Yesterday I walked into the UPS Store. No one was there.

Then a waitress from the restaurant next door walked in and asked if she could help me.

I...]]> Own Your Brand

Yesterday I walked into the UPS Store. No one was there.

Then a waitress from the restaurant next door walked in and asked if she could help me.

I shared my mission - to ship a laptop to Denver.

So, she walked behind the counter, took my laptop, determined its insured shipping value, found a recycled box just the right size, packed the laptop while getting its destination and took my credit card for payment. Professional. Friendly. But still, the waitress from next door!

After the transaction I had to ask, “how does this work?”

The answer was simple enough. “It works really well! I serve tables next door as you can see. This store has only one employee, the owner. When he has to leave, I watch for customers and take care of them. I’ve been doing this for two years. I’m trained and know what I’m doing. And my boss likes being a good neighbor.”

I didn’t ask about compensation but I’m sure something agreeable has been worked out.

Here’s what I love about this arrangement: a shortage of resources opened the door to an abundance of resourcefulness.

Boundaries were crossed – a neighbor’s employee crossed over and became a very short-term temp at the business next door.

A whacky conversation must have happened – “could your waitress run my store when I’m gone?” Followed by, “that’s a crazy idea!” Followed some time later by, “I think that could work.”

And an alliance was created – retail store neighbors became creative allies…a customer continued to be served…money was made…and a laptop got shipped to Denver.

Do you think you or your employees could come up with a solution like this? Why not?

CF Industries Holdings said today that it has extended its hostile exchange offer for its fertilizer rival Terra Industries because the Sioux City-based company had delayed setting a date for its annual...]]> Eye On Business

CF Industries Holdings said today that it has extended its hostile exchange offer for its fertilizer rival Terra Industries because the Sioux City-based company had delayed setting a date for its annual meeting.

Deerfield, Ill.-based CF pushed back the expiration of its tender offer for all Terra common stock to June 26, from the previous deadline of June 12, “CF Industries extends exchange offer.”

Terra amended its bylaws in April to remove a requirement that it hold its annual meeting by May 15. The company’s new bylaws only require Terra to schedule its annual meeting some time during the calendar year.

CF itself is the target of another hostile bid by Canadian ag giant Agrium. A condition of Agrium’s offer is that CF drop its pursuit of Terra.

A few months ago, I posted about our decision to buy a Prius after the fact. Although I’d mentioned for months that we were...]]> The Simple Dollar

A few months ago, I posted about our decision to buy a Prius after the fact. Although I’d mentioned for months that we were actively car shopping, I waited until after the purchase to discuss it.

And the flame war was mighty potent. The post currently sits at roughly 174 comments, about equally divided between positive and negative, and I’ve received at least that many emails on the subject.

Since we acquired the Prius, though, our other “old” vehicle has largely died. It’s capable of making it around town, but drives of any distance cause it to rumble so ominously that I’m scared to drive it more than a mile or two. We’ve had it checked over twice and the conclusion has been the same - it needs thousands of dollars in parts and repairs to get the truck back to any degree of stability and reliability - and that won’t fix everything.

So, for the last two months, we’ve experimented with essentially being a one-car family. And, to put it simply, it doesn’t work.

Although I work at home most days, there are many days when I have meetings or research trips outside the home (particularly with regards to my second book).

Another key problem is that we’re likely going to have a third child in the next few years, meaning that none of our current vehicles can safely seat our family.

A third problem is winter weather. While the Prius gets incredible gas mileage, it’s not adept at winter driving in Iowa. My truck is fairly adept, but it’s not reliable at all without some significant investment.

So, we’ve started the process for buying a replacement for the truck. Luckily, as we were researching the car, we were also doing research on what we might purchase for a truck replacement.

To put it in a nutshell, we’re looking for a late model used van, (strongly) preferably with all-wheel drive. Let’s walk through some of the concerns.

Our Criteria
As I mentioned recently, our primary concerns are reliability and safety. We also require seating for five, and prefer seating for another head or two. For this vehicle, since it won’t be used for a regular commute, gas mileage is still a concern but it’s a lesser concern.

So, what does that mean in terms of actually finding a good vehicle for our dollar?

As with the Prius, we expect our best deal with this criteria to be a late model used. Our research starts there - we’re looking at 2005, 2006, and 2007 model vans, but are open to looking at both newer models and older models with limited mileage.

