Instead of being inspired and writing about the things we found curious in business and in life, we were almost forcing ourselves to write. Instead of each having an in depth post weekly, we’ve decided to forget about schedules and rules for blogging and posts. Basically, if we have an idea or are inspired and have the time to write, we post a new blog. A lot of these blogs will be shorter in length and some will be long, but at the end of the day each is just a small look into how a few MBA students, college graduates, and entrepreneurs see business and life.

While I will continue to update the blog on my own site here, the majority of my blogs, thoughts, and ideas about business will be over on Business Over Coffee. Feel free to take a read and join in on the discussion.

Enjoy,
Zach

Earlier this week he launched Business Dean 2 Go. The blog is focused on strategic marketing thought and I can’t think about any one else more qualified to blog about the topic. At the time of this writing he has written five or six blogs and I expect this content to just keep flowing. If you are interested in winning in business and in life, I suggest that you stay tuned to this free source of information from an expert in the marketing and strategy.

Zach

The point of that is the fact that my very own mother wasn’t sure what exactly I could do or if I could help her friend. One of the very early steps of building a constant streams of referrals, or at least as described by John Jantsch, is making it clear to those who trust and love you what it is exactly that you do. After my most recent experience I wonder how many clients I’ve missed out on because my close friends and family members don’t know exactly what I’m capable of?

One primary example of someone who I think is doing a wonderful job of building a referable business is my brother John. He does professional videography (Redeemed Productions) along with some web and media. One thing he did very strongly when he first made the leap into doing his own business was touted exactly what he did to just about everyone he knew. I will never forget those first few months where at every family and social gathering he kept saying what he did. Any time someone mentioned that they knew a person getting married, graduating, etc. he was on top of making sure they were referring him. He always had cards, material, and info ready and things are really starting to pay off for him.

So for those who don’t know, I do web development (when I have time). You can check out my latest project for Lambert Homes or my previous work. I’m always interested in helping people out who are looking to enter the big bad world of the internet and have the tools to meet almost any need. I’d love to hear from you,

Zach

I sit here on the Tuesday after release and I have had an iPhone 4 since last Friday morning. I didn’t wait in line, not once. How is that possible! A little bit of nonchalantness, a little bit of luck, and a little bit of running. Here’s how I did it.

1. Don’t wait in line!

See that picture below? If you want to get an iPhone without waiting in line, this one is obvious. Although I must say my initial plan to get an iPhone was to go wait in a long line and I wouldn’t have minded it, things worked out pretty well in the end.

2. Go to Apple on release day

This is for a few reasons. For starters, you can look at that herd of hundreds of people who you would have been waiting in line with for hours and realize that your decision to sleep in and grab Starbucks on the way to Apple was the right choice. Another reason is that you can walk right past all of the people and get your hands on the product (in this case the iPhone 4).

3. Ask a Genius

Once you’ve played with the product for a few minutes, ask one of the Geniuses if they think they’ll have any the next morning? The response I got was, ‘Any that are reserved and not picked up will be available for sale’.

4. Show up the next morning

This is where most people (including myself) go astray. After reading countless articles saying how many iPhones Apple sold on release day, I thought there was no way they would have any left. The day after release I got a call from my brother John who was at the Apple store buying an iPhone… And he didn’t even wait in line! I immediately hopped into my car, drove to Apple (only a few minutes away), ran into the Mall and to the Apple store, walked up to a genius (named Jeff) and asked for two iPhones. He went to the back, brought them to me, set me up, and a few minutes later I was walking out of Apple as a happy owner of a brand new iPhone 4.

So, how did I get an iPhone 4 without waiting in line?

1. I didn’t wait in line
2. I went to Apple on release day (after a full night of rest)
3. I asked a genius if they would have any
4. I showed up the next morning

For those of you who already have an iPhone, congratulations! For those still waiting, it’s worth the wait. This phone is everything Steve said it was. It really does change everything… again.

Zach

I understand on a personal level that I am not ‘there’ yet. However every day I begin to appreciate the need for less a bit more and more. Over the past year or so I’ve read every piece of content that has come across Zen Habits and more recently have begun reading mnmlist. Leo’s posts are inspiring, thought-provoking, and challenging all in one.

During the past few years I have decided that it is better to be great at a few things than good at many. Over the past year specifically I have been intentionally shedding off roles, duties, and material objects to focus more heavily on the few things that I am truly passionate about and the few things that really provide a benefit to my life. Every day I am finding ways to eliminate the unnecessary.

Toms

Today I got a pair of Tom’s in the mail. Tom’s are very simple shows that are part of the one for one program. Every time someone buys a pair of Tom’s, a pair is given to a child without shoes somewhere in the world. All things aside from it being an amazing marketing idea, that’s a very insignificant part of why I wanted to get a pair of Tom’s.

I will say that I feel good knowing some kid who doesn’t have shoes right now will have some in the future thanks to my purchase. So, the marketing strategy is working. Although this is the main marketing strategy behind Tom’s, that’s not why I wanted them.

I got them because in every way, shape, and form these shoes are minimal. When my brother Tim first told me aboutTom’s, one of the first lines he said was, ‘what’s cool about them is that you don’t wear any socks.’ A light went off in my head. You mean I can get rid of wearing, packing, washing, and folding socks?

Minimal.

You can see the exact pair that I got above. There is nothing flashy or fancy about them. The ‘classics’ as they are called are very minimal in style. They are also minimal in price. The ‘classics’ are $44.00 making them the lowest priced shoes on the site for men. When most people see someone in Tom’s they think of them as trendy or socially conscience. While that might be true of me, it’s the minimalist in me that wanted the  Tom’s.

Zach

Zach

I look forward to having more time to blog and worry less about maintaining a site. Stay tuned!

Zach