Businesses start somewhere – more often driven by an entrepreneurial passion.  The transition from employee to entrepreneur is not for the faint of heart.  Statistically, many entrepreneurs fail.  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2010 more than 96,000 companies closed its doors after an even more devastating loss of 400,000 companies in 2009.

Don’t let the numbers deter you from launching a new business venture, but rather assess your entrepreneurial readiness:

Insight: Have you thought your idea through?  Have you identified the value for what you propose for your customers? Have you researched your idea?

Ability: Analyze your personal and professional abilities.  How will your skills enable you to execute on your idea?

Risk: Are you making a calculated risk or a foolish one? Is the risk more than you can afford to take?

Endurance: Are you prepared physically and mentally to launch a new business?

True entrepreneurs will attest to the fact that if being in business for yourself was easy, everyone would do it.

While it may seem a distant tragedy, the global nature of contemporary business means that the earthquake off the coast of Japan and its attendant destruction very much impact us as consumers of technology that is manufactured in Japan. Believe it or not, that list is considerable. Endgaget’s intriguing post “Japanese quake will likely affect the global supply of gadgets” explores this topic. Reuters and The Wall Street Journal weigh in similarly.

It’s not merely the manufacture of components that is to be interrupted, but the supply of electricity to major markets in the country will be rationed; dramatic reduction in electricity production is a result of the explosions and attendant nuclear contamination of the Fukushima power plant. Gizmodo provides a synopsis of developments on this topic.

Consider how Libya, which ships just 3% of its oil to the United States, stands at the center of a crisis that we consumers can witness at the pump. Prices seem to increase daily.

And how about the crisis of faith with the safety of nuclear power? While the United States relies on nuclear for about a fifth of its own power production, countries like France and South Korea are more highly invested than even Japan. The manufacture and distribution of much more than technology is at risk.

We can minimize the inconvenience of a more expensive or even unavailable iPad 2, but the tumult of recent events – from freedom fighting to natural disasters – brings these issues to life.

While our access to technology may be highly interwoven with global issues, technology may also help connect uswith solutions. Telecom companies are offering free calls and texts to Japan from the United States. Even online gamers are joining in the effort.

Today, our thoughts and concerns are focused on Japan and the people suffering as a result of natural devastation. As was shown effective with Haiti, consider using your everyday technology to make a donation to organizations aiding in the recovery effort. Just be careful when you do so.

Entrepreneurs are in the business of taking risks, whether investing in a start-up or reinvesting in an existing business.  Without a silver bullet for success, mitigating the day-to-day can present unforeseen challenges.  The job description of CEO can quickly become “jack-of-all-trades” and “expert-of-none.”

There is inherent and undeniable value in finding a good advisor(s) who can provide not only strategic direction but tactical assistance in moving the business forward.  An external strategic firm with in-depth industry knowledge and a diligent focus can be an indispensible ally for an entrepreneur, SMB, or large firm.  It can prevent failures in strategy or uncover important insights to ensure success.

Management consultants can provide information, resolution, implementation, and overall organizational effectiveness to move a business forward.  In order for the relationship to be successful, entrepreneurs must remember to:

Trust – Finding the right relationship with an advisor is critical.  Without trust, the relationship could prove to be detrimental and result in less than effective results.

Engage – Collaborating with an advisor is a key ingredient to the success.  Entrepreneurs must continue to engage and actively get involved with conversations regarding the business.

Execute – Listening and learning are important. Success, however, lies in the execution.

Understanding the value of consultation with a strategic firm can be a crucial step towards building or furthering a successful business. The proper course of action for bridging strategy and execution differs greatly for every business, and can be a difficult path to discover. Rather than play a guessing game, business owners should free themselves from the extreme demands of the “jack-of-all-trades” cliché, focus on driving the business forward as the CEO, and let the consultant handle the items that they don’t know.

Further extending its reach into the northeastern United States, Atlanta-based Junction Creative Solutions (Junction) hosted a series of networking events aboard Freedom Yacht, sister ship to the Presidential Yacht Sequoia, to build relationships between clients, colleagues, and partners.

Junction, founded in 2008, has seen its sphere of influence achieve considerable growth, aiding clients in bridging the gap between strategy and execution as they grow sustainable businesses. A recent two week foray into the northeast corridor has provided Junction the opportunity to further develop relationships with companies in New York City, Harrisburg, and Philadelphia.

Philadelphia based Realtime Media, one such collaborative partner, cosponsored an event on September 1st. Realtime, recognized as North America’s top technology-drive marketing promotion specialist, is an example of how a collaboration can drive maximum impact and provide comprehensive solutions to clients.

“The northeast offers a number of opportunities to drive new business and create more sustainable businesses. What we do at Junction has no geographical borders; companies everywhere can benefit from creating a sound strategy and executing on marketing solutions,” comments Julie Gareleck, CEO and Managing Partner, Junction.  “Impact is impact, regardless of location.”

To view a snapshot of the networking events, visit Junction’s Flickr photostream at www.flickr.com/photos/junctioncreativesolutions/ .

November touts “Best Places to Work” issues across many major media outlets. Most prominently, Fortune releases its list of 100 Best Companies to Work For, but numerous other outlets partake in the ritual of recognizing how essential happy employees can be to a company’s overall success.  Websites like Glassdoor.com, which presents a list generated by surveys of actual employees, and publications like The Boston Globe, highlighting excellent companies on a local level, prove that operating in a positive environment is highly important to many businesses.

