Invasion of the Body Snatchers

In the l950's one of the first science fiction movies in theaters was titled Invasion of the Body Snatchers starring Kevin McCarthy. The story as I recall was that people in a community started acting very differently than their usual selves, and it turned out their bodies were being taken over by alien pod people. Well, I feel as if that movie has become reality in our country because too many people seem to no longer display a sense of decency, dignity, honor, respect, tolerance, or integrity. I am sick to death of hearing the "F" word everywhere. Have vocabularies diminished to the point where only profanity is remembered? Has illiteracy become the goal of the day? Today I heard of a math professor urinating on the door of a colleague with whom he had a disagreement. What is that about? This morning I saw a video clip of women and men hitting each other over a seat at a murder trial. Who are these people? Last night on the news I learned millions of gallons of precious water had to be drained from a reservoir because someone urinated in the reservoir. Bodies found stuffed in suitcases, babies dying from physical and sexual abuse at the hands of people who should be protecting them, children being bullied in person or cyberbullied, adults in positions of authority and trust having sexual relationships with the young students they teach, and the stories go on and on and on. I know the media does not report the good news about the many people who do not do these things, but what is it in our society that makes us think those barbaric incidents are more newsworthy? Why are people more interested in a politician's lewd photographs of himself than in resolving the humongous problems our country is facing? What kind of chance will our children and grandchildren have to grow up and be happy, healthy, well-mannered, respectable, successful, honest, honorable men and women when the behavior bar has been lowered to the level of the gutter? Some days it is like living in a pigsty instead of in the "shining city on a hill." All of the people doing these disgusting things were raised by someone: parent(s), relative(s), foster care, orphanage, etc. These behaviors as adults occur because as children they are given no boundaries, are not held accountable for their actions, are not taught to respect adults or authority or differences, are not expected or encouraged to do and be their best, are not taught good manners at home or at school, and parents and other adults set no examples for them. Now we are faced with many major problems at all levels of government, and money for education seems to be less important than money to study how to tell the sex of a box turtle by the color of its eyes (or other interesting but non-essential studies). Anyone who is reading this and disagrees with me please feel free to tell me so and tell me why. Anyone who has ideas of how we can restore decency, dignity, honor, respect, integrity, tolerance and good manners to our homes, neighborhoods, communities, cities, towns, states and our nation please don't be silent..........speak up! It is time for the body snatchers to be foiled!

How Important is Good Customer Service To YOU?

Having been in the business world for many years and having worked for large companies (Pillsbury, Reynolds Metals, Neiman Marcus) as well as for smaller organizations, customer service has always been of the utmost importance to me.....both giving great service and receiving great service. Lately, I am becoming more and more annoyed with the lack of customer service that seems to permeate our society. Poorly trained employees, rude employees, disinterested and unappreciative business owners, and just a lack of common courtesy are complaint topics that I hear about and read about all too often in today's world. Companies seem to be aggressively seeking new customers but are failing to take care of their existing customers. Think of any product or service and I probably have either complained myself or heard a complaint about it from friends, family, neighbors, business associates, etc. So for those of us who are building businesses it seems to me the way to have an edge over competitors is to provide the absolute best customer service anyone could hope or expect to receive. To succeed our products, services, accommodations, etc. have to be great, but even if they are great we will lose customers if our service is poor. What are you doing to ensure your business is not being negatively affected by poor service? A point to remember is that many people won't actually complain. Instead they will just make a silent decision to never again shop with you, stay with you, or use your services. Time to get back to basics in these difficult economic times, and customer service is one of the most basic business principles which will grow your business. Think about it!

Do You Know Cameron Herold or Laura Roeder?

Today I attended a one-hour webinar conducted by #LauraRoeder. She interviewed #CameronHerold about his book #Double Double which is a guide advising how to double your revenue and profit. Whether you are a solopreneur or part of a large corporation, Mr. Herold says the book is applicable to all sizes of businesses. He has had a very successful career, and much of the content of the book and also his DVD's are part of the course he teaches at MIT. He is a goal setter, a positive thinker, a common-sense businessman, and someone who has mastered work-life balance by working smarter not harder. I am going to buy his book and delve deeper into his wisdom. Kudos to Laura Roeder whom I think is a bright, talented young woman running a successful business with spirit, business acumen, and results. I'll let you know when I have doubled my revenue! In the meantime, check out http://www.BackPocketCOO.com which is Cameron Herold's website and http://www.lauraroeder.com which is Laura's website.

