Business Advice from Vanilla Ice

 “If you got a problem, yo, I'll solve it.” - Vanilla Ice

“If you got a problem training your organization on the most recent cyber threats, yo, I'll solve it.” - Me

In his 1990 smash hit “Ice, Ice Baby”, rapper Vanilla Ice is selling solutions. Whatever your problem, Vanilla Ice has an answer. His elevator pitch is distinct and confident. It is also based on simple IF/THEN programming. IF you have a problem, THEN I will solve it.

There is a lot to be learned by Vanilla Ice's bravado. As a job seeker, I struggle with selling myself. Exploring elevator pitch advice makes me think others struggle with it too. Whether due to lack of confidence, insecurity, or indecision on what to say, developing an elevator pitch can be overwhelming. Personally, I know my biggest struggle with elevator pitches is focusing too much on what I have done in the past, not what I can do in the future.

Talking about your past is wonderful for a memoir, but it is a bad way to sell yourself as a solver of problems. There is no IF / THEN. Vanilla Ice didn't talk about his past. He told you what he would do.

If you need a complicated heart surgery, you need a doctor who will tell you what he or she will do. A doctor who spends his time telling you his or her life story may not assure you that your heart will be operated on correctly or that they are doing the correct procedure. You want to know what they are going to do to solve your problem.

That is not to say backstory or credentials aren't important. Remember the old Holiday Inn Express commercials in which someone claims expertise because they stayed at a Holiday Inn? They proposed solving a problem, but were rebuffed when their lack of credentials were discovered. Staying at a Holiday Inn Express was not enough.

A better approach might be to briefly mention credentials, while keeping the focus on the problem. For example, introducing yourself as a certified heart surgeon would assure someone who needs heart surgery that you are the person to solve their problem. It is also important to address the problem in your pitch to make sure you and the potential client are on the same page on what needs to be addressed.

Here are a few examples in the theme of Vanilla Ice:

“I am a certified heart surgeon. If you need heart surgery, yo, I'll do it.”

“I am a licensed electrician. If you need your house re-wired, yo, I'll do it.”

“I am a certified organizational trainer and continuity planner. If you need your organization trained on the latest cyber threats, yo, I'll do it.”

and finally,

“I am a multi-platinum album rapper. If you need someone to perform their biggest 90s hit, yo, I'll do it.”

In most cases, you might want to drop the “Yo”. But that's personal preference. Remember IF / THEN, have confidence, and Go, Vanilla, Go!

A Self-Published Author's Guide to Tampa Bay Bookstores (Updated Oct 2024)

Owning an independent bookstore is a monumental challenge. From 2000 to 2005, my mother owned a new and used bookstore in Melbourne, Florida. Although it didn't last, Once and Again Bookstore provided me insight into the workings of bookstores and their battle for existence. Unfortunately, online bookstores and big box stores still have a stranglehold on the book buying market. But in the last 15 years or so, many independent bookstores have carved a niche in their local communities.  

Independent bookstores are not a charity. Selling books is about making money. Bookstores want to make money to stay open. Authors should want to make money on their novel. We have to make our relationship as symbiotic and synergistic as possible.

There are several bookstores in the Tampa Bay area. I have met most of the bookstore owners in the area and several beyond Tampa Bay in an attempt to get my books on their shelves so they can sell my books and we can all make money. Most of them carry my novel. Some bookstores do consignment, some order from Ingram Spark, and some buy directly from me. Some don't carry my books at all. And a few I have yet to meet.

Pro tip number 1: distribute your book via Ingram Spark. Don't self-publish on Amazon if you want to work with bookstores. They won't buy books from the company that is trying to put them out of business. If you want to be Amazon exclusive, be my guest. But you are on your own.

Pro tip number 2: if you are on Ingram Spark, give your book the greatest bookseller discount. I think the discount is 50% off for booksellers. Don't ask questions. Do it.

Pro tip number 3: the best way to meet bookstore owners is to walk in their store. Look around. If your book is a fit for their store, find a book that is not yours that you want. Buy it. Then talk to them about your book. Show that you are willing to support them before you ask them to support you. Also, if you know other authors whose books the bookstore carries, discuss those connections.

This list will be broken down into how the bookstores acquire my books. There is absolutely no preferential order. I have a great relationship with every bookstore I work with. I hope this list comes in handy for other self-published authors in the Tampa Bay area and beyond. This is just my experience. Yours might be different.

Order from Ingram Spark

Oxford Exchange Book Store (Tampa)

Point of contact: Laura Taylor, Bookstore & Programming Director

Best way to contact: visit and email - Laura(@)oxfordexchange.com

The Oxford Exchange is located in downtown Tampa. The bookstore only orders from Ingram Spark and does not do consignment. Hence, they are looking for books that are known or authors that will move product. I was part of the Oxford Exchange Book Fair for two years and did well. Then I approached their front counter and asked how they would carry my novel on their shelves. I emailed Laura Taylor and asked how my book can be on their shelves. Laura ordered two copies. During my next visit, I signed the books and made social media content letting my followers know the book was available at the Oxford Exchange Book Store.

Pro tip number 4: bookstores will almost always let you create content involving your book in their store. At a minimum, every time you visit a local bookstore that carries your book, take a picture of your book on the shelf and a picture of the store. Post both on Facebook or Instagram and be sure to tag the store. You can also do tiktok, youtube, snapchat, twitter, your personal website, or wherever else readers might find out about your book and the store. The more content, the better. This is an easy way to show the bookstore that you are doing your part to sell your book.

 

Tombolo Books (St Pete)

Point of Contact: Alsace - owner

Best way to contact: visit and email - authors(@)tombolobooks.com

Tombolo Books is one of the most high profile bookstores in the Tampa Bay area. If New York Times Bestselling authors are going to visit, they are going to go to Tombolo. While the folks at Tombolo are nice, they are busy. Getting your book approved for their shelves takes time. That said, once I was listed on Ingram Spark, I immediately filled out their local author form. I remember emailing a few times to see if they had reviewed at my book. It took a few months for them to order my novel, even after I was voted "runner-up, best book by a local author" in the local arts and entertainment newspaper and after I received a blurb from a well-known local author.

At the time, the local author form required Ingram Spark, reviews from other local authors, and an active social media presence. I see they now are doing consignment. Whatever the requirement, it is Tombolo, they are busy, and people buy plenty of books there.

Fun story: after I learned Tombolo had two copies of my novel on their shelf, I visited a brewery across the street and talked to people about my book. I mentioned I was going to visit the bookstore and they followed me and bought a copy of my book. I signed it for the buyer right there on the spot. That's how you prove to a bookstore that you can move product. 

BookendsYbor (Tampa)

Point of Contact: Teresa - owner

Best way to contact: visit and email - read(@)bookendsybor.com

BookendsYbor is the newest bookstore in the Tampa Bay area. They are so new, their brick-and-mortar storefront isn't even open (as of June 2023). They do however have a bookmobile they are bringing to local pubs and breweries. They are also planning to be part of the Ybor Saturday Market.

I found BookendsYbor via Bookshop.org. I followed them on social media, dropped them an email, told them how much I am looking forward to their opening, and mentioned my book. They said they would look into ordering it from Ingram. Within two weeks, they had copies in hand. I then visited their next bookmobile event, chatted with a few customers, and their copies of Curveball at the Crossroads were sold. Hopefully this is the start of a great author-bookstore relationship.

Bookstore1 (Sarasota)

Point of contact: Byrn - Director of Programming

Best way to contact: email - bryn(@)sarasotabooks.com

Bookstore1 is located in downtown Sarasota. I have been part of the Bookstore1 Book Fair for the last two years. In preparation for their event, Bookstore1 orders five books per author every book fair via Ingram Spark. If authors don't sell all five, the store will carry the book on their shelves until they sell. Bryn and the team are great and very nice. They do a great job of promoting the book fair and the authors. Bookstore1 is an hour away for me, so it is a little difficult to visit regularly. However, they host author events and book club readings regularly.

