Get Simple. Get Obvious. Get Customers.

Marketing is not rocket science. 

By Sheila R. Rose

The problem is many marketing professionals and company executives act like it is. Unless the marketing strategy is complicated, clever and completely unlike anything they’ve ever seen, they won’t like it.

The truth is over the long run simple, obvious marketing strategies win and outlast the competition.

To build a company, take the following simple steps:

1. Develop a product / service customers need.
2. Differentiate your product / service from the competition.
3. Identify the core target group that would most benefit from your product / service.
4. Communicate your brand through the most effective channels to reach your core target group.
5. Stick to your brand promise no matter what.

Jack Trout in his book, In Search of the Obvious says “…the reality is that a simple strategy is obvious. If it’s obvious to you, it will also be obvious to your customers, which is why it will work in the marketplace.”

An example of a company that initiated a simple viral marketing strategy that undeniably worked was Hotmail.

What did they do?

1. Gave away free email addresses and services to everyone.
2. Included a simple tag at the bottom of every free message sent out, “Get your private, free email at www.hotmail.com.
3. Watched as millions of subscribers signed up.
They didn’t try to be clever or cute or edgy or hip or cool. Everything they did from the user interface design to the messaging was Simple. It was Obvious. It got Customers flooding in.

Good use of advertising should not be spent on entertaining people. If you want to entertain your customers, send them free tickets to the movies. Instead good advertising dollars should be spent on telling people about your product / service and why they need it. Recently, TiVo conducted a research on the least fast-forwarded ad campaign. The winner? The home gym brand Bowflex. Bowflex makes a rational claim. “Use this machine and you will look as hot as the people in the commercial using it.” Bowflex is probably the least entertaining commercial I’ve seen on t.v. EVER. But it works because it is simple and obvious.

Remember that while awareness is important it doesn’t necessarily compel action. Awareness without action is a waste of time.

Everything from business cards to brochures to websites should compel action. Again, don’t get cute, clever and complicated. Get simple. Get obvious. Get customers.
Considered stating “Call me” on your business card. Isn’t that why you give people your business card in the first place?

Does your marketing need to Get Simple? Get Obvious? Get Customers? Then let's talk.  Contact me at sheila@andrencreative.com.

[Side note: My trip to Iran was simply awesome. Will share details soon.]

Why your marketing isn't working...

Your marketing isn't working, but do you know why? The answer is simple, however it needs some explanation.

Your marketing isn't working because most of the common marketing formulas don't work and business is in a different climate today.

Please re-read that last sentence.

It's a common misconception that 'the formulas don't work because we're in a different climate today.' That joining word is what is fundamentally wrong and one so easily overlooked.

In this post I'll explain the difference, but first - a story!
I got an eye infection while traveling a couple of years ago and had to go to an urgent care clinic. The doctor there gave me some medication and advised me it would take two days to take effect. I took my pills immediately and waited for the results. My eye began to improve slightly but after a week it was still bothering me, so I went to my optometrist. Naturally I told him about my visit to the doctor so he asked me what I was currently using.

When I replied he chuckled.

He advised me that the medicine I had been given by the urgent care doctor was effective back in the sixties and that the infection I had in my eye was much different than the strain the medicine was designed for. He prescribed me a modern medication that took care of the problem lickety-split!

My eye and your business are both very important to our lives.
Whether you work for a company or own your own business, your marketing, like my eye, has to be effective. Your marketing isn't working but what medicine do you have to fix it? Is it the right one? It's also important to understand why your marketing problems arise in the first place so that it doesn't happen again.

First, understand that the marketing climate has changed. For good.
Effective marketing was based primarily on an old model, that being television, radio and/or print. It used to be that if you had a product or service you simply needed to bring about awareness via one of these methods and people would respond. Your business would make money and the cycle continued.

What has changed is that the advent of the computer and business in the Information Age has become hyper-efficient at littering the landscape with demands for your attention. People in western civilization can see up to 3,000 impressions of advertising a day! People are not watching television, listening to the radio or reading the paper like they used to. When was the last time you looked up a nail salon in that 65-pound yellow book?

