<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!--Generated by Squarespace Site Server v5.11.5 (http://www.squarespace.com/) on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 20:33:02 GMT--><rdf:RDF xmlns:rdf="http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#" xmlns:rss="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:admin="http://webns.net/mvcb/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:cc="http://web.resource.org/cc/"><rss:channel rdf:about="http://www.strategicinsanity.com/small-business-news/"><rss:title>Victoria Small Business News</rss:title><rss:link>http://www.strategicinsanity.com/small-business-news/</rss:link><rss:description>Updated by Strategic Insanity</rss:description><dc:language>en-US</dc:language><dc:date>2010-07-29T20:33:02Z</dc:date><admin:generatorAgent rdf:resource="http://www.squarespace.com/">Squarespace Site Server v5.11.5 (http://www.squarespace.com/)</admin:generatorAgent><rss:items><rdf:Seq><rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.strategicinsanity.com/small-business-news/2010/1/22/introducing-shelterbox.html"/><rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.strategicinsanity.com/small-business-news/2010/1/14/help-for-haiti.html"/><rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.strategicinsanity.com/small-business-news/2010/1/6/aaaaand-were-baaaack.html"/><rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.strategicinsanity.com/small-business-news/2009/10/3/welcome-gillys.html"/><rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.strategicinsanity.com/small-business-news/2009/9/11/lets-talk-about-sex-baby.html"/><rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.strategicinsanity.com/small-business-news/2009/8/13/the-big-call-out-and-jodie.html"/><rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.strategicinsanity.com/small-business-news/2009/7/31/7-up-in-a-champagne-bottle.html"/><rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.strategicinsanity.com/small-business-news/2009/7/20/i-have-a-face-for-radio.html"/><rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.strategicinsanity.com/small-business-news/2009/7/20/a-list-of-local-suppliers-who-make-my-job-easier.html"/><rdf:li rdf:resource="http://www.strategicinsanity.com/small-business-news/2009/7/17/so-long-mr-sholes-thanks-for-the-memories.html"/></rdf:Seq></rss:items></rss:channel><rss:item rdf:about="http://www.strategicinsanity.com/small-business-news/2010/1/22/introducing-shelterbox.html"><rss:title>Introducing Shelterbox</rss:title><rss:link>http://www.strategicinsanity.com/small-business-news/2010/1/22/introducing-shelterbox.html</rss:link><dc:creator>Strategic Insanity</dc:creator><dc:date>2010-01-22T23:23:50Z</dc:date><dc:subject></dc:subject><content:encoded><![CDATA[<h2><span style="font-size: 70%;">Have you heard about shelterbox?</span></h2>
<p><span style="font-size: 70%;"><br /></span></p>
<p><span class="full-image-float-left ssNonEditable"><img style="width: 350px;" src="http://www.strategicinsanity.com/storage/bcfb01a6845d7cfc37847760d945b635_Boxes%20on%20ground-fp.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1264203229640" alt="" /></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The first time I heard about them was this morning at my BNI meeting. It's a pretty great concept. For 1000 dollars they pack everything needed to survive emergency situations into a 2 foot box. It holds everything from a 10 person tent to cots for newborns.&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span class="full-image-float-right ssNonEditable"><img style="width: 250px;" src="http://www.strategicinsanity.com/storage/box.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1264203066317" alt="" /></span>The boxes are shipped to disaster areas and set up to provide temporary homes. If you haven't yet decided how you would like to help with the Haiti relief effort I recommend checking out <a href="http://shelterbox.com">shelterbox.com</a>&nbsp;. They are, of course, on the scene.&nbsp;</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">You can <a href="http://shelterbox.org/donate.php">donate</a> from their site and they have a <a href="http://shelterbox.org/donate_where.php">pie chart</a>&nbsp;to show you how the money is spent. If you really want to know where your money is going you can even&nbsp;<a href="http://shelterbox.org/trackbox.php">track your box.</a>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Pretty cool stuff and a great idea. &nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>]]></content:encoded></rss:item><rss:item rdf:about="http://www.strategicinsanity.com/small-business-news/2010/1/14/help-for-haiti.html"><rss:title>Help for Haiti</rss:title><rss:link>http://www.strategicinsanity.com/small-business-news/2010/1/14/help-for-haiti.html</rss:link><dc:creator>Strategic Insanity</dc:creator><dc:date>2010-01-14T17:54:40Z</dc:date><dc:subject>Haiti World Vision donations earthquake</dc:subject><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I don't know if it's just the total devastation alone or also the fact that this could happen in Victoria and we'll probably need the help one day but I felt I should offer an additional avenue for us to help out with the Haiti relief effort.&nbsp;</p>
