Past Week's Offers | June 2007 | May 2007 |
The inBubbleEnd
We started inBubbleWrap with no fanfare - no important announcements or press releases. Heck, we never put a single marketing dollar into this wacky endeavor. So it is only fitting that we end in the same fashion. That's right, inBubbleGuy has lost his "inBubble," so from here on out he's just "Guy" as today is the last day of inBubbleWrap.
Since I've always been overly revealing and self-deprecating, I figure it's only fitting to tell you the story of this here final post.
Keep Reading...especially to find out what is today's offfer!
HOW!
When they say, "Things aint like they used to be," they really mean, THINGS AINT LIKE THEY USED TO BE. Unless of course, by "used to be" you mean "the Kansas City Royal are in last place," or "Ted Danson Rules," or "Tricky Dick Cheney is obsessively and dangerously secretive," or even, "Root Beer is the best soda pop ever." Ok, so some things ARE like they used to be. But this world of business that we live in, it sure aint like it used to be. Now, I understand that the phrase, "Things aint like they used to be," is usually used to mean something negative. But in the case of "business aint like it used to be," or more appropriately, "business can't operate like it used to," the phrase's intention mean good things for the rest of the world. Why?
All the Tea in China
So I was working in a bar at nights and we just got a new manager. His plan was to essentially liquidate the inventory to gauge sales so as not to over order beer and liquor. You wouldn't believe how insane the bartenders and wait staff became, having to constantly tell customers, "Sorry we're out of that." The whole place was freaking out! But one night after close, I was sitting with one of the veteran barkeeps discussing how to best handle the situation. We decided that this was the bar's chance to expose customers to new drinks similar to what they were used to.
"Can I get a Bud?"
"I'm really sorry, but we're temporarily out of Bud, but if you want something similar, we have a local lager that I think really blows Bud away. It's a tad bit more expensive, but the taste difference is really worth it, and it's local."
It didn't always work or please the customer, but quite often it did, and ultimately it allowed the bartenders to develop better relationships with the customers. And to top it off, sales increased on nights this veteran bartender worked.
No Solitary Genius
Creativity can be daunting. If you're like me, you have all these crazy ideas floating around in your head, but most of them just sit there undeveloped. Sometimes it feels like there's some form of outside pressure bearing down on my brain, not letting ideas flow or flourish. I've tried to pinpoint the cause of this on many occasions and come up with no answers. But thanks to a new book, I now see things a bit differently. Keith Sawyer has helped me realize that creativity is "not an individual gift; solitary genius is a myth." Keith's new book is, Group Genius: The Creative Power of Collaboration, and if you or your organization feel creatively stuck, perhaps it is because you are too much like me - you place the burden of creativity on yourself instead of letting it be a collaborative process.
The Clean Tech Revolution
Sometimes it takes us United Statesians waaaay too long to get on the ball. Until recently, one southern city (can't remember which) still had a law on the books making it illegal to carry an ice cream cone in one's pocket. Whuh? That's ludicrous. The best example, though, of being dangerously slow to the punch is the current "clean tech revolution." Seriously, how long have really smart people - you know, SCIENTISTS - been telling us that business-as-usual was totally wreaking havoc on the environment and jeopardizing our future? But since it was just a "social" issue championed by "environmentalists," nothing got done. But guess what? People FINALLY realized that being "green" resulted in more "green" in the wallet. That's right, clean tech is now a moneymaking enterprise. Well, better late than never I suppose. So, since clean tech is pushing into the mainstream, ready to explode, you might want to know how to get in the game. If so, Ron Pernick and Clint Wilder have the resource for you. It's aptly titled, The Clean Tech Revolution.
A Definition for the Ages
Sometimes, we the 8cr crew become seriously involved in the advancement of intellectual causes. We think this world is too stuck in generalities. So many words have lost meaning due to overuse, misuse, and abuse. That's why I, inBubbleGuy, and my younger inBubbleBrother, spent the last two days very specifically defining a word that gets thrown around more than Paris Hilton stories do in the mainstream press. For two and a half days now, the 8cr office has been heated in debate, conjecture, deductive reasoning, circular reasoning, philosophical understanding, and brilliant analogy. So what you ask is the topic at hand?
SPORT
Seriously folks, when the word "finance" has been called by one man, "our true national sport," it's time somebody takes a stand. Dylan and Ryan Schleicher are up to the challenge. George Carlin had a great bit on this a while back, but he's a funny man looking for a laugh, which caused him to used flawed logic.
Your Boss is a Nut Job
You think you have a crazy boss? Take 2 minutes and 16 seconds to watch THIS GUY.
Seriously, did you watch it? How freaking awesome was the rosin bag grenade toss that landed perfectly at the feet of the umpire??? Wow!
Or maybe your boss is more like THIS NUTJOB...
There are a lot of whack job bosses out there. Sometimes they even disguise themselves as normal people. But get them in a hairy situation and watch out. And who better to write about insane managers than the always entertaining and insightful Stanley Bing. Nobody! That's why today's book is Stanley's own,Crazy Bosses.