Youthful Entrepreneurs

There are SO many young entrepreneurs on ETSY, Twitter, Facebook, U-Tube and also writing blogs, and I am really impressed by some of them. Two in particular that I enjoy because of their exuberance, their spirit, their creative talent, and their optimism are Mayi Carles and April Bowles. They are currently collaborating on a project "creatively planning your business." Their laughter is infectious, their "can-do" attitude is refreshing, and their blogs are interesting and a truly pleasant change from today's world, national and local news reports. Check out Mayi's blog www.heartmade.blogspot.com and April's website www.blacksburgbelle.com and I will be very surprised if you don't find something of interest from one or both of them.

Cute Kids in Cute Clothes

I think babies and toddlers are always adorable so when I see pictures of them in various outfits from numerous manufacturers I am even more smitten with them. There are so many options for dressing your children. If you like preppy, traditional, classic clothes then you have choices. If you like edgy, funky, contemporary designs there are also lots of options for those. If you like sweet, pastel, vintage designs there are so many from which to choose. If you want organic, all natural fibers, and simple styles you will find them. If you shop for price more than style you can shop from big box stores to on-line stores to your local dollar stores. If you like to make your own clothes you have a vast array of fabrics, yarns, patterns, etc. for your selections. It is terrific to have so many choices at so many price points. Among your many choices please do check out www.malcolmfortots.com and www.malcolmfortots.etsy.com. We cannot be all things to all people, but if you are reading this blog post please leave comments about your preferences for your baby. As we add styles to the website and ETSY shop we want to add looks and fabrics and colors that will appeal to you. Thanks for taking time to let us know your thoughts.

James Arness and Gunsmoke

My day started with the news that James Arness died which caused a flood of memories as I recalled his weekly presence in our home. My parents' first black and white television set had a tiny screen in a huge cabinet, and it was perched on a table top which swiveled so wherever my dad was sitting he could see the screen. My father loved watching TV westerns even more than he enjoyed watching wrestling (Gorgeous George with gold bobbypins and all). From the time Gunsmoke premiered until my father's death I doubt he ever missed an episode. Watching all of the action on that little-bitty screen, I wonder if Dad ever knew just what a physically large man James Arness was. To my knowledge there was never any scandal involving Mr. Arness, and for 20 years he came into our living room along with Miss Kitty, Chester, Festus, and many actors who already were big stars or who eventually became big stars. I remember when Dad learned that Peter Graves was the real-life brother of James Arness (it pleased him because he also enjoyed watching Mission Impossible). I don't recall that there was ever any scandal involving Peter Graves either, and he too had a long, successful career. How nice that the personal lives of two such fine actors were never fodder for the tabloids leaving their fans' admiration and respect intact. James Arness gifted my dad with years of entertainment, and I hope that somehow my dad will catch a glimpse of his favorite Sheriff in Heaven.

What a shame!

Twitter, Facebook, Websites and Blogging are still relatively new experiences for me so I am not yet proficient in how they operate. Today I was reading tweets from those whom I follow. I also went to my Home page, and I clicked on "Mentions" to see if anyone had mentioned my business Malcolm For Tots. The most recent mention was from a young woman whom I had never heard of, but her tweet just had my Twitter account name and then a link. I clicked on her tweet to see what she had said about my baby clothing business, but I was stunned when what appeared on my monitor was a pornographic picture with a headline advertising full-length pornographic films. I looked at her profile page and she neither follows anyone nor has any followers, but has lots and lots of tweets mentioning individual Twitter names and the same link which would take all of those unsuspecting people to the same vulgar photograph. I tweeted her and asked why she would send a link to a pornographic site to a baby clothing entrepreneur and told her to not do it again. An hour or so later I was back on my Twitter account, and her mention of my account was no longer there on my Home page. I was appalled to find that on my Twitter home page, and I was glad no one else was sitting with me at my computer (like a child). I do not want to control the entire world, but I do want to control what comes into my home, my business, and my life. No matter what marvelous invention comes along, someone will find a way to taint it by using it in illegal, immoral, or dishonest ways. What a shame!