Mrs Justa and what lies ahead

AS the days head to the end of 2012, the media and government are creating , for me at least, a vision of insecurity for the country.

The phrase “Fiscal Cliff” is the catchy phrase of the month..the past few months.

And yet as I am shaking in my boots over what this really means for us..the citizens of the USA… the President takes a vacation, congress goes home to their families, and I feel the countries future is placed on the back burner while people have down time.

Well I do not know about you…but I really want these people that have been elected BY THE PEOPLE to be doing their damn job, and work for the PEOPLE!!.

Oh I have read this and that…and really it seems like once again we get it up the whazoo!. So the average family is looking at over 2000.00 dollars in increased taxes…and that good ol’ Health Care Reform..well let’s see—I bet your premiums have increased… how about money out of your pocket for medical expenses—did that go up??? Or maybe you work for one of the businesses who are forced to cut your hours so they do not get fined for their inability to provide health care. And you might be in a situation where now you are one of  those  who have to now face a HIGH DEDUCTABLE plan— things are changing. I have no idea what our taxes will be on our property or school going forward.

As we slide over the “CLIFF” and we see our personal taxes go up..we also see many things in the government be taken away. I read milk could double in price, because as the cliff appears- so does aid to farmers disappear..and cuts in military, cuts in cost of living for our seniors, ..it seems like we are just always expected to keep on giving…

Than there is the weather dramatics…..

The weather people have won the award for DRAMA QUEEN in my book. Now they are naming winter storms, and this past one we got this week—well one would have thought we were going to be buried alive by mounds of snow…. yet the storm totals were 1-2 feet…Yeah it was nasty, and visability was down..and I am glad I did nto have to drive in it…but I remember once MArk and I were in the city and were advised to head home than or wait out a storm that dumped  3-4 feet of snow on our roof!….

Heck..I remember not so many years ago when I looked out the window and saw just an antenna on my car…. So between us falling off the proverbial fiscal cliff, us losing more money due to Health Care Reform, and the treacherous winter storms with names now… well I think we are all going to end up with major anxiety disorder….

The sad thing is we can not do a darn thing about the sensationalism….except try really hard not to let it consume us.

Off to watch the news … LOL…. Have a great night., Love to all,. Mrs. Justa.. alias Cindy

Technorati Tags: fiscal,cliff,future,money,herathcare,insurance,jobs

 

Mrs Justa and the future???

I am not a politician, never wanted to be one, never really felt the need to do anything but maybe support one I felt strongly about.

As we enter the next 2 months of “How nasty can one get over the other” I am looking to buy earplugs and blinders when the political personal attacks start. If one starts playing dirty and the other stays above the line of trash talk..than does the other get credited for being admirable or criticized that all the trash talk must be true –because they are not coming back and defending the insults.

To me, in my one person mind… we need government that will not support continuous hand outs. I do believe unemployment benefits should be available as people get back on their feet, heck they have paid into that insurance in case they ever need it. I personally had to benefit from unemployment once in my life. But we need not have more ways of extending the unemployment checks for  the 23 million people unemployed and growing… we need to be supporting these 23 million ( and more) people by being a country where employment is available.

I find that the government seems to be focusing on more ways to print money , increase debt, to help those who are not working. And some of the reason there are 23 + million unemployed people – in my humble opinion is because we have given those jobs to people in other countries. I have heard thru various articles and reports that our government ( a couple years back) was going to have more people building roads, fast trains, bridges—and THAT will help us put people back to work. Well that would help all the 24 + yrs olds with college degrees living in the same 10×10 room they grew up in. But what about the 40, 50 and 60 year olds that thought they had a job through retirement..only to find themselves on the curb with an “Out of business” sign on the door of the place they thought was their home away from home.

I look at how far in debt we are, I see media of all sorts stating  we just need to do another 4 yrs with this administration, I look at people who have  almost 30 something kids that are still living in their homes, and I am thinking THIS IS NOT THE AMERCIAN DREAM!! Each person in their 20s with the feeling of there is  no job to take, no where to go… living at home… having meals, insurance, clothing provided for them.. what happens at age 27 ?? 
They are still at home, still have food and life’s essentials provided..and we the government have supplied more a pathway to show them how to accept others providing for your life..than you providing it for yourself. By 27—most investors would be recommending that these people should be well on their way to prepare for their retirement. And yet instead of contributing to the social security funds, instead of having their own 401 K accounts, instead of having their own place… they are the same place they were when they were 13 yrs old.