The Gilded Page (Tarpon Springs)

Point of contact: Julia - owner

Best way to contact: visit and email - thegildedpagebookstore(@)gmail.com

The Gilded Page is a relatively new bookstore in Tarpon Springs. I visited The Gilded Page first, and while there, I discussed how they carried an author I am friends with. Then I mentioned my book and how it might be a fit on their fiction shelf. Julia agreed and ordered a copy of Curveball at the Crossroads.

The Gilded Page both orders local books on Ingram if possible or they do consignment. If doing consignment, they ask for up to five books from the author. If they order on Ingram, they order one at a time. I prefer the upfront revenue of Ingram so I opted for that. I re-visited The Gilded Page a few weeks later to sign the copy they received as well as to make some social media content of my book at their store.

Book & Bottle (St Pete)

Point of contact: unknown

Best way to contact: visit or website 

Book & Bottle is a bookstore/coffee shop/wine store in downtown St Petersburg. They have a small selection of books on one wall of their store. The few times I have visited, they were nice, and I enjoyed the drink and the ambiance. Due to their limited selection, they are preferential to new books.

However, in researching this blog post, I discovered their author request form. I filled it out and requested them to consider my book for both their inventory and their local author open house. Within a few weeks, they ordered a copy of my novel and it is on their shelves.

Portkey Books (Safety Harbor)

Point of contact: Crystel - owner

Best way to contact: Visit

Portkey Books is a small bookstore in Safety Harbor, Florida and the most recent store to carry my debut novel. As a small store, they are very selective in the books they carry. To echo my pro tip above, you have to be on Ingram and a return policy is recommended.

Portkey Books asks that local authors donate their first book to the store as an act of good faith. After that book sells, they will continue to order the book from Ingram as long as they sell. As my publisher cost is $6, that's worth it to me. Hopefully, after one copy sells, they order more copies and more copies after that and I make the $6 and more via Ingram.

Consignment

Books at Park Place (Gulfport)

Point of contact: Nancy - owner

Best way to contact: visit and phone (727) 388-9093

Books at Park Place is probably the most similar to what my mother's bookstore was. Coincidentally, Books at Park Place was the first bookstore my novel was in. Books at Park Place is consignment only for self-published authors. They have a form for self-published authors to sign that describes the business relationship.

Among the benefits of working with Books at Park Place is that Nancy and her team will promote local authors just as much as well-known authors. Books at Park Place designates an entire side wall to local authors and I have visited and seen my novel among others in the front window display. They also have a great relationship with many authors and Nancy and her team are willing to answer any questions authors may have about working with Ingram and the selling process. Unfortunately, they haven't done as many author events post-pandemic as they did in the past. Perhaps that will change soon.

Wilson's Book World (St Pete)

Point of contact: Michelle - owner

Best way to contact: visit

Wilson's Book World is a family owned and operated, used and antiquarian bookshop in St. Pete. They have a steady and loyal clientele and are very personable. They don't carry new books, but they do carry local authors on consignment. They accept three books per author and they put a copy of the book in the front of the aisle for a month before putting all the copies in their associated section. Lastly, their percentage return on consignment is the best in the area, although they don't provide the money for the books until all the books are sold.

Mojo Books and Records (Tampa)

Point of contact: Melanie - owner

Best way to contact: visit and email - mojotampa(@)comcast.net

Mojo Books and Records is a combination music and book store. They have been around for a long time and have a strong underground following. They mostly carry used books and cater to the University of South Florida market. They do consignment for local authors and will carry two books at a time.

I like Mojo Books and Records. They are nice folks and they are very responsive, but although their store is divided 50/50 between books and music, their focus isn't books. If they can do more for books, and especially local authors, they could become a powerful ally.

 

The Paperback Exchange (New Port Richey)

Point of contact: Joanie - owner

Best way to contact: visit or Instagram - @PaperbackExchangeBookstore

The Paperback Exchange is a classic used bookstore in New Port Richey, Florida. Like Wilson's and Books at Park Place, they mostly carry used books. They also carry a wide selection of new books by local authors. I was surprised how many local authors they carry and honestly, how few I recognized. They do consignment and give 50% on each sale. I left two books there but some authors have left more.

The Paperback Exchange reminds me a lot of my Mother's old store. Rows and rows of used books. They advertise carrying over 150,000 books. That's a lot. As a local author, there is a lot of competition in the store. Creating a desire for your book is essential or else it will get lost in the stacks and no one will buy it. If your book is there, create videos, take pictures, and post about the store on social media. They are great folks and they are doing a great service by carrying your book, but you have to create the demand.

This Bookstore Kills Fascists (Mobile)

Point of contact: Tiffany - owner

Best way to contact: visit or Facebook - @ThisBookStoreKillsFascists

This Bookstore Kills Fascists is a niche pop-up/mobile bookstore run by Tiffany Razzano. Tiffany sets up at street markets and festivals all around Tampa Bay from Sarasota to St Pete to Tampa and anywhere else that will have her. Her selection is very focused on bring attention to marginalized or minority voices. She is an outspoken advocate for freedom of speech and a proponent of provocative media.

This Bookstore Kills Fascists sells both new and used books that fit her niche. Tiffany does consignment for local authors giving 50% on sales. She carries my book The Man Makes You Work among her wares.

Purchase

Tiger Dust (Tampa)

Point of contact: Jason and Laura - owners

Best way to contact: visit or Instagram DM @tigerdustheights

Tiger Dust is not a traditional bookstore. They are an oddities and novelty store in the Seminole Heights area of Tampa. They feature a wall of occult, sci-fi, fantasy, and hard-to-find books. During my first visit there I realized that my book about someone who makes a deal with the Devil would fit their selection of books. They offered to buy three books from me at a 33% discount. I make a few dollars above my distributor cost and they make a $5 profit per book. Tiger Dust is also part of local merchant block party on the last Thursday of every month where authors and other creatives they carry (jewelry, art, etc) are encouraged to mingle and engage with the store patrons. I have sold and signed a few books at the Thursday block party. If your novel fits their store, Tiger Dust is recommended.

Stores that do not yet carry my books

Back in the Day Books (Dunedin)

Point of contact: Boe Rushing - owner

Best way to contact: email (maybe): backinthedaybooks(@)yahoo.com

I visited Back in the Day books recently and talked to one of their employees. I had also contacted them via Facebook Messenger over a year ago. Both times they mentioned they don't carry local authors and they don't do consignment. Following my visit, I emailed the owner explaining that they are on a very short list of regional bookstores that don't carry my book and that I hope they would change their mind. Especially in the case of a local author who is selling copies in other stores. I also mentioned my book is baseball fiction and they are located 1/2 mile from a baseball stadium. Unfortunately, I have not yet received a response.

Black English Bookstore (Tampa)

Point of contact: Gwen Henderson - owner

Best way to contact: Unknown

Black English is the newest bookstore to open in the Tampa Bay area. Owned and operated by Tampa City Councilwoman Gwen Henderson, they opened to much fanfare in early December 2023. They are predominantly focused on African-American authors and books on the African-American experience. They are a small store and are very welcoming but I have not yet discussed my novel with them. If your book is a fit, I encourage you to reach out to them.  

The Book Rescuers (Pinellas Park)

Point of contact: Unknown

Best way to contact: visit or email / phone: thebookrescuers(@)gmail.com / (727) 222-0495

The Book Rescuers is a giant used book warehouse in Pinellas Park. They price most of their books between $1-$3. While their business model is interesting and I applaud their efforts on banned books, my novel is not used, so I haven't worked with them.