Since reliability is a concern, one of our bigger factors is lower mileage. Although it’s not a guarantee of reliability (nothing is), lower mileage simply means that there’s fewer miles’ worth of wear and tear on the parts on the vehicle.

Since safety is a concern and we live in a winter climate, all wheel drive is practically a requirement. Add in the factor that both of our parents live in a similar climate and off the paved road (with one set of parents living at the top of a steep hill with a gravel road that becomes like a sheet of ice in the winter) and all wheel drive is very important. Recent years have seen us borrowing a four wheel drive locally in order to make it to visit many of our relatives - my very heavy but not four wheel drive truck can’t do the trick. To put it simply, our situation strongly encourages an all wheel drive vehicle.

We’re not married to any brand beyond the reliability numbers. I’ve spent time at the library looking at individual reviews and reliability data on vans in the 2004 to 2009 model years. The picture becomes pretty clear - the Toyota Sienna is clearly at the top of the heap for all wheel drive and reliability, with several other vehicles in the next tier.

The problem? The all wheel drive Toyota Sienna doesn’t depreciate much in price, so it’s significantly more expensive at the late model used stage than other options.

Our Plan
So, what’s our plan?

First, we’re trying to maximize the value of our old truck. This involves cleaning it up and detailing it, as well as getting a small amount of work done on it to make it road-worthy over the short term. We’ll likely trade the vehicle.

Second, I’ve already begun checking out the prices on such vehicles from all dealerships anywhere near us. Most dealerships have online listings so that you at least have a good sense of their inventory. I’m not ignoring new vehicles, but as of yet the prices aren’t close enough to late model used to really have them in the comparison.

Third, I have a few friends who visit bankruptcy sales keeping an eye out for me. This is a long shot (estate sales rarely have vans), but it’s worth a chance.

Fourth, we’re not going to “over-wait” like we did with the Prius. With the Prius, we sat around waiting for the “perfect” deal to arrive - but it never did. Along the way, we wasted quite a bit of money on repairs and jumping through travel hoops, negating any benefit of waiting around for the best deal. Instead, if we find a good deal, particularly towards the end of the month when salesmen are trying to hit quotas, we’re just going to jump on it. There are costs involved in waiting for a deal that’s just a bit better.

Thoughts? Comments?

If you would have asked me a few years ago if there was risk investing in the stock market, I would have probably explained to you that there...]]> Moment On Money

If you would have asked me a few years ago if there was risk investing in the stock market, I would have probably explained to you that there are many risks involved in investing but that time tends to diminish them. When "time in" the market can overcome the risks involved, it makes sense to buy an appropriate portfolio of investments and simply hold them for a long time. Even though the market is down over the last 10 years for the first time, I still believe that given enough time market risks are diminished. But how long is long enough to wait? Is the buy and hold strategy all but dead?

Over the next couple posts I want to explore this issue with you. There is no grand conclusion at the end. Without an in depth discussion of your specific goals, risk tolerance, and portfolio it would be very inappropriate for me to provide generalized investment advice. Instead, I hope to provide thought provoking issues for you to consider. Here are the topics I have in mind:

• What is an index?
• The growing importance of fixed income investments

When I have these discussions with my clients, it sometimes provokes controversy and I would be remiss if there was no reaction from my readers. I bring these issues to the forefront because I believe that we must examine the fundamentals of our investment strategies if we are to emerge from this "interesting" financial time stronger and wiser than we were when we entered it. I intend to guide the journey. The destination is up to you.

Celebrating at Eulogy by gottasharepics

One of my favorite comfort foods growing up was my mother’s tuna noodle casserole. Here’s her recipe for it:

1 medium sized bag of egg noodles
1 large or 2-3 small cans tuna
2 cans cream of mushroom...]]> The Simple Dollar

One of my favorite comfort foods growing up was my mother’s tuna noodle casserole. Here’s her recipe for it:

1 medium sized bag of egg noodles
1 large or 2-3 small cans tuna
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 can peas
8 slices American cheese
1 handful potato chips

Cook the noodles, then drain. Add soup, mix thoroughly. Add tuna, mix thoroughly. Add peas, mix thoroughly. Spread mixture in 9″ by 13″ baking pan. Put slices of cheese on top. Crumble chips on top of that. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until cheese is very lightly browned.

