I am a talker. Not in the “person who talks all the time” sense of that word. In fact, I spend a lot of time not talking. In a crowd, unless I’m in front presenting, I’m at the back listening. I am, however, a talker in the sense that Andy Sernovitz describes talkers. For Sernovitz,…
You are thinking business card, right? I mean after reading that title?Nope. I’m talking about giving someone my gift card, for coffee. This week I almost ran out of a coffee shop to give a frustrated customer my giftcard for the place because they hadn’t been served well. The store’s mistake and I wanted to…
I drink a lot of coffee. So when we saw the sign that said, “World’s best coffee” at the Coldwater, Michigan exit from I-69, I decided that we had to stop later in the day. Nancy and I were going to her folks to return a computer that I had been working on. It’s a…
By Jon Swanson We have a local mechanic. He’s a nice guy. We’ve talked often over the last few years, more often than I would like some months. He does the work. He’s nearby. He’s friendly. But almost every time there is work to be done…I have to go back. Something is missed. A bill…
By Jon Swanson We were out for dinner with eighty of our closest friends. The server spilled on Nancy’s coat, the cream sauce from the stuffed mushrooms. She immediately got her manager. James came over. Apologized clearly and specifically. He told us to get it cleaned, laughed with others at our table who asked for…
I’m from a big town. 300,000 people live within 14 miles of me. It’s almost the smallest town I’ve lived in. When I look at a placemat like this, I think “small town.” It’s an advertising medium designed for people without access to or budgets for large media. It’s an advertising medium designed for diners…
I knew where I was going in the big box office supplies store. I go there regularly, though not often enough that my face is known. When I got to the aisle I needed, I walked past two employees. They were deep in conversation. I quickly figured out that one was probably in training. As…
“Serving fine concessions since 2008” That’s the branding statement for the Homerun Hut. It’s the concession stand at a local athletic club. After some years of inconsistent operations, a young couple took on the operation for the summer. Her dad is the club president and opened the door. They are a good pair. They’ve been…
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