Haslem's Bookstore (St Pete)

Point of contact: Unknown

Best way to contact: Unknown

I am listing Haslem's out of respect for one of the area's oldest local bookstores. Unfortunately, they closed during the pandemic and have not been open since. If I had to guess, my book will never be in the store and the property will turn into condos within three years.

Barnes & Noble (various locations)

Point of contact: Unknown

Best way to contact: email - crm3429(@)bn.com

Barnes & Noble is obviously not an independent bookstore. They are however the biggest box bookstore chain in Tampa Bay. That said, they don't carry self-published authors. As a chain, they don't do consignment. They also don't order print-on-demand, which includes Ingram Spark. I recently visited the new location on Westshore Blvd and asked if they would ever do a local author event and I was given a business card with the above email address. As of July 2023, I have not yet emailed.

Again, I hope this helps other self-published authors in Tampa Bay area and beyond. Self-publishing is a hustle and is a lot of work. You are not only an author, but a marketer, an event planner, and a salesperson. But the more places you place your book, the more chances it has to be bought. It is a numbers game, but by working with local bookstores, you increase your chances of success.

Good luck!

(Image from https://www.artstation.com/artwork/JlQV3m)

Where to put my dollar?

So the other day I found a dollar. This dollar, along with the other dollar I found in my spare pair of pants, gives me two dollars. Now that I have two dollars, I think I will invest one of them. Maybe, just maybe, I can make a third dollar. Then I will have three dollars.

But where to invest my one dollar?

Maybe in a municipal fund?

I just finished reading an article about municipal bonds (yes, I read financial newsletters). This article got me thinking:

Could municipal bond investing represent a certain demographic's level of faith in the local government's ability to stay afloat?

More than just an investment opportunity, investing in municipal bonds is a statement of confidence in the local government. It is a strange dilemma that people could have more faith in the stability in corporations than in their own government.

A true measure of the popularity of municipal bonds would be to measure the actual investment and compare that to expected (or average) investment in a typical scenario. Especially during expected times of municipal bond prosperity. If people aren't investing in bonds when the market says it is financially prudent for them to do so, that means there is another factor in play. Possibly something social, such as faith in the system.

What if no one believed in government investing opportunities? Would the government tax more?

I'll admit, I don't know much about this stuff. But those are just some thoughts I had.

They do seem smart though, don't they?

Maybe I will take my one dollar and invest it in an independent minor league baseball team.

That sounds like a much more stable investment than investing in the government.

Smoothies at the Movies

(This post is from 2010, but I am republishing it again because it is still relevant.)

This past weekend, besides seeing Rodrigo Y Gabriela, I also caught a film at the Gasparilla International Film Festival. The Gasparilla International Film Festival was held at Tampa's CineBistro, a small, up-scale theater that also features a gourmet restaurant. Customers order food or drinks prior to the film and the waitstaff brings it out before the movie starts. A bit high-priced and not something I would do all the time, but a fun experience nonetheless.

CineBistro is not the only place in Tampa that does the food-movie thing. Other theaters in town feature full bars, pizza, and of course, the normal array of candy, popcorn, and soda.

What I have yet to see, however, is any food offered for the health conscious among us. Those who don't want to nosh on nougat or munch on Milkduds are out of luck at the theater. With our health food craze entering its second or third decade, I am flabbergasted as to why no one has done this yet.

I don't think it would be too difficult to for a smoothie place to affiliate themselves with a local cinema. Instead of candy, why not offer protein bars or trail mix? Even the head of Sony Pictures, Michael Lynton, recently suggested theaters should offer a healther menu, with items such as "fruit cups, vegetables with dip, yogurt, granola bars, baked chips and unbuttered, air-popped popcorn".

As writer Rosecrans Baldwin writes in his recent commentary about the evils of popcorn, "a medium popcorn at a Regal-chain movie theater contains 1,200 calories and 60 grams of saturated fat" . That's preposterous.

Yet no one has offered an alternative. It should not be that difficult. If I can get a margarita, I should be able to get a strawberry-banana smoothie with a heaping scoop of ginseng, ginko biloba, amino acids, protein, or whatever else I want in there.

Come on movie theater people, I want smoothies at my movies.

Living in the Budweiser Building

We live in a world of advertising. There are ads everywhere. You can't leave your house without seeing some kind of advertisement for something, whether it be on billboards or banners, in newspapers or programs. According to this site, we see somewhere between a few hundred and a few thousand ads a day.

Yet there is one place I've never seen "sell out". I've lived in apartments for a little over a decade and never have I seen apartment buildings called anything but "Building A-Z" or "Building 1-99".

Why don't apartment complexes rent out the name of their buildings to companies? This seems like a match made in capitalistic nirvana.

The apartment complex wins because they get free income for renaming areas that are not really attached to their name. Bonus points if they keep the advertisers in the alphabetical order as the apartment buildings.

For example:

• Building A: The Albertsons Building


• Building B: The Best Buy Building


• Building C: The Costco Building


• Building D: The Dominos Building


• Building H: The Home Depot Building


• Building M: The McDonalds Building


• Etc, etc

Notice the type of companies there. There are all places or products apartment residents would frequent or purchase. Therein lies the benefit for the companies buying the space. The residents are a captive audience to the ad. They have to say the product name, because it is where they live.

For example, imagine this casual conversation:

"Hey Bob, why don't we watch the game at your place?"

"Sure, you know my complex, right? I am in the Budweiser Building."

"Whoa, speaking of, do you want me to pick up a case?"

"Sure, sounds good. Just make sure you make it here before kickoff."

Did you see how the Budweiser brand automatically inserted itself into the conversation? It was almost like magic.

If high rise, downtown, skyskraping condominium buildings can sell their naming rights, why can't apartment complexes? They could even package the advertising real estate on the side of the building to the company buying the name. That would cost extra, of course.

Although I don't think apartment complexes would be so kind, this may be a way to help control rent inflation. I've never lived in a complex that didn't raise their rent every year. However, if a potential annual rent increase drove most of the resident to consider moving, the complex could nix the increase to residents but still making their money by upping the cost of advertising, shifting the cost from the resident to the advertiser.

How could this not work? I think it is foolproof. Unfortunately, I don't own an apartment complex.

Jon Stewart and Leadership on Display in Tampa

Recently I had the pleasure of meeting comic legend Jon Stewart. He was in town supporting the 2019 Warrior Games, a series of athletic events involving wounded military members from the US and several other countries. He has supported the Warrior Games as spokesperson for several years.

I noticed a few things about Jon Stewart while he was here in Tampa. One, I didn't realize how short he was. I am 6'1 and he was quite shorter than I am. I thought he would be taller.

But more importantly, I realized firsthand how Jon Stewart worked with people. Throughout the ceremonies and at the events, I never once saw one of the most famous comedians in America put himself first. He was an amplifier and cheerleader of the real attractions of the event: the disabled veteran athletes of the US Armed Forces.

At the Opening Ceremonies, Stewart served as an MC, handing the floor to Generals, the teams, and local politicians who spoke about the event. The famous comedian was just there to facilitate.

At the Closing Ceremonies, Stewart even went so far to step to the rear-most part of the stage while the athletes were getting their awards. Although he brought attention to the athletes and to his other efforts with the 9/11 responders, he wanted little credit himself.

Then I realized stepping aside is a common trait for Jon Stewart. On The Daily Show, Stewart served as MC, letting his correspondents report and his guests tell their story. Although he got his jokes in, Stewart was the pilot as he was at the Warrior Games.

Of course, The Daily Show prospered under Stewart's stewardship. But it also spawned several other shows and careers, to include Stephen Colbert, Steve Carrell, Samantha Bee, Ed Helms, and John Oliver. Jon Stewart let those careers grow under his watch.

