1. I just got a text from the local kettle corn guy.  He sets up at festivals and events all over the area.  But every so often he’ll set up in his front yard.  He sends text messages to everyone that signs up for them.  Nice!   Could you send out texts to favorite customers with your specials?

2. Share cool information.  Be helpful.  Be known as that guy that knows where to get anything – even if its not in your own store.  It pays to know what other stores in your small town have.  Visit them, talk to the owners, make friends.  Competition is good!  Also, when you don’t have a product that a customer wants, and you can tell them where they can find it – it makes you look the good guy.  It makes that customer want to come back in and shop with you another time.  We all know it’s not the first time someone comes in the store that matters.  What matters is if they come back!

3. Say hello to everyone who comes in the door.  Welcome them sincerely.  Share a smile.  It is simply amazing to me how many store workers (whether staff or owners or both) are on their cell phones, or computers, or stocking shelves – and ignore the customer walking in the store. Who wants to shop in that environment?

Now go have a great weekend!

Goes to show you that you

can teach an old dog new tricks!  

Take notes friends, here’s a few things you may not know.

1. SENDER

Is your newsletter from info@xyzcompany.com?  Yeah, that’s exciting – makes me want to open it right away (sarcasm).  Make sure your email is from a real person!  And make sure that when someone clicks on that email button it goes to someone too, not suggestions@ or help@ or newsletter@.  Then make sure the person who gets that email ANSWERS IT.  If someone has read your newsletter and then took the step to send an email, they deserve a quick response.

2. SUBJECT LINE

3. TOOL FOR RESPONSE

4. LIST MANIA

5. OPEN RATE

6. CLICK THROUGHS

7. SEO

8. ACTION

9. IMAGES

10. PDF TRACKING

But the coolest thing about the last week?  I took my mom with me!  She doesn’t get to travel as much as she’d like, she has all these things she has to take with her. Oxygen, nebulizer,walker, medicine – necessary evils she calls them.  So being able to stay somewhere 4 nights is a luxury for her.  We stayed at the Sheraton in Sioux Falls and I was very happy with the room (great beds, nice armoire, handicap accessible bathroom, good tv).  However, the service is what made the place truly remarkable.  The staff was great and when it was time for checkout, they brought two luggage racks upstairs and packed our items up on it and then loaded everything into the car for us.  That really exemplifies how great their service is – always ready and always helping.

During the day I was in meetings and would sneak out and check on mom.  She’d be reading, or dozing, or watching tv, or writing.  My favorite – I’d find her on my Mac computer reading obituaries! Because she’s required to keep her feet elevated a good part of the day, this was a nice getaway for her.  The beds! Oh my  - we were both thrilled.

We went out to eat at Granite City and shared a German dark beer sample.  One night we went to the Hospitality Suites for my conference.  Everyone paid special attention to her, and she had a margarita too. We went shopping at Catos, Kohls and finally Barnes and Noble.  My grandmother worked in a Hallmark book store when I was growing up.  My grandfather was always reading a big thick paperback book.  My mom taught school and loves reading.  So you’d have to guess that a bookstore is just a wonderful place for us to spend time together.  We visited her baby sister (by 20 years) on the way home.  Mom even drove for 30 miles (shhh, don’t tell anyone).

All in all, it was a great week.  I’m happy to still have my mom and to her I say HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY! 

Meanwhile, let me share a few Scary Statistics from their site.

A culmination of Scary Stats as presented by XYZ University:

• By 2015, the majority of the workforce will be in their 20s. (source)
• 1 in 3 college students and young professionals under age 30 prioritize social media freedom over salary in accepting a job offer. (source)
• On average, 10,000 Baby Boomers retire every day. (source)
• Nearly 60% of Generation Y has switched careers at least once already. (Pew Research Center, A Portrait of Generation Next, 2010)
• By 2015, Generation Y (1982-1995) will outnumber Baby Boomers in the workforce. (source)
• 70% of college grads leave their first job after graduation within two years. (source)
• 70 million people in the U.S. belong to the Millennial generation. (source)
• Globally, by 2020, there will be 90 million permanently displaced unskilled workers. (source)
• Women are not expected to earn the same wage as their male counterparts until 2016. (source)
• Last year, more than 48 million people changed jobs. (source)
• 75% of employed Americans are currently looking for jobs. (source)
• 50% of human resource departments have not adjusted recruiting in the past 3 to 5 years. (source)
• In the U.S., employees spend an average of 13 hours during the workweek worrying about what their boss says or does. (source)
• 86% of organizations report bad behavior like insults and poor manners lead to work stress. (source)
• Nearly 84% of associations report that getting members involved with advocacy efforts is a major challenge. (source)
• Only 1/3 of Millennials say their current job is their career (source)
• 3 out of 5 students expect to be able to work remotely (source)
• 60% of Millennials don’t feel they make enough money (source)
• The average worker wastes 2.09 hours per 8-hour workday, not counting breaks or lunch (source)
• 25% of middle class American say they’ll need to work past retirement age (source)
• In fewer than 10 years, nearly half the working population will be Millennials (source)
• 43% of Millennials think they could easily find another job if they lost their current one (source)
• 25% of nonprofit employees under age 55 expect to leave their jobs in a year; 40% within 2-4 years(source)
• The proportion of working 65-69 year olds in the US has risen from nearly 18% in 1985 to 32% in 2011 (source)
• By 2020, 46% of all U.S. workers are predicted to be Gen Y (source)
• 30% of Gen Y started a business in college (source)
• The Millennial unemployment rate is at 13.1%, above the national average of 7.8% (source)
• 32% of people say they waste time at work because there is no incentive to work harder (source)