I loved this stuff growing up. We would have it every two weeks or so and I would happily eat the leftovers until they were all gone.

Naturally, with a recipe I liked so much, I started making it on my own when I moved out. I would make it roughly once a month and eat it for leftovers for three days. By myself, I could literally get five meals out of a pan.

As time wore on, I gradually began to modify the recipe a bit in order to make it healthier without reducing the qualities I liked about it. Here’s what I make today.

1 medium sized bag egg noodles
1 large or 2-3 small cans tuna
2 cans 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup (or make your own cream of mushroom soup/bechamel)
1 12 oz. bag frozen peas
8 slices American cheese (fat-free doesn’t melt well at all for this)
1 handful baked low-fat potato chips (usually Baked Lays)
1 tablespoon black pepper

Cook the noodles, then drain. Add soup, mix thoroughly. Add tuna, mix thoroughly. Add peas, mix thoroughly. Spread mixture in 9″ by 13″ baking pan. Put slices of cheese on top. Crumble chips on top of that. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until cheese is very lightly browned.

This recipe has about 12 servings in it - I’ll eat two servings if it’s the only item for the meal. Each serving has roughly 8 grams of fat, so while it’s not the most healthy thing, it’s pretty good.

It takes about 30 minutes to prepare a single pan of this casserole and the ingredients add up to about $11 per pan. (Most of the time is invested in boiling the noodles.) That creates a per-serving cost of $0.92 - not bad. I’ll eat two servings for dinner, as will my wife, and our children will each eat one serving. Then, for lunch the next day, my wife and I will each eat two more servings, then I’ll often eat the final two servings a couple days after that for lunch. All for $11 - not bad at all!

But, with some advance planning, I can not only drop that price per casserole a fair amount, I can also shave the time per casserole. Both goals are achieved using the same technique - simply making a quadruple batch.

4 medium bags or 2 large bags egg noodles
4 large or 10 small cans tuna
8 small cans (or 3 larger cans) 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup (or make your own cream of mushroom soup/bechamel)
2 24 oz. bag frozen peas
32 slices American cheese (fat-free doesn’t melt well at all for this)
4 handfuls baked low-fat potato chips (usually Baked Lays)
4 tablespoon black pepper

First, let’s go shopping for ingredients. Remember that, above, I estimated a single pan of this casserole as having a cost of $11. I went shopping at Fareway for the ingredients for four pans, and here was the result:

The ingredients for four pans cost $35.63 - or $8.91 per pan. That’s a savings of $2.09 on each pan - a total savings of $8.37. That’s definitely a good way to start!

This is a great example of how buying bulk items can pay off. Since I needed such a large quantity of each item, I was able to compare all of the prices per unit - and I chose the version with the lowest price per unit in each case. Quite often, the large bulk items aren’t sensible purchases because there’s no good use for the leftovers within the expiration dates.

The real savings, though, is in the time you save. The preparation of the casserole is much the same, just multiplied by four. First, you boil all of the noodles in a large pot:

This adds about five minutes extra time because it takes longer for the water to get to a boil plus it takes a bit longer to drain that many noodles. Then we simply add the frozen peas, the pepper, the tuna, and the soup to the mix - I save about 10% of the soup for later use. Stir thoroughly - this usually adds another two minutes or so to the time invested in a single pan because of the challenge of stirring so many ingredients.

Once it’s mixed up, I usually start pre-heating the oven, then I begin filling the pans:

I have four 9″ by 13″ pans with covers that I use for such batch casseroles. I spread the mixture evenly into each pan. Quite often, no matter how much I stir, I find that the noodles near the bottom (the bottom third or so) are drier than the ones on top, so once I’ve scooped out the majority of the mixture into the baking pans, I then add the remaining soup and stir it in before continuing. This all adds about four minutes onto the time of cooking a single pan.

Here they are, all lined up like ducks in a row:

I then cover the surface of each casserole with slices of American cheese, then crush a hand full of baked potato chips on top (to add a bit of crunch to the casserole - and a bit of distinctive flavor, too). Almost always, as soon as I finish the first casserole, the oven has just finished preheating, so I pop in that first casserole for dinner that night. Putting slices and chips on the remaining casseroles takes another ten minutes.