Other writers have noticed Jon Stewart's positive leadership. In this Inc. article, they listed 5 leadership traits that Stewart displayed at The Daily Show.

• Work harder than everyone else.
• Surround yourself with better people.
• Demonstrate humble intelligence and polite sincerity.
• Learn to ask questions and listen.
• Find your daily “Moment of Zen.”

Likewise, a recent Forbes article pointed out Stewart's ability to challenge the status quo, inspire collaboration, and inspire purpose. Business Insider called Stewart a "superboss" because of his ability to promote other's careers.

I wonder how many of these leadership traits were learned and how many came naturally to Jon Stewart. Where did he learn the confidence to put others first? Was it learned in improv, where you are only as good as your partner on stage? Did he have a mentor? Was these traits learned as the leader of The Daily Show? Or was it something Jon brought to comedy from an earlier age?

However he learned it, I would buy a book on leadership by Jon Stewart. 

The Shady Shell Game of Internet Advertising

Four years ago, I worked as a business analyst for a small internet ad and marketing company. Coming from military intelligence, business analysis was a challenge, but one that eventually understood.

What I had trouble understanding however, was the company's business model. That's kinda important and was a glaring hole in my understanding of the position.

From what I could gather, the company made money by click revenue. They would create ads for companies, match the ads with website clients where the ads would get maximum clicks, then collect the money from the company dependent on how many clicks occurred or how many purchases the clicks led to.

I wish I had a flow chart to explain that.

My biggest question while I worked there was: Who clicks the ads? I don't think I've ever known a single person who clicks web ads on purpose. Too often, they are clicked by accident. They are more annoying than practical.

A few months ago, there was an article on Bloomberg.com that gave some insight into how the internet ad world works. The article detailed the dark, deceitful world of fake hits - hits created by bots and programs, not real people. Ad companies "buy" hits from unscrupulous middle men, and the company with the product has to pay. After all, they are the ones trying to sell the product.

According to Bloomberg,

The traffic market is unregulated, and sellers range from unimpeachable to adequate to downright sleazy; price is part of the market’s code.

The article cites Kellogg's as a company trying to cut out the ad-placing middle men. However, that might mean less views.

Ad fraud may eventually turn into a manageable nuisance like shoplifting, something that companies learn to control without ever eradicating. Advertisers generally see lower levels of fraudulent traffic by dealing directly with publishers rather than using programmatic exchanges. Of course, that also means missing out on the scale that automation provides.

The company I worked for called themselves honest and said they played by the rules. I wasn't there long enough to dispute that claim. But I never could put my finger on how their revenue was created. It never made sense to me.

On a related note, there is a growing number of people surfing the web with ad-blockers. Bloomberg also recently published an article on the growth of ad blockers. More and more people are trying to cut ads out of their web experience. I am of that group. My web experience is cleaner and faster without the clutter of internet ads.

Yes, there are some websites who forbid viewing with an ad block. They tell visitors to deactivate their ad blocker. To me, their content is not that valuable for me to change my browsing behavior.

(Interesting aside: in Afghanistan, I saw very little advertising. The economy isn't that developed and on the base the military controls almost all the messaging. When I returned to America, I realized how often we see ads. Most Americans don't even realize ads are everywhere.)

I know there are people who rely on ads to put food on their dinner table. They write and create and hope website owners will pay them a portion of the ad revenue generated from the page viewers the content brought to the page. To me, that's naive. Too many of these companies are using third-party ad companies who are buying traffic. It's not the writer bringing in traffic, it's the bots. And that's why websites such as Huffington Post don't pay writers. Because in most cases, the text could be lorem ipsum. As long as the bots click the page and the ads, money circulates.

It's all a shady shellgame.

Why is it important for a community to support local entrepreneurs?

(This essay was written for a job opening. I did not get the position, but figured the essay was relevant, so decided to post it here.)

If we start with the premise that local businesses are the lifeblood of communities, then it is vitally important for communities to support local businesses. Given that local businesses are operated and created by local entrepreneurs, then supporting local entrepreneurs is even more essential.

While national and international corporations spend shareholder investments in establishing storefronts, local entrepreneurs usually invest their own savings. They are taking a gamble that they know what the community needs and that the community will in turn provide the business with the financial stability to continue providing the goods or service.

Local entrepreneurs are also more likely to provide benefits to the community such as hiring locally, sponsoring community efforts, and having the flexibility to move with the needs of the community. Most importantly, they typically keep their money local. Local money spent on goods and services provided by local entrepreneurs usually goes right back into the community. Money is not forwarded from the community to a big corporate headquarters in a faraway state or country.

Another benefit of local entrepreneurs is that they have a tendency to provide guidance or mentorship to other aspiring local entrepreneurs. One local entrepreneur’s success becomes a building block for a community of like-minded locals. If they are all supported, the many local entrepreneurs can create a movement and possibly an identity for the community. A great example of this phenomenon is the local beer movement in Tampa initiated by Cigar City Brewing. Because of community support, Cigar City Brewing was able to prosper and create opportunities for other local breweries, providing Tampa a cultural identity as a growing “beer city”. This identity in turn brings in other business and opportunities such as tourism, brewing supplies, and restaurants.

A local entrepreneur recently told me, “Give enough people what they want, and they will give you what you want”. When this “giving” relationship stays local, all parties benefit. But local entrepreneurs cannot give people what they want if they are not supported locally. Without their community, most local entrepreneurs would flounder and fail.

Exploring a Work-less World

Just before I finally left the ranks of the unemployed, I read a very interesting article on The Atlantic.com. Entitled "A World Without Work", the article discusses what happens to towns and people when their jobs are replaced by soulless machines. The article details the effect automation has had on demographics and segments of the American workforce and focuses on parts of our economy that have lost the most workers.

Author Derek Thompson predicts a future where:

I see three overlapping possibilities as formal employment opportunities decline. Some people displaced from the formal workforce will devote their freedom to simple leisure; some will seek to build productive communities outside the workplace; and others will fight, passionately and in many cases fruitlessly, to reclaim their productivity by piecing together jobs in an informal economy. These are futures of consumption, communal creativity, and contingency.

He then writes about "post-workists" - in an era where the fruits of labor are bountiful, we could distribute the goods fairly and people would be able to focus on social work, not economic work.

In a post-work society, Hunnicutt said, people might spend more time caring for their families and neighbors; pride could come from our relationships rather than from our careers.

While I thought the set-up, a post-industrial nirvana and communal society idea was interesting, the next part of the paper I wholly disagreed with.

But even leaving that aside for the moment, this vision is problematic: it doesn’t resemble the world as it is currently experienced by most jobless people. By and large, the jobless don’t spend their downtime socializing with friends or taking up new hobbies. Instead, they watch TV or sleep. Time-use surveys show that jobless prime-age people dedicate some of the time once spent working to cleaning and childcare. But men in particular devote most of their free time to leisure, the lion’s share of which is spent watching television, browsing the Internet, and sleeping. Retired seniors watch about 50 hours of television a week, according to Nielsen. That means they spend a majority of their lives either sleeping or sitting on the sofa looking at a flatscreen. The unemployed theoretically have the most time to socialize, and yet studies have shown that they feel the most social isolation; it is surprisingly hard to replace the camaraderie of the water cooler.

This was 180 degrees from my unemployed experience. I did not just "watch TV and sleep". I hustled. I slept only 6 hours a day. Yes, I browsed the internet, but that was mostly for jobs, networking opportunities, and other creative projects (such as this blog and my other online writing spots). I was also involved in the Tampa Bay Seminole Club and taking classes. I went to job fairs, met with job counselors, and shook hands at networking events. At times, I was working just as hard finding a job as someone with a job.

