Every once in a while, someone comes up with an idea that just blows my socks off. Tele-Aide is one of those ideas. The founder, Greg Firely contacted me via email about doing a quick write up on his business and I glanced over it and the other 10 I received that day without very much attention.
After catching up with Greg on the phone and talking about his product, I am really excited about it and how much help it will provide the community. It is truly unique and offers families peace of mind for their loved ones as well as themselves. Read on...
Tele-Aide was a concept born out of experience and resulting in a necessity for families to really keep an eye on their loved ones. Almost everyone has someone close to them who may be older, sick, and/or lives alone. Some may even be far enough away where daily visits are impossible, and let's face it, in today's world, daily calls are even a stretch. Families find themselves with a need for checking up on their loved ones who may need daily contact to be sure that they are safe and well.
Tele-Aide answers that need. For a relatively small fee, Tele-Aide will contact your loved ones on a daily basis making sure they are well, have taken their medicine, if they are in need of any help, or if they are generally in good shape. Tele-Aide also provides reports to the relatives on any and all activity with calls that were made, what type of activity took place during those calls, and emergency calls to family if anything should be urgent.
Once they get a client, they start a profile on the patient. That profile includes things like the nearest emergency room, first responders, etc. so that if anything is to happen, or if the patient is in need of immediate help, they can respond with the fastest course of action. It also includes a health assessment from an RN for the patient to ensure that calls will include important information.
Tele-aide is an outbound service only. Meaning, they will make the contact to the patient on a daily basis with procedures in place, usually defined with the help of the family, specific to that patient. The patient doesn't have to check in at all. All calls are made directly from Tele-Aide. If there is no response on the first call, they may wait 20 minutes to make a second attempt. If no answer they may wait another 20 and then put into action a call for help by local authorities and contact family.
Calls will be made based off of family needs. Perhaps the patient may be out a specific time during doctor visits, or a bridge league. All calls will be made to ensure the highest level of safety is reached as it pertains to each individual patient.
With families moving farther and farther away, this service is invaluable and may even pay for itself. Cheaper than the gas someone might spend making multiple visits a month, you get the peace of mind of knowing your family member is being contacted every day to ensure their safety.
I've never heard of a service like this and believe it to be the first of its kind, although I haven't researched enough to verify it. A company like this, especially being a local company, is invaluable to the community. It has the potential to provide numerous jobs and be a real asset to the community, keeping its residents safe and their families comfortable knowing that there is someone there to keep an eye on them.
Check out the website and pass it along to anyone you know who might have this need. It's a great service to have in order to help you manage your daily schedule and have peace of mind knowing that your loved ones are being looked after.
Monday, February 28, 2011
The Conshohocken Cafe is a Hit!
If you've been through Conshohocken lately you may or may not have noticed the new cafe in town. Opened about 3 months ago, it was born out of a relationship formed by two friends who found each other playing poker, of all things.
Mike Orchewski (I know this spelling is murdered, sorry Mike!), owned On a Roll, which was literally located next to the building where the Cafe now resides at 521 Fayette St. and Tim Mulvey, an energy drink promotional manager and sales exec came up with the idea when the new location opened up.
"We realized that there were no locally owned cafe's in downtown Conshohocken to service all of the businesses that reside in the area. With the Conshy towers a walking distance away, and Conshohocken attracting a younger crowd for shopping and just hanging out on the weekends, the idea seemed to have some legs.", said Tim.
The Cafe is elegantly casual and provides a very calming and friendly atmosphere to enjoy breakfast or lunch, or even just a cup of coffee in the morning by yourself or with friends.
Bucks County Coffee supplies the coffee and the Cafe is the only retail place in the area to do so once again. The menu also provides a ton of comfort foods as well as some very unique recipes for soups, sandwiches, and other dishes that may be considered eclectic but are fantastic and a welcome change to just grilled cheese sandwiches and chicken fingers.
Friends pitched in to help get the place up and running with construction, marketing and other start up essentials. It truly is a local business and if you stop into Conshy, you'll be missing out if you don't hit this place up for a bite to eat or even just a cup of coffee while resting your feet.