Here are the three finished and covered casseroles (the fourth is in the oven):

These three pans go straight into the freezer. Every three weeks or so, I’ll pop one out of the freezer the night before we intend to use it (putting it in the fridge to thaw), then bake it at 350 for thirty five minutes. Let’s say that takes a minute each time, totaling three minutes.

Thus, the total preparation time for making four casseroles at once is 54 minutes, compared to 30 minutes for a single pan. This cuts the prep time per casserole down to 13.5 minutes - a savings of 16.5 minutes per casserole!

So, here’s the real result. Preparing four casseroles at once instead of just one at a time saves 66 minutes in preparation time and $8.37 in ingredient cost. That’s both time and money straight back in your pocket.

The same general principle applies for any freezable entree you might make, from lasagna to chicken parmesan. Preparing the casserole in multiples not only saves you time over the long run, it also saves you money - and that’s the kind of bargain I like.

]]> Fri, 22 May 2009 10:00:45 GMT http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Iowabiz/~3/9Wm--Q6dBHs/mistakes-to-avoid-in-selling-your-business.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Iowabiz/~3/9Wm--Q6dBHs/mistakes-to-avoid-in-selling-your-business.htmlIowa Biz

Selling a business for most owners is a once in a lifetime event. Iowa Biz

Selling a business for most owners is a once in a lifetime event.

The owner is very experienced in running the business, but is typically a novice in selling a business, which can lead to critical mistakes. Mistakes most owners cannot afford when the business represents a majority of the owner's net worth.

Given those parameters, here are some thoughts to assist you through the process.

1. A business is only worth what a willing buyer will pay for it. There are plenty of valuation formulas, but the market is the reality test.

2. Clean up your balance sheet and check it for hidden values.

3. Market your business. The more potential buyers, the more likely you will get your asking price.

4. Confidentially. Do not make it public information - that you are For Sale. Bad things will usually happen. The competition will use it against you, employees will look for other employment, your vendors may leave you, et cetera. The biggest risks in selling a business is the risk that the business will deteriorate while the management is focused on the selling process. The owner will not have time to manage his business as he did in the past. The selling process is very time-consuming, with management focused on negotiating with buyers and dealing with the attorneys, accountants and other professionals who may be involved in the process. Investigate any potential buyer; speak with other individuals who have sold to this buyer. What is the buyer's reputation for keeping his word? 

5. Tax Avoidance. Check with your accountant for the best way to structure the sale. Allocation of the sale price can produce major tax savings, C Corporations have the possibility of double taxes, stock or asset sale. Remember, it is not what you sell if for, it is what you get to keep!

6. Seller Financing. Most banks will require it and the SBA will in most cases demand it.  If you are going to be a bank for the buyer, you should require collateral securing the debt or personal guarantees by at least two separate parties. And your approval to be their banker is required. 

7. Be very careful about taking stock.

8. Earn-Outs.  In these economic times, Earn-Outs are often part of the terms and conditions for a sale.   The earn-out concept is often very useful in bridging the gap between what a starry-eyed owner thinks his business is worth and what a buyer is willing to pay given the risks involved.  Owners will have to make a business decision on this one.  If the buyer is well financed and has a good business plan, this could be very lucrative for you.

9. Buyers are always smarter than the seller thinks they are.  Never try to hide anything about your business. The buyer will find it, the trust will be lost and the deal will be killed.

10. Be prepared to sign at least two agreements:  a)A Non-Compete Agreement and b) A Transition Agreement, defining how you and the buyer will work together, your responsibilities, compensation, et cetera after to sale.

11. Hire professionals to help you.

- Steve Sink

]]> Fri, 22 May 2009 07:00:00 GMT http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheMarketingMinute/~3/AS_UhbCqFSU/five-sales-pitch-fundamentals-that-win-business-in-a-recession-joey-asher.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheMarketingMinute/~3/AS_UhbCqFSU/five-sales-pitch-fundamentals-that-win-business-in-a-recession-joey-asher.htmlDrew's Marketing Minute

Drew's Marketing Minute

Drew's Note:  As I try to do every Friday, I'm pleased to bring you a guest post.  Meet another  thought leader who shares his insights via the blogosphere. So without further ado...Joey Asher.  Again. Enjoy!

