I’ve got a short attention span. And my attention span is probably longer than most. So when I read a business book, I like folks who get to the point. Just read Thomas Friedman’s Hot, Flat and Crowded. While I loved this book (and it’s not really a business book as much as a socio-political book), it’s loooonnnnggg. He could have done it in half the pages. But if you’ve heard Friedman talk, you’ll understand. He’s really, really smart and well traveled and has lots of ideas, but again, my attention span is short.
Instead, I like books like “Positioning: The battle for your mind” by Al Ries and Jack Trout. This book is about 200 pages, and it rocks, even though it’s been around for a decade. With all the smoke and mirrors out there today about “positioning,” it’s nice when keep it simple. Ries and Trout remind us to ask six basic but deep questions when deciding how to position your firm:
1. What position do you own? Start with how your prospect sees you.
2. What position do you want to own? Narrow the focus of your expertise versus being a generalist.
3. Whom must you beat? Go around obstacles versus through them.
4. Do you have enough money? It takes money to build market share.
5. Can you stick it out? Think long term when you launch a campaign.
6. Do you match your position? Your creative effort must follow your positioning objective, and not the other way around.
Great questions that are still valid today. And the whole book is about 200 words. Well done.
(Patrick H)
Tags:al ries·jack trout·Positioning·Thomas Friedman
BOULDER—June 21, 2010— With Bike to Work Day just two days away, legendary entertainer and bicycle enthusiast Pee-wee Herman took to Twitter today to support Boulder’s annual celebration of cycling and pedestrian culture. [Read more →]
Tags:pee-wee herman·walk & bike month
After opening Pedal to Properties‘ newest franchise in Sonoma, Calif., our friends heading up this new venture, realtors Jeanne Wailes and Nella Papadin, received nice coverage in the local business paper, The Sonoma Index. Read here. Good luck Nella and Jeanne.
Tags:Jeanne Wailes·Nella Papadin·pedal to properties·Sonoma
BOULDER—After almost a month of Walk & Bike Month activities, the Pedal to Properties Bike to Work Day will be held Wednesday, June 23. Walk & Bike Month Director Sue Prant said at least 8,000 riders are expected for the Walk & Bike Day festivities, which includes a record 45 breakfast stations set up for riders throughout town between 7 and 9 a.m.
- The Great 55th Street Egg-less Relay, 11:30 a.m., 5775 Flatirons Parkway.
Hosted by Boulder East Community Transportation Options, this contest pits corporate teams of three bikers and one pedestrian in a timed relay event with each participant balancing a plastic egg filled with jelly beans in a spoon from their mouth while negotiating an obstacle course. Awards for the fastest and most spirited teams will be given. Dozens of prizes will be given out throughout the day. Costumes are encouraged. A complimentary lunch will be provided. Call Tracy Foster at 303-319-3069 for more information.
- Bike Shorts Film Fest, 5:30 p.m., Old Main, University of Colorado at Boulder. The event will begin on the lawn outside Old Main with an ice cream social. Popular guitarist Jeff Kagan and Paige Doughty will perform during the ice cream social. At 6 p.m., viewers will move inside the Old Main auditorium for the Bike Shorts Films, which will include films by Camera Out There Guy Ryan Van Duzer; a unicyclist who rides up 14ers; “Thoughts on my Bicycle,” by Andrea Dorfman; an interview with Randy Cohen, NY Times Ethicist columnist; and a music video call “Performance,” by Robin Moore of Portland, Ore. Cost is $6, with all proceeds benefitting Community Cycles’ Youth Earn-A-Bike Program.
For more information about these events or about Walk & Bike Month, contact Sue Prant at 303-564-9681 or bikesue@gmail.com.
Tags:Bike to Work day·Daily Camera·pedal to properties·walk & bike month
Our friends at EPOCH Senior Living are receiving excellent coverage of their unique Namaste Care program for residents with advanced Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. A recent study of the benefits of Namaste Care led to features in Provider Magazine and the Journal of Gerontological Nursing.
These articles are great for EPOCH because they tell a compelling story about a problem – how traditional care for dementia patients can be less than stellar – and the solution created by Namaste Care founder Joyce Simard, who also developed the program at EPOCH. With the Provider piece in particular, EPOCH does a great job of telling its story and establishing itself as an uncommonly good senior care provider.
Tags:EPOCH Senior Living·Joyce Simard·Namaste Care·Provider Magazine