You can become a fan of the Cafe on Facebook by clicking here.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Small business and Technology
I've written about this before, but I had a conversation with a friend this past weekend who is starting a new business and thought revisiting the topic has value. That is, the competitive advantage you can gain by using technology to help your small business. Examples and, well, cliche's are abundant when discussing this topic. "Make a $5,000 a month business out of your house appear to be a multi-national conglomerate by utilizing a website, 800 number, and fancy email addresses." It's possible that this is what your business needs. If your selling on-line across the country, looking like a seasoned, well established company has its benefits. If you're a coffee shop, you're probably better off staying as grass roots as possible.
So let's look at our options to use technology and try to gain a better understanding of what each one entails.
Website: Ten years ago, everyone wanted a website. Fancy ones as well. The Website was your portal for the outside world. You could communicate anything you wanted and reach as many people as possible. As long as they visited your site. The reality was, and still is today, that getting visitors is expensive, time consuming, and a full time job if you want to do it right. Websites are relatively cheap, if you're looking to just throw a page or three up there and manage it yourself. To do it right, or at least in line with competitors, you're looking at $3000 minimum. Graphic art work, HTML, Code, URL registrations, hosting, and a plethora of other things all add to this cost.
Email database: To build a database of customers in a relatively small time frame is paramount to getting your kids to eat their peas. It's frustrating, time consuming, and expensive. Unless you know what you're doing. Even then, it becomes at least two of the aforementioned pain points. A local business can use tactics to make this easier, such as asking for an email address at the point of purchase. But you can never really validate if you're getting good info until you send out the first email.
Social networking: In contrast to my statement above regarding websites, today, everyone wants a Facebook page. That statement holds a lot of merit as well. Social networking has gotten so mainstream that even the media uses it to provide coverage. How many people get their news from Facebook? You'd be surprised. I remember taking a nap after the Eagles were down 24-3 at the half versus the Giants. When I woke up at 6pm, I asked someone what the final of the game was. "I don't know but I think they won. GO Eagles and stuff like that is all over Facebook". So the message, or news, was relayed to me via info gotten off of Facebook, not ESPN. Facebook isn't the only form of social networking. Twitter and Foursquare are also valuable tools that allow you to communicate with potential customers as well.
Learning how to use these tools is imperative. Traditional advertising, such as print, TV, and radio have their place in delivering your message, but social networking is proving to be just as potent. If not more. Some take the thought process a little further... Why pay for traditional advertising if I can get the same results via a free social media site? Some just say, why not throw the book at everyone. Utilize every single tactic available to us that fits within our budget.
How I went about this was very simple. How much do I want/ have to spend on marketing? Once I knew that number... what tactics are available... one I had that list... Sort the list out from highest cost to lowest cost. Then another sort of time commitments on each tactic. From there you just keep asking yourself questions to determine what is the best fit.
The reality is, in order to be successful, you have to utilize something. Your competitors are using it. Your potential customers are finding their products and services via these outlets. So how do you go about it? You already own a business, or are in the process of starting one up. To have gotten this far, you already have the skill sets to figure this out. Planning out your strategy isn't going to be easy. You will ask questions. You will research and find answers. You may even seek help from professionals. What is the cost of doing so? And what benefit are you getting by approving those expenditures?
Case studies on this topic are abundant. Look at newer businesses in the area. They utilize Social media before they are even open, and have basically forgone websites, because, well.... Why bother? I'll reach more people via social media in a much shorter time frame than any website would be able to accomplish. So why spend the money. They're not ignoring the need for a website. They're just recognizing that the cost of the website is better put off down the road until they start realizing some revenue.
There are tons of articles on this as well as agencies and firms that can help you figure all of this out. My suggestions are to learn as much as possible before hiring someone to do the work. Educate yourself on what social media can really do. What type of website do you need? How do you go about gathering emails for an email campaign?
Set yourself on a plan of action. Talk to your friends, customers, family. Find out how they use social media. What are there preferences when shopping or looking for products or services. Social Networking sites can be used as almost a website in and of itself with the use of fan pages, etc...
Do the research, write the plan, and follow the plan. You'll find your business doing better for it.
So let's look at our options to use technology and try to gain a better understanding of what each one entails.