Did you Google it on your iPhone?

Out with the old...
While the old model is out the door the terrifying fact is that most businesses and agencies [whom you'd assume would be on top of trends] haven't changed!

People used to actively watch television and sit through the commercials. Nowadays they flip the channels or Tivo their favorite shows and skip past the commercials. Some people fall in love with a show and don't watch it until the DVD series comes out. Young viewers especially have tuned out television or have fine-tuned it to their liking. With thousands of channels available, the internet calling and DVR, advertising just doesn't have the same effect that they used to.

Ever wonder why commercials have gotten so weird?



Agencies are desperate to stand out.

Information overload.
The human brain has not adapted as quickly to the rapid advances of technology and advertising in general.
While we are an intelligent species in terms of how we use our brain in adapting to our technological advances we have not Darwinized our mental capacity to process the automated opt-in email blasts, five-thousand brands of cereal choices or the headache one gets while walking around Wal-Mart. It's simply too much to process.

The Four P's of Marketing
Marketing is traditionally based on 'The Four P's'. Some people use 'The Seven P's' or add their own but the four core components are there in process for most companies. You can see them working in yours.

PRODUCT
The product is defined as the actual goods or services, and how each relates to the prospects needs or desires.

PRICING
Pricing is established as the cost to the consumer for a product, including discounts.

PROMOTION
Promotion is multi-faceted. It's core components are advertising, sales promotion and publicity. Branding and it's sub-components (promoting the product, brand, or company) are also in effect here.

PLACEMENT
Placement simply means distribution. How does the product get to the customer? The customer [target audience] needs to be defined and demographics need to be understood.

Kriss-Kross Marketing
While the Four P's of Marketing have some validity to them, the approach is backwards. They are good tools to support an approach but aren't being used for the right purpose. A sledgehammer held upside down.

Here's the rub...

Marketing used to work DESPITE 'The Four P's' approach being incredibly flawed. The reason it is flawed is that it focuses on a company marketing towards to it's prospective audience, but the audience is busy defending itself. It's like fishing shoulder to shoulder in a shallow pond. Imagine the poor fish swimming away from dozens of hooks.

The true essence of marketing should be the opposite.
Now more than ever we need to market to how the prospect thinks, acts and feels. He or she is bombarded with bulk mail and is wading in a swamp of unwanted e-mail. How do you market to that person?

During the Presidential debates both candidates spoke about the idea of fixing the economy with a scalpel or a hatchet. Marketing today absolutely needs a scalpel and one that needs to be in the hands of the prospect not the other way around. The sooner a business understands that - the better.

Who is fixing your problem?
The first doctor at the urgent care clinic was obviously trained to do general medical practice and hadn't kept up on the latest with optometry. Who could blame him! I learned during that instant to always see a specialist - especially for something as important as your eyesight. But what about your business? Do you see a specialist or go to a general practice? or worse yet do you treat yourself?

:: Tim Andren

A Journey Back

Going Home

By Sheila R. Rose

When I was a little girl, I would watch the sunset with my mom. She would tell me to send all my greetings to my relatives in Iran with the sun. "That's where the sun is headed next," she would say with a gentle longing in her eyes. Almost wishing she could go where the sun was going.

I would look straight at the sun and begin talking to my relatives. "Tell Uncle Hadi I miss him very much and Auntie Soraya I love her very much. Grandma, I'm doing great in school!"

It's the immigrant struggle. You move your family to a land filled with freedoms and opportunities, yet you also take your family away from the chance to know their culture and be around the people who love them most. Like anything in life you win something and lose something else. A balancing act of sorts.

On Thursday, I get to go back home to my birth country. The soil where I was born. Words seem trite to describe the utter excitement I feel. It's been 10 years since I've seen my relatives. I just want to be around my cousins and ask them about their lives and all that's happened to them in last few years. Their successes, their losses, their heart breaks, their moments of joy. All the memories I never got to share with them or be around to experience with them.

