Guy Richards / Ordinary Life with a Brand Strategist

Bye, bye yellow pages

I found what looks like a mini phonebook on my porch today. It’s about 2/3 the size of a sheet of paper. They are disintegrating (to become reduced to components) right before our eyes.

Besides hearing my grandmother this week say she could find a number in the “yellow pages,” I rarely hear the word any more.

It won’t be much longer before our children will be talking about phonebooks they way we talk about A-Tracks.

The digital age is catching momentum and those who show up to the party late will have stand against the wall. Come on, jump in!

The small guy

The car and the ATV love to compete for their driver’s heart. The car has luxury seats, heat, air-condition and a great sound system that the ATV can’t compare with.

In almost every situation the car wins… handling, storage, comfort, speed and fuel capacity. But there is one situation where the ATV thrives. And that is in snowstorms. The ATV is light, nimble and has the traction to navigate the deep snow. The car can’t do much in snowstorms but wait for help from the local plow and an ice scraper.

Small businesses are similar to ATVs. Our economy is now in the middle of a snowstorm. Where cars are getting stuck. You, as a small business leader now have the opportunity that a great economy would never grant you.

You can push forward by leveraging your low overhead and talent while the large guys are hindered by layoffs, declining moral and system breakdowns.

Have fun in the snow!

The Greatest Idea

There are tons of great ideas out there. But the people who innovate, change culture, or positively effect the world, aren’t necessarily the people with the best ideas.

The difference with a successfully implemented idea is the person that champions it. It’s the tenacity that they were created with.

They don’t wait for perfect conditions, but take off running,

They fail… but get up…

They learn from their mistakes…

They progress… and stay focused on the picture in their mind that no one else can see.

The picture of their idea fully implemented.

You, yes you with the greatest idea. Unleash it!

 

Dream Chaser / Start-Up

Ok, you’re under experienced, under funded and thinking about pursuing a crazy business idea.

From many perspectives it seems like you can never make it. You have experienced the hesitancy in your closest friends and family voices as you shared your idea with them.

So, are you going to listen to the majority? Or do you have a dream that is so real that you know this is why you were created?

Pursuing it may have you eating Ramon Noodles by the case for a few years, but isn’t the sacrifice exhilarating when you have a clear goal your heading towards?

Trust me, I know it’s challenging when everything around you is screaming failure. I have spent the last decade (that means my twenties) pursuing “you gotta be crazy ideas.” I have been broke, laughed at and kicked out of college for following dreams.

This is a great economy to pursue your dream, because all the rules are being rewritten.

Grab a pen!