<p>As you know Haiti has been hit with a major earthquake as well as multiple aftershocks. The destruction and chaos is total. You can see the Dailymail (UK) &nbsp;pictures and news report <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1243176/Haiti-earthquake-16-Brits-missing-horrifying-new-pictures-reveal-extent-destruction.html">here.</a>&nbsp;<strong>B</strong><strong>e warned</strong>, this article contains graphic photos that are hard to look at.&nbsp;</p>
<p>If you feel you would like to donate to the relief effort and are wondering where to go, I am posting a link to the World Vision donation page <a href="http://www.worldvision.ca/give-a-gift/Pages/EarthquakeinHaiti.aspx?mc=4153698&amp;c=1">here.</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>]]></content:encoded></rss:item><rss:item rdf:about="http://www.strategicinsanity.com/small-business-news/2010/1/6/aaaaand-were-baaaack.html"><rss:title>Aaaaand, we're baaaack!</rss:title><rss:link>http://www.strategicinsanity.com/small-business-news/2010/1/6/aaaaand-were-baaaack.html</rss:link><dc:creator>Strategic Insanity</dc:creator><dc:date>2010-01-06T18:35:34Z</dc:date><dc:subject></dc:subject><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>It's been forever since I've posted. I had my head buried in two major projects and finished just in time for the new year. I'm really excited about this latest video for <a href="http://pomwonderful.com/">Pom Wonderful</a>&nbsp;.</p>
<p><object width="580" height="360"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/Rm2yYjnXf-U&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/Rm2yYjnXf-U&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="580" height="360"></embed></object></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>I also finished a really fun James bond theme video for <a href="http://www.bnicanada.ca/">BNI</a> in Victoria, although I can't really show it here because it breaks so many copyright violations it's not even funny. It also looks like some of my <a href="http://www.victoriaidol.com/">Victoria Idol </a>videos will end up on <a href="http://www.trooper.com/">Trooper's</a> official website. The contestants and I got an opportunity to work with Scott Brown from Trooper. He's a great guy and it was a fun experience. We'll be posting some of the studio sessions soon.&nbsp;</p>
<p>It's funny to me that I spent so much time promoting marketing consultation this year and the thing that I don't pay any attention to seems to be taking on a life of it's own. So why fight it. &nbsp;If you want to make a viral video this year, it looks like I'm your guy. If you're lucky enough I might do something as great as this.</p>
<p><object width="445" height="364"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/h2we5vLQCdw&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/h2we5vLQCdw&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="445" height="364"></embed></object></p>
<p>Yes, I know it's bad.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Here's wishing you a prosperous new year. I'm excited about what 2010 has in store!&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>]]></content:encoded></rss:item><rss:item rdf:about="http://www.strategicinsanity.com/small-business-news/2009/10/3/welcome-gillys.html"><rss:title>Welcome Gilly's</rss:title><rss:link>http://www.strategicinsanity.com/small-business-news/2009/10/3/welcome-gillys.html</rss:link><dc:creator>Strategic Insanity</dc:creator><dc:date>2009-10-03T15:46:21Z</dc:date><dc:subject>Client News Gilly carpet cleaning deisgn logo</dc:subject><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I just realized I haven't done any Client News in a while. So I'm starting strong with Gilly's Carpet and Furniture Care. the reason I like Gilly's is because Glibert Levesque genuinely cares about making your carpet clean. &nbsp;He LOVES a job well done as well as seeing the satisfied look on a customer's face. Gilbert has decided to do some rebranding and nothing says, "Gilly's" better than a Gilly fish. Check out his new logo below and if you are looking to get your carpets cleaned then I personally guarantee (and so does Gilbert) that you will be happy with a job well done. You can also visit his website <a href="http://gillyscarpet.com/">here</a>. (We haven't gotten to that yet).</p>
<p><span class="full-image-inline ssNonEditable"><span><img src="http://www.strategicinsanity.com/storage/GillyLogo.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1254586057463" alt="" /></span></span></p>]]></content:encoded></rss:item><rss:item rdf:about="http://www.strategicinsanity.com/small-business-news/2009/9/11/lets-talk-about-sex-baby.html"><rss:title>Let's Talk About SEX, baby!</rss:title><rss:link>http://www.strategicinsanity.com/small-business-news/2009/9/11/lets-talk-about-sex-baby.html</rss:link><dc:creator>Strategic Insanity</dc:creator><dc:date>2009-09-11T13:48:24Z</dc:date><dc:subject>General Rants advertising misdirection sex</dc:subject><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: justify;">SEX! Now that I have your attention....&nbsp;That old joke pretty much sums it up. Using sex as an advertising tool works. No one can deny that.