I wonder what happened to journey of growing up and when you are in your early teens to be looking forward to 15 … cuz you can go and get a job… or 18 because you could vote..and have a job (or 2 or 3) and GET YOUR OWN PLACE!! I dreamt of that., my mind was filled with how neat it would be to move out on my own. Oh and that first night away from the bedroom of my life… cooking on a stove that is new to me, deciding if breakfast was going to be a hamburger… and having desert before dinner…to not have anyone tell me it was time to go to bed…to chose my pathways and know that at the fork in the road it was the consequences of my choice that got me there. TO have my own mailing address, bank account, bills, mail box…. NOT once did I long for living under my moms roof for years on end. A parents home should be one that is there in a bind..but not for a life time. TO move back into a parent’s home— it is to get back on your feet… and within a few weeks… a move to your new destiny.

The 20 something  people are our future. So we have one politician going to college campuses—filled with many people who will be moving back home…. telling the kids to vote for me that party again—because if you do not—well you may lose your health insurance…or you may lose this or that. Yet not letting them know that the job they dream of is now being filled by someone in another country.

How about instead of instilling fear of what you Won’t have..maybe instilling hope for jobs and self sufficiency….and assurance that they too can live the American Dream .

I find it maybe back in  finance 101 that to save money you need to make money. Look at all the countries we are helping financially..and what money are they putting back into our pockets? Than  look at those same countries and see if they have people marching around shouting they hate the USA.
Yes I am frustrated with the way it is now..and I am hoping that we end up with strength in the White House to help take the trillions upon trillions in debt and turn it around..to help businesses stay in America, and put people back to work. I am looking, desiring and praying for a change.

Peace to all, I hope today “LABOR DAY” means something more to you than a day off.

Love Mrs Justa alias Cindy

Technorati Tags: government,changes,politics,life,hand outs,working,supplying,enabling,providing,supporting,pride,America

 

Mrs Justa and customer service counts

Work ethic, work pride… we have to get better!.

Last night..guess what… the furnace stopped working again. I do not know how it knows to go out on wind gust warning nights, when it is below 40 degrees out…but it did.

Fortunately the heated mattress pad continues to work ( my side somewhat Marks side real well) ..(that is because he is my side more than his !) During the night the house got cool. It is pretty well built—so I think even being off all night –it only got down to 62 this morning. Now that is not a bad temp—I guess… but when you are butt naked coming out of a hot shower…well it is kinda cold.

Mark tried to see if it would work this morning and we witnessed a miracle… as the shower was warming me up..the furnace came on for one cycle and heated the house up a little. For the rest of the day… nothing….

The lady at the office assured Mark that someone would be here towards 5. She said someone would call before they got here…. well no calls….so Mark called this afternoon to make sure we were all set… She said yes and she would call back with more info.. NO CALL… Mark had driven me in this morning and he came to get me at 4:30. I left promptly so we could get home for the propane guy…. NO calls..no man…. I called the office—it goes to their after hours message center. I left a message…. about 15 minutes later a guy calls back and says he did not know anything about us needing a service call.. GRRRRRR.. SO I went through our last 24 hrs… and he determined it is most likely the vacuum switch.( which he has none with him) . He asked if we would be okay till morning… well we have lots of blankets, and what are our choices??? Pay him to come out to say we need the switch and still not have heat…. so tomorrow is the day perhaps it will get fixed.

It is just frustrating… this was not working a few weeks ago—they arrive—it works.. $64.80 for it to work for them.. SO for the past couple weeks..working fine…. now again not working. it is blinking an error code “ Combustion switch stuck open” so at least now it is telling us what is wrong.. last time the error code was “would not ignite”

I am thankful we do not have any pet birds (ya gotta keep them warmer than this)…. I am thankful that it is in the 30s and not in the zeros…., I am thankful we do not have a pilot light to play with..( this is a self contained furnace with a hot plate that lights the propane..)  ..and I am really thankful tomorrow morning they will be here….