According to a survey by Robert Half International Inc., one third of executives believe the work environment is the most critical factor in keeping an employee satisfied in today’s business world. Besides the obvious truth that happy employees are productive employees, there is meaning as to why defining the right type of workplace is such a crucial element for business, regardless of industry. In the same survey in 1993, ‘praise and recognition’ was at the top of the list of factors most important to employee happiness, cited by 47%. (Of course, ‘compensation’ was another major choice.)The recent increase in attention to good work environments as a priority for both business owners and employees has likely stemmed from the successes of high profile companies who have chosen to construct nontraditional workplaces.

Top computer animation film studio Pixar constructed an imaginative and unique physical space for each employee, promoting creativity and enthusiasm. Google has offices across the country encouraging employees to find healthy distractions from their work, an unorthodox approach that has revolutionized productivity and has since been mimicked by companies worldwide.

Take a Break and Rack 'Em Up!

The formula for creating an amazing workplace isn’t really about casual dress code, free lunch, or pool tables. In reality, the most imperative practice is to maintain a connection to the values and mission of the company. Pixar and Google, beyond the superficial appeal of their offices, are tremendous examples of this.

Here at Junction, we operate in a work environment that reflects the values that inform our business practices. Our brand goals are authenticity, integrity, and value. Operating in a tight-knit, lean office environment allows us to communicate effectively, keeping our impact high and our clients’ costs low. We take pride in the fact that our workplace is an extension of our philosophy. Under the surface, any list of the ‘Best Places to Work’ is full of companies who do the same.

Junction Creative Solutions (Junction), an Atlanta-based hybrid strategic firm founded in 2008, marks the end of 2011 by posting 300% growth, its second triple-digit-growth year in a row. This substantial increase is complemented by a host of new clients as well as an expansion of Junction’s services into several new verticals.

New clients include AcuteCare Telemedicine, Competitive Sports Analysis, Intelaplay, BCS Switchgear, Saffire Vapor, SWM Int., and Lucy’s Market. All of which launched new websites, marketing campaigns, or both in 2011 or will be launching in early 2012, leveraging the value-focused brand strategy provided them by Junction’s team. Junction has also added depth to its portfolio with new clients in the consumer packaged goods, technology and travel and hospitality arenas, in addition to the diverse verticals that the company already advises.

“We had remarkable growth and success with our clients in 2011.  Junction exists to grow start up and mid-size businesses into success stories, which we’ve been able to accomplish this past year. Our success has been proven with our small to mid-size businesses; we have scalable companies that are emerging from our collaboration,” says Julie Gareleck, founder and Managing Partner, of Junction’s considerable success.

Beyond site development and brand strategy, Junction’s 2011 accomplishments include aiding clients of all sizes, from entrepreneurial start-ups to Fortune 500 companies, with achieving maximum impact and measurable results through long-term marketing strategies. Gareleck notes, “It often takes a long-term engagement to prove that strategy works. Sometimes it’s difficult to make a case for that level of investment, but our clients’ success is indisputable. More and more companies are seeing the value in how Junction can help them connect strategy and execution and we’re growing as a result.”

Commenting on what’s next for the company, Julie added, “In 2012, we want to keep scaling. Our long-term vision is to grow the business, although we never want it to become so large that we become what we aren’t, which is a typical agency model. That’s what allows Junction to thrive.”

The slow economy of recent years has forced the reconsideration of budgeting for people from all walks of life. For many, the downturn has meant drastically reduced spending. Much more severe than simply eliminating luxuries, stretching dollars as far as they will go across everyday expenses has become standard practice. Items considered to be necessities are not any less necessary in this financial crunch. Occasionally, special circumstances lead to a situation that requires new ideas to maintain the mutually supportive confluence between business and consumer.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution recently reported on a local RIMCO, an arm of rent-to-own giant Aaron’s that has transformed a massive downturn in its primary business, selling and renting car and truck rims, into an opportunity to fill a real need for its customers rather than peddling a luxury. Unlike rims, the tires that wrap around them are an absolute necessity for car owners. However, tires are nearly as expensive; the outright purchase price for an entire set is well out of the budget for many drivers.

Renting-to-own is widely understood to be considerably more expensive than buying, but in the case of necessity items, some customers may have no choice. The store now rents twice as many tires as the rims that used to compose 60-70% of its business. Loyal customers, although not enthralled with the increased cost, are appreciative of the service and products they receive from the store, without which their commute would be impossible.

Rather than struggling with the challenges of the economic downturn, RIMCO successfully managed to shift its strategy on the fly in reaction to a radically changing market. In the face of lowered demand for the store’s primary source of business, it seized an opportunity to provide even more value to its customers than previously, and at an inflated cost that meant more revenue. The same lesson could apply in any industry – value is about more than price. For consumers, it is more important that a service fills a need. For businesses, creating an adaptable strategy that thinks far beyond cost is essential.

The focus for most marketers is on social, mobile, and all things technology in an attempt to capture market share and provide measurable return on investment. In an effort to be better, faster, and constant, marketers must leverage the most influential crowd that continues to gain power over marketers and brands alike. This paradigm shift is being driven not by the most innovative technology but by the ever-growing baby boomer population.

Each day, 10,000 baby boomers turn to the age of 65, and will continue to do so for the next 19 years. Projections show that by 2050, more than 50% of the US population will be older than 50 years of age. For the first time, parents and children will be part of the same demographic. The Center for Mature Consumer Studies reports that boomers control more than ¾ of the country’s wealth. The power of this population is in its ability to affect the elasticity of demand, increase consumption, and ultimately influence marketers.