&nbsp;</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">For men, who respond quite well to visual stimulation, bikini clad women can push through any product that you stick in&nbsp;their&nbsp;hands. Sexual innuendo, or the old "nudge, nudge, wink wink" approach has been used since the concept of&nbsp;advertising&nbsp;was birthed. (heh, get it?)</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">So why does&nbsp;using&nbsp;sex work so well? For some, it stimulates fantasy in an otherwise monotonous life. For others, the innuendo means you are privy to an inside joke. Either way sex is the main&nbsp;underlying motivation in our society and it is a common experience we all share in our own different way. Also, let's face it, sex is exciting. This makes us perk up and pay attention when sexual&nbsp;imagery&nbsp;is presented to us in TV, print, radio, and web advertising.&nbsp;</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">However, when it comes to advertising the REAL question we should be asking is this, "Why do advertisers&nbsp;use sexual images and innuendo to sell products?" Get your pens ready...the answer is... because it is easy. When an advertising agency is&nbsp;desperate&nbsp;to show immediate results they will use sex. Building a brand image takes a long time. Agencies have to be very clever and patient when building up a brand image and a client can easily lose confidence that a long term campaign is working. In a&nbsp;sense&nbsp;a new brand has to get in line and wait for it's day in the sun. Sex cuts the queue. It shows immediate results <strong><em>and </em></strong>it tells a lot about the agencies that use sex as&nbsp;their&nbsp;main "go to" tool.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">There is a direct&nbsp;correlation&nbsp;between sex and creativity. The more creative and clever an ad agency is, the less they have to rely on using sex to sell. The reverse is also true. The more an agency uses sex to sell a product, the less&nbsp;likely&nbsp;they are to be&nbsp;creative, clever, and more importantly,&nbsp;patient while building your brand image. This should be a red flag to a business owner who is looking for a new agency. Immediate results with no concern for the long term image breeds the same type of client. Customers who pay attention at first but will probably&nbsp;drop off later. That same ad agency most likely sees their client&nbsp;relationships&nbsp;in the same manner. Sure, they have your attention now, but when the business wants to drop the sex approach and build more&nbsp;credibility with a wider audience the relationship will dissolve. Mainly because that is all the&nbsp;agency&nbsp;has got. They will be out of tricks.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">All the creative people I know have spent many years building up a big bag of tricks. They&nbsp;rarely, if ever, rely on using&nbsp;sexual&nbsp;imagery&nbsp;to sell a&nbsp;product. I am not trying to post the question of right or wrong but I am saying that I would look twice at an agency that uses the easy path when&nbsp;building&nbsp;your brand image. A quick return may not be worth it in the long run.&nbsp;</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">However, I would also be wary of a creative company that uses the word "SEX" in the title of a blog post and then pulls a bait and switch in the article. That is simply uncalled for.&nbsp;</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>]]></content:encoded></rss:item><rss:item rdf:about="http://www.strategicinsanity.com/small-business-news/2009/8/13/the-big-call-out-and-jodie.html"><rss:title>The Big Call-Out .... and Jodie.</rss:title><rss:link>http://www.strategicinsanity.com/small-business-news/2009/8/13/the-big-call-out-and-jodie.html</rss:link><dc:creator>Strategic Insanity</dc:creator><dc:date>2009-08-14T03:04:57Z</dc:date><dc:subject>General Rants design eat face. content managment solutions system web</dc:subject><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: justify;">**WARNING** - This post is much more rant-y than usual. I actually debated (for a long time) on weather or not to post this one but think it needs to be&nbsp;said.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">If you feel like you can't handle anything negative today <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMDhyDFqtz8" target="_blank">go here</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;but if you're up to it... read on.&nbsp;</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">The Big Call -Out</span></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Okay, it's time to throw down the&nbsp;gauntlet. I've been stumbling across a bad trend&nbsp;lately. It seems that that I have been taking on a lot of clients lately that may not have had full disclosure from&nbsp;their&nbsp;web company. As of late my newer clients have had a custom website created for them. These new sites also have content&nbsp;management&nbsp;systems&nbsp;built right in. Wow! A custom site that you can change yourself! Sounds great! Until I pull back the curtain. Far too often I am finding that I get admin access to a Wordpress&nbsp;site.