Rugby Keeps You Young

This is Jim (a.k.a. Shizumu). Jim is 60 years old. Do you know how I know that? Because he's wearing red shorts.

In Japan when you're over 40 you wear White shorts, over 50 is Navy, over 60 is Red, over 70 is Yellow, over 80 is Purple, and over 90 is Gold.

Jim expects to eventually wear Gold shorts, but his real goal is to become the oldest rugby player in Japan. Best of luck!

Think there's not many Gold short's wearing players? I saw one photo with several Gold shorts players, and numerous players in each of the other colors. It must be the water.

Maybe there's still hope for me...

Hawaii Harlequins Rugby Tournamet

Well, I managed to not make it to one single game this weekend. That's two tournaments missed so far this year.

The Hawaii Harlequins hosted a rugby tournament yesterday and today. I haven't heard any news yet, so don't know scores, or even who played. If anybody's got any results, please send them to me so I can post them.

Next up is the International 15's Tournament, November 5-7, 2009. I've got to get down there for some of this! Here's a link for contact info.

Lessons from the Airwaves

Here's a lesson in Business Operations from an unlikely source - the Hawaii Public Radio semi-annual fund drive.

I listen to HPR (usually KIPO) even during their fund drives. I'm that much of a Public Radio junkie (I'm also a "True Believer"). I'm always amazed that they raise the amount of money they need, and they almost always achieve their goal on-time.

That's your first lesson. They set a specific goal, a specific dollar amount that they need to raise, and a specific time frame to reach it. Lesson? Set specific, measurable, achievable goals.

But I was getting worried this drive because they had fallen significantly behind after several days. With the economy the way it is and all the cutbacks and layoffs, it wasn't really a surprise, but it was a concern. But they got back on-track and even managed to reach their goal right on time. Amazing! So how did they do it?

Here's the big lesson. The big, final goal is hard for most people to really get their head around. It's a big number and people don't see how their little, individual contribution puts a dent in it. So what HPR always does, and what they sat down and really pushed and focused on after they fell behind, is break that big, final goal down into smaller targets set for each program or hour of the day. That is, instead of having to think about how your $60 membership (or $120 True Believer or $365 Dollar-A-Day pledge) puts a dent in the $700,000-plus final goal, you can get a really clear picture of how you pledge makes a difference in a $1,200 target during your favorite show. Lesson? Break a big, final goal down into smaller, more easily digestable targets that people can understand and feel good about.

Oh, and donate to your favorite Public Radio station (even if you're not liberal-leaning, the music's great).

Rug Rat Ruggers

Got some little tykes and live in New York City? Then Lil' Ruggers is for you.

Not just another Rugger Owned Business to add to our ever-expanding list (see the list on the left), but a Rugger Owned Rugby Business.

From the Lil' Ruggers website: "Rugby is the perfect sport for any age, gender, size, and speed; with 15 players on each team, there is a position for everyone. Children are notorious for exploring with their hands which makes rugby the ideal sport for kids as they are encouraged to hold the ball and run, run, run!

Through simple drills and flag scrimmages in the great outdoors (where kids belong!), the goal of LIL' RUGGERS is to foster listening skills, sharing, communication, and healthy behavior that will ultimately last a lifetime. In a safe, controlled, non-contact and undeniably fun way, of course!"

Getting kids outside, letting them run around and have fun, and learning "The Best Sport Ever". What else could you ask for? This is a great idea. If you live in New York City, definitely check them out. If you already have kids in the program, let me know what you think about it.

Get New Business - Guest Post

Here's another Guest Post by Jeff Thomas. It's titled Creative Ways To Get More Customers, which is information we can all use, but this is not just for business. Your Rugby Club could also use these techniques to get more exposure, players, fans, and supporters. Give them a try. Thanks Jeff!


Creative Ways To Get More Customers

In today’s economic climate, it can be tough to find new customers, and retain the ones you’ve already got. Everyone’s watching their pennies, which means that small business owners have to get creative when it comes to getting feet in the door.

Fortunately, there are several low-cost ways to get more customers. Let’s take a look:
Publish Articles In Local Magazines

Many publications, especially trade magazines or Chamber of Commerce newsletters, welcome submissions from local businesses. This is a great way to add to your credibility and get your name out there.

What can you write about? Well, anything that has to do with your business! Make sure you give readers information that can truly help them, however. No one wants to read about your next sale, or how great your customer service is.

Remember, give first. You’ll get the benefits later on.

Put On A Workshop

Putting on free workshops for your customers is a great way to get them in your store. After all, people love learning new things, and they love it even more when it’s free.

For instance, if you own a stationary shop you could teach customers how to design great wedding invitations. Or if you own a sports store, you could teach people how to care for their sports equipment during the wintertime.