Baby boomers continue to be the most brand loyal segment in the market place. Before technology became contextual to consumers, marketers told stories and built brands with which this growing population identified. Marketers should consider the following when defining a strategy for this captive audience:

• Diversity: Baby boomers are the most diverse segment which is the biggest asset and strength. The marketing approach should be as diverse as this consumer group.
• Empathy: Baby boomers are wise, experienced, and aware. Marketers must appreciate and recognize these sentiments.
• Constancy: Baby boomers are methodical and calculated as consumers. It becomes a test of endurance for marketers, constantly and consistently reaching this target audience.

If marketers across industry refocus a portion of the budget, the potential to create the next generation of influential and brand loyal consumers is immeasurable. For brands and marketers, the impact is substantive.

In an effort to be more competitive in the face of increased competition, mainly from their “dollar store” competitors, Wal-Mart has been minding its costs as U.S. sales growth slows.  U.S. locations declined for nine straight quarters before snapping the streak with a 1.3 percent gain for the quarter ending last October.  It is understandable that keeping a tight focus on costs during poor economic times is a necessary function of doing business today, but how far is too far before one of the most successful brands in history is significantly damaged?

Founder Sam Walton, built a strong foundation for the future success of his company by featuring wide unobstructed aisles, neatly and plentifully stocked shelves and motivated and friendly staff along with the low process.  In 1980 to make his giant low-price stores even more friendly he added greeters to the entrance of the stores.  The world’s largest retailer has recently removed greeters from the overnight shift at its U.S. supercenters, chipping away at a 30-year tradition of making sure all shoppers are welcomed to the store.  Cutting back, even during the early morning hours, shows Wal-Mart is rethinking long held traditions to boost profit margins and guarantee low prices.

“The greeter is part of the Wal-Mart experience and, in stores not always known for killer customer service, sometimes the friendliest face a customer might encounter,” wrote Ryan Mathews, founder, CEO of Black Monk Consulting.  ”It never made economic sense to have a greeter, but that wasn’t the point. If Wal-Mart’s economics are so fragile that they are worried about changing such a signature part of their operation, they have much bigger issues.”

The most recent effects of trimming the brand is having wide spread effect and is garnishing customer complaints from all across the country.  More than 1000 complaints were registered recently regarding the lack of adequate stock being on the shelves to meet the consumer demands.  Many were from previously loyal Wal-Mart customers confused by what has happened to service at a company they’d once admired for its low prices and wide assortment.   Many said they were paying more and driving farther to avoid the local Wal-Mart.

Wal-Mart’s restocking challenges stem from a thinly spread labor force struggling to keep up with all the work that needs to be done, said Colin McGranahan, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. in New York.  “Stuff gets backed up, and they’re forced to respond as best they can,” said McGranahan, “The result is an increasing amount of customer-encountered out-of-stocks.”

One loyal Wal-Mart customer recently responded to the bare shelves at his local store saying “As much as I need to take advantage of the low prices that Wal-Mart has to offer, the money I would save is spent on gas to drive to other stores to buy the items that the retailer doesn’t have on its shelves, he said. “So it is easier to just shop elsewhere.”

And how is the company responding to the latest criticisms?

Responding to the report in Bloomberg News, Wal-Mart said the customers complaining to Bloomberg aren’t a sufficient sample size and don’t represent shoppers’ impressions of its stores nationwide.  The spokeswoman said, “The premise of this story, which is based on the comments of a handful of people, is inaccurate and not representative of what is happening in our stores across the country.”  Not the kind of response shoppers expect from a major retailer in a highly competitive, economically depressed environment.

Customer service is also driving some customers away.  One frustrated customer tried to get a watch battery changed. “No one could find the batteries and a worker didn’t know how to change it anyway”, he said.  “The lady told me to go to a pawn shop to have it changed.  Michael Young, a 63-year-old accountant in Oklahoma City, goes to Wal-Mart “only when I need things I know I can usually get for less money.” He has to prepare himself for what he knows will be an unpleasant shopping experience.

It is not uncommon for businesses to encounter operational challenges which result in scattered, poor customer relations resulting in some tarnish to the brand, even the world’s largest and most prestigious performers will struggle to consistently maintain quality service and performance levels.  Even if it is an isolated problem or one of localized perception, and the evidence suggests neither is true, perception regardless of whether it has basis in fact, is reality in the eyes of the consumer.

Could Wal-Mart, once the discounter consumers could rely upon for more than just low prices, be so focused on trimming the budget that they damage what many long-standing, loyal customers believe is one of the most endearing brands?

Entrepreneurs readily thrive on formulating great ideas for new products and business ventures and many even manage to muster credibility when it comes to formulating a vision for success, but all too often the busy road to market is littered with the debris of unrealized dreams and unfulfilled intentions. Initial investments generally are freely cast towards product development, manufacturing, packaging and market logistics, and while tangible and of paramount importance, these factors alone will not be enough to ensure successful marketability and viable business sustainability.

Robert Arnold, entrepreneur and CEO of Saffire Vapor comments, “Strategy keeps an entrepreneur focused on the larger goals – the big picture. It lays out a roadmap for ambitious and sweeping aims and breaks the impossible journey down into realistic and conceivable tasks. It is of the utmost importance for business. Without it you’re just walking over the hot coals, never realizing when you’ve made it to the other side.”