&nbsp;</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">What this means to the lay person is this. You need a new website. You shop around and find a web designer that does really great work. You also find that said web designer quoted less than other designers. You then pay your new web designer to create a site for you. &nbsp;What you&nbsp;don't&nbsp;know is that the designer used a free program to create your site and charged you as if they built it from scratch. There are web companies in mycity charging as much as $7000 for this service. I've said this a hundred times. "THAT SORT OF THING MAKES ME WANT TO EAT MY FACE"</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Now some would argue that the designer still has to create graphics and&nbsp;copy-write&nbsp;the content. That is what you are really paying for. So be it, then those companies should be up front about it. They should tell clients that they are really content providers NOT web&nbsp;designers. They should also tell the client that this may be&nbsp;something&nbsp;the client can do themselves. &nbsp;This service is not worth the amount of money that I see some people getting charged. I really don't like seeing small business owners getting charged legacy pricing for something they can do themselves with a little help. My current rant is this. If you (web design company)&nbsp;are&nbsp;building&nbsp;a site in wordpress and using an open source theme, gathering images from istockphoto (or&nbsp;equivalent), and getting the client to&nbsp;write&nbsp;their&nbsp;own content. Then this service is not worth more than $500 ...AND THAT'S STILL PROBABLY TOO HIGH!</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Whoa! Okay. Lets take a moment so I can calm down. Excuse me while I go <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0Hgkdbeess" target="_blank">here.</a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Okay, better now.&nbsp;</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">I feel that it is important, at this juncture, to mention some companies who do a great job. I've worked with Ryan at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.honeycombwebworks.ca/" target="_blank">Honeycomb Webworks</a>&nbsp;and Kelly at <a href="http://www.seriouslycreativedesign.com/">Seriously Creative Design</a>&nbsp;. They both do&nbsp;incredible&nbsp;work at a great price. They will build a custom site for you and add in some content&nbsp;management&nbsp;features to boot. If you want a custom site built from scratch, please give both of these&nbsp;companies&nbsp;a chance to quote.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">I also&nbsp;recommend&nbsp;<a href="http://rwg1.com/">RW Global</a> A LOT. They have their own&nbsp;proprietary&nbsp;software that is geared around a content&nbsp;management system. (or CMS -&nbsp;meaning&nbsp;you can do web changes yourself.) ((even if you think you can't))</p>
<p>Then there's Jodie. The (in)famous @jodie_nodes on Twitter. I have recently enjoyed spending some time with Jodie and her brain is as sharp as her mohawk. She's also very honest. I highly&nbsp;recommend&nbsp;checking out her <a href="http://injodiesbrain.com" target="_blank">website</a>.&nbsp;She will teach you how get your own Wordpress website up and running in 2 days for less than $300 dollars.&nbsp;</p>
<p>What I like about the aforementioned companies is that they are up front about what they do while empowering small business owners to do better. The are providing solutions that offer a great website for less money. In this day and age you can have a great looking and functional site with ANY budget. Even as little as 7 dollars a month.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Please don't spend $7000 on a new website if you don't have to. There are so many better solutions for you. If you are too busy to research what's best for you then call me. I can happily suggest something that works for you - even if you don't end up working with me. That's much better than having to keep my mouth shut after your contract is signed.&nbsp;</p>
<p>I now return you to your <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoP48I-Ui8c" target="_blank">happy day.&nbsp;</a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>]]></content:encoded></rss:item><rss:item rdf:about="http://www.strategicinsanity.com/small-business-news/2009/7/31/7-up-in-a-champagne-bottle.html"><rss:title>7-up in a Champagne Bottle</rss:title><rss:link>http://www.strategicinsanity.com/small-business-news/2009/7/31/7-up-in-a-champagne-bottle.html</rss:link><dc:creator>Strategic Insanity</dc:creator><dc:date>2009-07-31T15:39:47Z</dc:date><dc:subject>Bose General Rants Jaguar Nike brand end high image profit</dc:subject><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; text-align: justify; margin: 0px;">So, you've just created the next best product. Not something outrageously spectacular like a hovercar that runs on negativity while converting it into employment opportunities.</p>
<p style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; text-align: justify; margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; text-align: justify; margin: 0px;">No, your thing is just a better version of an available product. Like sliced bread but with a certain&nbsp; je ne sais quoi.&nbsp; You've done the studies, you've spent countless hours improving your product and now you are ready save humanity by providing a better choice. But of course, higher quality comes with a cost. People understand that they need to spend more money if they want a better quality product...right? After all, look at Nike, Jaguar, and Bose. That business model is working just fine for them.&nbsp;</p>