It is annoying , it is only 3 + years old… But what can ya do..reaccept try to stay warm…

We will try to see if we can get it to cycle a couple times to warm up the house… but than it will be off for the night. The repair guy told Mark to tap ere and there and try it… We tapped here and there tonight—it came on once…. uggg… we will get through it..BUT people on the phone should not promise things that can not be true. There should be a mutual respect for each others time… AND do not say you are going to call..and than not call…..

Until tomorrow.. see ya. Love to all,, Chattering Mrs Justa alias Cindy

Technorati Tags: cold,furnace,working,poor customer service,follow through

 

Mrs Justa and friends dilemma

Today a friend of mine was sharing with me her recent experience. It brought me back to similar experiences, and it really sucks.

She works in a place , where a business consultant team was hired to overlook the programs and make recommendations. The recommendation was to lay off almost 20%  of the staff!!!!!!!!!!

Can you imagine…. this type of thing happens everywhere, every week… I personally have been through it twice in my 40 + years of working.

When the time comes- there you are. You and your co-workers dreading when anyone of authority wants to talk to you, for fear you are next.You go to work with a feeling of knots in your stomach, you feel insecure, and uncertain what the future will hold.  Depending on where the employer is, what type of business it is, the lay off can be instant—and it can give you a couple weeks notice. Where I have been—it was instant…same thing where she works.

If you are not a chosen person to go—than you feel guilty about staying— and guilty that you feel relieved you are not being laid off. If you are one getting laid off ( as I was back in 1978 ) depending on how much commitment you gave to your now x-employer—will depend how it effects you. Me- I became my job at the first place it happened. I lived and breathed for it, I loved being there, I would come to work—work extra time—but punch in and out for just regular hours. So in essence- many days I gave them 3 hrs of my own time. I never ever regretted that either.

And than one day—after I had been an employed there for 7+ years— poof…. some genius of an accountant decided that our company ( which was the most profitable in the corporation) would close—and maybe the key people would uproot and move to another state to help the company in the corporation  that was deeply in the red! Well, no one went….. and we were crushed.

I remember my last day there, I went home and listened to broken heart love songs. I could not stop crying, sobbing… a part of me had been taken away from me… it was like my core of myself was ruined, like a very big part of me had died….. …..  I felt lost, no where to go, no idea what I was going to do. There was a small severance package- nothing great-and there was unemployment—but that does not meet the money I was making working. It was ALL I knew how to do. Where I was- we totally closed— so in the end— it was the end for all my co-workers.

The second time—- uggg—we were slowly cut down to nothing. So at first- 15 people laid off- poof…. and I ( like my friend today) was one fortunate to have not lost my job. I could not rejoice over not being picked- why… because I hurt so much for everyone laid off. The people laid off would call me and ask for guidance- they did not understand when their insurance ended, what pay they would get… and I would not be able to help- I had to refer them to HR. But as I spoke to them- I could feel their sense of loss. The people left behind did have an option to join the bigger corporation that had bought us out in a merger. Some went— me I chose to leave and work at an MD office.

The sucky thing is… that when this happens—the people who made the decision—they move on to straighten out another company—they have no personal attachment to where they go— it was a spread sheet wonder—- dollars and cents—without thinking how the remaining people would be able to handle the same work load with many less people.

And THAT is what my friend was saying—- when Monday comes—the work is the same—just  less people there to help get it done. My friend does not believe her job is in jeopardy, which is good for her… but she is feeling the pain of all those she watched go into her bosses office ( which is right next to where my friend sits) and than watch them walk out-looking like they were just hit by a Mack truck.

I think it is safe in saying that most of us go to work because we need work…. I hope those people can find something…..

Love to all… Mrs Justa alais Cindy

Technorati Tags: life,work,lay offs,loss,sadness,jobs,consultants,advice

 

Mrs Justa and work ethic

I am not sure who did this survey, but I heard it on the news this past week.

Over 50% of grads surveyed stated they would refuse employment if the potential future employer banned facebook at work!

I almost drove off the road when I heard this. It started my mind reeling in multiple directions, I was blown away.

So here I am . a manager of quite a few people, and we all have PLEANTY of work to do, and not ONCE have we been bored at work. We do not allow Facebook chatting at work ! Nor do we allow surfing the internet for personal use at work.