Business today gets done in a global marketplace and new technologies and change is occurring at an unprecedented rate, making time and distance less relevant thanks in great part to the explosive growth of the Internet and the development of new mediums of marketing like social, mobile and digital.  There was a time when strategic planning was only done by large businesses and those companies known for leading change.  For small and mid-size businesses, survival now rests on establishing strategies to weather the economic storm.

“Strategic planning is critical to business success.  It is has not only kept us in business, but has been the key contributor to our continued growth,” says Daveenia Beller, Managing Partner & Founder, Infinite Resource Solutions. “Different from traditional business planning, our leadership team views strategic planning as our roadmap for survival and continued success.  Strategic planning for our company is not your classic business operations plan.  Ours involves vision, mission and outside-of-the-box thinking.  Strategic planning has helped us define both where our company is heading, and how we are going to get there, while considering potential economic or market pitfalls.  Without a defined strategy and plan, it’s like taking a trip without a predefined destination.  We prefer to drive with our lights on, and possess a physical address for the stops along the way.”

Some good strategic advice from Daveenia to emerging entrepreneurs and small to mid-size companies; “budget more than you plan on spending, and borrow money when you don’t need it.  Just don’t spend it until you do!  A prime example is back in 2008 when many organizations saw a recession on the horizon.  They braced themselves for the impact, knowing full well that banks are more likely to lend when you don’t need it, rather than when you do during an unstable economy.”

It is just as possible to grow yourself out of business, as it is to go out of business.  It is important to have a solid cash flow analysis and anticipate potential constraints.  “Our company doubled in size even during the recession,” commented Beller. “We had to control our growth, and make certain it was controlled at a sustainable rate, being that conventional loans were extremely difficult to secure at that point in time.”

Investing in an effective, well researched and targeted strategic plan is vital to assure success in a competitive market environment. Embarking on any new business venture without a clear plan which includes direction and sustainable goals is like setting out across a desert without so much as a simple compass to guide ones journey. Nothing planned, little achieved, everything at risk.

Procter & Gamble Company (P&G), an American multinational consumer goods company, is as familiar to the average American as Mom and her famous apple pie.  Established in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1837 by William Proctor and James Gamble, the new company weathered the economic storms and a plethora of competitors to stake out a leadership role in the quickly expanding consumer products market.

Consumers today, as every generation since its founding, are as familiar with one or several P&G brands as they are with their closest sibling.  P&G recorded $83.68 billion in sales in 2012 through product segments including; beauty, grooming, health, snacks and pet care, fabric and home care, baby care and family home care.  To remain ahead of its competitors, P&G spends a reported 9.3 billion dollars globally on advertising and marketing in prior years and retains a world-wide market share of 20%.

When P&G management recently announced that it would be retraining marketing spend to focus on return on investment (ROI), its announcement succeeded in getting the ad industries attention very quickly.   Chief Financial Officer Jon Moeller said he expects advertising spending to lag sales growth by about 0.2 percentage points this year.  Restraining ad spending below sales growth “does not mean less reach, less frequency,” Mr. Moeller said. “It means more effective advertising, the right mix of media, and, importantly, reducing non-advertising costs that the consumers never see.”  He said the share of P&G marketing spending on digital in the U.S. is “up to 35%,” ranging down to 25% on some brands.  “We have some businesses and brands where digital is incredibly effective and we’re doing more.”  He went on to say, “We have other brands that are on the learning curve. We’ve got to get up the learning curve faster.”

The shift to larger marketing spend to digital should be a concern for large and ultra-large advertising and marketing agencies who have been struggling to retain their margins in the new Digital Age.  But the future of small agencies may be a bit brighter due in part to recent mergers of already giant firms into behemoth conglomerates who are motivated to leverage the relationships, investments and proprietary trading desks of their parent companies, a move that may not be in the best interest of clients.

While not every major marketer is inclined to throw their big ad firm over the side, some notable brands are viewing small agencies as a viable alternative to mega firms, providing an opportunity for small agencies to differentiate themselves and focus on a strategy of delivering value at every touch point with their clients.  As often is the case, mega company shareholders and investors on Wall Street tend to apply pressure to increase focus on revenue and equity, not creativity.  The best innovation and creative ideas usually flow from smaller organizations whose growth projections are more focused on deliverable value and creativity. Big is always bigger but bigger is not always better.  As more mindsets continue to change in the marketer’s arena opportunities for smaller, more creative, nimble and flexible agencies will likely abound.

The most famous and successful family owned brands in the fashion industry have managed to survive multiple economic downturns, two world wars, numerous global conflicts, two depressions, countless fads and fashion faux pause’s only to face a new technological threat.  Anchored with well-established brick and mortar stores, catalogues and traditional mail order operations, many of the best known family brands are beginning to feel the weight of their own history.  Saddled with the hard costs of traditional marketing and product delivery models, long standing fashion brands are moving to reposition and redirect their investments in online marketing models to compete with the new, digital driven, online fashion brands.

Void of the traditional physical acumens of architecture, forms and functional displays, the internet is presenting a challenge to established family retailers who are falling behind the shift in media consumption and the rapid changes in consumer behavior.  Companies such as NastyGal, Moda Operandi and Gilt Group are  digital-driven fashion brands, selling clothing directly to the consumer without traditional fixed retail costs and who are targeting the new age Internet generation while taking a dramatically different approach.  These new wave fashion retail companies share a common trait; they are tech savvy and understand how to leverage the ‘new’ internet and social media as a marketing and distribution channel.