<p style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; text-align: justify; margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; text-align: justify; margin: 0px;">Unfortunately, that philosophy is absolutely NOT going to work for you. I have seen too many clients try this approach (before I met them). Heck, I've even tried it myself which went really well (and by "really well" I mean "crashed and burned"). Yes, high end products cost more but there are TWO reasons as to why they cost more;</p>
<p style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; text-align: justify; margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; text-align: justify; margin: 0px;"><strong>Number ONE. </strong>There is more quality and attention put into upscale products. I used to work for a battery company. When the supply truck came to drop off our shipment I quickly noticed that it was carrying batteries from a competitor's brand. I discovered that all the batteries were made in the same factory but the lower end brands contained about half the materials that our batteries did. Thus they had a shorter lifespan.</p>
<p style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; text-align: justify; margin: 0px;">Life lesson- you get what you pay for.&nbsp;</p>
<p style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; text-align: justify; margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; text-align: justify; margin: 0px;"><strong>Number TWO.</strong> This is the big one. Public perception. People have to believe in your brand. Then they have to brag about owning your brand. Then other people will NEED your brand. The end result is that you can then add yourself to the list of brand name elites.&nbsp;</p>
<p style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; text-align: justify; margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; text-align: justify; margin: 0px;">This is where a new company falls down. Building public trust, and perception takes a while. In your first year people will look at one thing. Competitive pricing. Until they know how great you are they need another reason to come to you. While you are giving consumers what they want,&nbsp; take that time to build up your reputation.&nbsp;</p>
<p style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; text-align: justify; margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; text-align: justify; margin: 0px;">Remember, the ONLY point to marketing is<strong> to convince people that they are getting fair trade value for the money they spend with you.</strong>&nbsp; So, if your "out of the gate" marketing model is to be more expensive thereby creating the impression that your product is more valuable ....stop. Even if your product costs a lot more to produce and is WAY better quality than anything else on the market. You will need a slick advertising campaign and A LOT of money to get consumers to buy into that right away. People just don't care about the extra time and expense that you've put into your product. Consumers cannot see what goes into production so they only care about cost.&nbsp;</p>
<p style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; text-align: justify; margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; text-align: justify; margin: 0px;">Bottom line - save yourself a lot of grief. Start off with competitive pricing and consider the lesser profit margin as your advertising budget. You are going to spend money on advertising anyway, why not put it where it makes more sense? Then make up the advertising difference with free self promotion on&nbsp;social&nbsp;media and networking websites.</p>
<p style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; text-align: justify; margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; text-align: justify; margin: 0px;">So you will need to invest a year or maybe even two building up the proper foundation to be an overnight success.&nbsp; Proper brand imaging takes time but it is well worth the effort.&nbsp;</p>]]></content:encoded></rss:item><rss:item rdf:about="http://www.strategicinsanity.com/small-business-news/2009/7/20/i-have-a-face-for-radio.html"><rss:title>I Have a Face for Radio</rss:title><rss:link>http://www.strategicinsanity.com/small-business-news/2009/7/20/i-have-a-face-for-radio.html</rss:link><dc:creator>Strategic Insanity</dc:creator><dc:date>2009-07-20T22:32:55Z</dc:date><dc:subject>CFAX Si News advertising advice interview marketing radio</dc:subject><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Here's the audio from the radio interview I did on CFAX's "Talk to the Experts". This will give you a better understanding of the Si approach and philosophy. Just a heads up, the audio is a little glitchy, I'm working on&nbsp;obtaining&nbsp;a better copy. Feel free to add your comments.