Sorry—but believe it or not, when our employer hired us each, it was not contingent that we could talk with our friends while the employer is paying us to work. This would be like in the pre-facebook days, coming to work with a car load of your friends, bringing them to your work area and talking to them for a portion of the day..while you are collecting a pay from your employer for work  they need done!

When employers try to figure out the number of employees needed to complete the tasks at hand, NEWSFLASH>>>they  are anticipating that they are going to receive 100% work time from employees, people who will be devoted to the business. I know this might be a shocker to those +50% of people..but the employers of America are not hiring you to do personal stuff on their time !

I was totally floored by this. I wonder if it is not created somewhat by various middle age adults who have their kids still living at home. The kids seem to expect it, that they are entitled to the roof over their heads, the cell phones, the internet…. and the parents always say that it is too costly for them to live on their own. But what are we teaching our kids than. That they have the luxury of living home for free ? What we have are young adults , like those in that survey, who  refuse to work unless they can spend paid time chatting with friends. I hate to sound like the old foggie that I am..but what happens to these kids when the parents are no longer able to support them, or have died?  Learning the hard knocks of life in one swoop is a lot harder than in smaller increments.

When I was a late teenager and a 20 something, I was expected to provide for myself. I was expected to get one or more jobs to do that. Once graduated from high school- if mom’s was the place of residence-we paid for our room and board. It was a way to teach independence. We did our own laundry, we shared with household expenses, and ya know what…we figured that if we were gonna be paying rent- than why not have the independence of moving out of moms home.

Cell phones should not go hand and hand with working ….mine is in my car –if it is an EMERGENCY__people can call my work. I DO NOT personally surf the internet while I am expected to be working, and every single day I come to and leave work, I am thankful that someone hired me to help out their business. When looking for a job, I always tell the prospective employer that I will give 100% of me,to them, while I am working there. It feels great to go home each day and know that my promise was upheld for another day .

We need to help the young adults of today ( those 50% in the survey) to see what work ethic is, what motivation is , what expectations are… and toughen up them so they get out of the “entitlement” syndrome which many are in. Oh I know that not all young adults fall into this category- we have MANY very dependable young adults at my work.

At work, at home, with friends… we need to give all of us to the people with us, and save time for others at another time. TURN OFF your cell phones and TURN ON Eye contact with the people around you, Turn on devotion to the job, or the situation you are in.,

There is A LOT of work to do to make this country, this time , this century heading back to a  nation of proud hard working Americans, who feel honored to be employed and blessed to be tired from a hard days work.

Love to all, Mrs Justa alias Cindy

Technorati Tags: independence,kids,expectaions,entiltlement,life,choices,teaching,babying,spoiling,employment

 

Mrs Justa and unemployment

Unemployment… man that totally sucks ! I read the other day that “The number of unemployed persons, at 14.0 million, was essentially unchanged in September, and the unemployment rate was 9.1 percent. Since April, the rate has held in a narrow range from 9.0 to 9.2 percent” Think about that 14 million people. “

Have you ever been there, are you there now, or do you feel you might be there in the future?

Dang, I remember feeling like this guy in this free clip art image. It represents exactly how I felt too.

I had been in photo finishing for 7 years. 7 years of learning everything there was about mail order and retail processing of people films.

This was back before digital camera were even thought about. Where people would load film in their camera , take their photos, and than take the film out..and have to send it in or bring it to a retail store front and wait to see if their pictures came out. I LOVED that job. I worked from 7 AM till about 5 PM 5 days a week. We would start the day opening mail, ringing in the money, processing the film, cutting the photos and packaging the pictures to return back to the people. And I was good at it, I truly had a passion for it. When that placed closed, and I was left unemployed, I had no where to go. It was not a field that many others had openings in, and it was all I knew, and in my own self destructive way I convinced myself it was all I would ever do. So I went to the NYS employment office to look for jobs in my field, and left in despair over the fact there was nothing I was qualified for. But ya know what… I fought back the feeling of worthlessness and I kept looking.

Eventually I was employed again, I had to relocate to another city, but I got into photo finishing, and throughout the years I had different jobs- all in photo processing of some sort. In between I got married, was a stay at home wife, than a stay at home mom and for the first 2 1/2 years of being a mom, life was just being the wife and mom.  Than the “S” word…. “I want a separation..” was said to me…and once again…. I needed to find a job in photo finishing. Again I was this guy on the bench. Except now I had been out of the work force for 5 years!. I landed a photo job, I became a single mom, and through risky choices, I ended up going to nursing school, thinking this profession is a sure bet.