I attended many high school parties where there weren’t enough girls. Competition for dance partners was fierce.  That’s what the marketplace looks like in today’s recession.   New business is scarce. And competition is fierce.

Just as when there aren’t enough dance partners, when business is scarce you need to hone your pitch. In your next sales presentation, focus on five fundamentals to separate yourself from your competition.

Fundamental #1. Present a solution and nothing else.  Many of your competitors start presentations by talking about themselves. “Before we start, let me tell you about how our company began . . .”  Blah. Blah. Blah. Who cares? Your prospect only cares about is how you can save them money, grow their revenues, or reduce their risk. Detail your plan to help your prospect and tell stories about how the plan has worked for others.

Fundamental # 2. Keep it simple.  I watched three construction firms pitch to build a new school. No presentation had less than 10 points. None of the messages were memorable. Instead, you should hammer at three messages. “We’ll build your project on time. We’ll meet your budget. We’ll deliver quality work.” Simplicity separates you from the competition.

Fundamental # 3. Speak with passion. If you’re one of three firms competing, you know that your competition can do a great job. Personal style can be the separator. “When it’s close, many of the decisions just come down to who connects with us best,” one CEO told me.  Passion in the voice helps you connect.

Fundamental #4. Leave half of your time for questions. Questions address your prospect’s hot buttons. Your competition often makes Q&A an afterthought. Avoid that mistake.

Fundamental #5. Rehearse. “I can always tell who has rehearsed,” said one CEO who has heard hundreds of sales presentations. Most people don’t rehearse much. Practicing sets you apart.

In a recession, the pool of new business is small. Focus on fundamentals to grab your share.

Joey Asher is Joey Asher is President of Speechworks, a communication and selling skills coaching firm that has been helping business people communicate more effectively for over 20 years. This post is adapted from Joey Asher’s new book “How to Win a Pitch: The Five Fundamentals that Will Distinguish You from the Competition.  You can also read Joey's blog at Talking Points.

Every Friday is "grab the mic" day.  Want to grab the mic and be a guest blogger on Drew's Marketing Minute?  Shoot me an e-mail.

]]> Fri, 22 May 2009 06:19:00 GMT http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Converstations/~3/XUEBSnshJiQ/one-post-one-point-to-ponder.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Converstations/~3/XUEBSnshJiQ/one-post-one-point-to-ponder.htmlConverstations

Believing that blogging (and microblogging) is an ongoing conversational platform, we should remember that our posting does not (and probably should not) have an end-all-be-all to every post. A beginning? Sure. A middle? Yum, the juiciest part. An...]]> Converstations

Believing that blogging (and microblogging) is an ongoing conversational platform, we should remember that our posting does not (and probably should not) have an end-all-be-all to every post. A beginning? Sure. A middle? Yum, the juiciest part. An end? Well,...]]> Thu, 21 May 2009 16:27:29 GMT http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/thesimpledollar/~3/BGEKXEpOvEc/http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/thesimpledollar/~3/BGEKXEpOvEc/The Simple Dollar

Over the last few weeks, quite a few readers have written to me asking about Angel Food Ministries. I’ve been very hesitant to discuss Angel Food Ministries on The Simple Dollar for a...]]> The Simple Dollar

Over the last few weeks, quite a few readers have written to me asking about Angel Food Ministries. I’ve been very hesitant to discuss Angel Food Ministries on The Simple Dollar for a handful of reasons, but this is clearly a topic that many readers are interested in hearing about, so I’ll do my best to navigate this minefield (meaning, I’m pretty sure I’m going to say something that’s going to set someone off, though I’m not intending to). I should also point out that I have a bit of experience in the past with Angel Food Ministries on the ground - I’m personally aware of the type of items that they distribute.

What Is Angel Food Ministries?
Angel Food Ministries is a non-profit group that distributes low-cost food options in many communities (a typical basic box from Angel Food Ministries costs $30 and has approximately $55 worth of groceries in the box).

Most of the funding and organizational structure of Angel Food Ministries is handled through evangelical Christian churches in the United States. Many churches serve as distribution centers in local communities, and each box contains a leaflet that outlines some of the teachings of Jesus Christ.