Although this part on unemployment I absolutely agree with:

Research has shown that it is harder to recover from a long bout of joblessness than from losing a loved one or suffering a life-altering injury. The very things that help many people recover from other emotional traumas—a routine, an absorbing distraction, a daily purpose—are not readily available to the unemployed.

Thompson then postulates on communities that create, instead of work. This is not unlike what I did to stay active, writing on various websites, to include my business analysis of baseball in Tampa Bay. That webpage was cited in national websites, I was quoted in the local newspaper, and I was told city council members mentioned my research in a prominent council meeting. So I was making a difference in what interested me, even if I wasn't getting paid for it.

I was also starting to get back into stand-up comedy. Doing open mics is labor-intensive but also doesn't pay. You are writing, rehearsing, driving to the venue, and performing not for the money, but for the rush of entertainment.

Now I find myself in a position not unlike Thompson's final option:

one can see a third possible future, where millions of people struggle for years to build a sense of purpose in the absence of formal jobs, and where entrepreneurship emerges out of necessity. But while it lacks the comforts of the consumption economy or the cultural richness of Lawrence Katz’s artisanal future, it is more complex than an outright dystopia.

Right now, I am working an internship to build skills in market research and analysis. I am also consulting for a military academic institution. Both of these jobs hold incredible potential for me down the road. They are both great for my resume. And the fact that I can do both speaks to my diverse background. There aren't many people with advanced degrees in both a social science and business and lengthy experience working with the military in various parts of the world. I am a rare breed, but learning how to capitalize on my experiences was a skill I had to learn. I now have two sources of income, which is incredibly important.

In the final part of the essay, Thompson outlines a utopian society where a basic living wage is provided to everyone and people are free to choose what they want to do for a living, whether that is engage in jobs that don't like, or live a creative life.

the simplest way to help everybody stay busy might be government sponsorship of a national online marketplace of work (or, alternatively, a series of local ones, sponsored by local governments). Individuals could browse for large long-term projects, like cleaning up after a natural disaster, or small short-term ones: an hour of tutoring, an evening of entertainment, an art commission. The requests could come from local governments or community associations or nonprofit groups; from rich families seeking nannies or tutors; or from other individuals given some number of credits to “spend” on the site each year. To ensure a baseline level of attachment to the workforce, the government could pay adults a flat rate in return for some minimum level of activity on the site, but people could always earn more by taking on more gigs.

"A World Without Work" is not a light read. It is the foundation from which novels are written. Thompson gives his readers a lot to think about in regards to life and labor.  Maybe the future will be selective parts of his essay and post-apocalyptic Mad Max conflicts over limited resources. Maybe a rich billionaire will create an online marketplace for work through a corporation, where people will have primary jobs, but be able to spend time on other endeavors. Maybe some corporations will have a "bullpen" of substitute workers who can relieve workers on occasion.

I really enjoyed "A World Without Work". Due to my education and experience, I think I am in an interesting place. I'm not sure how normal I am in regards to the rest of the workplace. I have had to do what I had to do and take what courses I had to take to set up future success. Again, I've had to hustle. But our current economy and the fields I have been in have made hustling a necessity.

Sometimes I might live in a world without work. Sometimes I might live in a world of abundance. The trick is stay afloat.

Star Wars and Bad Management Practices

Twitter e-migo Jon Pyle made some very interesting observations about Star Wars recently that I had never thought about.

I have thought about Star Wars a lot. I've thought about it from a meta-cultural perspective, a philosophical perspective, a warfighter's perspective, a theoretical perspective, and I've been working on exploring Star Wars from a military intelligence perspective. But I have never looked at Star Wars, particularly the Empire, from a managerial perspective. Since I am near completion with my MBA and have business management on my mind, Jon's tweets piqued my interest.

So with his permission, I decided to post them here in all their observational brilliance.

(Note: Alex Knapp wrote a similar piece on Forbes.com a few years ago.)

Absolutely brilliant. Perhaps a book is not a bad idea.

A Constructive Facebook Discussion on Raising Minimum Wage

A little while back, a few Facebook friends were debating the merits of raising the national minimum wage. One posted a link to an article entitled "Fast Food Workers: You Don’t Deserve $15 an Hour to Flip Burgers, and That’s OK" and commented about its viability.

The article is a letter to those in the fast-food industry and claims the jobs they hold are not "worth" the pay these workers are requesting via protests and social media efforts.

I want to talk to those of you who actually consider yourselves entitled to close to a $29,000 a year full-time salary for doing a job that requires no skill, no expertise and no education; those who think a fry cook ought to earn an entry-level income similar to a dental assistant; those who insist the guy putting the lettuce on my Big Mac ought to make more than the emergency medical technician who saves lives for a living; those who believe you should automatically be able to “live comfortably,” as if “comfort” is a human right.

...

So, real talk: Your job isn’t worth 15 bucks an hour. Sure, as a human being, you’re priceless. As a child of God, you’re precious, a work of art, a freaking miracle. But your job wrapping hamburgers in foil and putting them in paper bags — that has a price tag, and the price tag ain’t anywhere close to the one our economy and society puts on teachers and mechanics.

Don’t like it? Well, you shouldn’t. It’s fast food. It’s menial. It’s mindless. It’s not supposed to be a career. It’s not supposed to be a living. An entry-level position making roast beef sandwiches at Arby’s isn’t meant to be something you do for 26 years.

It isn’t paying enough? OK, get another job. Get a second job. Get a third job. Get a different job.

When my friend posted this on Facebook, I immediately saw the flaw in the article. The article, like most people in the minimum wage debate, isn't attacking the right target. Those for a minimum wage increase are looking towards politicians for support and those against a minimum wage increase are attacking the laborers saying they don't "deserve" it.

No one is attacking the companies and their profit margins. The truth, like most issues, lay in the middle.

Here is what I posted on my friend's Facebook wall:

None of the arguments are approaching this right. They should be looking at the total amount of profit generated by the corporations, looking at the dividends paid to shareholders, the cash holdings of corporations, dividing that by the amount of lowest level employees, and negotiating that companies reduce their profits by a rational amount. Sure minimum wage is low, and we can argue semantics of the word "minimum" and what it means to work hard, but those are all semantics. If you want your boss to share the profits, you have to calculate your labor to your generated profits.

Friend's reply: Lots of companies pay a living wage without it affecting prices. Costco is a great example. Low turnover, excellent service, excellent job satisfaction, and hugely profitable.

My response: Costco is a good example - increasing shareholders and employee income - but are they the norm when it comes to profits? Or are they an outlier?

Friend's reply: They are an outlier, but why? Their model is a successful one. They are only an outlier because so few are willing to follow the (successful) model, which makes no sense.

My response: Because we don't teach our corporate leaders morality. Why are bank tellers making only $13 an hour while bank CEOs and Wall St fat cats making millions in bonuses? It's not fair, and perhaps like the labor advancements of the early 20th century (child labor laws, unions, etc), we are entering a new era of corporate idealism. But you can't mandate business models from government. It has to be done by labor force movements or by management.

Friend's reply: It is the value of money / value of people debate. I will always stand on the side of treating humans with dignity and Respect.

My final response: And we do need that. And we need business schools etc to teach business students to care about more than money. We need them to take social sciences classes so they understand the cultures in which their businesses operate. We need to discourage investment in companies that don't treat their people right. (This is turning into my own blog post. Sorry!)

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I don't normally get into long conversations on Facebook. They usually get out of control very quickly. Or people get offended. But this was a good conversation.

Not Knowing, Career Coaches, and the Quandary of Self Discovery

In August 2013, I entered my MBA program not knowing a thing about business. Risky? Yes, but I wanted to learn. I wanted to walk away from Department of Defense contracting and into corporate America. I wanted to work for a company that wouldn't send me to a third world country for 14 months and I wanted to be in a workplace that values independent thought. Good steady pay would also be nice.

