Mary Schmidt Marketing Troubleshooter

Next week is “National Independents Week” (July 1-7). Many cities, including Albuquerque (and Santa Fe, Austin, Boulder), have Independent Business Alliances.

These alliances are to support the locally-owned businesses that make all our communities places we never want to leave. The local Mom & Pop pizza joint; the corner bistro; the specialty manufacturer that treats their employees like family; the natural living/free trade boutique; the organic markets and farmers; the cupcake bakery; the pie maker, up at 3 a.m. every morning to make crust from scratch; the spa; the architects; the designers…the people who live next door and down the street from you. (Think of your favorite places - I bet many of them are locally-owned.)

So, before you drive to Wal-Mart this weekend - think about your locally owned businesses. Sure, buy those diapers in bulk at Big Wally, but consider buying that gift for Grandma at your home town boutique.

Maybe instead of eating lunch at Applebee’s every time, eat once a week at the Mom & Pop sandwich shop (where they have daily freshly-made specials). We’ve got THOUSANDS of great little “joints” here in the quirky burque, (everything from New Mexican to Greek to Thai) and I bet you do too.

If you spend just 10% of your dollars at locally-owned businesses, it’ll make a HUGE difference in your local economy.

To find out more, visit American Independent Business Alliance

(And, if you’re in the Albuquerque area, come to our AIBA Indie Fiesta on Tuesday, July 1, from 6 to 8 p.m. We’re going to have some of that pie made from scratch by a member…and lots more!)

Tags: Independents Week, Albuquerque Independent Business Alliance, Independent Business Alliances

I do my best to be responsible but all this green stuff is exhausting! Even Wal-Mart is pitchin’ a brand of potato chips as “green!”

So, how - as marketers and consumers - do we separate the green goodness from the green noise? I don’t have the magical answer. However, I submit it all comes down to - ta-da! - good old-fashioned common sense. We simply can’t do everything, save everything, analyze everything to the micro degree (Are paper bags really the best choice? What’s the true bottom line costs of those hybrids? What really happens to all that glass I put in the recyclig bin?) Otherwise, we get so frazzled, we’ll just say to Hell with it.

So, here’s my own personal Greenie list:

1. Consume less. And doesn’t that sound pompous and simple-minded? But, really, I don’t need anything. I can check out books, DVDs, and magazines from the library. If I really feel I have to own a book - I can buy it used from the library. Then, I can donate others back to the system. Round and round it goes. I also have plenty of shoes; the old television works fine (and I can only watch one at a time); the car is paid for and practical; granite countertops aren’t going to make my food any tastier…and so on.

(I also use those gazillion canvas bags I’ve accumulated from years of trade shows for shopping. I’ve got all sizes and capacities. The trick is remembering to take them into the store.)

2. Drive less. Do I really need to run to the store right now? Or, can I plan my shopping route so I can hit all the places in one outing? (Yeah, I know this is hard if you’ve got a family, but it’s worth a shot. And, does everyone in the family really, truly need a car? Hmmmm…) I’m also driving slower (which, if you knew me, is downright miraculous.)

3. Buy used. Sure, some people turn their noses up at flea markets and thrift stores…and then turn around and pay Pottery Barn for a ripoff of something that sells for next to nothing at the Salvation Army. My personal example: My solid wood swivel chair. I paid $12 at the S.A.; a much lower-quality imitation is now “on sale!” at P.B. for $379.00. Anthropologie (which I love to browse, I admit) is nothing more than flea market stuff newly made at jaw-dropping prices (chenille bedspreads, pottery, etc.)

4. Give myself permission to say “to Hell with it” sometimes. It’s impossible to be perfect. So, yep, sometimes that glass jar goes right into the trash, unwashed. (I feel equal amounts of guilt and glee when I do this - my ego, id, and superego all do their little dances.)

As for green marketing, here’s a wacko idea - tell the truth. Don’t slap the green paint and buzzy words around and call it good.

Happy Friday! I’ll be hitting the flea markets tomorrow looking for patio furniture.

Related Post: Earth Day And Why Bother?

Tags: green marketing, green wash, green exhaustion

Why a hummingbird image? They make me ridiculously happy…

There are a gazillion self-help books and gurus out there…and most of what they say is pretty obvious. BUT, knowing and doing are two entirely different things. For example, I KNOW I’m happier and more productive when I take my coffee zen time every morning…yet this past week I found myself skipping it because I was “too busy.” Which means I’m truly fried by Friday.

So, here’s a quick reminder list for all of us, from Christophe Andre, author of l’Art du Bonheur (The Art of Happiness.)

1. Accept that there will be unpleasant things in life. All the time, every day, you’ll face hindrances….It’s part of life. There’s no point in being disappointed when things don’t go your way.

2. Open your eyes and look around. There are more opportunities for happiness than you think, certainly for a Westerner in 2008. Embrace the moments. Try to remember them. Enjoy them.