Website: Ten years ago, everyone wanted a website. Fancy ones as well. The Website was your portal for the outside world. You could communicate anything you wanted and reach as many people as possible. As long as they visited your site. The reality was, and still is today, that getting visitors is expensive, time consuming, and a full time job if you want to do it right. Websites are relatively cheap, if you're looking to just throw a page or three up there and manage it yourself. To do it right, or at least in line with competitors, you're looking at $3000 minimum. Graphic art work, HTML, Code, URL registrations, hosting, and a plethora of other things all add to this cost.
Email database: To build a database of customers in a relatively small time frame is paramount to getting your kids to eat their peas. It's frustrating, time consuming, and expensive. Unless you know what you're doing. Even then, it becomes at least two of the aforementioned pain points. A local business can use tactics to make this easier, such as asking for an email address at the point of purchase. But you can never really validate if you're getting good info until you send out the first email.
Social networking: In contrast to my statement above regarding websites, today, everyone wants a Facebook page. That statement holds a lot of merit as well. Social networking has gotten so mainstream that even the media uses it to provide coverage. How many people get their news from Facebook? You'd be surprised. I remember taking a nap after the Eagles were down 24-3 at the half versus the Giants. When I woke up at 6pm, I asked someone what the final of the game was. "I don't know but I think they won. GO Eagles and stuff like that is all over Facebook". So the message, or news, was relayed to me via info gotten off of Facebook, not ESPN. Facebook isn't the only form of social networking. Twitter and Foursquare are also valuable tools that allow you to communicate with potential customers as well.
Learning how to use these tools is imperative. Traditional advertising, such as print, TV, and radio have their place in delivering your message, but social networking is proving to be just as potent. If not more. Some take the thought process a little further... Why pay for traditional advertising if I can get the same results via a free social media site? Some just say, why not throw the book at everyone. Utilize every single tactic available to us that fits within our budget.
How I went about this was very simple. How much do I want/ have to spend on marketing? Once I knew that number... what tactics are available... one I had that list... Sort the list out from highest cost to lowest cost. Then another sort of time commitments on each tactic. From there you just keep asking yourself questions to determine what is the best fit.
The reality is, in order to be successful, you have to utilize something. Your competitors are using it. Your potential customers are finding their products and services via these outlets. So how do you go about it? You already own a business, or are in the process of starting one up. To have gotten this far, you already have the skill sets to figure this out. Planning out your strategy isn't going to be easy. You will ask questions. You will research and find answers. You may even seek help from professionals. What is the cost of doing so? And what benefit are you getting by approving those expenditures?
Case studies on this topic are abundant. Look at newer businesses in the area. They utilize Social media before they are even open, and have basically forgone websites, because, well.... Why bother? I'll reach more people via social media in a much shorter time frame than any website would be able to accomplish. So why spend the money. They're not ignoring the need for a website. They're just recognizing that the cost of the website is better put off down the road until they start realizing some revenue.
There are tons of articles on this as well as agencies and firms that can help you figure all of this out. My suggestions are to learn as much as possible before hiring someone to do the work. Educate yourself on what social media can really do. What type of website do you need? How do you go about gathering emails for an email campaign?
Set yourself on a plan of action. Talk to your friends, customers, family. Find out how they use social media. What are there preferences when shopping or looking for products or services. Social Networking sites can be used as almost a website in and of itself with the use of fan pages, etc...
Do the research, write the plan, and follow the plan. You'll find your business doing better for it.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Happy New Years Resolution!
Aaaah New Years! What promise! What hope! A redo if you will. Everyone gets to celebrate the ending of the previous year, relax from a hectic month of Holidays, and perhaps, set new goals for the upcoming year.
It's all about promise! This is why New Years Resolutions are so popular. It's a starting point. A time that is globally defined as a new start. So let's look at some of the ones I've read....
Spend more time with the family, start a new business, learn more, be more patient, quit something like smoking, soda, candy, or some other bad habit. Get organized, or revisit some old relationships. Of course, another of the most common New Years resolution is to lose weight.