You might think this was boring.  On the contrary, anyone that lives in a town and works at or owns a business – or wants too – should be interested in these numbers. 

Here’s some new for you; large and medium companies have been shedding employment.  The good news is 16% of small businesses added employees last year.  Self employment has really skyrocketed. Entrepreneurship is making huge headway in the US.

The bright spots are minority, immigrant, women owned, baby boomers and self employed business numbers are up.

We are seeing a growth in energy related jobs.  Not a big surprise there either.  But take a look at offshoot possibilities of energy – what kind of data centers are needed?  What other businesses could be created to support the energy related jobs? 

There are a few policies that help to bring jobs to small towns:  Infrastructure, business climate, export and international trade, talent pipeline, entrepreneurship and innovation.   What is your community doing to strengthen those things?

Infrastructure includes things like:

• Broadband availability
• Incentivize special infrastructure and equipment
• Upgrade airports and ports
• Private involvement in funding
• Encourage public private partnerships

Business climate includes things like:

• DURT busting .. Delays, uncertainty, regulations and taxes
• fast track permitting
• Tax credits for startups, hiring new employees, businesses in targeted industries like data centers

Iowa ranks 37 in business climate.

Export and international trade includes:

• Training and support for companies to develop skills in exporting
• Governors as international business diplomats – connecting and closing the sale.

Iowa ranks #12, and that is attributed to our corn exports.

Talent pipeline includes:

• School programs tailored to industry and specific companies
• Stem initiative
• Middle skill jobs that require less than a 4 year degree
• Internships

Iowa ranks #11 and the Midwest as a whole ranks high.  It’s credited to the strong work ethic in the Midwest.

Entrepreneurship and innovation includes:

• Focus on high growth firms
• Economic gardening
• Tech based programs
• Funding for startups and expansions
• Business plan competitions
• Partnership with universities, government and businesses

Iowa ranks at 44, not so good.  The top states are Washington, Virginia, Maryland, Utah, Texas, Massachusetts and Florida.

Top performing states consistently have:

• Energy industries
• Reasonable regulation and taxes
• Pro growth culture
• Strong talent pool
• Sound fiscal policies
• Governors providing high level of leadership.

Overall, Iowa was ranked number ten!  North Dakota was ranked number one.

Delore and his firm have been doing this reporting for four years.  Their conclusions after four years are quite telling.  They are:

Each state is unique

A state can’t tax or cut itself into prosperity

Just saying you are good for business is not enough, you must back it up with action.

What are the keys to providing quality of life plusses for companies?  Offer affordable housing, access to health care, broadband, the possibility to be involved in regionalization and a good strong cup of coffee.

As a chamber director we are encouraged to have a pro small business attitude and encourage people to be entrepreneurial. Direct possible new businesses and entrepreneurs to appropriate resources and help them become successful.  In essence, be a connector. 

April has been a great month!  We’ve added Cathy Oswald at Inner Dynamics, Chad Hill at Marlies Garage, Julia Sosa from La Perla Jarocha, Theresa Echelberger from the Future of Health Massage and Maurie O’Hearn from O’Hearn Family Chiropractic to our Chamber rolls.  Welcome everyone!

The Tour on April 24 showcased 11 vacant buildings for sale or for rent and was declared a success!  Several properties shown had potential buyers express a strong interest and we look forward to seeing new businesses in town!  Our thanks to Schlofeldt Engineering for designing the maps and making them available to everyone; HyVee for snacks after the event, Stacy Wearda, Tyler Abens, Sandy VanHauen -realtors; Jeanne Hill, Rudy Knight, Vern Radcliff, JoAnn Robb, David Toyer, Loween Getter, Pat Powers, Art Downard, Ron Gilbert – Champions; Mathew Byrne, Connie Gilbert, Randy Chalfant, Al Reynolds, Jason Van Sickle, Nancy Kayser, Steve Kehoe – building owners.  It took a community to make it possible and we thank everyone who attended and all of those still talking about it!