3. Take time out. The ability to pause, mentally as well as in your actions, is important. Taking breaks is a prerequisite for experiencing happiness.

4. Pay attention to your family and friends. Social ties are important for happiness.

5. Try to get in touch with nature every day. Take a walk in the park and spend a few minutes looking around.

6. Express your gratitude and respect for the good things you experience. Being thankful makes you happy and increases the chance of social connection.

All “obvious” but do we practice them?

Happy Friday! I’m off to get in touch with nature (otherwise known as digging and weeding…;-)

The hummingbird image is from the Manataka Indian Council. A Mayan legend says the hummingbird is actually the sun in disguise, and he is trying to court a beautiful woman, who is the moon.

Related Posts:
Martini Musing - Pssst! Look Around!
The Not-So-Big Life

First there was slow food. Then there was slow travel. I propose starting a slow networking movement. I don’t know about you - but I’m too old and have been around the block too many times to get excited about creating faux relationships in seven words or five minutes.

WARNING: I’m going to talk about sex now.

Now that everyone is glued to the screen...;-) I frequently get invitations to “speed” networking events. They always make me think of dating (after all, that’s what it is, only for business.) When dating, you get all fluffed and puffed (or shined and buffed if you’re a guy)…put on your best smile…sit down…and within about 2 minutes know if there’s any physical attraction. You may even - um - act on the attraction that very night. But, a relationship? That can take weeks to develop, if ever.

Instead of trying to sell to as many people as possible in as short a time as possible - let’s all slow down. People buy from people they like. They buy even more from people they love. We forgive people we like and love. We give them referrals without being asked. We promote their businesses, without being asked. We go out of our way to help them. This, however, means that we have a relationship - and that takes time and effort.

Slow Networking - less stressful, more fun, longer lasting.

P.S. And, now really - can you get excited based on this description of speed networking?

“Speednetworking.com, the premier solution to help you expand your network, brings the professional working community an innovative solution to enhance networking opportunities. You can now organize and host your own speed networking event. Powered by the patent-pending eXtreme Networking software, which schedules individual meetings based on attendee preferences, SpeedNetworking.com pioneering services are used by a wide array of firms and for a wealth of purposes.”

Oh dear. This makes me tired to even read. Corporate marketing speak at its “best.”

Related Post: Oh PUHLEASE! Buy From Me!

Tags: networking, speed networking, speed dating

As regular readers know, I’m totally, hopelessly addicted to reading - pretty much anything and everything (In a pinch, with no other choice, I’ve even been known to read software documentation!)

So, here are some recommendations of oldies but goodies for you to try. No socially-redeeming or biz value whatsoever. Simply great reads.

1. Rebecca, by Daphne Du Maurier. Story is instantly engaging, and the opening and closing pages are some of the best ever written, in my bookoholic opinion.

2. Dinner at Antoine’s, by Frances Parkinson Keyes. If you love intelligent yet entertaining writing and New Orleans, check this out. Your local library is sure to have a copy or you can pick up for bupkas at a used book sale somewhere. I got my copy for 50 cents at the Albuquerque library, complete with the original 1948 dust cover. (Personally I prefer Arnaud’s for dinner, but that’s me. I was there earlier this month and they’ve recovered completely from Katrina.)

3. Endangered Pleasures, In Defense of Naps, Bacon, Martinis, Profanity, and Other Indulgences, by Barbara Holland. Title of this book of essays pretty much says it all. Ms. Holland is one of my favorite authors - with a long list of published essay collections - most of which I own.

4. The Journey’s Echo, Selected Travel Writings, by Freya Stark. First published in 1936, this book of observations and essays is one of my favorites.

To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one the pleasant sensations of the world. You are surrounded by adventure. You have no idea of what is in store for you, but you will, if you are ise and konw the art of travel, let yourself on the stream of the unknown and accept whatever comes in the spirit in which the gods may offer it.

One of my favorite quotes by Dame Stark: “I dislike being the anvil for the hammering out of other’s people’s virtues.” (and to think she never voted in a U.S. election…;-)

5. The Collected Stories of Evelyn Waugh. I keep this one on my bedside table bookshelf for easy dipping.

Keeping Waugh company are Saki, O. Henry, M.F.K. Fisher, P.G. Wodehouse and Ludwig Belemans (Beleman’s La Bonne Table is a classic collection of stories about eating and restaurants. Utterly charming, with illustrations by Belemans.)

Mary Bob says “check it out! Have a great weekend…I’ll be hitting the monthly Albuquerque library book sale…so many books, so little time.

(Want to read something biz related? Check out my guest post at Lip-Sticking, Marketing to Women, Fallacies and Follies.)

Related Posts:
Way Outside The Box (and Office) Weekend Reading
The Friday Reading List

Read More: All my Friday Martini Time posts - in which I talk about pretty much anything but business. It’s Friday, after all.

While the big boys are thrashing and crashing…small businesses just keep going, as they always do. Here in New Mexico small businesses account for 85% of the jobs, and a large chunk of state tax revenue.

