With more people unemployed than at any other point in my career, I wake up most days thankful that I’ve got a good job. The one thing not so good about it is the responsibility I feel when we need to cut jobs and tell employees they no longer have theirs. The feeling of guilt [...]
Archive for March, 2009
A Fortnight
Monday, March 16th, 2009 Andy Heyman, Chief Operating Officer
Two days. That’s how much time in a one-week vacation I feel at peace from work. It’s not enough. Here’s the math:
Q Friday ends the work week and then the nine-day vacation starts.
Q It takes me several days to unwind and get in the habit of being off.
Q Now it’s Tuesday, and I can read [...]
Creating Effective Loyalty Programs
Friday, March 13th, 2009 Jessica Lundberg, Senior Marketing Manager
I’ll never forget the first time I walked into one of my favorite restaurants. I was greeted at the door, had a good experience with my server and enjoyed my meal. At the end of the meal, our server asked if I’d like to be part of their “Special VIP” club. My first thought, of course, went [...]
Discovering the Right Answer
Monday, March 9th, 2009 Andy Heyman, Chief Operating Officer
I am lousy at making decisions based on second hand information. It frustrates some people I work with, because I may want to hear or see what they already heard. They do an excellent job of giving me a picture from what they have experienced. While a picture is certainly worth a thousand words, for [...]
Opportunities Still Exist
Friday, March 6th, 2009 Alaina Ankrom, Channel Marketing Senior Analyst
Although we are already more than halfway through the first quarter of 2009, I finally had the opportunity to read the 2009 Franchise Business Outlook prepared by PricewaterhouseCoopers for the International Franchise Association Educational Foundation. If you don’t read yearly business outlooks or forecasts, I highly recommend it. It can be easy to get lost [...]
The Importance of Rituals
Monday, March 2nd, 2009 Andy Heyman, Chief Operating Officer
Regret is a funny thing. When it appears, it can mean I’m unnecessarily dwelling on something I did. Or didn’t do. Yet its absence may mean that I am not reflecting on things that might matter a lot. Mastering that balance often eludes me.
It seems like canceling rituals is easier than it’s ever been. I’ve [...]