The key to building successful e-commerce businesses lies in creating lasting consumer value and satisfied customers who share their experience with their friends and family on Social Media.  Internet marketing leaders build success on differentiation, perceived value, consumer targeting and a mastery effective content creation.  Established brand owners rely heavily on physical product displays to present their fashions, but with e-commerce mastery of photography, imaging, video and visually, explicit content is essential for customers to see via the content.

Despite major shake-ups in 2011, J. Crew has stayed true to its upscale trend-right classics in creative store environments and is making impressive progress on moving the traditional brick, mortar and catalog retailer into a leading internet marketer.   While its offerings aren’t for everyone, the New York City-based clothier has perfected the distinctive preppy-yet-hip apparel to appeal to its young, upscale consumers.  And with jcrew.com, it has created a Web site that makes online shopping as easy as ordering from a catalog. J. Crew is currently working with Sun Microsystems to create a whole new Web site with more personalized shopping features, such as one-click ordering and recommendations based on order history. The revamped site should be up by early fall-just in time for holiday shopping.

Listening to customer feedback, never compromising on customer experience or service, filling a very real gap or inefficiency in the fashion market and setting one’s product apart from the competitors are key strategies for success in the digital marketplace.  For the well-established family brands to remain relevant in the new digital marketing era, they will need to reposition marketing strategies to capture audiences across devices. The electronic recreation of the excitement and anticipation once experienced by consumers upon receipt of their holiday edition of the Sears and Roebuck’s catalog is now the challenge of traditional family brands who wish to compete in the new digital marketing era.

When a Portland, Oregon, engineer’s 13-year-old daughter asked if it was possible to build a one-wheeled motorcycle she saw in a video game, Chris Hoffmann decided that yes – he probably could. Further research revealed earlier attempts, such as a wild sit-inside-the-wheel contraption from the 1940s. With recent technological advances and cost reductions, leveraged from mass produced products like smart phones, the technology-to-cost curve had finally hit a tipping point. After nearly eight years of development, the Ryno is ready to be introduced to the world. Small, sleek and unique, it looks like something that rolled off a sci-fi movie set on to your neighborhood sidewalk. A modern day, 21^st century high-tech version of the turn of the 20^th century unicycle, the Ryno Cycle bears little resemblance to its ancestor. With a stubby, lower center of gravity and electrically powered, the Ryno was developed to accomplish a simple mission: making motorized personal transportation accessible, enjoyable, and practical.

With a price point under $5500.00, the space aged unicycle promises to attract an eager market of urban users who want to sport-around town at 10 miles per hour.  The Ryno promises easy, safe operation even to the motorized, cycle riding challenged among us. Recently, Chris Hoffman, inventor and CEO of Ryno Cycle, introduced his new contraption on an edition of NBC’s Today show and announced that the high-tech cycle would be ready for delivery by April 16, 2014. But a visit to the companies Facebook page and website, immediately after the televised introduction, revealed digital marketing collateral that is not fully developed, optimized or designed to provide users the opportunity to navigate effectively to making a purchase. With dealership information still incomplete and many product details and options not fully implemented, it would suggest that the April 16, roll-out is a bit optimistic at best.

The Ryno Cycle is a fantastic example of ingenuity of purpose and technological design and Mr. Hoffman and his obviously very capable team is to be commended on their engineering skills and insight in developing a unique product and bringing it to market introduction. Unfortunately, it may also be an example of how even the most brilliant product can have its introduction stymied by a lack of focus and preparation in engaging an effective marketing strategy.

In this fast paced technological environment, it is increasingly important to allocate resources to the development of a marketing strategy and its implementation that is at least equal to the commitment of time, energy and expertise directed to the engineering and development of the product. No matter how exciting and anticipated the product, failing to be fully ready to deliver the product and its promised benefits will result in confusion, frustration and negative resignation on the part of today’s demanding consumer and can embolden the market position of better prepared competitors.  Let’s hope that Ryno Cycle is quick to address the marketing issues before this ingenious new consumer vehicle doesn’t become another example of letting the genie out of the bottle too soon.

One of the most used and least understood terms in business is strategy. While nearly every organization’s success can be traced to a well-founded and directed plan of action, or strategy, many within today’s company hierarchy would be hard pressed to articulate their company’s strategic plan or their specific role in the process of implementation. Much of the misunderstanding stems from a lack of clear articulation of the plans content and who in the organization is responsible for its success.

The Roman philosopher Seneca is quoted as saying: “If a man does not know what port he is steering for, no wind is favorable.” Strategies role in any organization is to collectively focus its resources and assets on achieving a tightly defined course of action towards achieving a set of common goals and objectives. Flexibility is necessary in deploying a strategic plan in order to address original assumptions that become ineffectual when the plan meets the reality of an ever changing marketplace. But while some flexibility in the process is necessary, maintaining a clear focus on the desired objective is essential to garnering cooperation and understanding from all those who are on board.

Whether a company’s strategy is founded on the internal strengths and beliefs of the organization or guided by a belief based on their customer’s sense of the company’s value to fulfill their expectations, without a clear and compelling vision of where it is headed, an organization is destined to be lost.

The leader’s responsibility to its organization is to set forth a vision for the company that engages the understanding, acceptance and participation of its associates. Peter Drucker, whose writings contributed to the philosophical and practical foundations of the modern business corporation noted, “An effective leader knows that the ultimate task of leadership is to create human energies and human vision.” While leadership provides the vision and forms the strategy, it is the organization that engages and carries through on its implementation. Successful strategy is dependent upon the participation and buy-in of all individuals in an organization who have clearly assigned roles and a timeline with predetermined milestones along the path to success.