But that's all I knew I wanted. All the other career details I figured would unfold as part of the learning experience.

"Your MBA will open a lot of doors," everyone said. I looked forward to that.

As I come to the final few semesters of my MBA, I have learned a lot. I know what a balance sheet is and how to read it. I know supply and demand curves. I know what a marketing plan is, how Google Analytics works, and why both are important. I know Porter's Five Forces and have learned many other strategic decision-making tools.

While taking these classes, I've always looked through the prism of my experiences and to the future. I knew I had quality analytical skills from my time in the Military. I knew I had project management, process analysis, and documentation experience. And I also knew I had knowledge of the global environment in part from experience and in part due to my first Master's in International Affairs.

I had a bag of pieces and no idea how to put them together.

When I started my MBA, a job in financial analysis sounded good. I read articles on analysts traveling and investing in companies based on research and political outlooks. Then I realized how rusty my math skills were and how steep of a mountain that would be to climb. I also learned the process required several licenses and years of training.

To quote Dr. Seuss, "Oh, the stuff you will learn".

While some of the roads have been revealed and some eliminated, there are hundreds, if not thousands. that remain.

So it was with great interest that I read Dorie Clark's recent article on professional transitions on the Harvard Business Review website. Entitled "Find the Career Coach Who Is Right For You", the article gives advice on finding a coach who can help transition a professional from one career to the other. Clark writes about looking at coaches' reputations, their past work, and deciding what knowledge you want from them.

But what if you don't know?

What if I had hired a financial career coach knowing I hadn't taken a math class since college algebra? What I thought that was a great career path because I read a few articles in Forbes or Fortune? Would a good career coach had advised me away from that path? Or would they have taken my money?

Or would a career coach had looked at my resume, found key words and skills that could be applied to certain fields, talked to me about my personal goals, and suggested a way forward career-wise? While we may have eliminated career choice number one or two, perhaps career path three would still get me to the lifestyle I wanted to live.

(Again, I'm not looking for self-fulfillment or anything like that. I'm looking for a good job. Something challenging and with potential for professional growth. If I have that, then the house, minivan, and white picket fence should take care of itself.)

The biggest problem with Clark's article is that considering a career coach is another case of not knowing what I don't know.

Thank goodness for university career centers, proactive professors, and veterans' transition offices, all of which have given me a lot of insight and networking opportunities. To be honest, I'm not clear yet on the career I will settle on. Every few months, I feel the need to explore another path, usually after failing to get even one interview after dozens of job submissions to a certain field. My idea is that if one path doesn't work, perhaps another will. But each path change takes effort, energy, re-networking, and resume rewriting.

Hopefully if I knock on enough doors, one of them will open. And whichever opportunity opens, I will be successful in.

That I know.

Jedi Business, Go Back to Your Drinks

Would you trust a Jedi to fight for truth? How about to wire your house? Or to give you a good deal on a car?

During a recent dive into the vastness of the web, I discovered the odd phenomenon of "Jedi"-named businesses. According to my research, there are at least five registered, officially legal businesses in the United States that employ the word "Jedi" in their company name.

• Jedi Electric/Enterprises in Wakefield, Rhode Island
• Jedi Enterprises in Lansing, Michigan
• Jedi Enterprises in Walnut, California
• Jedi Enterprises in Plymouth, Indiana
• Jedi Enterprises in Jacksonville, Florida

There is also a Jedi Volkswagon and Audi dealership in the Netherlands.

I'm not sure if any of the US businesses are related, despite having the same name. Googling "Jedi Enterprises" only brings up information on the Rhode Island company. There is a Rhode Island Contractor Status Report and the company owner, Eric Scheer, is on LinkedIn. Unfortunately, according to Bizapedia.com, after 23 years in business, the company is now inactive.

The number of "Jedi" businesses is surprising, as Jedi is of course synonymous with the Star Wars Universe, which is owned by the Disney mega-multi-media empire. And when it comes to copyright, Disney is known to be very protective, despite loosening the reigns a little on videos. (Henry Jenkins and other multi-media story professors are happy with the development, I'm sure.)

But creating media based on Disney copyrights is different from running a business with a property name. But is the term "Jedi" copyrighted?

Apparently not. According to the article "Can a Single Word Be Copyrighted?" by Louis Kroeck, the answer is "no".

According to the United States Copyright Office, single words, phrases, slogans and titles are not available for copyright registration because they do not contain the minimum amount of authorship found in works typically granted copyright protection.

So "Jedi" is not copyrighted, neither is "Jordi", "Scrubbings", or "hghtgfsdehfgghrgvvseasxs" - a word I may have just completely made up. But according to the copyright office, even though I created it, I can't copyright it.

However, if you pair "Jedi" with another word Lucasfilm/Disney has used in conjunction with "Jedi", such as "Jedi Knight" or "Jedi Academy", then you might face a lawsuit. For example, in 2010, LucasFilms sued a computer company named "Jedi Mind" for copyright infringement. Instead of challenging the claim, Jedi Mind changed their name to "Mind Mouse".

Overall, the US Patent Office webpage has 54 entries for "Jedi", many of which are owned by Lucasfilm.

Lucasfilm's authority does not include the hip-hop group Jedi Mind Tricks, however. From what I can find, bands are covered under a different regulation. According to AlanKorn.com, band names are not copyrightable. However,

Band names are actually considered "service marks" because they help distinguish between providers of entertainment services. If they are used in interstate commerce, trademarks and service marks can both be registered with the U.S. Office of Patents and Trademarks. Besides obtaining registration of a service mark, a band may also register its name as a trademark if it is associated with specific merchandise, such as record albums, t-shirts or school lunch boxes.

But in Star Wars, Jedi Mind Tricks have nothing to do with music, so perhaps as Jedi Mind Tricks the group is a "service" and "jedi mind tricks" the Star Wars noun is a fictional action, they are totally different in the eyes of the law. As well, Jedi Mind Tricks the group can have logos and symbols, as no such entity exists in Star Wars. At least that is my understanding.

Oddly enough, Lucasfilm does not own many of the obvious "jedi" domain names. None of the following are Lucasfilm websites:

• jedi.com - A site for Jeep owners
• jediknight.com - A Star Wars fansite
• jediacademy.com - Empty
• jedimindtrick.com - Empty
• jedicouncil.com - Empty
• jeditemple.com - A software testing site

It is very possible the empty sites are being squatted in the chance Lucasfilm ever wants to give the owners money for the domain name. Then I'm sure those owners will gladly sell. Interestingly, not only are the jedi sites empty, but so is sith.com.

It is very possible Lucasfilm is content with these other sites as long as they own StarWars.com. Keeping everything on one site makes it easier for fans and keeps them channeled for all their information. As long as the other domain names don't attack the brand or cause confusion, they are acceptable risk.

Likewise, the many companies using the word "Jedi" throughout the world are also acceptable risk. They can continue to re-wire houses and sell cars using the single word "Jedi" in their name. But if they do anything that dares cross the Lucasfilm line of copyright, they can expect to feel the wrath of the Dark Side.

Business Communications Lessons

I am currently taking an MBA class in Business Communications. One of our assignments is to create a blog, a twitter account, and a LinkedIn account. Then we have to write a blog post and share some professional insights and lessons learned in business communications.

Since the first day of class, I've been able to check most of these boxes. A welcome respite from classes where had to put a lot more work in, such as in Finance, where I was in the library three hours a night every other night. Some things come easier to some people than to others.

(To be honest, that's something I have become very conscious about since I started my MBA work. Nothing bothers me more than when a Finance professor or classmates says "this is easy" when discussing a math problem I am struggling with. I have worked hard to get my math skills up to par. Saying something is easy while I struggle with it is insulting. So with that in mind, I definitely watch when talking about writing, communications, and social media with people who don't have those experiences. What is almost second nature to me might not be to others. I guess that's a communication lesson learned, right?)

