Sunrise Breakfast 1-29-09
I was honored to speak at the Small Business Hawaii January 09 breakfast meeting.

Protection
Knowing that my message would be a positive one, the Clone Troopers from Star Wars showed up to protect me from any possible “economy naysayers” that might be present. They were in actuality James Kerr as Han Solo, Elena as Princess Leia, Phillipe as Commander Rex, and Todd as Luke Skywalker, all from SuperGeeks. Fortunately there were no attacks, and they were able to dress down and enjoy breakfast with everyone.

Full House
I was pleased to see the Pineapple Room meeting facility filled to capacity. They actually were rolling tables in from the back. Senator Sam Slom took conrol of the room, as he always does, and had everyone introduce themselves and their guests. Small Business Hawaii is a great association for small business owners to meet one another and share ideas.

What an Introduction!
After one last phone call, Sam introduced me in such great detail that I started out by saying that should he ever leave the political world that I would like for him to work for me. As expected, my message was all about staying positive in light of the sensational headlines printed by the mainstream media. Bad news has always been the news of choice by the media, but there is always some good news as well, and we all need to look for it and spread it around.

“Step Right Up”
Sam asked me not to promote my own business during my talk as he would do that for me, which he did perhaps even better than I could have. I was able however to have a book table and made sure it was easy to spot. I was pleased by the comments (and book sales) that I received at the end of the meeting. Mahalo to Sam, Darlyn and everyone else for this opprtunity to tell “my side of the story.”

$45 “Complimentary” Snack
As a Starwood Preferred Guest Gold Card member I am accustomed to certain priveleges when staying at the Wesin Maui. This has been my hotel of choice on Maui since the mid 80’s when Chris Hemmeter bought and remodeled the hotel. I always ask for a room in the Beach Tower as it’s the new wing that Chris built.
When checking in this week I was told that there would be an “upgrade charge” of $45 to be in that tower. This was a first, but I never whine about costs, so I just said, “Okay, whatever.”
The “complimentary snack” delivered in this tower is always well received, but I have to admit that this time I found myself thinking, “Is it really worth $45?” That led me to thinking, “Is the Westin really worth the “Kaamaina rate” of only $300 when all I do there is sleep one night.” Sometimes the tiny added gouges can cost a company a long time customer. Keep the pennies out of your eyes and you will put more dollars in your pocket.

Rhythm in the White House?
Regardless of your political affiliation, if you didn’t feel the glow today, check your pulse. I began to count how many innaugurations I have lived through and stopped at “too many.” But, this is the first time I felt magnitized to the TV set, and surely the first time I had tears of joy running down my cheeks.
It’s not so much what I think Obama will do as President that moved me as it is what this magnanimous event is doing for America. We are all growing weary of the doom and gloom messages on the front pages of our newspapers. It was extremely uplifting to see so many people, more than ever before, take an interest in our new leader. The country has been inspired before he even lifts a finger as President.
People follow leaders. It’s encouraging to have one with a positive vision.

Go To: whitehouse.gov
And there’s already a new White House Web Site for us all to stay tuned in to what’s happening at our nation’s capital. Read about it on CNN HERE, and see the site HERE.

Diamond Head
The sun setting behind Diamond Head made for a great backdrop for the Chinese New Year.

Michael Zhang
Michael Zhang was the perfect host as friends and family gathered at his home to enjoy food, wine and each other’s company.  Michael is the owner of Blue Hawaii Surf and Blue Hawaii Lifestyle, both long time Success Dynamics clients.

Loco Boutique
Even longer clients that showed up were Michael Fieman and Hisae of Loco Boutique.

More Old (long time) Friends
Then there was David Erdman of Pac Rim Marketing and Tao Miller, founder of Body and Soul, and Japanese retail consultant extraordinaire.

And the Food!
As the socializing was just getting underway the food began arriving.

Rock Garden Tour
Michael’s brother, Snap Jun, fresh in from China gave Masae and I a tour of the Zhang Rock Garden.

Chinese Good Luck Rocks
Unique rocks from China lined the stairway down to the waterfall. Along the way we saw extremely special rocks in the most unusual shapes. Each one had a story behind it that I cannot share with you because I couldn’t understand the language, but the beauty spoke for them.

It’s a Party
Inside there was food and more food as people gathered in the various rooms and out on the lanai. Mahalo to Michael and the entire Zhang family for a memorable evening.

Here Today; Gone Tomorrow
It seems like only yesterday that I read Jim Collin’s book GOOD TO GREAT. He followed companies from 1965 to 1995, and made a list of those which had gone from “good” to “great” in that time. They were:

Abbot Laboratories
Circuit City
Fannie Mae
Gillette
Kimberly-Clark
Kroger
Nucor
Philip Morris
Pitney Bowes
Walgreens
Wells Fargo

A look at that list 14 years later shows some big changes. 