The reality is that most of these resolutions never get off the ground for several reasons. An inability to realize the time, financial, and sometimes, emotional commitment puts a damper on most resolutions before they even get off the ground. This all comes from a lack of planning. "Let's lose weight", is an easy statement to make. The actual task of losing weight gets lost because of all of the work needed to research the way that will fit your schedule and budget puts a damper on it before you even get off the ground! So much for that resolution!
Losing weight means changing your diet, adding exercise, and having the discipline to follow through. Here are a few sites you can check out to help build a better diet...
Nutrition
Dieting
Dieting help
The next part isn't so easy. Actually, it is, but exercise is a funny thing. Running down the road all by yourself when you haven't attempted to run at all, ever, is boring and demotivating. Trying to build a weight lifting program without help and knowledge is useless. I once read a weight loss story which I thought was the best I ever heard. A father of three was over 300 lbs and did nothing but sit on the couch after getting home from work. One day he decided to do something about it. So he got up off the couch and ran til he couldn't run anymore. He would then walk back to the house. His first run went for two blocks. Everyday he would increase his distance by a little more than the day before. In a year he ran a marathon and had lost over 150lbs.
That is a very simple plan and seems to be achieved very easily. The reality is, most of us don't have to lose 150 lbs., nor would we have the sense of urgency OR the discipline to do so. Another reality is that we humans are social creatures and gyms are plentiful for a reason. We need interaction, so working out in a gym with other people is comforting and even motivating.
But Gyms are hard to find. Well, the right gym is hard to find. Not everyone feels comfortable in a body building gym or a larger type gym where they have to compete against 20 year old Gods and Goddesses. Other gyms are for women only, and some seem like they are more geared to rehabilitating geriatric patients. No offense! :) So where is one to go? Have you researched all your options?
Well, in East Norriton, Jeff and Megan Sweitzer are opening Retro fitness. Expected to open in the next month, Retro Fitness is a new gym offering memberships that should fit everyone budgets!
They make it easy to join with memberships that are almost half of traditional gyms. Their facility in East Norriton is going to be over 16,000 sqft. with everything imaginable. Including, what I think is brilliant, a movie room with treadmills and other cardiovascular machines inside of a huge movie theater which they call the Retro Theater. You can watch the daily movie while running, walking, or stepping. Truly a unique idea. Free weights, nautilus, and personal training classes fill out the offering for their members in order to be as efficient as possible in their obtaining their weight loss goals.
Jeff and Megan weren't looking for a business opportunity. Jeff was a member at a Retro fitness and loved the idea. Week after week memberships kept rising. "We decided to look into the opportunity to open our own franchise with an open mind. We decided we would pursue the idea until we saw a red flag. That red flag never came", said Megan. And here they are today. They have a pre-sale office opened up next to where the gym is going to open and you can pop in for a quick tour, info and even sign up.
The gym, a franchise that started about 5 years ago in New Jersey, is seeing unprecedented growth with over 70 locations already in operation. The benefits are a huge gym atmosphere with a very colorful atmosphere, juice bars, massage and chiropractic area and even child care room for the cost of half of competing gyms.
The energy the owners bring is sure to rub off on their members and the staff is there to help you reach your goals. They're also there to help you reach your goals in a realistic way. I like this gym so much, I joined myself!
If you're serious about losing weight, or getting in shape, do the work you need to before undertaking this most difficult task. Research eating right. Research what type of exercise and what frequency you will need to obtain your goals. Research how to go about defining your goals. See a doctor to be sure of what kind of program you should be pursuing, and look into this location as a solution for your gym. Head over to their pre-sales office where Megan will be more than happy to show you the benefits of Retro fitness and how it can fit into your lifestyle.
It's all about promise! This is why New Years Resolutions are so popular. It's a starting point. A time that is globally defined as a new start. So let's look at some of the ones I've read....
Spend more time with the family, start a new business, learn more, be more patient, quit something like smoking, soda, candy, or some other bad habit. Get organized, or revisit some old relationships. Of course, another of the most common New Years resolution is to lose weight.
The reality is that most of these resolutions never get off the ground for several reasons. An inability to realize the time, financial, and sometimes, emotional commitment puts a damper on most resolutions before they even get off the ground. This all comes from a lack of planning. "Let's lose weight", is an easy statement to make. The actual task of losing weight gets lost because of all of the work needed to research the way that will fit your schedule and budget puts a damper on it before you even get off the ground! So much for that resolution!
