Welcome to the launch into Blog-o-sphere at ShelDon. Here’s a quick synopsis of what’s coming up in the digital kitchens around this place.
Molly Andrews is our Jill of all Jobs at ShelDon. When we sat down last week to assign writing assignments to a few of the team… Molly’s name came up first. “For a chef out of the kitchen, never stops blending the creative ingredients of life”. Well we hope so at least. Turns out, Molly was a professional cook in the kitchens of the Northland for 20 years. If longevity in the kitchen means anything at all, she can clearly cook! Now writing a blog and submitting new recipes for success is our goal. But… so is eating. We hearty folk do like eat’n here in the northland. So while I’m on that topic a moment, my wife and I are recent transplants back to Duluth and looking for some feedback on the locals secret hide-outs that offer a truly incredible, mouth-watering delicacy.
Enter Molly, she likes to cook ya know and has always wanted to write a cookbook, (that’s really Minnesotan!) have it published & printed here at ShelDon – appropriate enough thought. However, when I assigned her the recipe chapters, she had a few reservations over the food choices we suggested. We think the recipes will be fun, quirky and hopefully tasty. She’s even promised to use us as her taste testers for these interesting new delicacies. We hope, that after a few in-house tasting days are under the belt… and we do not incur the wrath of the city licensing departments… to maybe open up the tasting sessions for our followers to come down and have a weekday picnic with our team. Stay tuned for Molly’s Tastes.
Getting back to me again – yes it’s about you… but it starts with me right now. Here I am back to Duluth after a 15 year exodus to the desert out west. I’m curious where one might find that great acoustical, folksy, finger-pick’n guitar hero… and not some kind of a video game? What entertainment spot is jamming with banjo-loving mid-lifers craving a blend of new-age bluegrass? Is it safe to ask for a place that allows one to occasionally lett loose by stomping and hollering? It’s been a month, and I'm craving a raging, ringing-wet greasy, onion-smelling (Jim's type) burger as well. You oldsters know what I’m asking for. Tell me where that Burger joint is hidden. Another beef (sic), what’s up with the local Oil Change joints that charge as much as ½ month’s car payment? Doesn’t any service station offer a deal around here? Come on lay it on if you have some feedback. This is a perfectly good time to segway into Jason Brickley’s new column - “Duluth Deals for Dad’s” .
Do you think only coupon-clipping moms are tight-fisted and watching budgets these days? We men gotta stick together and figure out a way to spread that green just as far as our women folk think they do. So Jason’s looking for help. Well more like watch out because Jason’s coming through all your doors out there to start asking every business to pony up some creative ideas to spread out the value of the dollar! Mom’s can share, but here’s the deal on the submissions you offer. Get real on your submissions: The rules are simple. If you’re running a special on $0.25 beers, we’ll spread the news like wildfire. You can turn the deal, on or off through our network – day or night, and really any hour of the day as you see fit. Tell us and we’ll spread that "tweet". On the other end, if own a family-friendly pool, gym, bowling alley, kid-friendly zone, quarter-eating spot…. come up with a Real Deal on the first couple games, give an hour away for some fun, free swim, etc. Dad’s buy food, t-shirts, pizzas and other goodies after the fact as well.
Now back to that $6.95 oil change that I’m still looking for. I know you’ll just break even on the goods. But you’re paying the staff anyways, and if you have the kind of service station (and staff) that I can trust to perform the other hundreds of dollars of repair my vehicular upkeep always costs, give me the oil change and earn the rights to brag about your auto techs! I’m done for now, but I just wanted to spread the word about the kind of requests that Jason’s looking to score for the Dad’s Deals of Duluth. Watch and contribute!
Now onto Aaron – our Sub Basement Creative (??) - there is absolutely nothing I can I say about Aaron’s new blog, as he jumped the the gun and wrote his own intro! He's a clever one you'll see. So just skip directly to his link right now if you chose to meet Aaron in The Sub Basement!
Finally, I hope to help GROW MARKETING awareness. My point is, the number 1 reason businesses fail, is FAILURE to Market! After acquiring an extensive library of marketing books, tricks, secrets for the past three decades – I finally decided that I hated all the fluff. If you’re a business owner I feel the pain of dealing with stupid ideas. However, there are some clever going’s on out there and maybe, you’re just not getting it – so I can’t help you here, but if there is an idea from my network that informs me of a way to get those customers to part with their dollars again – I’ll be sharing it!
Business Owners unite, here’s my challenge. Do not continue to waste this perfectly good recession! Great ideas come out of horrific conditions. The past several years has allowed me to work alongside many unique entrepreneurs and new small business start-ups. I’ve seen some really creative and super cool ideas succeed and other not-so-good plans collapse. Heck last year, I’m sure many of you couldn’t have given away your goods or services some days, as the customer wasn’t even willing to pay the gas to come pick up the goods. Been there, done it! Now we need to get those registers ringing again, and I will share simple, and easy marketing strategies to hopefully get those phones a ringing. If they do, please tell us!
Let’s chat, let’s share, let’s discuss how to’s of clever marketing ideas, sales launches, that are affordable for every small business owner. I repeat - check in, these ideas should work for EVERY business from the tiny 1-person firm to over 100’s.
Jump in if you wish to share your ideas, or in the very least offer some constructive feedback and/or criticism for the good, bad and great ideas.
I look forward to tasting some of Molly’s great Cod favorites, finally changing the oil on my 3,000+ miles over-the-warning label that's been staring at me from my car's windshield, wooing Aaron on after he's printed upon the impossible, like sending a door through a copier (?), and me - sharing some great no-fluff marketing strategies on the budget.
Welcome aboard.
Kevin