Plus, I get to spend 30 days with my parents. I feel incredibly lucky and blessed to have this time with them because when you reach a certain age you realize the frailty of time.

It was a hard decision to make. I mean I'm leaving work (potential work), tasks, dreams, etc. But I think at the end of my lifetime, I don't want to just be remembered for the work I have accomplished, but the lives I've been able to touch.

I am still not sure if I will be able to post while I am gone, but I will certainly try.

Be healthy. Be well. Be happy. Most importantly, be around those you love.

The Journey...

The journey I am traveling on as both a marketer and business owner is one that continues to bring me to a better understanding of myself.

I am committed to two main objectives on this journey:

1. TO MAKE MARKETING MORE EFFECTIVE

2. TO MAKE MARKETING MORE EFFICIENT

As a business person, what's not to like about those objectives?

Now as a mother, father, aunt, uncle or just someone who cares about this planet - imagine for a moment if I told you that by applying effective, efficient marketing methods my clients make money (their main objective), save money and do so in a way that produces a cleaner, safer environment for the next generation. Do you care about that? I thought so.

Here's how...

The result of combining these two objectives does in fact result in a leaner, meaner and greener approach to marketing that has a greater impact financially and environmentally. These results mean more qualified leads and customers for my clients while they spend less and therefore produces a win-win.

1. MAKE MARKETING MORE EFFECTIVE
I have a mission and a passion and that is to study the very nature of human beings - how they tick, what makes them buy, etc. What I have learned about human nature and understanding why people respond to simple things (such as color and how it affects their moods, photographic content and the power of metaphors, the printed word, etc.) I have found an approach that truly resonates with an individual or potential customer. There are so many components to this that I will get into in this blog - I cannot wait to get started. Furthermore, I will dig much deeper by examining complex principles such as behavioral psychology, trend analysis and the like. All of these components contribute to a 'better way' to think about marketing or as I call it 'Fundamental Marketing'.

Malcolm Gladwell wrote about a component to this approach in his seminal book 'The Tipping Point'. The premise of the book focuses on the very specific moment where all trends or movements reach a point where the scales 'tip' towards maximum effectiveness or growth. He examines how we as humans think, act and feel as individuals, but more importantly as groups and has brought light to many in the marketing world.

2. MAKE MARKETING MORE EFFICIENT
In order to make marketing more efficient there must be an understanding of every component about it's effectiveness while combining that knowledge with intelligent solutions that speak directly to my clients' target audience. I have found that this can be done no matter what medium so long as the focus remains on what resonates with them (the audience), not what the clients preferences are. This is the hardest component to marketing, checking one's ego at the door.

We have all lived in an age where advertising and marketing have been as much a natural part of our lives as the air we breathe. While the industry is an enormous moneymaker it is not running anywhere near it's maximum efficiency. Think of the hundreds of billions of dollars spent on campaigns that exist on a local, national and international level. Do you really think they are all well-planned and 100% efficient? Absolutely not.

As marketers, our ways of thinking can be greatly improved upon. We certainly don't know everything yet and it's up to us to evolve and to find better methods and approaches to marketing.

THE BONUS SECTION
As I continue to find both more effective and efficient methods to marketing I am also focused on reducing the 'shotgun approach' to plans such as direct mail and printing in general. Less is more when it comes to applying some methods such as 'variable data printing' and I will continue to steer more and more clients towards paperless solutions. This approach saves trees, energy and reduces overall carbon footprints.

SOME IMPORTANT QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER:
-How do you know your marketing works? How do you measure it's effects?
-What visual cues do people respond to? Why?
-What psychological principles work?
-Do you like your marketing? If so, are you truly the target audience? I let you do the math on that one.

I believe in marketing that is effective. I believe in continuing to find more and more efficient ways to market your business.
I believe the result will make money, save money and improve the environment.

:: Tim Andren
TRGT MKTG

Fall

My week sucked.  

By Sheila R. Rose

Hey sometimes they just do.

