As a frequent traveler, I have seen my share of bathrooms. It always amazes me to see how many different combinations of automated elements that get incorporated into the bathroom experience; automated flushing, automated water, automated soap dispensing and a vast array of dryers. I am all for hand drying instead of paper towels, but […]
Category Archives: Entrepreneurship
Be The Best You Can Be #throwbackthursday
I was recently Master of Ceremonies at the CBA of Georgia Leadership Division conference at the Contemporary Resort in Orlando. The final keynote speaker was legendary coach Bill Curry. He is best known as coach of Georgia Tech, but he also coached at Alabama, Kentucky and, most recently, became the first coach for the fledgling […]
Does OK Mean I Agree or I Understand?
Words matter. They convey a specific meaning, both to the speaker and to the listener, but the meaning sent is not always the meaning received. Picture a husband or wife coming in the door to his or her home after a hard day of work. Their spouse is in the kitchen, busily preparing dinner. “Hi […]
Jamaican Blue Coffee
While I was in Jamaica for the Destination Experience event, I took the opportunity to learn more about Jamaican coffee production. As an owner of an artisan coffee roasting business (www.thebeanery.com), I try to learn as much as possible about coffee production. Since I was in Jamaica, I wanted to connect with someone who makes […]
Yanik Silver at Destination Experience
One of the many compelling speakers at the 2017 Destination Experience was Yanik Silver. Yanik’s focus is assisting entrepreneurs in making a difference in the world. His latest book is called “Evolved Enterprise” and focuses on how companies without a “core impact” will be at a distinct disadvantage in the coming years. His message is […]
Dr. Kingsley Chin and Knowing Your Why
Upon arrival in Jamaica, I was alerted that one of the Destination Experience advisory board members would come to the airport and pick us up for the long ride from Montego Bay to Kingston. This saved us from an even longer bus ride. We met up with Ron McKay and during that 3-hour drive, I got […]
Innovative Thinking and… CDs?
I work primarily with financial institutions, which are nothing if not bound by tradition. The basics of banking have remained virtually unchanged in the last 50 years. As I speak on innovation at many of the nation’s state banking associations, I am insistent that bankers must change their thinking about their products and services and […]
Getting Screws Without Getting Screwed
A small project required me to make a trip to the hardware store for some special screws. Instead of going to one of the big-box stores, I went to a local hardware store that I frequent, called Miller Hardware. While their total inventory doesn’t match that of their much larger competitors, I have yet to […]
An Update From Entrepreneur Ronald
If you follow this blog, you may remember a post where I documented conversation with Ronald from Birmingham. Ronald operates a shoeshine booth that he takes with him throughout the Southeast to provide services at events. Before my keynote speech for the PaymentsFirst Evolutions conference in Birmingham, I went to get an update (and a […]
Recipe for Offending Customers
Regardless of your political leanings, no one can look at the current state of our health insurance industry and say that it is working at peak efficiency. If my recent experience is any indication, there will be a lot of people very confused and concerned about their health coverage in 2017. I am a one-person […]