The weather is finally cooperating and giving us sunshine and warm temperatures.  In May we are looking forward to graduations, classes and fun times at Kendall Young Library all month, Stony Creek Landscape classes, St. Thomas Ball, How to Wow Seminar on how to hire great employees, chamber coffees, National Train Day, Crestview Concert,  The Races, Live Music at Mornin’ Glory, classes at Briggs Woods, a play at WCCT, and Memorial Day.  Be sure to visit our website calendar for all the details: http://www.visitwebstercityiowa.com/calendar_of_events.html

We are also planning three street festivals this summer and hope that you will attend.  June 14, July 5 and August 9.  Friday nights we’ll close off part of 2^nd street, sell food to support a nonprofit, encourage stores to stay open late and have a live band playing.  Capping off the night will be a free movie in the park!   Locals will bring lawn chairs, maybe dance some and shop a little.  Tourists will come and stay overnight and enjoy the farmers market, 9 hole golf outing and the races on Saturday.  We’re calling it Summer Nights and we’re asking you to mark your calendars and save the dates for a whole lot of fun in Webster City!  You’ll soon see posters around town and we promise a great time, good vendors, fantastic music, wonderful food and fun at the movies. 

The short tail (immediate results) was nothing short of miraculous. First of all, these vacant buildings were cleaned up and looked great. Second of all, a community came together to share the event and people are now talking about what could be possible in Webster City. Thirdly, one building has a very interested prospective buyer who is moving forward with the process of buying. And other buyer is seriously looking at several options to invest.

Nancy Kayser’s husband was a lawyer and really wanted his building to be used by a lawyer. In fact, the building had never been anything but a law office. Mr. Kayser passed away in 2009 leaving the building in his wife’s care. Nancy told me “I just couldn’t put another for sale sign in a window in Webster City. With the closing of Electrolux there were for sale signs all over town. I just couldn’t put another one up.” In fact, she was reluctant to be on the tour because she had work to do to clean out the offices. We convinced her to be a part of the tour, that we needed her and her building to round out the tour and Nancy agreed. The first person that came to her location was early. It was a young lawyer who lives here but works out of town. She really would like to practice where she lives. If she had not heard about The Tour, she would not have found Nancy and would not be pursuing the option of buying the building!

The long tail (results appearing down the road) is encouraging as well. We’ve gotten interest from www.smallbizsurvival.com and they’ve requested we tell our story. It’s a good one and we hope other communities find something of value in it. It also helps to bring notice to Webster City from around the world, and that is always a good thing. Our Tour has been shared on the social media networks, and people are watching and wondering how it went. Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Minnesota, New York, and Nevada contacts have reached out and want to know the results.

Also, by not hiding the fact that we had empty buildings we have let prospective businesses know that we have room for them, and we welcome them. There are several people in our community that are graduating from Iowa Central with entrepreneurial degrees, they will want to stay at home and work in their home town. We’ve let them know that they have place here.

Finally, people are talking. The conversations over coffee, at ball games, after church and with friends are once again filled with hope. They are dreaming about possibilities in Webster City. We know how to make dreams reality and our long tail is a strong, prosperous Webster City.

Small towns like ours know that we are survivors and where there is a will, there is a way.

You might also like to read these articles:  empty buildings and The Tour.

Our thanks to Schlofeldt Engineering for designing the maps and making them available to everyone; HyVee for snacks after the event, Stacy Wearda, Tyler Abens, Sandy VanHauen -realtors; Jeanne Hill, Rudy Knight, Vern Radcliff, JoAnn Robb, David Toyer, Loween Getter, Pat Powers, Art Downard, Ron Gilbert – Champions; Mathew Byrne, Connie Gilbert, Randy Chalfant, Al Reynolds, Jason Van Sickle, Nancy Kayser, Steve Kehoe – building owners.  It took a community to make it possible and we thank everyone who attended and all of those still talking about it! 

There was speculation that William did not write his plays because he was not well educated.  He did attend school but there is no record to indicate he had higher education.  Funny that – assuming because he did not go to college that he had to be uneducated.  This is one of the first reasons why I like Will – because he persevered and followed his own path in life. 

Then there is the body of work – exhaustive.  Comedies, tragedies, stories from the past and a few from his present.  He was said to have made his plays more flowing and understandable, that other writers of the time were quite full of superlatives and hot air.  I have plenty of trouble understanding Shakespeare – I can’t imagine what other writers wrote!  This is the second reason I like him – he wrote for the masses.