What’s in the Box?
The May 2009 menu provides a clear example of what a box from Angel Food Ministries will provide:

.5 lb. Lean Chopped Beef Steaks (5 x 8 oz.)
5 lb. Leg Quarters
2 lb. Chicken and Corn Bread Stuffing Casserole (Ready to Cook)
28 oz. Salisbury Steak Dinner Entrée
1 lb. Boneless Pork Chops (4 x 4 oz.)
1 lb. Corn Dogs (6 ct.)
12 oz. Deli Sliced Ham
5 oz. Chunk Light Tuna in Water
32 oz. French Fries
1 lb. Sweet Corn
15 oz. Musselman’s Apple Sauce
15 oz. Pears (Product of U.S.A.)
8 oz. Dinner Roll Mix (Makes 8 Nice Rolls)
7.5 oz. Mac ’n Cheese
32 oz. 2% Shelf Stable Milk
Dozen Eggs
Dessert

This box is available for $30.

At first glance, this is a pretty good deal, and if your primary concern is getting food on the table at a very low price, this is likely a great option for you.

However, if you dig a little deeper, some of these options may not be the best value for your dollar. For example, I would be hesitant to feed several of the options on that list to my children on any sort of consistent basis, at least not without some careful inspection of the actual nutrition facts and ingredients of those items (the corn dogs, the “dessert” item which is often something like Twinkies or Moon Pies, etc.) Under that perspective, though, if I were to get the box, then throw out a third of the items, I might as well simply go to the grocery store at my own convenience and choose the exact items I want for my $30. Other writers have come to largely the same conclusion - it’s a value on the surface, but the quality of items may not be up to many personal standards.

Some would argue that I am somewhat looking a gift horse in the mouth here, and I agree that I am. From my perspective, this box is one option for spending $30 in food for my family. Depending on your financial situation and your food priorities, this can be a great bargain. It mostly depends on the type of value you’re seeking.

What Angel Food Ministries Does Right
One area where Angel Food Ministries hits a home run, in my opinion, is with some of their optional packages. You can choose an optional package as an addition to the basic package, as listed above. For example, one of their optional packages for May 2009 is the “Fresh Fruit and Veggie Package”:

1 head Premium Fresh California Iceberg Lettuce
1 head Premium Fresh California Romaine Lettuce
1 5 oz. Package Fresh Gourmet Classic Caesar Croutons
1 Package Wiley’s Citrus Garlic Salad Seasoning
1 lb. California Cello-Pack Carrots
2 each Premium Jumbo Vidalia Sweet Onions
1 each Premium Jumbo Red Onion
1 6 oz. Bag Premium Fresh Florida Red Radishes
1 head Premium Fresh Green Cabbage
3 lb. Premium Idaho Baking Potatoes
3 lb. Premium Tree-Ripened Valencia Oranges
3 lb. Premium Washington State Red Delicious Apples
1 each Premium Large Vine Ripened Honeydew Melon
AFM May 2009 Fruit and Veggie Recipe Sheet

For $22, that’s a very strong deal, especially if you want to get fresh produce on the table and you’re struggling to make ends meet.

Another strong advantage of Angel Food Ministries is that they often distribute in central community locations (like churches) that are quite accessible for many families that may not have access to transportation to get to the grocery store. Using a church as a distribution center means that the distribution often occurs in the middle of a residential area, making it easier for many people to access the food - particularly those who need it the most.

Is It Right To Use This Service?
In terms of using this service, my biggest question is whether it’s a justifiable option. Quite obviously, this service is trying to target lower-income families who can really use the savings provided by the options made available through the ministry.

The question is whether or not it’s ethical - or socially appropriate - for a person with a higher income level who is simply trying to maximize every cent to take advantage of this service.

On the one hand, the service makes it clear that it’s intended for everyone. There are no requirements at all for people to take part in receiving food from Angel Food Ministries, and they claim that there is plenty of food to go around.

On the other hand, if you’re in a situation where you have a reasonably large monthly food budget, why would you choose to use this service? If you are making it your goal to feed yourself and your family a well-rounded, high quality diet, many of the options in the basic box from Angel Food Ministries probably do not fit the bill, making it much less of a savings for you.

Thus, I think the question really comes down to your own personal food choices. If you are in a tight financial place and the goal is to get sanitary and diverse food options on the table at the lowest cost possible for your family, Angel Food Ministries is where you should go - and you’re exactly the type of person the service was designed for. On the other hand, if you have enough of a food budget that you can make detailed conscious choices about what goes on your table and what does not, you’re likely better off going to the grocery store and the farmer’s market - which, again, is appropriate.