Like This One
Circuit City apparently found reverse gear somewhere along the way. CNN just announced that Circuit City’s will close 567 U.S. stores employing 34,000 employees. They plan to launch a liquidation sale immediately and run it through March 31, providing they get court approval. They will shut down their website and call center on January, 18. I found it odd that they plan to continue to operate their Canadian operations, which employ 3,000 workers.
The most significant comment in the article (to me) was citing a decision to “get rid of salespeople” as one of the reasons for their downfall. My thought was, “Duh!” This is what happens when the importance of good salespeople is underestimated. We certainly saw that during the demise of CompUSA here in Honolulu. The person who is face-to-face with the customer is the most important person in the company.

78 Degrees and Sunny
80 plus small specialty retailers from all over the country checked in to the Westin Maui Hotel this week as a reward for their 2008 sales increases over 2007. The thing they have in common is they all sell Brighton merchandise. They were treated to a week of dining, socializing, learning and playing; with all expenses paid by Brighton. How many vendors do you know that do something like this for their customers?

Pam Chambers and I Arrive
Pam and I have been honored to speak at numerous Brighton functions in the past 6 years. We arrived at the same time Sunday evening and were greeted by the Brighton Welcoming Committee, and given lei along with a bag of “goodies.”

Evening Arrival Reception
The fun started with a reception at the Aloha Pavilion by the beach. As usual, no expense was sparred when setting out the food and drink.

Day 1
The following morning a lavish breakfast buffet was set out for all to enjoy. Everything you can think of that makes a great breakfast was there, along with excited people.

Opening Session
Brighton founder and owner Jerry Kohl kicked things off with his “Shame on You” message aimed at the big retailers who were advertising shameless discounts in an attempt to make their holiday numbers, and placing an added burden on small retailers that want to maintain their integrity and hard earned profits.

Jerry Knows Numbers
There’s no one any better at numbers than Jerry Kohl, and he was able to display facts that showed how Brighton fared the difficult holiday season better than the giants, while maintaining the integrity of the Brighton brand and refusing to play the “discount game.” 

Classes
Pam and I then met with the store owners twice. The goal was, “Finish by noon and then go to the beach.” My message was on “Success in Challenging Times.” Pam talked about what she looks for and expects as a customer. We were both thrilled with the attention and interest of the attendees.

Closing Session
After the morning information meetings, and before heading to the beach, Laura Young outlined company campaign plans for 2009 starting on Inauguration Day.

Dinner Sign Ups
Everyone was invited to sign up for dinners the following evenings at 1st class restaurants including Lahaina Grill, Longhi’s, Roy’s, Leilani’s, Merriman’s, Hula Grill and Tropica at the Westin. Pam and I hosted the 1st night groups at Leilani’s in Whalers Village and Tropica at The Westin.

Lunch with Jerry and Terri
Jerry and Terri Kohl then took those of us available and sill hungry to lunch at Hula Grill, where whales could be seen a few hundred yards away.

Tough Decisions!
There were so many great meals to choose from and whales to watch at the same time. Terri made it easy for me; she knew the menu and my tastes. This seaside meal was quite a treat, especially for those from the colder states, which was just about everyone except for Pam and me.

Work It Off!!!
By now I was reaching my food limit, so with dinner at Leilani’s coming up tonight, I decided to hit the gym at The Westin. It offers a pretty relaxing “work out” while watching TV and looking down at the pool and out to the ocean.

My Table of Stars
I hosted this great group at Leilani’s on the Beach. In addition to a fabulous dinner, we had a lively discussion about how these small stores in Texas dealt with the last two hurricanes. I was really impressed with the grit and generosity these people showed during those tough times.
All of this was on Day 1.

Closing Session
After a second day of food, fun, classes and information, Laura assembled everyone for a review session. Ideas were exchanged and commitments expressed. The enthusiasm was heartwarming.
Following are some more of the photos that I took at different meals and meetings. Enjoy the sights, and for any of you that were there who want more photos than this, just send me a note and I will zip up a folder full and send them to you.

BIG Mahalo!
Aloha and Mahalo to Jerry Kohl and Laura Young for providing this memorable experience.

Kui Lee
Kui Lee was a legend in Hawaii. He wrote the song, “I’ll Remember You”, sung by Don Ho and made even more famous by Elvis Presley. Kui also wrote “Days of My Youth”, that Don Ho imortalized in Waikiki. Kui’s sister, Leilani Lee, was my Hawaii manager back in my Empress Pearls days. When visiting Hawaii she would take me back stage at Don Ho’s show. That was a rare treat. She told me countless stories about Don Ho and her brother. Kui Lee died from cancer at only 34 years old, on my mother’s birthday, December 3, 1966.

“One Paddle, Two Paddle”
When I was growing up, “One Paddle, Two Paddle” described disciplinary action by my school teachers. In Hawaii it is the name of another song written by Kui Lee. I snapped this photo while doing my power walk at Ala Moana Beach Park this morning. My mind went back to the 70’s, and I thought about of Leilani, Kui, my mother and the lyricks of this song. 

