We all know times are so tough that a lot of SMBs – and even large ones – are packing it in. But there is a determined group out there that’s not only surviving but thriving in today’s economy. As I’ve said before, now is the time to make a difference with your business, to promote your Unique Selling Proposition while the rest of your competition is floundering to make sense of the chaos around them.

Each Tuesday, henceforth to be known as Ruby Tuesday, I will choose a small- to medium-sized business that is doing something different to set itself apart from the flock, whether that’s by making the most of its USP, tapping into new Internet tools, or simply (more…)

Whether or not you voted for the guy, you have to hand it to him: Barack Obama and his team know how to market to the masses.  Three years ago, few people outside of Illinois had heard of the former senator, let alone considered him a viable candidate for presidency. Today, Obama’s face is plastered on more merchandise than Hannah Montana’s. It wouldn’t surprise me if (more…)

For the first time in company history, Teleflora will advertise during the Super Bowl.

For the first time in our company’s history, Teleflora has purchased a spot on the Super Bowl. It is also the first time in 20 years that a floral company has bought commercial time during the big game.

The timing couldn’t be better. With Valentine’s Day following just two weeks after the Super Bowl, we’re giving guys a heads-up that if they want Valentine’s “Night,” they’d better remember (more…)

When you throw a party and have an estimated 300,000 people turn up, you know you’re one popular guy. That’s one takeaway from yesterday’s inaugural concert, where the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Beyoncé, and Stevie Wonder performed for our President-elect.

In light of our country’s current economic situation, some detractors are declaring the expense of Obama-rama as a waste, stating that the money could have gone to much better uses. When Bush was sworn in for a second time in 2005, a Washington Post poll found that a majority of Americans would have preferred a less ostentatious affair. So it’s understandable that (more…)

Today, I appeared on The Advertising Show, the country’s only weekly show of its kind, to discuss Rubies in the Orchard with hosts Brad Forsythe and Ray Schilens. In addition to chatting about my upcoming book and some of the secrets and stories therein, the three of us also talked about other key book topics, such as business transparency, unique selling propositions, interacting with your customers, and the newly leveled playing field created by the current economy.

If you missed the show, you can still tune in to hear about a topic I didn’t cover in my book: why I decided açai wasn’t as good for my customers as pomegranates are. (The answer just might make you kick that açai habit and switch to POM.) You’ll also get a taste for (more…)

There’s less than a week to go before our country enters the Era of Change. On Tuesday, I appeared as part of a Los Angeles Times panel brought in to speak about the upcoming inauguration and what it means for Los Angeles and California as a whole.

For the most part, the panel held an optimistic view, probably because the majority of us hail from the bluest of states.  We are relieved that the last eight years will soon be over. But there was more: an understanding that (more…)

One of my favorite parts of the 21st century is that for the first time in more than 2,000 years, since Julius Caesar addressed the citizens of Rome (sans women and slaves, of course) there is a two-way conversation between government and its citizens, corporations and their customers, and people around the globe, all talking to each other in real time. Thank G-d Al Gore invented the Internet.

I run several businesses, and it is through this kind of direct conversation that I can “hear” what my consumers have to say about my goods and services. It is a way that I can answer their concerns and give them more information about my brands

But blogging is actually more than that to me; it is a way to (more…)