But ya know what… even nursing has risks of being hard to find the job you can fit into. I absolutely love what I am doing, but I think about people who work with me, and I look at myself, and every day I say a prayer of thanks that I have a place to go to. I wonder about those people who are 50 +, looking for a job in nursing, how scary that must be!. What about the moms who are nurses, who chose to stay home till the kids were grown, and now need work. To adjust from writing notes to now electronic records, to adjust to computers, to  the more advanced needle systems, IV systems, dispensing of meds… the list goes on and on… how lost they must feel.

With the number of people looking, how hard it is to stay psyched and proud to know it is YOU they want.

Yes, I am so very thankful I have a job. And for those who do not, DO NOT GIVE UP. I know it is easier said than done, but never ever stop believing in yourself, never shoot down your sense of self worth, and even if you have to do a couple part time or a temporary agency, do not let Satan overcome your mind. You can do it!. Sometimes the library has self help or learning courses, check the job banks, , keep your sights low- not looking for that perfect job—a specialized one that just will not often come up, maybe check out training in the area, just do not give up. Heck, I have even thought about advertising to walk peoples dogs, if I ever got in a situation of not having my job. Cleaning houses, being a “sick child” sitter. We can all do whatever we set our minds to do… good luck to those looking, go for anything and keep looking if it is not the right fit for you …it is better to do something as you look, than to be out there feeling totally shot down by life. Somehow, all along the way, I found joy in every job I have had… we need to do that… even if the boss is a royal jerk…. make yourself find goodness is something each day.

Love to all, Mrs Justa… alias… Cindy 

Technorati Tags: jobs,lost,life,trials,testing,professions,learning

 

Mrs Justa and the insurance saga

Okay, maybe it is me, and the fact that I have not been  in business school, so maybe that is why I do not understand the way some folks do business- but I gotta tell ya, if I had a business, I would want for damn sure to know the people working for me are an ASSET to my company and not making an ASS-OUT of me.

Case in point- about 5 weeks ago I contacted the insurance agent that we had been insured through for 19 years. When we bought this new house in the whirlwind of the closing the seller of the home said it would be easier if we got insurance through an agent that works with them , at least for a year. So I stopped the policy we had had for 19yrs and went on for one yr only this other policy. Five weeks ago we received the bill from the new place and I thought it would be nice to get back in with our local agent – so I called them and then faxed to them the itemization of what we have through this other agency. I explained that the premium on the other policy was due May 7th, and expires June 5th- so I wanted a quote to see what we would need to return to them.

Five weeks later I am still waiting for a quote!!!!! We have spoken a few times, they asked me once what my husbands name was, another time if we had pets, another time if the house had cinder blocks for a foundation. I have been switched between Dave and Bob in the office, one answers one time , the other the next, They both are “familiar with “ my case. I was promised last time that by 5-18-09 AM I would have a quote. Well AM turned to PM and still no quote , so I called them . First call this afternoon , good ol’ Bob answered the phone. Bobbie Boy explained he should have it done by tomorrow, I reminded Bob that my premium with the other company was due 7 days ago, and I really need to know if they can help me or not. So I took a deep breath and said- “So tomorrow morning you will have it?”  His response- ya sitting down ????  “Ah-no probably tomorrow afternoon, you do not understand how CUMBERSOME this is to do !!! I have to handwrite things for it.” !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Okay – maybe it is me, but 5 weeks for a damn quote and then telling the customer that is a  pain in their  buttinski to do it for the customer!!!     What would happen when I had a claim?

I am a person with dyslexia- so sometimes my emotions take a bit to catch up to the reason. So I hung up the phone and the words kinda waited in my brain for my emotions to catch up- once they met I was pretty irritated with good ol Bob and his comment and for this delay. The longer the emotions united with the words, the angrier I got. If these 2 were working for me, they would soon be out looking for someone else’s business to screw up.

So I called Geico- they gave me a quote in less then 7 minutes, and they won !

