As this post will be my last, I wanted to go out o a positive note! (no pun intended)... I found the organization of the American Academic Pediatrics when I was writing an English paper. This group is a trusted organization when it comes to children's health and well being. Throughout this whole project, I have been trying to find some common link between music and how it can make us happy. But then I saw that instead of finding some complex link between the key/chordal tones and your brain waves (that's pretty complicated) I could just use example from everyday life. I used this link as a starting point: http://www.healthychildren.org/English/healthy-living/emotional-wellness/Pages/Music-and-Mood.aspx
The examples I found in the article were as followed:
"Ancient philosophers from Plato to Confucius and the kings of Israel sang the praises of music and used it to help soothe stress. Military bands use music to build confidence and courage. Sporting events provide music to rouse enthusiasm. Schoolchildren use music to memorize their ABCs. Shopping malls play music to entice consumers and keep them in the store. Dentists play music to help calm nervous patients."
These are all great examples of why music is as powerful as it is. People might not even realize it, but you can never escape music. Even the genres of music that you don't like still live on. Not everything needs to be some incredible piece of music that's 20 minuets long. I believe that music, from the examples given, allows people to bond.
Another study in the article said the following:
"Certain kinds of music make almost everyone feel worse, even when someone says she enjoys it; in a study of 144 adults and teenagers who listened to 4 different kinds of music, grunge music led to significant increases in hostility, sadness, tension, and fatigue across the entire group, even in the teenagers who said they liked it. "
This part of the article got me thinking about if the WORDS to a song may help influence how people perceive it. For some time during this project, I spent a lot of time trying to go too in depth (that's not necessarily a bad thing), but some of the best answers I have found on why music makes us feel the way it does has been right in from of me the whole time.
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Invest In Sex
The availability of medically accurate sex education is an investment in our children’s future as well as their well-being.
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| http://upload.wikimedia.org/ When talking from an economics standpoint most economist want to know what is the most effective use of their money. Where will their investment have the most effect on person getting the money. According to an article on Planned Parenthood talks about “Our “return on investment”” being the fact that this new generation receiving the information “could be a generation of women and men comfortable in their own skin; able to make well-informed, responsible decisions; form healthy relationships; and take care of their bodies.” |
But the way that I see it, the reason teaching comprehensive sex education and being able to “provide [students] with developmentally appropriate knowledge and skills, a medically accurate sex education” is the most economically soundplan is because of positive externalities.
Sex education has long been the debate on how much, how little, cost, and value discussions when it comes to government regulations. The truth is that the government has to have some say in what gets taught in schools, and a quality standard in order to protect people.
However, after going through economics, I have had my brain rewired to think in externalities and effects on others as well as my future. Comprehensive sex education is a positive externalities, it will positively affect those around even if they did not pay for it. Students who are exposed to scientifically correct information are able and more likely to share it.A student who has been taught that condoms are the best way to prevent pregnancy and STIs is more likely to require one, as well as make sure friends require on too. This spread of healthy information, correct tactics and actions, as well as knowledge of how a body actually work is something every child needs to know to live a happy life.
Know how to fail
While I have enjoyed learning about what what makes an entrepreneur successful, I wanted to try and see the other side. The other side of failing, by looking at the bad side of things you can see what really makes one successful.
After reading an article by harvard entrepreurship.org “The Ten Reasons Why Entrepreneurs FailTheir Business” it really opened up my eyes in helping me see how a business takes the wrong turns.
One that I found very interesting was that “The Businesses(they) Have No Written Plan”. One could have such a good idea and passion for their business, but if they do not have a written out plan to help others understand they are worthless. Companies also have a very hard time writing these business plans, because explaining something on paper is much harder than in person.
A very useful tip that I saw was that the “The Competition Is Too Much”. When starting up a business, having to overcome a larger corporation can often times be too much of a struggle for a start-up. These other larger corporations have enough capital and experience in the market over rookies. Competitions also have a major influence in the market, and while the start-up is eager to succeed, so is the established corporation.
Being Unable to Execute is another reason why entrepreneurs find themselves in very deep holes. As a young company the amount of high risk opportunities that arise are countless. Taking those decisions need to be done wisely or else they will fall almost immediately. One high risk opportunities taken at the wrong time could collapse a business. These newer entrepreneurs are still getting a feel with how everything works, so it can be an issue with regards to making the right decisions.
One of the most misleading mistakes is worrying about capitol, not connections. What young businesses don’t remember is that Resource Requirements are Underestimated. Capital is not the only resource needed when creating and managing a business. There are other factors like a team, the environment around the business, and investors.
Top Three to Money
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/200730
In the article above it lists the top 25 traits of an Entrepreneur, and I am going to pick out the top 3 in my opinion that make an entrepreneur successful. Here are the top 5 traits, and I will go into depth on all traits.
1. Do what you enjoy
2. Manage Money Wisely
3. Build a top-notch business team
1. Do what you enjoy
It is very important, in any career, to follow what you love and enjoy. If one doesn't find what they are truly passionate about, they will never find themselves happy. With a long life to live with things other than a job remaining important in your life, going to something you don't like every day will only make someone's life worse. I also think working a job you aren't passionate about can only hurt how well you succeed in that position.