Losing weight means changing your diet, adding exercise, and having the discipline to follow through. Here are a few sites you can check out to help build a better diet...
Nutrition
Dieting
Dieting help
The next part isn't so easy. Actually, it is, but exercise is a funny thing. Running down the road all by yourself when you haven't attempted to run at all, ever, is boring and demotivating. Trying to build a weight lifting program without help and knowledge is useless. I once read a weight loss story which I thought was the best I ever heard. A father of three was over 300 lbs and did nothing but sit on the couch after getting home from work. One day he decided to do something about it. So he got up off the couch and ran til he couldn't run anymore. He would then walk back to the house. His first run went for two blocks. Everyday he would increase his distance by a little more than the day before. In a year he ran a marathon and had lost over 150lbs.
That is a very simple plan and seems to be achieved very easily. The reality is, most of us don't have to lose 150 lbs., nor would we have the sense of urgency OR the discipline to do so. Another reality is that we humans are social creatures and gyms are plentiful for a reason. We need interaction, so working out in a gym with other people is comforting and even motivating.
But Gyms are hard to find. Well, the right gym is hard to find. Not everyone feels comfortable in a body building gym or a larger type gym where they have to compete against 20 year old Gods and Goddesses. Other gyms are for women only, and some seem like they are more geared to rehabilitating geriatric patients. No offense! :) So where is one to go? Have you researched all your options?
Well, in East Norriton, Jeff and Megan Sweitzer are opening Retro fitness. Expected to open in the next month, Retro Fitness is a new gym offering memberships that should fit everyone budgets!
They make it easy to join with memberships that are almost half of traditional gyms. Their facility in East Norriton is going to be over 16,000 sqft. with everything imaginable. Including, what I think is brilliant, a movie room with treadmills and other cardiovascular machines inside of a huge movie theater which they call the Retro Theater. You can watch the daily movie while running, walking, or stepping. Truly a unique idea. Free weights, nautilus, and personal training classes fill out the offering for their members in order to be as efficient as possible in their obtaining their weight loss goals.
Jeff and Megan weren't looking for a business opportunity. Jeff was a member at a Retro fitness and loved the idea. Week after week memberships kept rising. "We decided to look into the opportunity to open our own franchise with an open mind. We decided we would pursue the idea until we saw a red flag. That red flag never came", said Megan. And here they are today. They have a pre-sale office opened up next to where the gym is going to open and you can pop in for a quick tour, info and even sign up.
The gym, a franchise that started about 5 years ago in New Jersey, is seeing unprecedented growth with over 70 locations already in operation. The benefits are a huge gym atmosphere with a very colorful atmosphere, juice bars, massage and chiropractic area and even child care room for the cost of half of competing gyms.
The energy the owners bring is sure to rub off on their members and the staff is there to help you reach your goals. They're also there to help you reach your goals in a realistic way. I like this gym so much, I joined myself!
If you're serious about losing weight, or getting in shape, do the work you need to before undertaking this most difficult task. Research eating right. Research what type of exercise and what frequency you will need to obtain your goals. Research how to go about defining your goals. See a doctor to be sure of what kind of program you should be pursuing, and look into this location as a solution for your gym. Head over to their pre-sales office where Megan will be more than happy to show you the benefits of Retro fitness and how it can fit into your lifestyle.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Local Holiday Guide!
Trying to figure out what to get your loved ones for the Holiday is a daunting task in an of itself. Trying to find out WHERE to get it is another story. I've designed this post to help guide you through local businesses that can provide you with all the gifts you could possibly want!
Bob and Ron's Worldwide Stereo!
