In the midst of the disaster that was the sales relationship in Part 1. I was also searching for a professional video guy that I could add to my contractor team. I was starting to get into a lot of internet video for local companies and for the SEO strength. I have a closet love for all things video and video production but I did not quite have the skills to take the projects to that next level that I desired.

I happened to find a guy and made a meeting that has changed my life completely and has also created a lifelong friendship that will go well beyond just business.

When we met we had one of those meeting of the minds that seems to freeze time and before you know it hours have passed. Sheldon had just launched Calgary Wedding Television and after answering some very specific and strategic questions properly (thankfully I did) he let me in on his plans and his business bag of tricks.

Since then I have been involved in the launch of Calgary Homes Television, traveled to Germany to evaluate another business opportunity and am overjoyed to be able to give so much of my time to the project even though we have yet to be financed the day to day thrill makes it all worth while.

So I guess my lesson for this post is almost opposite from the one in part 1. For this one I will say if it feels right then you sometimes just need to take the plunge. I have not always had the best successes with the start-ups that I have been a part of but everything about this one feels right both logically from a business model perspective as well as a team perspective.

In Part 3 I will talk about how time can change everything….

I have made a commitment to finish the year strong and tell you a bit about the journey I and my business has been on over the last year. This could almost be seen as a bit of a state of the union address filled with a few lessons and some great stories.

So for Part 1, Lets start with a lesson: If something feels wrong and dirty then it most likely is! Towards the end of last year I started to look for a sales person to start to help me take my business to the next level and take some of the day to day pressure off myself. I ended up meeting with a guy that contacted me out of the blue so I figured I would give the meeting a shot. After the first meeting it never did feel quite right but I  choose to ignore the signs and continued on against my better judgement. BAD DECISION!!

One of the things that you don’t always think about when you get into these arrangements is what it could do to your personal and business reputation. I was smart when it came to protecting and keep my current clients at arms length from the sales guy. A decision that I thank my lucky stars for every day. If I hadn’t I think I could have lost my entire business in the matter of a couple months.

In the end I lost piles of my personal time, resources of my team, and revenue that I would have been able to have made if I had just been doing it on my own. I still have projects that are left unfinished that I feel I have a moral obligation to do the work even though I am going to continue to take a loss. It is really the only way I can begin to possibly keep a relationship with these clients and attempt to repair the reputation loss that my company may have faced.

So take the time to really research and interview before you get into these types of arrangements and don’t go all in right from the start. Their are a lot of Snake Oil Salesmen out there and if you feel the least bit funny about the person just do a small test project to make sure. You should be able to get an indication to see where the “all talk” ends and the work begins.

So that was Part 1 of my year in review. In Part 2 I will share the flip side of the coin with you and talk about the Calgary Homes and the Calgary Weddings project and what happens when it all comes together.

I must start by paying homage to one of the greatest Celebration Marketing Days that we have. St. Patrick’s Day, a day where we get out the green garb, raise a pint of food colored beer and chat about how great it would be to Irish.

The great thing is that until the 1970′s St. Patrick’s Day was a minor religious holiday where the priest would acknowledge the feast day and families would have a larger meal but that was about it.

The St. Patrick’s Day that we know and love is prety much “Made in America”.On any given day 5.5 million pints of Guiness are consumed around the world. On St. Patties Day that jumps to 13 million. So I salute my Irish American Brothers for giving this Canadian one more reason to drink beer.

But today I wanted to get into April ideas because with April promotions bring May Profits! I am going to start out with a few of the monthly theme ideas.

April is National Poetry Month. It would be a great time to dust off those old Roses are Red, Violets are Blue poems and use them in your communications. Remember that the main focus here is creating and icebreaker to have a discussion with your customer without it being awkward.

April also has lots for the music crowd. It is both Jazz Appreciation Month and Guitar Month. This would be a great time to have some live music in your restaurant or store and to make an event out of it. There is something truly special about a smoky jazz club sipping on a nice drink.

For Guitar Month you could focus on having a tounament style promotion where customers can interact and either vote down until you get to the best guitarist of all time or you could go local and see if you can get local musicians to participate in your tournament. I know that a lot of clubs jumped on the “idol” bandwagon and had there own “idol” style competition. It is a great way to create a buzz and everyone loves to have the ability to voice and opinion and vote.

I am going to do a little plug for a friend in Kansas City. Paul Clark of Serious Vanity Music, part of the team that created the intro for this show that I have to say is awesome, has opened “Paul’s Guitar Show” where he does custom repairs to those forgotten guitars or the really well used ones. You can find him in Kansas City or online at http://www.paulsguitarshop.com.