Have you sufficiently defined the role of strategy in your organization?

Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Once reserved for the single last day in October, Halloween was a time when younger children donned costumes and set out throughout the neighborhoods of America, knocking on suspecting home dwellers and recounting the term “trick or treat,” the seemingly timeless plea for candy instead of a trick; the latter usually manifested in a soaped window, a tissue adorned tree or burning bag of poo on the front porch. Celebrated for hundreds of years in communities across North America, Halloween is becoming a more popular holiday and an increasingly bigtime marketing opportunity for commerce.

The Great Pumpkin, of Jack-o-lantern fame, and his compatriots the ghosts, goblins, witches and ghouls are arising from the patches, cemeteries and the darkness of night to claim a stake in the list of universal celebrations. It is estimated that consumers will spend $6.9 billion on Halloween this year, an average of $75 per person, an increase of nearly $30 since 2005. Children’s trick or treating is still Halloween’s leading characteristic, but adults are the main funders of the increased holiday spending.

Research conducted by The National Retail Federation (NRF) found that while the majority of Halloween celebrations were among 18-24 year olds, more than 60 percent of those above the age of 34 were now expected to join in the revelry by conducting larger “event” parties attended by elaborately adorned party goers. This year, spending on house decorations for Halloween is expected to rival that of the Christmas holiday season and candy buying at Halloween will outpace that spent on Easter for the first time. It is clear that the Great Pumpkin has arrived and is throwing down a respectable challenge to the Easter bunny and Santa Claus.

Marketers, take note! Positioned perfectly between the lucrative back to school selling events and the profitable Christmas holiday sales season, Halloween is an opportunity to build on your year-end strategy for closing the gap on profitability. Whether digital, mobile or traditional, the trick is to engage in effective Halloween marketing activities to capture your share of the holiday’s treats.

November 12, 2014 – ATLANTA, GA: Junction Creative Solutions (Junction) and its client Ultimate Health School (Ultimate) announce the launch of a new website. Ultimate is a Virginia based accredited nursing and allied health training institution dedicated to providing incomparable health education programs.

The Junction team of experienced web developers, designers and marketing strategists worked closely with Ultimate stakeholders to design a new website to reflect the vision and ambitions of the professional educators at Ultimate. The refreshed website and brand collateral enhances the user experience while expanding and improving site management capabilities.

“Ultimate Health School’s mission to educate and train students is so vital to meeting the future requirements of the ever changing nursing and allied health profession.   The new online experience not only provides comprehensive information regarding its programs but also provide essential tools and resources for students currently enrolled in Ultimate programs,” commented Julie Gareleck, CEO and Managing Partner, Junction.

To view the new website and learn more about how Ultimate’s experienced staff of professional educators is preparing their students for a career in the dynamic healthcare field, visit www.ultimatehealthschool.com.

About Junction Creative Solutions

Junction Creative Solutions (Junction) combines the intellectual capital of a consulting firm with the creative execution of an advertising agency to create effective and measurable strategies and solutions. The solutions align with specific business goals and objectives, and provide consistency from strategic planning through execution. As a result, our clients are able to maximize opportunities to react, adapt, and thrive — ultimately creating more sustainable and competitive businesses. Junction’s award winning portfolio boasts successful strategies and agency solutions for SMBs and Fortune 500 companies.

About Ultimate Health School

Ultimate Health School (Ultimate) is a nursing and allied health training institution dedicated to providing quality nursing and Allied health education to all students who are willing to commit to learning new and advance skills in their areas of interest. Ultimate’s mission is to continuously adopt new and advanced academic study aides and technologies to improving academic curriculum. The highly trained and dedicated staff partner with the best healthcare institutions to provide the most up-to-date professional healthcare education for its students. Ultimate is accredited by the Virginia Board of Nursing [VBON], National Health Career Association and the State Council of Higher Education of Virginia [SCHEV].

At a time when nearly half of the workforce is struggling to land a full time career with a company that values commitment to long-term employees, the temptation to jump the corporate ship and seek asylum in “Entrepreneurial Utopia” is as strong as it has ever been at other times. The feeling is nothing new. As the saying goes, “what comes around will go and come around again later,” or something like that. Keeping one’s head when making a well informed decision about when and if to become a member of the self-employed class is difficult no matter the circumstances. It doesn’t help that mainstream media’s have fallen head over heels for those really savvy hipsters who casually quit their former life, school, job and move back home to start a business in Mom and Dad’s garage only to become instant billionaires.

Let’s face it; no matter how deficient one may be in the “handsome department” being an entrepreneur today is seen as being really sexy!  Who wouldn’t jump at a chance to become independently wealthy, set their own work and play schedule, be their own boss and bask in the glamourous life-style of the rich and famous. After all it seems so easy, right?

Well. You might want to ask the couple that bought that historic Bed and Breakfast with visions of reliving the past among antique treasures’, sharing a glass of fine wine and engaging conversations with multi-cultured guests only to realize that the old barn of a house constantly needed fixing and it costs a gazillion dollars to heat; the guests always want to visit on those holiday’s you were planning to get away; and when the maid and maintenance guys didn’t show up for work (guaranteed to be more often than anyone could imagine), the person whose name is found on the bottom right-hand corner of the checks makes the beds, does the laundry, washes the dishes and mows the lawn. How’s that for sexy?