For almost three decades, Bob & Ron’s World Wide Stereo has been one of the nation's leading providers of emerging technologies, both cutting edge and practical in the consumer electronics arena. With a reputation for integrity and quality, World Wide Stereo has survived the test of time by offering personal service, award winning installations, and competitive pricing. An organization that finds its foundation in the credo, “ Doing well by doing good", World Wide Stereo continues to maintain this philosophy by giving back to the community and providing products that truly do bring families together. A full service custom creative design and installation team brings the finest Audio, Video, Home Theater and Home Integration products to reality. With two showrooms on Rt 309 in Montgomeryville and in the Ardmore plaza on the Main Line, Bob & Ron’s World Wide Stereo continues to exceed customer's expectations
Main Line Hobbies
Main line Hobbies bills themselves as the east coasts largest slot car store! Having brought my kids to the place I can attest to its size and selection. Truly a fun place to go for just spending the day (they have a huge open track that you can run your own cars on), or to take part in their Saturday races. The knowledge and experience in this place is enough to teach even the most experienced slot car racers about new products, building new cars, or even racing. For those wishing to get introduced into the world of slot car racing, or get their kids interested, this is truly the place you need to be. With a full selection of cars, tracks, parts, and even detail kits, you can't go wrong. Conveniently located on Hannah Ave in East Norriton.
Francesco and Giovanni Salon
For that special someone in your life. Whether it be your mom, your sister, your wife, or even your husband, Francesco and Giovanni offers something for all. Hair cuts and coloring are just the tip of the iceberg. F&G offer a huge selection of spa packages for both men and women. From Bridal packages, to the "Gentleman's Handshake", there's enough to choose from for all of the people on your list! During the Holiday Season, F&G is offering an additional $20 for every $100 in gift cards you buy. They also have a huge line of salon products to add to any stocking! Check them out!
Conshohocken Italian Bakery
Voted the #1 bakery in Philly, how can you go wrong by hitting this place up for Holiday eats? The best rolls, tomato pie, Italian baked goods, cookies, pastries, etc... I almost feel stupid including this in here because you MUST already know about this place! Truly a treasure for those who live in the area!
Chiccarines Fine Jewelery and Diamonds
When I asked about Jewelers in Montgomery County, I kept hearing about this place. Service, quality and customer satisfaction are #1 and it's evident throughout the community. Located in Collegeville, Chiccarines takes special care in helping customers choose the right piece of jewelry and for the right price. They want you as their customer forever, and they go out of their way to make you feel like family.
Tailwind Bicycles
Way up in Schwenksville, the staff at Tailwind can help you with all of your questions. Located on the Perkiomen Trail, Tailwind specializes in mountain bikes and road bikes. With over 300 bikes in stock, they will certainly have no shortage of models from the beginning rider to the most experienced. They can service anyone and everyone, from children's bikes to high end road bikes. They also offer lessons, rentals and gift certificates for the riding enthusiast in your life! Check out the site for everything they offer!
Check back tomorrow for more local businesses and gift ideas!
Bob and Ron's Worldwide Stereo!
For almost three decades, Bob & Ron’s World Wide Stereo has been one of the nation's leading providers of emerging technologies, both cutting edge and practical in the consumer electronics arena. With a reputation for integrity and quality, World Wide Stereo has survived the test of time by offering personal service, award winning installations, and competitive pricing. An organization that finds its foundation in the credo, “ Doing well by doing good", World Wide Stereo continues to maintain this philosophy by giving back to the community and providing products that truly do bring families together. A full service custom creative design and installation team brings the finest Audio, Video, Home Theater and Home Integration products to reality. With two showrooms on Rt 309 in Montgomeryville and in the Ardmore plaza on the Main Line, Bob & Ron’s World Wide Stereo continues to exceed customer's expectations
Main Line Hobbies
Main line Hobbies bills themselves as the east coasts largest slot car store! Having brought my kids to the place I can attest to its size and selection. Truly a fun place to go for just spending the day (they have a huge open track that you can run your own cars on), or to take part in their Saturday races. The knowledge and experience in this place is enough to teach even the most experienced slot car racers about new products, building new cars, or even racing. For those wishing to get introduced into the world of slot car racing, or get their kids interested, this is truly the place you need to be. With a full selection of cars, tracks, parts, and even detail kits, you can't go wrong. Conveniently located on Hannah Ave in East Norriton.