I really had to look back to see what I could have done better to make this week suck less. (Believe me, there is a lot I could have done!)  

I tend to be hard on myself. My little head will brood over my imperfections and mistakes for many dark hours.  In a way, this quality serves me well because I’m constantly changing, improving and growing as a daughter, friend, colleague and human being. But at some point you have to let go of feeling bad and just trust you will do better next time. 

Success is not being perfect all the time, but it’s getting better all the time.

Unrelated topic (in a way it’s also related).

I’m really fascinated by this personal brand extraordinaire and wine guru. I watched a video of him speaking at a conference and he said two things that specifically resonated with me… 1) Be completely transparent (you have to in this digital age) and 2) Do what you are passionate about.

Why does good advice sound so easy in theory and so utterly frightening in practice?  Or is that just me and a lingering of my bad week.  (wink, wink)

Success Tip of the Week

Be Consistent

By Sheila R. Rose

When we started the LifeStyle Group, I was told Tuesdays would be my posting days.  

Since then I have posted an entry on this blog every Tuesday. Now I don’t fool myself to think my posts change lives. Because if they did this would be a sad world we live in. Ha!

I also write freestyle, so no literary works of genius either.  

Here I share with you how I strive to live out the LifeStyle of my dreams. Some moments I fail miserably while other moments I feel triumphant. However, maybe as I share glimpses into the creation of my LifeStlyle, I may inspire action in someone else. Relating and connecting are extremely important qualities for me to foster in this lifetime of mine.

Basically the above was a long segue to my “thought, tip, rambling (whatever you like to call these posts)” of the week.  

The one thing I have learned to get me to where I want to be is consistency.  

This philosophy falls into all areas of our LifeStyles from family to health to work to hobbies.  

• We have to consistently work on our personal relationships to keep them thriving.
  
• We have to consistently pay attention to our health to be at our best.
  
• We have to consistently focus on our careers to get to the next level.
  
• We have to consistently practice what we love to get better at it.
  

There are some areas of my life where I have mastered consistency. For example, I have consistently worked out on average three times a week for the past seven years. Often times more and sometimes less, but a decent average (if I do say so myself). I have consistently been involved in the arts in some way since I fell in love with it back in fifth grade. I can’t imagine my life without expressing myself through

Other areas of my life, consistency has been lacking. I get an idea and run with it for awhile and then let it go before it has a chance to go somewhere. I have a hard time consistently focusing on specific business endeavors for more than a few weeks at a time. I dream and then rationalize my way out of the dream the first time it doesn’t go the way I imagined. Sometimes I like to blame it on my self-diagnosis of ADHD. (We all know that’s just an excuse.) It’s just my lack of consistency.

So this blog and my posts are my commitment to practice consistency. Every Tuesday for as long as LifeStylers let me express on this forum.

Party of One

Being single is definitely a LifeStyle in itself.  So tonight I embraced my singleness and took myself to the movies.

As I walked into the theatre with ice cream cone in hand, I felt happy.

That’s all that ever matters.

Who Says Dreams Don't Come True

My dream came true.

By Sheila R. Rose

Blueprint Cleanse is now shipping to California.  An email popped into my account just minutes ago, and I was so excited until I read a little further.  The cost to get into my skinny jeans?  $85 per day. Ohmygosh. Seriously?

So even if I did The Renovation Cleanse for three days it would cost me $255.  I could get a pair of Gucci glasses for $285 at Nordstrom.

Wouldn't you think a cleanse to clean out your system would cost less than filling your body with scrumptious food?  Nope.  The reason a huge percentage of the American population leads an unhealthy lifestyle is because it is cheaper to be fat and lazy than it is to skinny and active. Read this 2005 Michigan State University study, which says only 3% of the population leads a healthy lifestyle, here. 

[The absurd part of this whole thing is that I still want to do it.  I still want to pay my alloted grocery budget for the month on three days of cleansing.  Why?  Because I'm a sucker.  That's why.]

Will keep you posted. 

Technology Rocks!