Again, focus on giving your customers good, useful information. Don’t pitch your business or try to sell stuff during the workshop! This will be a major turnoff, and they won’t want to come back. Give first. You’ll get later.

Think About Your Location

If your business lease is about to expire, then you can get more customers by strategically locating your business.

For instance, if you own a bakery that also makes wedding cakes you would benefit by locating next to a flower shop or stationary store. Restaurants do great by shopping malls or sports venues, and consignment shops might do great close to a higher priced retail boutique.
By strategically locating your business close to another in roughly the same field you can take advantage of the extra foot traffic.

Create A Unique Contest

This strategy can be a huge hit with your local community, especially if you get the newspaper on board to advertise it.

Businesses have long used contests to drive business. After all, how many times has Purina run the “Cutest Dog” contest? Or Gerber the “Cutest Baby”contest?

Well, why not run your own contest, but with a twist? If you own a pet shop, why not hold an “Ugliest Dog” contest? Or a “World’s Ugliest Blouse” contest if you’re a consignment shop?
Have a sense of humor, and think up something really quirky. People will sit up and take notice, which means more PR for business.

Guest post by Jeff Thomas from Ideal Computer Systems. Ideal is the leading provider for dealer management software for the motorcycle, snowmobile and Powersports industries

Rugger Owned Update

Here's a couple of updates to the Rugger Owned business list. We're a very diverse bunch, and obviously smart and talented, as evidenced by the variety of businesses that ruggers own and operate.

John Scheef III is one of the senior partners in a Dallas, Texas based law firm called Scheef & Stone, LLP. They have 34 attorneys and are a general business law firm. John is also a retired, non-playing member of the Dallas Harlequins RFC and President of the Dallas Harlequins Foundation which is a charitable organization supporting the Dallas Harlequins.

Joe Ting's company is called RampageRugby. The concept is aimed at improving and helping everyone involved in the game, be it players, Coaches, Refs and promoting the game in the not so main stream rugby countries, i.e. Spain, Portugal etc.. His site includes an injury clinic, which is specific for rugby injuries.

Good luck guys!

Giving Back - A Guest Post

Today is a big day for Let's Talk Business! We have our very first Guest Blogger. Jeff Thomas of Ideal Computer Systems, Inc. wrote the following article titled The Benefits of Investing in Your Community. It is a timely article because during the last interview I did for my upcoming book the gentleman I spoke with talked about how his company donates resources to the city and state Civil Defense organizations and why that's good business.

Here at Let's Talk Business! we (meaning me, since we is me) don't try to sell you anything or endorse any products or services for personal or monetary gain. This article fits in well with the focus of this blog so I am happily posting it. Plus, Wendy over at Your Scrumhalf Connection has several guest bloggers and interns and if I can make any small progress in making my blog as good as hers, I'll give it a try. Thanks Jeff.

Here's Jeff's article:

The Benefits of Investing In Your Community

We’ve all seen them: the small print shop that is sponsoring this summer’s Little League team, the bakery that donated bread and muffins for the town’s Walk for Breast Cancer, or the record shop that puts on free concerts every weekend for local teens.

As a small business owner, you’re in a unique position to really give back to the community you live in. Sure it feels great to do something good for your town. But can it pay off?

The good news here is that yes, it can, in several different ways. If you go about it the right way.
One of the greatest benefits to being involved with your community is that people will start to recognize your business. And in their minds, your business name will be tied directly in with the good feeling of charity. The two concepts, your business and goodwill, are directly linked. When it comes to name recognition and customer loyalty, this is a very good thing.

Another benefit to investing in your community is the sense of satisfaction you get from doing it. You can’t measure the feeling of giving back in dollars and cents, but it’s amazing the boost it can give not only to you, but to your employees as well.

Many large companies, like Google and Tom’s of Maine, give their employees one paid day per month to volunteer however they like. This is a huge perk in those companies, and the employees say it’s a big morale booster.

If you want to make sure your customers know about your involvement then make sure you advertise it. If you send out a monthly newsletter, then showcase what you did and include plenty of pictures.

Another way you can highlight your efforts is to call your local paper. For example, many businesses will donate a portion of their sales for a month to a local charity, and newspapers love to run these features. This is free publicity for your business.

If you become involved in a larger event, then make sure your business name is displayed as prominently as possible. Invest in banners and t-shirts, and have plenty of brochures on hand to pass out to people.

Community involvement is a great way to give back, feel great about what you’re doing, and get some publicity for your business in the bargain. And don’t forget, most of the time you can write off your expenses as a tax deduction.

Guest post by Jeff Thomas of Ideal Computer Systems Inc. http://www.idealcomputersystems.com/