Francesco and Giovanni Salon
For that special someone in your life. Whether it be your mom, your sister, your wife, or even your husband, Francesco and Giovanni offers something for all. Hair cuts and coloring are just the tip of the iceberg. F&G offer a huge selection of spa packages for both men and women. From Bridal packages, to the "Gentleman's Handshake", there's enough to choose from for all of the people on your list! During the Holiday Season, F&G is offering an additional $20 for every $100 in gift cards you buy. They also have a huge line of salon products to add to any stocking! Check them out!
Conshohocken Italian Bakery
Voted the #1 bakery in Philly, how can you go wrong by hitting this place up for Holiday eats? The best rolls, tomato pie, Italian baked goods, cookies, pastries, etc... I almost feel stupid including this in here because you MUST already know about this place! Truly a treasure for those who live in the area!
Chiccarines Fine Jewelery and Diamonds
When I asked about Jewelers in Montgomery County, I kept hearing about this place. Service, quality and customer satisfaction are #1 and it's evident throughout the community. Located in Collegeville, Chiccarines takes special care in helping customers choose the right piece of jewelry and for the right price. They want you as their customer forever, and they go out of their way to make you feel like family.
Tailwind Bicycles
Way up in Schwenksville, the staff at Tailwind can help you with all of your questions. Located on the Perkiomen Trail, Tailwind specializes in mountain bikes and road bikes. With over 300 bikes in stock, they will certainly have no shortage of models from the beginning rider to the most experienced. They can service anyone and everyone, from children's bikes to high end road bikes. They also offer lessons, rentals and gift certificates for the riding enthusiast in your life! Check out the site for everything they offer!
Check back tomorrow for more local businesses and gift ideas!
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Happy Thanksgiving!
Here's wishing a very Happy and Safe Thanksgiving to all of you out there. This is truly one of my favorite holidays.
I've been working on a post the last few weeks. I've had discussions with some pretty smart people. Professors, Finance folk, and just some pretty brainy people. The conversations centered around the economy.
The question I am asking is what has more impact on the other... The global economy on the local, or the local economy on the Global?
Arguments could be made for either, but what I am finding out is that the answer is more important (and complicated) than you think.
I will also be spreading the word this entire month about where you can go to do your Holiday shopping LOCALLY! If you don't already know, there are some pretty cool places to go find the perfect present for your loved ones! Everything from electronics to clothes!
I've been working on a post the last few weeks. I've had discussions with some pretty smart people. Professors, Finance folk, and just some pretty brainy people. The conversations centered around the economy.
The question I am asking is what has more impact on the other... The global economy on the local, or the local economy on the Global?
Arguments could be made for either, but what I am finding out is that the answer is more important (and complicated) than you think.
I will also be spreading the word this entire month about where you can go to do your Holiday shopping LOCALLY! If you don't already know, there are some pretty cool places to go find the perfect present for your loved ones! Everything from electronics to clothes!
Saturday, November 13, 2010
It's the process man!
I've written about this before and probably will again, but it never ceases to amaze me... that is the power of an idea with a dose of passion, a smidgen of ambition and the right approach to defining and achieving their goals.
When someone gets an idea in their head, and really focuses on the possibilities, the outcome only becomes dependent on effort. The freedoms we have within this country make the success of these ideas possible. Not the success, but the ability to achieve that success. But why are some successful and some aren't? It's the process put in place to achieve the end game.
In my travels this past week, I ran into 4 specific people from my past. All had spent years embarking on a journey to see their ideas come to a realization. In all cases they were ideas turned into business opportunities. One was a product, two were a service, and the 4th was based on delivering content to the masses. What they are isn't important. What is important is the approach they all took to achieve their goals.
In all cases strategies where defined, objectives where stated, and tactics where implemented to realize their goals surrounding their IDEA. The highlighted statement is what all four spoke about WITHOUT using those specific words.
It's a process that is utilized everyday by the most successful businesses/companies/people. It's a process that gives the idea the most chance at success. In fact if you can define each one, the only way you fail is if you don't do the work. It's what separates the successful from the ones that never really achieve full potential.
It simplifies the complex to allow results in the most efficient manner. It's what I see everyday in local business. It's how they win. It's how they are successful, proven time and time again.
When an idea, goal or initiative is approached in this manner, success is easier achieved. More importantly, success is more clearly defined and measured as well. It also allows you, or makes you think smarter about your business enabling you to take your idea further, or on a larger track if so desired.