Yesterday, I attended the SBA luncheon honoring New Mexico businesses. Bright spots all over the place! The New Mexico Small Business Person Of The Year is Sergio O. Bermudez, El Mezquite Market. Mr. Bermudez, a Mexican immigrant, started with one small market…he now has five as well as real estate investments. Four other award winners, including Veteran Small Business Champion of the Year, are women.

So - amidst all the doom and gloom about the American economy - look for the bright spots…and help create more. (I’ve been meaning to drop by El Mezquite for months - they carry a lot of items you simply can’t get in many American markets…I’m hoping to find Coca-Cola bottled in Mexico. They use real sugar and it comes in those great old glass bottles…)

Happy Friday - and if you do any shopping this weekend, shop local! You’ll help those bright spots to keep glowing!

One of the paradoxical commandments is: Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you have anyway. I sometimes have to grit my teeth when trying to do this (particularly since people sometimes mistake kindess for weakness), but it’s still worth doing.

Here’s the complete list (which I try to live by)
The Paradoxical Commandments
by Dr. Kent M. Keith

People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.

The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
Think big anyway.

People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.

People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.

Happy Friday! Do some goofy, small act of kindness - it’ll give you a glow that’ll last all day.

(Want to read a post about marketing? Check out my guest post at Lip-sticking today: The Overlooked Marketing Opportunity: Your Business Card.)

What goes around, comes around. That’s how the Universe should work all the time.

Most of us in blogville are incredibly fortunate. We’re high enough up the Maslow hierarchy of needs that we have the luxury of thinking about life…versus scrambling simply to live another day. And, so here I am at another Friday “Pollyanna” post.

I had a great week - in part because what goes around does come around (it just takes longer sometimes than others.) Here’s one example:

I call Citi card to cancel my account (since I plan to never fly AA again, so don’t need the miles). They’re sending me $50 to keep the card a few more months.

I write a check to Roadrunner Food Bank for $50 to contribute to the Civitan Club food drive. (People eat all year long. Tip: Your local food bank would really appreciate peanut butter. It’s got such a long shelf life, markets seldom donate it.)

I come home from the Civitan meeting and see a beautiful old table sitting at my neighbor’s curb, waiting for trash pick-up.

I offer to buy the table.

The neighbor gives it to me.

This weekend I’ll be donating some stuff to Habitat Restore.

Round and round we go.

P.S. Your local Habitat for Humanity Restore or Refurnishings may take your old kitchen cabinets, appliances, fixtures and furniture. They’ll even pick it all up. So before you trash it, check and see if they have a Restore in your area. ReFurnishings has two stores (that I know of) here in New Mexico.

Or, if you enjoyed this post, pop over to Habitat and make an online donation.

P.P.S. When I’m petty or selfish, the Universe notices that too…Yep, even Pollyanna has her bad days.

(You can also read my Lipsticking guest post today, Why Do We Accept Rudeness?)

From Wired: We’ve Been Changing the Climate for Eons, and That’s Reason for Hope

Global heating is a reality - and we need to act responsibly. Further, if every country in the world consumed at the level of the U.S., we’d need something like 35 planets to support us. That said, there’s hope…and fascination.

Here’s a snip from the above Wired essay to tweak your fascination:

…we humans may have been screwing up the climate for far longer than anyone thought. But that’s good — because if we could change things then, we should certainly be able to change them now.

The gist of Ruddiman’s argument is that 8,000 years ago, carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere began their sharpest increase in 350,000 years — a CO2 spike that correlates with the origins of agriculture. Then, 5,000 years ago, methane levels jumped — at roughly the same moment humans started growing rice in paddies (organic matter decomposing in water emits methane). By 2,000 years ago, agriculture and forest-clearing had added as much as 140 billion tons of CO2 to the air, enough to stave off what would likely have been another ice age.

I’ve also read that some think the mammoths were hunted to extinction (with flimsy pointy things, no less) by our ancestors…and a species of fish is still recovering (or not) from overfishing 10,000 years ago.

On my weekend reading list: The World Without Us, by Alan Weisman, in which he asks us to envision a post-human Earth. What would it look like? What would be our legacy? (Among other things, New York’s subways would flood in a matter of days.)

Have A Happy, Hopeful weekend! (We’re here now and everything (good and bad) changes…so let’s enjoy what we have now.)

Related Post: We Need Air To Do Business

Tags: Friday martini time, Mary Schmidt, climate change, global warming, global heating

I’ll make this quick - since I’m taking off way early today to celebrate 50 years of life this weekend. You should go celebrate - something, anything - too!

We can all worry again about whatever on Monday.

I finally figured out the only reason to be alive is to enjoy it.
- Rita Mae Brown

(While I wouldn’t want to be young and stupid again…I’m still trying to process that I’m now an AARP member…Like, wow, Man. Far-out. You know you’re getting old wise when you get all excited about auto insurance discounts.)

Happy Friday!