But on to actual lessons I have learned from years in the workplace. As mentioned in my Professional Highlights tab on my site, most of my experiences have been in a military environment. But as you can see from my blog, I don't exactly fit the military mold. So that leads me to my first lesson learned:

Know your people

I've worked in Bosnia, Qatar, and Afghanistan. I've worked for senior military people and in military command centers. But I've also done stand-up comedy, posed for pictures with pro wrestlers, and done freelance writing on local DJs. Although I am successful in the environment, my mind doesn't fit the military mold. To reference Gordon MacKenzie, I tend to "orbit the hairball". And few hairballs are denser than the military-industrial complex.

I have been a challenge to many managers. I have worked for a few that tried to keep me in a box. I worked for an older manager whose attempt led to my departure. I worked for a younger manager who was in charge only because he worked for the government and I was a contractor. Our differences led to me moving to a night shift where our only interaction was when we passed notes on our respective shifts. It was a happy compromise.

But a few managers recognized my thought process and let me run. One of my managers in Afghanistan compared me to Michael Jordan and said "I'm going to give you the ball. If you miss too often, I am changing the game plan. But as long as you succeed, you can run how you want."

That's knowing your people. It takes effort and it takes talking with your people and understanding their thought process and creating an environment where they can do their best. If I had that support in the high-pressure environment of Afghanistan, it is possible everywhere.

Establish Credibility

Credibility is incredibly important. More time than not, no one listens to the new guy. So the faster you can establish credibility, the easier communicating will be. Credibility can be established by mentioning experiences and relating with people. Be sure to be likeable, and do not come off as a braggart. Don't claim your experiences, education, or skills make you better than anyone else. Just mention how they can help the situation.

Sometimes appearance helps to establish credibility. In Afghanistan, for example, I grew a long beard. Not only did the locals admire the beard, as beards are looked at positively in their culture, but US military members also recognized the beard as a symbol of my tenure in Afghanistan. It established immediate credibility as a veteran of the environment.

Understand Resistance

As important as it to communicate, sometimes even your best efforts fall on deaf ears. Or ears with fingers in them. Even if your credibility is recognized.


One of the most important communications lesson to learn is when people don't want to cooperate, especially if you want them to. Some managers might not feel it is their best interest to work with you. Or they feel you are giving them unnecessary work to do. The difficult solution is to try to see things from their perspective. Are they busy? Are they being stubborn to make a point? Are they just being lazy? Is your request ruining what they think is a good thing?

It is best to try to talk people and gauge their concerns when faced with resistance. People usually push back for a reason. The goal is to prevent them from doubling down. Once they are entrenched in their position, there is little you can do except bring in someone with more credibility or authority.

Know when to call in the Big Guns

One of the underrated skills in Business Communications is when to call in the big guns. No manager likes when subordinates can't solve their own problems. But some problems require more power than a subordinate is able to muster. Especially if there is resistance.

Knowing how to tell your manager you are facing a problem is also a skill. You don't want to sound like you didn't try or give your best effort. You want to tell your manager your attempts and the result. Then you want to ask them for help. Sometimes you receive that help. Sometimes all it requires is for them to send an email or make a phone call to grease the wheels of progress. Sometimes they have to fight the battle at their level. And sometimes they determine the juice isn't worth the squeeze.

Granted, most of my experience has been in a conservative-minded military environment, where information is held close and sharing isn't a priority unless it has to be. I am sure there are environments with less difficulties. On the other hand, I am sure there are companies with more communication complications.

But these are my experiences. With any luck, they will come in handy when I move into a position in the corporate world.

Coastal Hyundai, Bad Customer Service, doing social media wrong

I am the proud owner of a 2013 Hyundai Elantra. I bought it new, and love it. It's great on gas, comfortable, and everything I need for where I am in life.

But while Hyundai has a great warranty, the one thing I don't like is how they constantly send me emails about their newest models and deals. I have tried to unsubscribe, but that never seems to work. They are automated and will probably never go away.

However, I do expect to be removed from a specific Hyundai dealership's mailing list. Especially if I ask them to remove me. Especially if that request is reiterated every month.

Somehow, Coastal Hyundai of Melbourne, Florida received my contact information and will not leave me alone. I have never dealt with Coastal Hyundai and I doubt I have will. I bought my vehicle at an Ocala, Florida, Hyundai location. The Ocala dealership called me once and I told the gentleman on the line I was not interested. He was very nice, understood, and then asked how I liked the car I did buy. I would do business with them again.

Unfortunately, despite my pleas, Coastal Hyundai will not stop. This despite the fact that I did not buy my vehicle there.

Yet they badger me. I have spoken with their general managers. I have spoken with other managers. I have talked to whoever answers their phone. All claim to remove me from their mailing and email lists. I still get emails and unwanted literature.

This has gone on for over 6 months.

So with personal contact not working, I decided to look up Coastal Hyundai on social media. Perhaps a well-placed complaint could get done what monthly calls could not.

For a well-established car dealership, Coastal Hyundai's social media presence is pathetic. It is obvious they created twitter and Facebook accounts because they either had to or felt it would be "the cool thing to do". They don't interact with customers on either. Even worse, their twitter account is only forwarded Facebook posts.

That's not how you "do" twitter.

Can I expect a response if I reach out on twitter? Why have an account customers can use if you don't interact on it? That's bad social media 101. Customers will have to find an avenue in which to get a response. How long should customers wait to get a response? Just terrible.

If you are not going interact on a social media platform, don't create an account. Keep announcements and pushed media on your website.

With a twitter response unlikely, I went to Coastal Hyundai's Facebook page. This isn't much better than their twitter account. They do have 661 followers and a post every few days, but interactions are nearly nil. Their most recent posts are only "liked" by the dealership general manager and earlier posts are only "liked" by another employees. That's not good.

It is obvious Coastal Hyundai is not connecting to their customers via Facebook or twitter. And with their constant disregard of my requests to be removed from their mail and email list, it is obvious they don't listen to customers over the phone either. Worse, I was never a customer.

I don't know what else I have to do to in order to have Coastal Hyundai remove me from their marketing lists. I want nothing to do with them. Maybe I should contact Hyundai's corporate offices? Maybe I should file a complaint with the Melbourne Chamber of Commerce? Maybe the Better Business Bureau?

Maybe this post will work.

Dear Coastal Hyundai, leave me alone.

Unemployed vets, liberal arts majors, and understanding the economy

A few months ago, I read an article on the increasing unemployment numbers for military veterans, especially those returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. According to David Lerman of Bloomberg News, these veterans, especially those ages 18 to 24, have faced an increasing unemployment rate, “even as the national jobless rate declines”.

Lerman writes about several young military vets in the combat arms who fail to find gainful employment because their job skills don’t transfer to the civilian economy or they fail to communicate what skills they have to civilian employers.

Although I feel bad for anyone who wants to work but can’t find a job, here is the problem: too many recruiters are pushing kids to military jobs that have no bearing on the civilian economy. Jobs such as infantry, artillery, or even military intelligence are not jobs that translate well in the private sector. Without attractive private sector skills, young vets are forced to lean on leadership, discipline, and other intangible factors of their time in the military.  Their rationale is that those skills are so important, people would rather hire them and train them for a specific skill than hire someone with the skill who needs to be groomed to be a leader.

From my private sector experience, that’s not exactly true. Not all companies are looking for a military-style manager. And depending on what type of position needs to be managed, military management might not fit. Even as a manager, you still need to speak the language and understand the culture of the civilian job. Those are things people expect new managers to understand, otherwise you start at the bottom, where basic skills and not leadership experience are more important.

