiting type behavior.
4. Selfish and not supportive of friends.
5. Not fun and seems like a negative environment.
6. Not honest or feels like not open.
7. Exclusive

Is a Marketing Degree Required for a First Marketing Job?

Marketing graduates need skills that help them compete for jobs in the market. It can be hard for colleges to understand what skills they should be focusing on. A study of content analysis of 250 online person specifications for a range of entry level and early career posts allowed for a better understanding of what is needed in the market (Wellman, 2010). 

-Under half of employers demanded a degree and less than a quarter marketing degrees. 
-Experience is required. 
-Communications, interpersonal relationships, information and communications technology, planning, self-management, decision making and problem solving are needed. 
-Creativity, responsibility, initiative, determination and confidence

Thus a student may not need a marketing degree to obtain their first marketing job. There is no discussion on whether or not that is the case later on in the career. Perhaps a management degree is enough to get started and marketing degrees are needed later on. More importantly, at the entry level organizations are looking for basic business skills and personal attributes. 

Wellman, Neil. (2010). The employability attributes required of new marketing graduates. Marketing Intelligence & Planning. 28. 908-930. 10.1108/02634501011086490.

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Pictures of Fort Lancaster in Sheffield TX

Fort Lancaster was an outpost fort in the 1855 but eventually was abandoned in 1861. It was used as an outpost again for a short time, Confederate troops held it for a while, and Native Americans attacked the site. Much of it has disappeared by locals who took the stone to use in their houses and buildings.

The "Sweet Spot" in Cardio Boxing

Training can be too slow or too intense but how you decide to train will determine your outcomes. Yesterday I took a boxing class that was just right. A Muay Thai class I took in the past was way too intense while a few other Kenpo classes I took were way too slow. This boxing class seemed to hit the sweet spot between pushing without overwhelming the body.

What you want is to be challenged but maintain the ability to overcome that challenge. A little stress goes a long way but exhaustion is not good for anyone. You should feel just a touch uncomfortable but not "destroyed" when the class is over.

Too Intense: This occurs when your heart rate is at your maximum (above 85%) and you have a hard time catching your breath. If most of the class is that way then you know it might be too intense of a class or not well designed. There should be periods where you are pushed along with some time to recover. Heart rate goes up and then down for maximum growth.

Too Easy: At times a class may be too easy. You don't feel like your heart is moving and you are almost never out of breath. The class may be more for beginners or people that are just starting their fitness journey. Consider bumping up to a different class or incorporating more intense exercises.

Do Younger Generations Have a Commitment to Democracy?

There are those articles that sort of shock us to think. I was reading an article in the May issue of the Foreign Policy Journal and there was a discussion on the commitment and belief that democracy is a desirable form of government. For Americans over 60% 2/3rds of people believe that democracy is their preferred governmental style while only 1/3rd of younger Americans did.

What? I had to take a double look!

There it was again! Apparently, younger generations have been exposed online to many different forms of government but don't have a real grasp of democracy. The problem is that we are not showing them the power of democracy...we have sort of perverted it within the political process.

While they may know the basics of democracy they have no idea what its like in non-democracies. They are disconnected from founding principles. I guess we should have kept some equivalent to the Pledge of Allegiance.

Democracy was formed in smaller communities and people knew each other and were accountable to each other. Now we are separated by "classism", education, elitism, and large cities that don't allow people to know each other.

In other words, we are separate societies with an elite and those who follow. While this may have been the case since the beginning it is even more obvious and apparent as people with higher skills are not given opportunities reserved for well connected inner circles.

The political process is increasingly being seen as a method of supporting large businesses and investors without concerning oneself with the needs of all Americans. As those companies are capable of moving anywhere they have lost a connection to the American people.

Changing this is difficult. We need a sense of community and accountability. People must have opportunities to succeed and should not be locked out from a better life because they were not born into the equivalent of an "aristocratic family". All members of society should be accountable to each other with values we all agree on. Wealthy democracies persist but we ever have a problem with our global position and wealth we may just become a poor democracy and everything will change. If we are to change the country we need to change the thinking at the top.