One paddle, two paddle, three paddle,
Four to take me home
Fourteen on the right, fourteen on the left,
Take me to Hawaii nei, no ka best.

I went away a long time
Such a long time, a long time ago
Seen enough cities to last a lifetime
Goin’ away no more

I want to smell the fowers,
The sweet flowers when the trade winds blow
Seen enough fences to last a lifetime
Goin’ away no more

Yes, take me to my lover
My fair lover, I left long ago
Felt enough sorrow to last a lifetime
Goin’ away no more

Hawaii No Ka Oi
We should all be aware of the special things about wherever we live. Young people, up early on a Saturday morning, competing in their canoes, with their frinds and family cheering for them on the shoreline is very special indeed.

Green Would Be Better
Every year stacks of Yellow Pages books arrive at my building where they sit until delivered to the front doors. From there 90% of them are dropped down the rubbish shaft. There’s definately something wrong with this picture. The Internet is here; Google is King. To continue printing this book, at least in the numbers they do is a shame. I guess it gives them “distribution numbers dialog” when selling ads. It would be good for the planet if people could request printed Yellow Pages, at least until they either go out of business or entirely on line.

“A person of my spiritual intensity does not eat corpses.”
-George Bernard Shaw

I became a vegetarian more than 40 years ago when I learned that I could actually live without eating animals. As time went by, and I never got sick, I realized there was more to being a vegetarian than saving animal lives; I could save my own. I have had just one cold in over 40 years, never missed a day of work, including that sick one (it was hell), and those that know me will attest to my boundless energy. No, you cannot credit my genes, my father was in the meat business, and both of my parents died young of cancer. They both had far too many visits to the doctor. My sister has spent more time in the doctor’s office than most people I know.

No “Killing” Here, but…
In spite of my good health, I continued to eat dairy products, justifying it by saying that you don’t have to kill the cows and chickens to get their milk and eggs. Somewhere in the back of my mind however I knew that cows and chickens that are raised for milk and eggs live a torturous hell, but I looked the other way.

Neal Barnard MD
One day recently an “angel” sent me this little talk by Neal Barnard MD, and everything changed as quickly as my diet did the day I stopped eating corpses. Click here to hear it. That was only about six weeks ago, but I am an entirely different person today as a result. I am working out two times a day, and have dropped more than 12 pounds. Cutting out the eggs, butter, cheese and ice cream has given me an energy boost like never before. About the only thing I really miss is the cream in my coffee, but black coffee is starting to taste good already and I am drinking less of it. 

Good Stuff
I actually gave up trying to convert my friends to vegatarianism many years ago, so that’s not what this post is about. I just feel compelled to share Dr. Barnard’s message with anyone willing to listen. If you would like to live longer, lose weight, feel better, have more energy, get the cholestoral out of your arteries, and the cancer causing back-up out of your colon give it a shot. Dr. Barnard says you can make the switch in just three weeks. That’s not very long considering all of the years you can add to your life. The only people that will suffer from this decision will be your doctors, as they will see you much less often, if at all. In case you failed to click above, here’s another chance; Click Here.

Can I Be Your Friend?
Creatures in the animal kingdom, including humans all have ways to get aquanited and develop relationships. Some are more discreet and effective than others. Perhaps the most complicated are the ones that we human beings use.

Can I buy you a drink?
Back in what I affectionately refer to as “the good old days” people had to go out to bars and parties to meet others. Many times a lot of money and time was spent with nothing to show for it but a headache (or worse) in the morning.

Then Came the Computer
It is now possible for even the shyest of people to reach out and meet someone. Dating sites like eHarmony.com, Match.com, Computer Dating USA and countless others allow singles to meet without going through the hassles previously required. Next came the free social networking site My Space.com

My Space Success
Our son Gilbert met his lovely bride Ashley on My Space while he was deployed in Iraq and she at nursing school here in Hawaii. Their relationship was well underway before his first leave home when they met in person. There’s no other way that this could have happened.

That Led to “Sweet Sammy”
Yesterday (New Year’s Day) was Samantha’s third birthday. No way could that have happened long distance on the Internet. Another big My Space success was the site formed by Barack Obama where he changed politics and raised more money than any candidate in history, all by way of social networking.

What to Do?
Today Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter seem to be heading the field of hundreds of social networks sites available. The big question is, “Are they valuable or a waste of good time?” Like many others out there, I have been drawn in to a few of these and everyday I am finding more and more time being spent at the computer, but have yet to figure out how to get this stuff to pay off. Is this something I should be suggesting to my clients as a way to find more business? If so, which one is best? From what I have seen so far, at least for business, LinkedIn seems to have the most potential. I am certain that these would be a great source of occupation when retired, but I am not quite there yet, however I don’t want to be left behind as this technology evolves. What to Do?