In other words, Angel Food Ministries somewhat self-regulates - if this is a good deal for your life situation, they’re ready and willing to help. For me, though, I’ll stick with my own meal planning, which gives me much more control over what goes on my table (albeit at a higher price - a price I’m willing to pay).

Angel Food Ministries as a Charity
As you can see, in large part, I support the work that Angel Food Ministries does on the ground in getting low cost foods to people who really need them. In fact, I had considered donating to Angel Food Ministries in the past - and, as I’ve mentioned before, that means I sat down to research how the charity itself worked.

What I found sent up a few pretty big red flags for me.

First of all, the charity is not listed with Charity Navigator, an impartial service that evaluates charities in terms of how they manage themselves internally and how much of their revenue actually goes towards charitable work. This is a basic step that many charities of any size take on - it’s the honest way to conduct a charity.

Second, the charity is being investigated by the FBI for reasons that are not being made clear by either the charity or the FBI. Here’s some details on the investigation.

Perhaps the biggest red flag, however, comes from MinistryWatch, a watchdog group for Christian-affiliated charities. It issued a “donor watch” for Angel Food Ministries, stating the following:

Angel Food Ministries is marketing to help individuals that are on the low economic side of the scale and in “need”; however, the leadership for the organization has higher salaries than the norm. In addition, the higher salaries consist of the leadership of individuals that are related. This is just for the known year of 2006, it is unknown of the more current years.

1. Wesley J. Wingo: $588,529
2. Linda Wingo: $544,043
3. Andrew Wingo: $529,014
4. Wesley Wingo: $454,673
5. L.M. Wingo: $384,694

Let alone the fact that these five people are related, the individual salaries are above and beyond what charities typically pay their employees, even large charities at the highest management levels.

Obviously, these discoveries are much more of interest to people who are considering donating to Angel Food Ministries. This should in no way prevent you from using Angel Food Ministries in your community.

My Final Take
On the ground, Angel Food Ministries provides a good service that many people really need - a lot of food at a very reasonable price at the expense of flexibility. For someone in a poor financial situation, Angel Food Ministries can really be a godsend.

However, as a broader charity, I would not donate to Angel Food Ministries when there are many highly ethical charities out there to contribute time and effort to. In many larger cities, there are local versions of Angel Food Ministries that you can donate to or be involved with - just ask around in your own community.

]]> Thu, 21 May 2009 16:00:14 GMT http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/InsightAdvertisingMarketingCommunications/~3/6QYZUoiI7J4/rethinking-failure.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/InsightAdvertisingMarketingCommunications/~3/6QYZUoiI7J4/rethinking-failure.htmlInsight Advertising

What might be considered "failure" is only that if we don't learn something from the adventure. How does your advertising agency look at learning?]]> Insight Advertising

The other day I had a conversation with a client.  What started out as a negative ended up very positive as we, together, re-thought failure.  Together, over the past year, we've brought a number of brand new products on-line.  It's been stressful for them...and us.  When I say..."brought on line" that includes everything from naming the products to building websites to media to new packaging to new retail displays. Five brand new products in less than a year.  And, we're still not done.

The conversation started like this:  "Well, the public event you suggested we attend turned out to be very slow.  I don't think we sold 50 units." 

He was right...but what did we learn?

Over the next twenty minutes we talked about what we learned from consumers and how we made inroads with companies that currently do not carry the product...but should.  We talked about connections we made and the feedback we heard from consumers.  We talked about the packaging and retail people who came by and were interested.

Far from being a failure it was a huge success.

Success can not always be measured in sales dollars...especially when we're talking about brand new products. The success here was in the ability to listen...and now act on what we learned.  What started as a negative conversation ended up to be very positive as we, together, learned more about the strategic placement and our target market.

What a great day...for everybody!

Michael P. Libbie - Insight Advertising, Marketing & Communications where we look to the positive...everyday and help our clients win rather than fail.  Follow us on Twitter @MichaelLibbie and see what we've been up to on our website www.InsightCubed.com for those of you interested in following us on our new Internet Radio Show - Insight on Business...here is that link.

 

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Mon, 25 May 2009 11:51:37 GMT