I called back and guess who answered…Yep Dave. I explained that I am really offended that my quote I need was cumbersome to them, and I am taking my money elsewhere. Soooooooo  Dave and Bob- see this pile of money- that is the money you LOST because of your poor business etiquette  and because GEICO was efficient, friendly and fast.  Image is from Google images  “www.rosettekdiaz.com/…/2009/03/untitled.jpg” And “Bob” I really hope you are not the “Robert” who owns the business, if you are, you have changed dramatically from when I dealt with you in the past. Geico has been great for our auto insurance and I am confident they will do just as well with our home. ( And they are 100.00 less then the new company we were with for a year) Thanks Geico… and bye bye the other place,

Mrs Justa

Technorati Tags: insurance,home,business,etiquette,money,losses,employees,bad employees

 

Justa bustin booty!

This site has become like a step child. You know you love them like they’re your own. But deep, deep down. You know, right where the blood gets regurgitated. It isn’t your first love. Your own flesh and blood. It would be impossible to love them as much as your own. I might not be making sense  here ,often times it doesn’t come out the way I want to express it. What I’m trying to say is the Justakrusen blogspot.com is my own baby. I started that thing a little over three months ago and it is starting to walk on its own. I need to be there to feed it, change its Diaper, burp it,and on occasion put it to bed in a timely matter. It has become increasingly harder to do. I’m trying to keep up 2 active blogs and work on my Hosted one also.

So what I’m trying to say in a round about way is that Momma is going to start gradually taking over this blog and putting her content in here when she is able to. Or if she even wants to. I will from time to time put my 1 1/2 cents in. But the bulk of my work will be on my baby. Please stop by from time to time, we hope to continue with interesting comments and thought provoking commentary. Heck if you just want to yell at someone come on over. Expect to stand in a line though! 🙂 This is a picture of the front of Justakrusenville. If you happen to be in the neighborhood stop in a say hello. I’m justa saying!

43 Things Tags: Be different,being aware,changes,life,just getting started

 

I’m Justa saying Monday

43 Things Tags: Bill Gates,Be diffrent,The internet

I’m going to surprise some of you with my diversity here. Don’t get scared. I haven’t gotten all brainyack on ya. I still think that 1&1 equals 11. I was reading in Forbes magazine the article about Bill Gates. Yes the one with the 40,000 square foot home in the Northwest. Bill (as all his friends call him) was telling Congress that we need to improve our education system in this country. YOU THINK! The article was an excellent read and very informative. Amanda, he discusses the way that his wife’s and his foundation has donated more than $1.9 billion to create 1,124 new high schools and improve 761 others across the country. In places like Texas and Ohio, the foundation has partnered with state governments to improve science and tech education specifically.Stuff like this is “hidden” in magazines like Forbes. I say hidden because how many of you out there subscribe to or read Forbes. Come on now raise your hands, I thought so. Me neither, I just happened across the article this morning while catching up on important news.

News like, Did Tiger win?What will become of Elliot?Will Billary catch Obama? Is there anything else I can put in my tank to replace gas? You know important stuff.The article is well worth reading in it’s entirety, as some hidden messages in there might be missed if you don’t read it carefully.People rail on Bill for being so rich. Hmmm. Work hard, provide what people need, stay ahead of the curve, and oh yeah when you retire give away all or most all of your money to good causes.Yes, he is an evil man. I’m Justa saying!

 

Justa reaching out

picture via of Brazencareerist.com 

The blog that I borrowed this picture from is one of my favorite sites about work place rules for generation Y. I don’t always agree with some of the conclusions, however they do get you thinking. Gasp, I’m getting Liberal in my old age. Check out just how old Cindy and I apparently are in my post today over at JustaKrusen over on the Blogspot.com blog that you can link to from the side bar. It’s under “Justa rested and ready to Boogie”.

As I become more and more involved with this web thingy, I’m more amazed by the genuine eagerness of many of the bloggers to give out valuable and useful information for free. Of course like any where, your going to have people that take advantage of you and mislead and outright lie to you. So you have to filter the information you receive and take what works for you and throw out what doesn’t. The ones I find very helpful, thought provoking and just down right useful are in no particular order and  by no means a complete list found on my sidebar over on the other blog mentioned above. I’m not sure what direction I’m going to take on this blog. I’m still setting it up and I’m a Virgin using the WordPress platform. So please be patient with me. If you have any suggestions or comments it would greatly appreciated.

I enjoyed my “day off” yesterday. I feel recharged and ready to run again. So thanks for stopping by and please do so aganin. I’m Justa saying! 