True, not every business venture is a bed and breakfast, fast food restaurant or oil changing franchise but every business venture, whether it involves a new high-tech gadget, software app or heal-all potion, has a challenging, dirty side to it. And the price of being the recipient of the entrepreneurial spirit is that the visionary gets to experience it all. Here are a few more entrepreneurial myths to ponder before striking out on your E-mission:

It’s a great way to get rich. There’s simply no data or logic or factual data to support the premise that anyone will make more money running their own business than working for someone else. Most independent business endeavors require the commitment of significant personal wealth with no assurance of respectable returns.

It’s not about the money it’s about following the passion. Warning! If following the passion doesn’t generate enough money to support the passion part, you’re going to go passionately broke.

You’re going to be your own boss. It’s the biggest myth of all. The truth is your customers, the regulators, the creditors and the tax collectors are the boss.

The self-employed control their schedule. This myth is correct. The 24 hour/7 day a week schedule.

You’ll be certain to find personal fulfillment. It has been said, “Find a job doing what you love to do and you will never work a day in your life.”  Please note: The vast majority of things that must be done to secure success in business are often those things that many entrepreneurs do not love to do, but have to do. If your journey to fulfillment includes practicing management and leadership skills every minute of every day, than you will have plenty of opportunity to experience personal fulfillment.

The most successful entrepreneurs are those willing to just step out on faith. Before you run out and invest the life-savings in a chain of cupcake shops it would be prudent to determine how many cupcakes will need to be sold just to pay the rent. Reality: The best decision is one that is all about doing due diligence and the math, thoroughly and correctly.

Entrepreneurship is not about glamour or about being sexy; it’s about hard work, tenacity, passion, tolerance, self-confidence and having a clear vision and strong sense of purpose and mission. If it looks easy from the outside it is most likely because the subject of the complement is very good at doing the routine little acts of continuous improvements every day, day in and day out.

So, if you are thinking about joining the entrepreneurial ranks don’t do it because you think it will make you sexy because it won’t. It will be all about customers; about experiencing the best and the worst of all things; about surviving your mistakes; about being proud of your successes and sensing the true joy of accomplishment.

Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

It is a debate among marketers that has raged since the word “Discount” first found its way into consumer’s vocabulary. Add descriptors like “Sale”, “Reduced”, “Low price leader”, “Special”, “We sell for less”, and “We will not be undersold”, and any observer would come to the conclusion that the lowest price alone determines who gets the sale. Is the buying decision all about price? All things being equal, will the lower price always prevail?

The assumption that consumers are motivated to act based on just one reason more than any other is an over simplification of the decision making process and a premise that a large and diverse market can be moved to action by deploying just one factor. The truth is consumer’s reasons to purchase are as diverse as the market and as complex as the individual making the decision.

According to a recent CEI Survey, 86% of buyers will pay more for products when accompanied by excellent customer service, product quality, or perceived added value.  Based on a buying hierarchy model, first outlined by Windermere Associates, most consumers follow a pattern for action when making a buying decision:

1. Functionality – Where a product or service fills a specific customer need or want that cannot be accomplished by other products or competitors, consumers will not base their decision on price.
2. Reliability – When two or more similar products have the same functionality, consumers will favor the competitor whose product offers the better reliability.
3. Convenience – When the products or services offer the same functionality and identical relative reliability, consumers will choose convenience.
4. Price – When competitors all have similar products or services that offer equal function, reliability and convenience, then price will prevail as the deciding factor for the buying decision.

In addition, a Nielsen’s 2014 Global Survey on Corporate Social Responsibility indicates that 55 percent of global online consumers are willing to pay more for products and services from companies that are committed to positive social and environmental impact. “Consumers around the world are saying loud and clear that a brand’s social purpose is among the factors that influence purchase decisions,” said Amy Fenton, global leader of public development and sustainability at Nielsen.

There will always be those who will pay a higher price for brand status or those who perceive value in brand loyalty. And a generous portion of consumers will always harbor affection for getting the best deal and paying the lowest price. But for the greater number of consumers price alone is no longer enough to motivate them to purchase. In a highly competitive market environment, where marketers are offering added value to their lowest price, buyers are becoming increasingly adept at discerning the difference between real value and low price.

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

As more and more consumers turn to the Web for their holiday shopping, performance of e-merchants online experience is becoming increasingly important to the bottom line.  A recent Harris Poll indicates that 68% of U.S. adults expect to shop online for gifts this upcoming holiday season and more than three quarters of adult US online shoppers feel that website reliability and reputation is extremely high in their consideration of an online merchant and their eventual purchase decision.  What’s even more concerning is that 89 percent of the survey respondents said they would simply stop shopping at a particular online store as a result of a poor Website experience. Web performance is clearly important to a majority of online shoppers, who will often flee one retailer’s site for a competitor’s for faster service. With so much riding on meeting the customer’s expectations it is increasingly important to insure that your website is prepared for the seasons increased usage and that its performance meets your customer’s expectations.

Speed and availability is critical to a positive customer interaction.  Online shoppers have unlimited choices and have little patience when they are delayed or frustrated by a sites poor performance.  Implementing traffic management and web content optimization tools will improve site response times and help balance system workloads.  

Security and liability are critical concerns for online shoppers. Hacking of customer data is on the rise and retailers are being held liable for the costs associated with lost and stolen customer data. Securing customers personal credit card information and passcodes is vital. Customers will return to the site only if they feel confident that their information is safe and secure.  