And finally I wanted to talk about International Customer Loyalty Month. With this I want to encourage al of you to try to connect with customers both new and old. It really does not matter how long it has been since you last talked to a customer the face is you have a relationship with them. Send them a nice handwritten card.Try putting something in it to encourage them to come in or give you a call. Don’t make it salesy, just be genuine.

The simple fact is it is easier to connect with an old client then it is to acquire a new one but that is where most of us spend our time.

I am currently in the midst of reading Gary Vaynerchuk’s new book The Thank You Economy where he talks about how in his mind with the use of social media we are really heading back to where we relied on the opinions of the community much in the same way as our grandparents would have relied on the opinion of friends at the local cafe. We are just now doing it on a larger scale, which can make the interactions that much more significant then ever before.

Now get out there and make something happen!

So sit back and enjoy some, Guerrilla Marketing ideas, hints for restaurants and bars all wrapped up in some of the best lyrics that the country world has to offer.

Things I talk about on the Podcast: (These are Affiliate Links)

I have used most of the email marketing companies out there it seems but I was the most happy with Aweber and Mailchimp although it takes a bit more of a learning curve then Aweber.

For the Video Camera’s I was talking about the one for starting out is the Kodak PlaySport 1080p Waterproof Pocket HD Camcorder or the older Kodak Zi8 1080p Pocket HD Camcorder for my mic I have been using the Audio Technica ATR-3350 Lavalier Omnidirectional Condenser Microphone with good results.

To get a clear picture of a great example I really look no further then Valentines Day.

The day where we all go a little bit crazy and sure it is routed in tradition and for those that believe in marking the day (me included) it does mean a lot.

Has it become a Commercial Celebration?

for florists to make a killing on marked up roses that will help make up for loses the rest of the year.

for restaurants to have special menu’s and charge crazy prices to cash in on the environment and have a better profit margin for the month

or for a condom companies to earn a little more when couples decide to….. Well you get the idea!

YOU BET IT IS A COMMERCIAL CELEBRATION and from a marketing perspective that is awesome.

Events and celebrations give us an opportunity to have an easy lead in icebreaker to have a discussion with our customers, and in the process makes our businesses top of mind again!

Now I bet you didn’t know that February 14th is also Read to your Child Day, Gold Heart Day, Ferris Wheel Day and to give a twist to your old standby Valentines Day Marketing it is also National Call in Single Day. Now I bet you could come up with an idea or two for how to use that.

So that is what this podcast is all about, using different days to create a fun, memorable marketing experience for your customers.

I will be talking about ways to use some of these days in each of my shows and will try my best to be a month ahead of the date so you can actually have time to make them happen.

Also by the time it gets to the actual date for the celebration we should have some awesome stories to share and things to discuss about what did and didn’t work. I want this show to be interactive, so lots of comments on the blog and If you have a story to share we can record interviews for future shows.

So dust off your thinking caps and I will see you in the next episode.

It’s a new year and time to try some new innovative marketing ideas to help you stand above the other businesses in your space. Bonza Bottler Day is a great way to have a fun monthly promotion that the competition will never think about.

This is also my first post of the year in my new format where I will be focusing on new and different ideas for you to try that don’t have to be complicated or expensive.

• More Kick A$$ Guerrilla Marketing Promotions Part 1
• Find Your Comfort Zone & Get Your Message Out!
• Marketing Should Be as Natural as Breathing—the Life of Your Business Depends on It! – Sponsored by TimeCenter.com
• Marketing Campaigns for Under $100
• Guerrilla Marketing Fun for a Friday

I recently discovered that it is hard to push water up a hill. For me that is writing, while I enjoy it as a leisure activity, it is not the best way for me to deliver my message. So Blog if your love to write, Shoot video if that in person, on stage is what you need and do a podcast if you you find comfort in talking and not being filmed.

• Marketing Should Be as Natural as Breathing—the Life of Your Business Depends on It! – Sponsored by TimeCenter.com
• 5 Stellar Sales Tips To Push You To the Top of Your Field
• 10 Ways to Improve Workflow
• Late Payments Can Be a Good thing in a Slow Economy
• Monday Marketing Tip: Underpromise and Overdeliver

What is your mantra for 2011? As I discuss in the video I have been known to follow the path of a lot of new ideas and then find myself spread way to thin and not focused on the income generating tasks that will make my business really successful.

It is a good time to build these habits and the mindset now to be ready for next year.

• Books all Small Business Owners Should be Reading
• It’s Time to Reconnect
• “You can lose just as much money being as happy as hell”
• Doing and Knowing What You Love
• Were you Born in a Barn

I know, I know, I can hear it now. I DON’T HAVE TIME!!

My suggestion is to record some of the TV shows that you watch and catch up with them during the holidays. This is the time to have a clear plan for your business and your marketing for 2011. You will thank me later!