2. Manage Money Wisely
With minimal amounts of money it is extremely difficult to build a business. With many expenses such as money to promote and market your business, inventory (if applicable), taxes, machines & equipment in some cases, vendors, and most importantly a salary for oneself. When someone is in a proprietorship, the money in the business is basically equal to the owner’s bank account. Meaning if the business goes under, so does the owner. It is very important an Entrepreneur knows how to manage their income and expenses.
3. Build a Top-Notch Business Team
While an Entrepreneur may be self employed, I seriously think they will fall immediately without the right people around them. Very rarely can people create extremely successful businesses by themselves. Having a well equipped team around prevents accidents and bad decisions from happening. When building a team, make sure that they have the same passion and drive as you or else you will find your team useless. Keep in mind that a business partner may not just be someone on your side. A vendor or client also fits this aspects, because they too will help grow your business.
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Location, Location, Location
You wouldn't open up a five-star restaurant in Englewood or Compton. Similarly, it probably wouldn't be very smart to open a burger joint in a predominantly Indian neighborhood. The area where you open your restaurant is just as important as what the food and atmosphere inside. These tips will help future restaurant owners pin point the best location for their restaurants which will keep customers lining up out the door waiting to be seated.
1) Parking is a must. We Americans surely don't pride ourselves on our waist sizes and we probably aren't going to in the near future. God forbid we have to walk one extra block to get to the restaurant where we want to eat. With that being said, ample parking out front a restaurant, in a parking lot, or in a nearby parking garage is a must. Also, during the winter months, an available spot right outside the restaurant versus three streets down could mean the difference between an empty table versus a full one.
2)Visibility is key. While a peaceful little restaurant far removed from the bustle of a town or city sounds awesome, it isn't always the best. Consider how much more money you'll have to spend in advertising and marketing to get people to know that you even exist. However, a restaurant on a main strip or in an area with a lot of foot traffic advertises itself.
3) Uniqueness=success. Don't open up an Italian restaurant right next door to another Italian restaurant. While it might seem smart to beat out the competition because of your own superior restaurant, people might just stop going to both Italian restaurants because they want something different than all the same Italian places. These restaurants are now too "mainstream" and are considered boring and uninspiring places to eat at. Besides our waist sizes, we Americans also pride ourselves on our originality.
4) Sometimes less does not always mean more. Be realistic. You can't fit a proper restaurant with a full-sized bar, enough refrigerators/freezers for optimal food storage, and all other necessities in a space that really should only house a small coffee shop. And there's nothing worse than not being able to get up and use the bathroom at a restaurant because you're land-locked by other peoples' chairs on all sides of you. If you're trying to cram in extra tables to meet demand, that's probably a good indication that your restaurant is too small. In an area where space comes at a premium, sometimes its worth paying the extra money for a bigger building. This will not only allow you to fit more paying customers in, but it also enhances their experience by ridding them of the claustrophobic catastrophe of a cramped and crowded restaurant.
Monday, December 8, 2014
What makes a successful snowboard company?
The state of the snowboard industry has been looking rather depressing recently. Companies such as Forum, Technine, and Nomis have been forced to either shut down sell off. With so many small companies forming in the snowboard world such as House of 1817, Spring Break snowboards, DWD, and many well established companies still struggling, how can a company become successful in this business? One of the main reason a lot of companies don't succeed is because it is very hard for them to differentiate themselves from other companies. There is not a huge difference in technology in different snowboard brands in fact, many companies get there snowboards from the same factories as each other and, they are almost identical. The problem is however, snowboards are about as advanced as they are ever going to get and, they are not particularly difficult to make.
http://snomie.com/snowboard-companies-fail/
These are basically the exact same snowboard from two different companies
One of the ways successful companies distinguish themselves is by getting famous professional snowboard to support them. Most of the successful new companies are either started by Ex or current professional snowboarders or their friends. Companies such as House of 1817, started by professional snowboarder Joe Sexton, were able to become popular through this means. Other companies such as Nike snowboarding, or Salamon snowboarding, had already made lots of money outside of snowboarding and were able to hire all the best athletes to promote their products.
Good customer support/ Business practices. This one applies outside of snowboarding to every business clearly but, in a market so crowded with similar products at similar prices good customer service means a lot. A good example is Union binding company. When I first bought my bindings from them they broke relatively quickly and I emailed the company complaining about the product. In less than a day I got a response from them saying they would send me a new pair and they ended up sending me three brand new pairs of bindings. After this I have never and would never buy a different pair of bindings. Union started as a relatively small company a few years back and have already propelled themselves to the top of the market.
Doing something completely different. There are a couple examples of this but the best one I can think of is Spring Break snowboards. In an industry where basically everything is uniform going completely outside of the box can be an effective method. There is basically only one company in snowboarding you can buy a different shaped snowboard from and that is Spring Break snowboards. Their uniqueness allowed them stand alone from the other hundreds of snowboard companies and be successful.