A Video First

By Sheila R. Rose

So I'm not what my friends would call tech savvy, but I like to pretend I am when I discover new mac programs.

Here is my latest technology adventure. Enjoy!!

New Obsessions

The Latest
by Sheila R. Rose

I really want to move to New York, so I can do the Blueprint Cleanse. I wonder if all marketers are suckers for good marketing as much as I am. Since yesterday, I have been agonizing about the fact that they don't deliver to California. And, I'm convinced this is the only cleanse that will get me into my skinny jeans because it's exactly what they say... You know anything marketers says is true, after all.

Also, I want you to know I discovered iWeb. This is dangerous. I'm now a marketer, designer and programmer all rolled into one.

Watch out.

The Indelible Moments of Our Lives

Indelible - in·del·i·ble
1. Impossible to remove, erase, or wash away; permanent
2. Making a mark not easily erased or washed away
3. Unable to be forgotten; memorable

I read this word in a book once and it was, in and of itself, an indelible moment. Today has not been one of those days. Today has been one of those easily forgotten days that pass by like the many grains of sand that are the days that fill our lives. It has been one of those slow, monotonous, uneventful days, that leads to inflection of one's self, where nothing of any significance happens, nor can any significance be made of it, at least in one's own mind.

But that's why I wanted to write an entry in spite of this day that seems insignificant.

Not every day is indelible. The majority of our lives are made up of the days that pass by unnoticed and unmemorable. But the difference between a Lifestyler and a non-Lifestyler are these days. Or I should really say is how we view these days. A Lifestyler views these days as part of the show that is are daily lives. A non-Lifestyler views these days like the movie, Click, where they would like to just push a button and fast forward through it to the next big moment.

A great writer once wrote (Cameron Crowe, and the sentiment has probably been played upon by many a writer) that one can not have the sweet without the bitter. This is exactly what these insignificant days are for. They set up the days that will be sweet. The days that will have meaning and significance. The indelible moments of our lives. Without monotony, there is no change, because everything becomes monotonous. It's like a heroin addict always chasing that first high, because it can never be the same as that first time.

If you want to be a Lifestyler, don't look at these slow days as a burden, look at them as a gift. A gift of time that gives us a chance to make other moments shine out in a life that can at times seem rather dull. If you embrace the boring days, the monotonous moments, the insignificant ticks of the clock, the indelible moments will shine so much brighter and the memories so much fuller for it.

Live each moment in the moment, Lifestylers. In the end, the more indelible memories we make, the fuller our lives will not only feel, but will be.

Live life indelibly.

(Homework: Find a word that is indelible, in and of itself. One that has meaning to you and internalize it. There is no feeling that can not be explained. According to the American Heritage Dictionary, if you count the words in the plays and sonnets of Shakespeare, there are 884,647 words, made up of 29,066 distinct forms, including proper names). Or try the word of the day here: http://dictionary.reference.com/ You might just find the word that describes how you're feeling right now.)

Creature in Green

Faith in a Creature

By Sheila R. Rose

Last Friday, I noticed a big, green cricket starting at me from the adjoining wall outside my front door.

I couldn’t help but to smile when I saw this peaceful creature looking intently at me without making a move. I walked away feeling like maybe something bigger than I can possibly imagine was looking out for me.

Both yesterday and today, I noticed the cricket once again. “Hello, Jiminy!” I said as I walked out my door. Jiminy and I are forming a rare kind of bond. I am beginning to look forward to our daily encounters.

A certain familiar quote stirs in me as I walk away from my new green friend, “When your heart is in your dream, no request is too extreme.” Jiminy Cricket.

Trend it Up!

Trendsetting

by Sheila R. Rose

So I have a bit of a spunky DIVA-like persona. (If you couldn’t already tell!) It’s why my radio personality name at Radio Disney Phoenix 1580 AM was “Sassy Sheila,” yo!

To live up to my own hype, I like to start and end my own trends. Like this past week I decided to end random sentences and thoughts with the word “yo.” I felt it gave my dialect a bit of an urban flare and sass that seemed to be missing as of late.

