Follow his Coronavirus_graphics account here.

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The illustration by Zoe was declared the winner – and then something really sweet happened. Locke (7) was so inspired by Zoe’s drawing that he made his own version. My own memories flooded back when I would sit and home and copy other drawings to improve my skils – it’s how we all learn.
So much came from a simple squiggle. Please feel free to use this squiggle (or make your own) or look out on Monday when I’ll share next week’s squiggle and not just on my Facebook page. There will be no prizes (unless a cool company wants to step up and sponsor this whole thing) It’s so we all have some fun and keep our brains creative. We are going to need them.

Stay safe out there. Stay home if you can.

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This blog has sat untouched, occasionally added to the to-do list, been on the missed deadline list, and been an ‘I should really start that again’ thought for a while now.

I have been through a few things (including being diagnosed and going through treatment for breast cancer)… but more about that another time maybe…

It’s January 2020 and the second-best time to plant a tree (or restart a blog) will always be today.

I see all the New Year, New You posts – the battle to provide some new content about goal setting. The Anti-resolution, the choose one word to guide you, the carve your desires into stone and the write them and burn them posts. They all work and they all don’t work.

This Christmas I was at the beach – it was a wonderful time to think, to walk and to play with some ideas. One morning we walked the long beach. It was early and the shell hunters were out, dressed in their winter beach gear and armed with plastic bags. I’m not really a shell collector, I worry about taking things from nature and then have long discussions with myself (no one else is listening) about how people only want to take the ‘perfect’ shells and the others are just as beautiful. Yes, I’m fun to walk with.

I notice a shell with a perfectly formed hole – I’ve been slightly fascinated by these since I learned that they are from Moon Snails who drill holes into other mollusks with ribbon teeth and suck out the prey. Honestly,  google Moon Snail. I picked it up. As I really looked I noticed more and more shells, as I focused on that little beautifully round hole I saw them everywhere.

And that’s the truth. You find what you focus on. The more you look for that one thing, the more your subconscious will alert you to it. Within ten minutes I could see the tiny holes from further away – my brain knew what I wanted to find.  This will work with healthy living, making money, getting fit, raising jellyfish – whatever you want.

So pick your word, write your resolutions, declare it the year of whatever you want, reject all of the new start mantras, or embrace them – it all works. Focus on what you want and you’ll see it.

Soon you’ll recognize it everywhere.

Like a tiny hole made by Moon Snails.

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I love talking about business. I’m strangely fascinated by business models, marketing that works and all the little quirky things that successful business people learn along the way.

This show is a simple premise. Two guests (and me) talking about business, over a delicious lunch – what happens next is anyone’s guess.

Here is the link to this week’s show – featuring Neal Onebane, the founder of Krispy Krunchy Chicken (served in a gas station near you) and John Peterson, co-founder of Swamp Pop – a soft drink that is gaining popularity, and growing quickly. I learned a lot from being in the room – now you can too.

Krispy Krunchy Chicken have a really interesting business model – they’ve really worked out how to create a win/win situation for their Francisees and themselves. John Peterson and his partner took an idea into an already crowded drink market and made it stand out. Now they just need to work together on something.

This show is produced by INO Broadcasting and the photos are by Lucius Fontenot

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The KFC Twitter account only follows 11 people. The Five Spice Girls and six men named Herb.

I don’t eat much of their chicken, I’m not really their customer base but I now follow them on twitter – and every time I see a tweet I’m reminded that somewhere in the organization is someone who appreciates subtle wit – and I would like to have coffee with that person.

When it comes down to it we all should feel like we’d like to have coffee with the brands that we choose to use. That, if they were a person, we’d like to hang out with them and think we would have something in common.

There is also a lot to be said for letting your customers join the dots themselves. Everything doesn’t have to be explained – when someone noticed this (last fall) people loved it because it wasn’t a campaign from the company. I missed writing about it then but when I found myself still smiling about it today I wanted to share it. The little things really matter.

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