That process isn't only relegated to the business world either. You can and should use it in everyday life. Let's look at an example...
Two different families think about taking the family to Disney World next year. Both need to save for it because neither will have the disposable income come next fall.
One family marks it on the calendar and says "We think we can make this happen, we'll discuss it after the holidays". The other starts the process.
IDEA: We want to take the family to Disneyland next fall.
Objective: Have enough money and time to be able to do so
Strategy: Cut expenses, earn more money
tactics: Less eating out, smaller birthday parties for the kids, get a part time job, have a garage sale, sell other things on ebay/ craigslist/ classified ads, smaller Christmas this year
Which family do you think has the better chance of getting to Disney world next fall? The family that started the process is almost halfway there. They still have questions to ask, such as how much will the trip actually cost, what options are available, how long can they go, how much will they have to save/ earn/ etc, to make it happen. But the process has been started, and they are building a road map to achieve a stated goal.
Now, nothing gets done without doing the work. The process however, defines the work that is needed. It doesn't create unnecessary work, rather it clearly defines the work that is needed to achieve your goals.
The best small businesses utilize this process everyday. Whether they want to expand, add a product line, build a larger building, add more employees, whatever. The process allows them to do it intelligently and do it smarter.
If you have an idea (I don't know anyone who hasn't spoken about something they wanted to do as a business), start to think about it in this way. You'll be amazed how real it becomes.
When someone gets an idea in their head, and really focuses on the possibilities, the outcome only becomes dependent on effort. The freedoms we have within this country make the success of these ideas possible. Not the success, but the ability to achieve that success. But why are some successful and some aren't? It's the process put in place to achieve the end game.
In my travels this past week, I ran into 4 specific people from my past. All had spent years embarking on a journey to see their ideas come to a realization. In all cases they were ideas turned into business opportunities. One was a product, two were a service, and the 4th was based on delivering content to the masses. What they are isn't important. What is important is the approach they all took to achieve their goals.
In all cases strategies where defined, objectives where stated, and tactics where implemented to realize their goals surrounding their IDEA. The highlighted statement is what all four spoke about WITHOUT using those specific words.
It's a process that is utilized everyday by the most successful businesses/companies/people. It's a process that gives the idea the most chance at success. In fact if you can define each one, the only way you fail is if you don't do the work. It's what separates the successful from the ones that never really achieve full potential.
It simplifies the complex to allow results in the most efficient manner. It's what I see everyday in local business. It's how they win. It's how they are successful, proven time and time again.
When an idea, goal or initiative is approached in this manner, success is easier achieved. More importantly, success is more clearly defined and measured as well. It also allows you, or makes you think smarter about your business enabling you to take your idea further, or on a larger track if so desired.
That process isn't only relegated to the business world either. You can and should use it in everyday life. Let's look at an example...
Two different families think about taking the family to Disney World next year. Both need to save for it because neither will have the disposable income come next fall.
One family marks it on the calendar and says "We think we can make this happen, we'll discuss it after the holidays". The other starts the process.
IDEA: We want to take the family to Disneyland next fall.
Objective: Have enough money and time to be able to do so
Strategy: Cut expenses, earn more money
tactics: Less eating out, smaller birthday parties for the kids, get a part time job, have a garage sale, sell other things on ebay/ craigslist/ classified ads, smaller Christmas this year
Which family do you think has the better chance of getting to Disney world next fall? The family that started the process is almost halfway there. They still have questions to ask, such as how much will the trip actually cost, what options are available, how long can they go, how much will they have to save/ earn/ etc, to make it happen. But the process has been started, and they are building a road map to achieve a stated goal.
Now, nothing gets done without doing the work. The process however, defines the work that is needed. It doesn't create unnecessary work, rather it clearly defines the work that is needed to achieve your goals.
The best small businesses utilize this process everyday. Whether they want to expand, add a product line, build a larger building, add more employees, whatever. The process allows them to do it intelligently and do it smarter.
If you have an idea (I don't know anyone who hasn't spoken about something they wanted to do as a business), start to think about it in this way. You'll be amazed how real it becomes.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)