The best way to start a faux trend is to declare it right away. Basically, I told everyone I came into contact with about the grooviness of ending sentences with yo. Itslikeifyouwanttobecoolyoubetterstarteddoinitorelseyourafoolyo. Pretty soon people started following suit. I had yo’ers everywhere.

Yet, to really be a trendsetter, you have to end the trend almost as soon as you begin it. Therefore, as of 8 PM (PST) on August 26th, 2008, the whole YO thing will become so last week.

If you want to become a verbal trendsetter like moi, then you need to drop everything you are doing right now and head straight over to UrBAn DiCTiOnaRy, yo. All of us cool kids hang out there. Go ahead, click on over.

Note to Tim & Sasha: Where are the posts? I feel like a lone LifeStyler. Back a girl up, yo!

Live It!

Living Out A LifeStyle

by Sheila R. Rose

As LifeStylers, we don’t just talk about the kind of life we want to live. We actually Strive for it. Attain it. Live it.

But it’s not always easy.

Despite fair warning, I naively imagined that living outside the confines of a 9 to 5 corporate job would feel wonderful all the time. As a fledgling entrepreneur, I would float through my days working on ideas and doing things I loved. However, when the opportunity presented itself, I felt paralyzed. Fear, anxiety, doubt and worry became the kind of emotions that hung out all the time. The monkey in my head would just not shut up.

Yet recently something in me clicked. I realized the voices would never go away, but I could combat them by strengthening my thoughts and actions in a way that better served me.

Here are 5 ways I’m learning to THRIVE.

1. Focus.
It’s so important to dream big, yet focus small. If I get an idea in my head, I can take it from ground zero to international phenomenon in two seconds flat. I love the dreamer girl in me, but dreaming big can hinder functioning well. I get so wrapped up in the enormity of the dream that the steps to get there seem impossible. So now I focus on small steps I can take today to get me to where I need to be tomorrow. It’s so much easier to do what I can actually see ahead.

2. Work hard.
Nothing replaces good honest hard work. When you give 110% of yourself to a project, you walk away from it a better person than when you started. I’m also realizing hard work is addictive. Once you get in the groove, you want to keep on going. This proves that good habits are as easily picked up as bad ones.

3. Be bold.
Take risks and don’t be afraid to make bold moves. The first time we do anything it feels uncomfortable. I, highly doubt, any of us just jumped on a bike for the first time and felt fearless going down the street. As I start my own business, sometimes I have no idea what I’m doing. Like not a clue. So I have to be bold enough to raise my hand and ask questions. I have to be bold enough to approach clients and ask for the job. I have to be bold. Period.

4. Evolve.
Face it. Our desires change overtime. The things we thought we wanted or the things that seemed so important sometimes no longer do. Living a rigid a LifeStyle (even if it is always to live a carefree one) can stifle and suffocate a person. That’s why it’s important for me to see my LifeStyle as dynamic and constantly changing. Evolution requires us to remain flexible.

5. Believe.
There will be times when I’m up and times when I’m down. Sometimes others will praise me and sometimes they won’t. I will face hurdles and stumbling blocks. It’s part of the game and the reality of living life outside the comfort zone. So I have to have an unwavering belief in myself. Stay humble when I’m up and confident when I’m down. Dreams do come true. They happen around us every day. People do live out the LifeStyles of their dreams. You and I can too.

Living out a purposeful LifeStlye is possible. We just have to stop thinking about it and start doing something about it.

Music - A Universal Language

Since its definitely one of my favorite topics, I wanted to continue a topic that Tim had kind of started - Music.

Music has always been one of my passions and a big part of my daily existence. If I could have chosen a profession while I was still in my mother's womb, I would have chosen to be a professional musician (er, rock star preferably and not a starving professional musician, playing one in a set of two pianos, dueling in a bar attended by rowdy underage college freshman). However, despite the occasional 'mean' jam session on my battered 6 string and my somewhat feeble attempts to put together a song on music composition software, I couldn't really say that I'm a gifted musician. But I can say that I have exceptional musical taste. Or at least my ears feel I do.