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=8,0,0,0" width="335" height="28" id="divplaylist"><param name="movie" value="http://www.divshare.com/flash/playlist?myId=7960621-cc6" /><embed src="http://www.divshare.com/flash/playlist?myId=7960621-cc6" width="335" height="28" name="divplaylist" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed></object></p>]]></content:encoded></rss:item><rss:item rdf:about="http://www.strategicinsanity.com/small-business-news/2009/7/20/a-list-of-local-suppliers-who-make-my-job-easier.html"><rss:title>A list of local suppliers who make my job easier</rss:title><rss:link>http://www.strategicinsanity.com/small-business-news/2009/7/20/a-list-of-local-suppliers-who-make-my-job-easier.html</rss:link><dc:creator>Strategic Insanity</dc:creator><dc:date>2009-07-20T19:51:44Z</dc:date><dc:subject>BC Smarter Not Harder Vancouver Island Victoria advertising marketing services</dc:subject><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>It is impossible for me to be personally hands on with every aspect of my job. &nbsp;In order to make sure I can get everything done&nbsp;properly&nbsp;and&nbsp;efficiently&nbsp;I rely on a few people to help make that happen. Thank you to the following.</p>
<p>Dial a Geek - On Site Computer Repair</p>
<p>Heath Moffat Photography - Great Photos</p>
<p>Hey You Media - Video Production</p>
<p>Hillside Printing - Printers</p>
<p>Margaret&nbsp;Hanson Design - Graphic Design</p>
<p>Natalie Gomez - Copywriting (also in&nbsp;charge&nbsp;of client services)</p>
<p>RW Global - Content Managment /Web Hosting Service</p>
<p>If you provide or know of a service I should be&nbsp;familiar&nbsp;with please let me know.&nbsp;</p>]]></content:encoded></rss:item><rss:item rdf:about="http://www.strategicinsanity.com/small-business-news/2009/7/17/so-long-mr-sholes-thanks-for-the-memories.html"><rss:title>So long Mr. Sholes, thanks for the memories.</rss:title><rss:link>http://www.strategicinsanity.com/small-business-news/2009/7/17/so-long-mr-sholes-thanks-for-the-memories.html</rss:link><dc:creator>Strategic Insanity</dc:creator><dc:date>2009-07-17T18:44:23Z</dc:date><dc:subject>General Rants Keyboard QWERTY Sholes lagacy lazy</dc:subject><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: justify;">Christopher Latham Sholes invented the QWERTY keyboard. So named for the first six letters at the top left. After trying to work with his new typing machine Mr. Sholes came up with the QWERTY system. The reason - the type bars kept clashing when he typed. The new keyboard system was&nbsp;invented&nbsp;to&nbsp;separate&nbsp;common letter combinations as well as slow down typing to&nbsp;accommodate the clashing problem. Thanks to&nbsp;Christopher Sholes&nbsp;many generations of writers have been better off because of his&nbsp;invention. So ends our history lesson for today.&nbsp;</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">My question now is, why are we still using the QWERTY keyboard? Come on Chris, you've had a good run but isn't it time to step down? There must be better, more&nbsp;efficient&nbsp;ways to use a keypad. Why haven't we moved on?&nbsp;</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">If you are a Shole-ist who is intent on raising&nbsp;awareness&nbsp;for the "Qwerty Preservation Society", then I&nbsp;apologize. I didn't mean to offend and I don't have anything against Chris Sholes. Honestly, until I started this blog post I thought the inventor's name was Mr. Qwerty. My only motivation is that I am now forced to type a lot in my day and I am tired of the hunt and peck method. Seriously, I am at the&nbsp;point&nbsp;where I need to get some formal typing training or harass the technology makers of this world into making something more&nbsp;convenient. In my head the latter seems much easier (except&nbsp;for all the e-mails I have to type).</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">There have been so many inventions in the past few years that challenge our way of legacy thinking. Example, when the iphone introduced the concept of being able to &nbsp;check your&nbsp;voicemails in&nbsp;random order, there was a worldwide collective slap on the forehead. More recently, when Dave Carroll posted&nbsp;<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YGc4zOqozo">"United Breaks Guitars"</a> on youtube he showed us that our distain for a company doesn't have to come in the form of a rant. While smiling his&nbsp;lighthearted&nbsp;song brought a huge conglomerate to it's knees. People all over the world just realized the power of Youtube as a&nbsp;customer&nbsp;complaint&nbsp;department... if used properly. They also realized you can get more done with a smile than a scream.&nbsp;</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The point I am trying to make is that I try not to do things because, "that's the way to do it". If a certain process is the best method so be it, then stick with it. However, even though it takes more energy... innovation is much more fun. &nbsp;So I ask you. What are you doing because, "That's the way we've always done it?" What&nbsp;legacy&nbsp;thinking do we still participate in as a society? What do you think needs to be innovated? I'd love to hear your feedback and see where I am falling into those legacy traps as well.&nbsp;</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p>]]></content:encoded></rss:item></rdf:RDF>