Good customer support/ Business practices. This one applies outside of snowboarding to every business clearly but, in a market so crowded with similar products at similar prices good customer service means a lot. A good example is Union binding company. When I first bought my bindings from them they broke relatively quickly and I emailed the company complaining about the product. In less than a day I got a response from them saying they would send me a new pair and they ended up sending me three brand new pairs of bindings. After this I have never and would never buy a different pair of bindings. Union started as a relatively small company a few years back and have already propelled themselves to the top of the market.
Doing something completely different. There are a couple examples of this but the best one I can think of is Spring Break snowboards. In an industry where basically everything is uniform going completely outside of the box can be an effective method. There is basically only one company in snowboarding you can buy a different shaped snowboard from and that is Spring Break snowboards. Their uniqueness allowed them stand alone from the other hundreds of snowboard companies and be successful.
More unique than functional but people still buy them.
http://snomie.com/snowboard-companies-fail/
Cooking up a Successful Restaurant
Restaurants do not start in the kitchen. Many might think that a few glowing remarks from family and friends over a new recipe is reason enough to start their own restaurant, but these "glowing remarks" mean nothing. Gibson's, Charlie Trotters, and The Publican did not start from some knockoff pans in a residential kitchen, they started from a passion. A passion that sparked a crazy, almost impossible idea. They started from a single strand of inspiration, from watching movies like "The Chef" and then agonizing for countless hours late at night asking stupid questions like: why having your own food truck sounds so damn cool? Or, what food would people pay big money to eat?
Food is only part of what a restaurant is about. If people only cared about the food at a restaurant, than 67% of restaurants would not fail within the first three years (National Restaurant Association, 2009). People are greedy. They want dinner and a show. They want an experience, to be entertained to a point where they forget that the main purpose in walking through the doors of the restaurant was to feed their growling stomachs.
Passion is not enough. "In order to operate a restaurant successfully one must at least have a restaurant background or do intense research on the subject. If one has spent his or her working life as an electrician or doctor, the person is not likely equipped to operate a restaurant" (John P. Harrison). A dream is just not enough anymore. A restaurant started from a dream will almost always end in a nightmare. There is a huge misconception that anyone can open a restaurant as long as their food tastes good. A person can serve Food Network-worthy food as much as they want, but without proper experience in checking inventory, marketing to the area, and training and managing your staff (all things a restaurant owner should know), you might as well throw that plate of parmesan-crusted filet medallions into your dog's food bowl.
Its not a coincidence that some of the best restaurants are found in some of the best hotels. Hotels specialize in hospitality; they take care of their customers, kiss their asses sometimes, and make them feel as if they are the only ones at the hotel that are receiving this special treatment. Likewise, restaurants also in a way specialize in hospitality. Waiters and waitresses are just as important as the food, for they have the power to sway a customer to come back again and again. As one RetaurantOwner.com member put it, "...you get service from a vending machine but only caring people can deliver hospitality.When guests sense that their servers are genuinely looking out for them, there is a much greater chance that meaningful interaction between staff and guests will take place and more positive dining experiences will be the result" (Jim Laube). Laugh at a customer's stupid jokes, tell them how good they look in their mismatched outfit, mistake them for a famous celebrity, do anything to make them want to come back. And if a customer complains that the "rare" steak he ordered is overcooked even when you can see blood dripping off the meat, remember that just like at a hotel, "the customer is always right".
Food is only part of what a restaurant is about. If people only cared about the food at a restaurant, than 67% of restaurants would not fail within the first three years (National Restaurant Association, 2009). People are greedy. They want dinner and a show. They want an experience, to be entertained to a point where they forget that the main purpose in walking through the doors of the restaurant was to feed their growling stomachs.
Passion is not enough. "In order to operate a restaurant successfully one must at least have a restaurant background or do intense research on the subject. If one has spent his or her working life as an electrician or doctor, the person is not likely equipped to operate a restaurant" (John P. Harrison). A dream is just not enough anymore. A restaurant started from a dream will almost always end in a nightmare. There is a huge misconception that anyone can open a restaurant as long as their food tastes good. A person can serve Food Network-worthy food as much as they want, but without proper experience in checking inventory, marketing to the area, and training and managing your staff (all things a restaurant owner should know), you might as well throw that plate of parmesan-crusted filet medallions into your dog's food bowl.
Its not a coincidence that some of the best restaurants are found in some of the best hotels. Hotels specialize in hospitality; they take care of their customers, kiss their asses sometimes, and make them feel as if they are the only ones at the hotel that are receiving this special treatment. Likewise, restaurants also in a way specialize in hospitality. Waiters and waitresses are just as important as the food, for they have the power to sway a customer to come back again and again. As one RetaurantOwner.com member put it, "...you get service from a vending machine but only caring people can deliver hospitality.When guests sense that their servers are genuinely looking out for them, there is a much greater chance that meaningful interaction between staff and guests will take place and more positive dining experiences will be the result" (Jim Laube). Laugh at a customer's stupid jokes, tell them how good they look in their mismatched outfit, mistake them for a famous celebrity, do anything to make them want to come back. And if a customer complains that the "rare" steak he ordered is overcooked even when you can see blood dripping off the meat, remember that just like at a hotel, "the customer is always right".
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