43 Things Tags: The internet,getting help,bloggers

 

Justa 8 Lessons Bloggers Can Learn From Sony

This is Akio Morita the founder of Sony. He had an opportunity to continue in the Sake brewing business that had been in the family for 15 generations. He decided to go out on his own and built one of the world’s most recognizable brands. Evan Carmichael from “problogger” did a story of Akio on his post today, I thought I would share that with you here. One thing that we as Americans have to learn to accept is that we live in a Global economy. Our competition no longer operates just across town or across country. We are competing in every field all over the World. Granted we have a head start in some niche’s but the World is quickly catching up.

• “Don’t let people hold you back with their expectations of what you should be. Believe in yourself and create your own Sony.” We have all at one time or another dreamed about being our own boss. I’ve been fortunate to have a couple of businesses in the past. The first one was a HUGE Shovel the driveway in the winter for the people within walking distance of my house business. I think I had a whopping 4 customers.

That beat me down enough that my next attempt at my own business took almost 20 years to get off the ground. I bought my first tractor trailer when I was in my late 30’s I think it was. That business lasted 10 years went through 3 vehicles and ended in Bankruptcy for me.

• Start small. Morita started Sony with only $350.00. Great businesses and blogs are built one step at a time. Keep building momentum every day.

I didn’t follow the advice of starting small. Well it was relatively small for a Tractor Trailer. I bought a 1990 Peterbilt Conventional for I think somewhere around $30,000 dollars. We used Cindy’s settlement for her injury on her leg to pay the down payment. Cindy has been with me every step of the way. I don’t deserve her, but I’m keeping her.Two trucks and 8 years later I went belly up when I had an illness and one of the two drivers I had was less of a driver than he said he was. (Read, afraid to drive in the snow)

• The next one was. Pick a good name. Hurray!! I finally got one right. Sony’s first name was The Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo Kabushika Kaisha. Sort of makes you want to run right out and buy a T.V. doesn’t it?

I feel pretty good about this one. I mean How many JustaKrusen’s do you know? Exactly! But now you can’t say that can you. Hang on we have BIG plans. Anybody out there can start an Internet business with no money at all. If you don’t have a computer, you can go to the library.

• Trust your gut. Morita did not believe in doing market research. His advice was to “Carefully watch how people live, get an intuitive sense as to what they might want and then go with it. Don’t do market research.” As an example, his team wanted to change the name of the Sony Walkman to Soundabout but Morita refused. He trusted his gut that Walkman was a better name. Today the word “Walkman” is in almost every major dictionary. Part of being a successful blogger is trusting your gut and going with what you think will work despite what the data and “experts” are telling you.

I copied and pasted this paragraph right out of Evan’s Blog. I couldn’t say it any other way any better. 

• This next one is one of my favorite ones. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Heck I can do this one. I have it down pat. If there is a wrong way or a hard way to do it just ask me. I’ve done it! His last sentence states “The more mistakes you make the wiser you will become and the more successful you will be.”

Man I hope he’s right, because I’m well on my way if that’s the case.

• The next one he talks about is Building a quality product. Basically if your not writing material that is new different,and offers interesting perspective, you won’t get readers, sponsors,or links to your blog.

This one I’m not so sure about I just started Two months ago and I’m getting about 7 or 8 new visitors and about the same amount of return visitors according to Goggle analiticals. For those of you that have come and then even come back I am grateful. Thankyou.

• Be Different. Morita when he opened the first Sony store in America hung a huge Japanese flag above the entrance. WWII had just ended and the flag got people talking. Darren asked the question “Can you answer the statement: My blog is different and unique because ___________?

I’ve got this one in the bag. Any body that knows me, knows that I am different. Just ask The Lime Green Drama Queen I don’t have any Japanese flags laying around but I am “JustaKrusen”. 

• The last bullet point of the 8 was. Create the market. Morita created products for markets that didn’t exist.This resulted in boo coo recognition. He say’s to become an expert for your niche and get known as the leading figure in your field.

This last one “Not so much” I don’t feel like I’m an expert in anything. I was a very good truck driver. I don’t know if that translates into blogging or not, but I’m going to give it the best I have. That’s the only way to do it right?

43 Things Tags: Sony,business,Be different