Finally, he has inspired many of my friends with his stories.  Cruzanne Lewis – my dear adopted sister – for years has said I need to read more Shakespeare, that he is indeed a wise man.  Now AJ and Melissa Leon have entered my life and insist (gently) that I follow Will and see what he has to say to me.  This is the third reason I like him – because people smarter than me are encouraging and loving and insist I research him more. 

Indeed Mr Shakespeare was probably a believer of the law of attraction – based on these words of his:

“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so”

“This above all: to thine own self be true”

“Men at some time are masters of their fates: The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings”

Today I wish William Shakespeare happy birthday! 

What event in American History increased the desire for embalming?

The War between the States.  Many service men died far from home and their families wanted them buried at home. According to Wikipedia ”Dr. Thomas Holmes received a commission from the Army Medical Corps to embalm the corpses of dead Union officers to return to their families. Military authorities also permitted private embalmers to work in military-controlled areas. The passage of Abraham Lincoln’s body home for burial was made possible by embalming and it brought the possibilities and potential of embalming to a wider public notice.”

What chemical cannot be used in embalming anymore?

Arsenic! “From the Civil War until about 1910, arsenic was the main ingredient in the embalming fluids used widely throughout the country. Although effective, arsenic is toxic and persistent, and elemental arsenic will never degrade into harmless by- products.” Read a fascinating article about arsenic and embalming here.

 What is a pall? 

Cloth some churches use to the cover the casket. According to reformedworship.org,   “Centuries ago, when the pall was first used, it was generally black, the color of death and mourning. In Scotland the black pall was called a “mort-cloth”; it was used to cover the bodies of the poor who could not afford caskets. In the Netherlands, even the horses that drew the hearse were draped with a black pall.”

Why in the past (and still today in some places in Chicago) did they call a visitation a wake?  

In the past they did not use embalming fluid so they would wait to bury a person who was “dead drunk” and see if they could wake them.

These were just a few of the questions on the quiz.  The historian in me went down a rabbit hole to look up answers you would enjoy!

Bottle Grenade

Kickstarter is this site where inventors can raise money to back their projects.  It’s a real grassroots kind of thing, and those of us in small towns are very familiar with grass roots fundraising.  People will give if it’s a worthwhile project.  Lots of things get done when local, small town people put their mind to it.  Brad Martin, a 27 year old from Webster City, knew that.  He’s a smart kid (sorry Brad, I’m old enough to be your mom) and knew he had a good idea.

Back in January he invented this product, The Bottle Grenade – and wanted to raise $2,500 to create his product in his garage.  He raised $42,650!  It’s a keychain, multi tool, bottle opener, fashion statement.  It fits on a keychain, on your belt, in your pocket — it’s the coolest thing I’ve seen in a long time.  You can see a lot more information and video on the Kickstarter site by clicking here.

Brad got some new equipment and created ANOTHER project!  Its called the WTF – the Wrench That Fits.  Get this — here’s just a few of the many uses: its a wrench that fits 1/4″ to 1/2″, a gear tie, has a pry bar, opens bottles, and is a key chain.  But hey – if that’s too small for you — he’s got a LARGE WTF!  You’ll just have to check out the Kickstarter page by clicking here.   

I’m not here to sell you on this tool.  I’m here to talk about Brad.  I found him online via Marco Santana from the Des Moines Register.  Marco writes about businesses around the state.  He let me know about Brad because he knew I was moving to Webster City to be the chamber director.  I spent several days trying to find Brad’s phone number,with no luck. In case you didn’t know it, young adults don’t often have a home phone – they use their cell phone.  But I knew I could email him and he’d probably return my email.  Which he did – right away.  We chatted back and forth and I told him he had to let me see his shop and he invited me over.

Brad works a full time job – he’s ‘in the wind’ (that means he works for the Turbines in Iowa).  He was kind enough to invite me over after work one day.  Once we got past the niceties, we got down to real business.  He showed me what he had done on Kickstarter to raise funds.  He talked about the importance of customer service and talking to each and every customer who helped support him.  He talked about dreams and aspirations.  He gave me a tour and showed me how his CNC lathing machine worked.  He talked to me about living in a small town.  He told me there’s lots of guys out there just like him – working on a passion and wanting to make a difference.

I really like the energy, intelligence and passion this young man has.  I don’t want to lose him and his family to a big city.  We connected Brad to Cindy at Small Business Development Center and they are working on options that Brad can take and still remain right here in Webster City.  I’m excited to see what magic Brad will bring to our business community.

Oh, by the way — he’s raised $74,171 on his WTF and there are 49 hours left for you to help him out.