This is the year of mobile. More and more consumers are embracing the use of their smart phones and pads for every day shopping, whether over the internet of while in the store. Optimizing your website to accommodate the latest mobile apps and software to interact with the roaming consumer will enhance user experience and elevate customer satisfaction.

Don’t leave your websites performance to chance. Investing in an effective website optimization and monitoring tool will improve the likelihood that performance issues will be identified early enough to be resolved before they adversely affect the customer relationship. Regular testing of the site over multiple web browsers is very important. Online users will often use different browsers to access the internet depending on the devise. Your site should offer a consistent and positive e-visit regardless of the method of access. And remember, a website that is “down” and inaccessible for even a brief moment during busy shopping hours is akin to closing the door and turning out the lights of a brick and mortar store at rush hour. Once turned away, studies have indicated that as many as 44 percent of inconvenienced customers will never return.

Once what was considered the normal customer interaction is changing as technology advancements have improved and been expanded to offer new bells and whistles to entice new customer interactions. Initiating unproven and untested site enhancements at the busiest time of the shopping season can result in a calamity for even the best designed websites.  Better to be prepared than to be first with a failed site performance that will damage your brand.

The holiday shopping season will determine the success or failure for the vast majority of retailers, getting the user experience effort right has never been more important. Online shopping is opening new opportunities to expanded global markets for even the smallest of businesses. But with the increased exposure comes a corresponding increased risk to getting the customer experience wrong. E-commerce retailers whose websites are prepared, tested and diligently monitored will be rewarded with a positive and profitable consumer experience.

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The following you will read two stories of accomplished women, who when faced with the opportunity, combined their passion and embrace for the entrepreneurial spirit to achieve new visions of personal and professional accomplishment.

As recently featured in Fortune Magazine, the shy and extremely private, Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken rarely speaks to the press or goes out of her way to draw attention to herself. In her own words she has said, “I’ve always been quite happy to be anonymous.” But often times, personal ambitions and life’s intended direction are altered in their course by factors beyond an individual’s control. The only child of the late Freddy Heineken, Charlene is the sole heir to the Heineken fortune and the controlling shareholder of what is now the world’s third-largest brewer. Charlene spent her life happily below the radar in London, raising five children with her banker husband Michel, who was a former child actor and Olympic skier, until the death of her father Freddy Heineken, who brought the premium beer brand to America after Prohibition and built the company brand into a world brewing power-house estimated to be worth $45 billion.

Charlene De Carvalho-Heineken now controls 51% of Heineken Holding NV, a public company listed on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange, which in turn owns 50.05% of Heineken NV, also listed on the Amsterdam exchange. Though she joined the board of Heineken Holding NV in 1988 she showed little interest in the daily operations of the family business until after her father died. On the day of Freddy’s funeral in 2002 Charlene, with the support of her husband Michel de Carvahlo, Vice Chairman of Citigroup, decided that it would be prudent to have a member of the Heineken family involved in the companies operation.

With considerable trepidation, she faced up to the challenge that fate thrust upon her and got actively involved in Heineken’s brewery operations all around the world. Aided by Michael, the couple was instrumental in the decision to bring in Jean Francois van Boxmeer, as Heineken’s CEO in 2005. Since then the company has acquired the brands Dos Equis and Bohemia and successfully fended off a take-over bid by SABMiller’s late last year in an effort to insure that controlling interest in the family founded company would be passed on to the next Heineken generation. Clearly the once unassuming and somewhat disinterested heiress to one of the world’s most formidable and successful companies has risen to the challenge to become, what husband Michael calls his wife, “The lady who throws the switch.”

Megyn Kelly grew up in a middle-class suburb of Albany, NY. She was the youngest of three children born to a father who was an education professor at the State University of New York at Albany, and her mother who ran the behavioral-health department at a Veterans Administration hospital. At age 15 her life and comfortable middle-class life-style was shattered by the untimely passing of her father. As a high school senior, Megyn listed her future hopes in three words: “College, government, wealth.” After a high-school aptitude test suggested that a career in journalism news would be well suited for Megyn, she sought to attend the communication program at Syracuse University, but after being rejected to the program she switched her major to political science and went on to receive a J.D. from Albany Law School and embarked on a successful career in corporate litigation.

But in 2003, Megyn decided to turn her focus back to her original career choice. Armed with an inert sense of purpose, personal enthusiasm and perseverance she reset her sights on a career in journalism news and cut a TV news demo tape with help from a friend and began cold-calling station managers. Bill Lord, then the news director of WJLA, the ABC affiliate in Washington had never given a job to somebody off the street with no experience, but Kelly’s tape and her subsequent interview motivated him to act. “She was very intelligent, there’s just no getting around it,” he said. “She was enormously confident. She seemed very, very motivated. She had ideas.” He hired her on a tryout basis which led to a longer term contract.

Today Kelly is the host of her own prime-time news program on the Fox News Channel. With an audience of 2.8 million viewers “The Kelly Files” became the highest-rated non-sports program in its time slot in all of basic cable in 2014. For Roger Ailes, the Fox News Channel chairman and chief executive, Kelly has become his “breakthrough artist,” the one who will define Fox’s future. Time magazine has named Kelly as one of the 100 “most influential people in the world” for 2014.

The entrepreneurial spirit can mobilize individuals under less than ideal circumstances to set an example of what hard work and passion can yield.  What’s your calling?

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net