The ill fit of recently discharged young vets is not unlike those who graduate with Art History degree who wonder why the private sector doesn’t want to hire them. It’s because their skills are not marketable or they are not looking in the right places for their skills. Both of these groups, the young vets and the arts & sciences majors, need to understand what the economy needs. It needs computer programmers. It needs engineers. It needs scientists and mathematicians. It is also hiring financial experts, doctors, and web designers.

One should not aspire to be a middle manager without a niche.

In both cases, I blame the recruiters or the counselors. These are the people who should guide young people towards a career they will enjoy, yet one that fits the outlook of the nation. Too many of them are guiding people towards dead end jobs or degrees that are nearly impossible to fit the private sector.

Although they are only 18 to 21, individuals who sign up for the military or who are in college need to consider the economy when making decisions that will affect their future job potential. Especially if they think they will be moving on to other positions eventually. If a soldier loves being infantry and wants to be infantry for 20 years, God bless ‘em, that’s a career move. But if they are only considering being infantry for three or four years, and have no plan beyond that, like the art major who only takes classes because they are fun, that’s a problem.

Now before anyone criticizes me for being anti-military or anti-liberal arts, I am exhibit A on what I am talking about. I did four years in the military then received a degree in English/Creative Writing. Both of which are completely not useful in the civilian sector. I have only worked outside of the Department of Defense or affiliates for my time in college and four months. If I wanted a job in the private sector, I know I would need additional training. And that’s what the money from my trip to Afghanistan will probably go towards.

What the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame Needs To Do To Be Relevant

With another WrestleMania Weekend recently behind us, I thought I would take a moment and look at the idea of a place to acknowledge the best of the squared circle. A place where fans can learn about the past and celebrate those who have made pro wrestling into the institution it is today.

Until recently, I had no idea there was a Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum. Located in Amsterdam, New York and established in 2002, the PWHF, according to its mission statement, strives to “maintain organized volunteerism that preserves and promotes the dignified history of professional wrestling.”

Since 2002, the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum has had backing by a who’s who of prominent names in pro wrestling history. And every year since 2002, they have inducted some of the biggest legends in the business. Despite their hard work and love of professional wrestling, however, unless something drastically changes, the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum will never become the wrestling fan mecca it should be. Unfortunately, as things are now, there are five big reasons why the PWHF is doomed for an eventual failure.

Location – After a few years in Schenectady, the PWHF moved to Amsterdam, New York in 2005. Amsterdam, New York is a small town of 18,620 located 180 miles north of New York City according to Google Maps. Even if there was historically rational reason to housing the PWHF in Amsterdam, a la the Baseball Hall of Fame in similarly small Cooperstown, that is a terrible location. In order to raise public awareness, the PWHF should move to a city, preferably one with a rich wrestling history such New York, Atlanta, St. Louis (a city with its own wrestling hall of fame), Memphis, or perhaps even my city of Tampa.

Web Presence and Social Media– If the PWHF is insistent in staying in small-town upstate New York, it needs to revamp its social media and web presence. While the PWHF website isn’t terrible, there are a few things I would like to suggest.

First, I would like to see videos if possible in the bio section. Maybe even a PWHF Hall of Fame video highlight reel with a nice voice over. Second, the gallery hasn’t been updated since 2009. That’s not good at all. Third, if it is a museum, are there any exhibits? Any old belts, turnbuckles, programs, etc.? Pictures of these types of pieces with stories of the items would be a nice touch. Although pro wrestling is mostly about the people, it is also about the events, the rings, and the titles. Those are the glue that hold the history of the sport together.

Whereas the website isn’t that bad, the rest of the PWHF’s web presence needs a lot of work, especially if it wants to capture the interest of casual wrestling fans. Of course, this means the social media mainstays of Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

A Facebook search of “Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame” brings up a lot of different pages, none of which I can surely say represent the PWHF. There is an informational page which describes the museum, but there is no fan page that interacts with wrestling fans or promotes upcoming events at the museum. Once that is established, perhaps the PWHF’s page could post facts about inductees and exhibits, maybe even a fact, video, or trivia question of the day.

Only slightly better is the PWHF’s twitter presence. Although it appears they have an account, it doesn’t look like anyone has used it since November 2010, and that was after a nine month gap in tweeting. Like Facebook, twitter would be a great way for the PWHF to engage fans and raise awareness. When so many wrestling fans are active on twitter and Facebook, for the PWHF to not be active on either is sad.

Despite the fact that they have a youtube video embedded on their homepage, the PWHF’s youtube usage also needs a ton of work. Until recently, their front page featured a youtube video that wasn't even from the organization’s youtube page. It was from a youtube channel that also featured some “tea party” propaganda videos. I don’t think political party propaganda is the type of stuff the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum should be associated with.

(Note: they recently changed it, but to another page that only partially has anything to do with the Hall of Fame. There are wrestling videos, but few are about the PWHF.)

As for their actual PWHF youtube page, it has three videos off the museum, one from 2010, one from 2009, and a generic video. The page also has a 30 second spot of TNA visiting Amsterdam. Why the last video is there, I have no idea. And why the 2011 Hall of Fame video is not on the official PWHF page is also a mystery. There is no reason why the page isn’t a robust forum of interviews, exhibits, and other propaganda about the museum.

Volunteerism – From checking out their homepage and other assorted information about them throughout the internet, I get the impression that the PWHF is proud of their volunteer, non-profit status. That would be fine if they were located in a big city, but in small-town New York, I am guessing the pool of volunteers they can pull from is quite low. Perhaps if they were a for-profit company they could attract more employees, employees who could help market and promote the museum. Volunteerism is great if you are where free labor is bountiful, such as a major college town, but I think for the PWHF it is now a liability.

Non-Affiliation – According to its website, the PWHF takes pride in not being affiliated with any one professional wrestling organization. It is not in cahoots with the WWE, NWA, or any other international, national, or regional organization. Whereas in the tricky world of pro wrestling, this might have been a good idea initially, I think it is actually to the PWHF’s detriment. Affiliating with the NWA, for example, may allow the PWHF to freely use video and other items – possibly even exhibits – from the organization’s rich history. Being in the official hall of fame of other organizations as well would also mean access to their archives and property.

The WWE Hall of Fame – We all know it’s coming. Eventually the WWE will build a physical home for its Hall of Fame. It will attract wrestling fans from far and wide. It will squash any and all regional or small-town halls of fame and museums that attempt to tell the story about the rest of professional wrestling. And it will be the default “pro wrestling Hall of Fame” for casual fans and non-fans alike. If the WWE Hall of Fame doesn’t strike a death knell for the current Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame, it will greatly hurt its chances of succeeding as a tourist destination. Everything the WWE does, it does big, and there is no doubt a WWE Hall of Fame would follow suit.

The PWHF can circumvent being the “other” pro wrestling hall of fame if, after gaining the blessing and affiliation of NWA, TNA, and other regional wrestling organization, it reaches out to the WWE. If the PWHF takes in all WWE Hall of Famers and acknowledges the WWE Hall of Fame as part and parcel of the PWHF, it might also be able to utilize the WWE’s huge marketing juggernaut. This is a story of David convincing Goliath to work with him, but if the PWHF gets it other ducks in a row, then it might have a chance to convince the WWE to outsource the care and maintenance of a physical hall of fame to the PWHF.

I’d like to see the PWHF succeed. I really would. It would be great to see a hall of fame and museum dedicated to pro wrestling that tells the entire story of the sport, and includes everyone from every organization from every country in the world, not just from the biggest pro wrestling company. In a perfect world, a metropolitan-located PWHF would receive footage, rights, and exhibits from Vince McMahon, the powers that be at the NWA, and other groups from around the world, making the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame a mecca of pro wrestling history and celebration.