Besides listening to music constantly at work, from time to time, I declare it a music day and spend at least half of my 9 to 5 work day searching for new music while being paid by the Man. My goal as far as music and this blog is concerned is to occasionally review an album that most people haven't heard. And you may occasionally reap the benefits, or of course, the detriments, depending upon your musical taste.

But I could go on and on. The real reason for this entry is really to talk about how music is a common connection, a kind of universal langauge. The kind of connection and language that Lifestyle Group is all about and was partly founded upon. It is a commonality found among all people and all cultures. It is a language that transcends boundaries of religion, race, or creed.

I'm going to steal this from Tim because I feel it is a great way to start a good conversation that can lead to a real connection with someone. He often uses this question to start a conversation with random people that we meet. The question is, "What's playing on your Ipod." We all know it can be hard to make it past the courtesies of general conversation (hi, how are you?, my name is: (insert name), the weather has been really hot in Bangkok, blah, blah, blah.) and get past the exterior shell that keeps us from really getting to know one another. 

If you are a music lover, and I would hope that you are, try to start a conversation with this question.  Generally, if a passionate conversation about music ensues, then at least the first step to a positive connection is made. The worst that could happen is that someone might say Brittany Spears or someone of the same ilk, but at least if they are passionate about it, then good conversation could still ensue and a connection could still be made (unlikely, but possible).

What's in my current rotation: The National - The Virginia EP, The Verve - Forth, MGMT - Oracular Spectacular, The Faint - Fasciination, City and Colour - Bring Me Your Love

Sometimes you gotta survey

August Currents

by Sheila R. Rose

current book: Franny & Zooey by J.D. Salinger

current music: Ben Harper

current guilty pleasure: incessant cleaning of my pad.

current drink: Kombucha, of course!

current wish-list: Bebe clothes, Gucci purse, Dior sunglasses, Cartier watch (it's a wish list people)

current needs: Windex, Nail Polish Remover and a shower (in no particular order)

current favorite film: Taxi Driver

current favorite tv show: sunset tan (did I just type that outloud? -- I've only seen it once. I swear.)

current #1 blessing: mama bear and papa bear -- always

current bane of my existence: figuring it out, the economy

current color: teal

current news flash: Oh My Gosh!

current confusion: my purpose

M.I.A. Remix

Sasha and I got together on a whim this past weekend and remixed 'Bucky Done Gun' by M.I.A.. I had a DJ gig that night at a bar in Fullerton called Fender and was going through some tunes on the laptop getting prepared.

It's been a while since I sat down and produced. In college I DJed and produced under the name Neosoul with my partner Scott Allen. We played all over the country and concerts, clubs and raves alongside the Dr. Freeclouds crew with the likes of Simply Jeff, DJ Dan, etc. Eventually we began to produce music and put out several records and remixes. The DJ and club scene is so different these days but the making music continues to be an incredible inspiration to me.

So I sat down with Sasha on Garageband and we just clicked instantly, not that it surprised me in the least. When Sasha and I first met I sensed an instant connection with him. I could tell right away that he wanted the same things I did and thought in many of the same ways. We share the same view on music, fashion and business which is a huge reason why The LifeStyle Group began.

Here's the track. Enjoy.

Let's Kombucha

Do you Kombucha?

Part of living a kick-ass lifestyle is through treating our body temples with the utmost care. There is a direct correlation between our success in business and how we maintain our health. With all the information we have at our disposal, there is no excuse for us not to take our health seriously. I mean, come on (pause, pause, pause), seriously.

So every Sunday I shop at Sprouts. Sometimes I like to try new things, and I feel kinda hip and cool when I try a product in what I label the "new agey" category. Last Sunday, I bought what I thought was iced tea. It was $2.89 a bottle. Honestly, it was one of those impulse buy decisions I feel obligated to make as a marketer. It's my "do as I do" philosophy in marketing. If I want others to buy products and/or services based on impulsive decision making, then I should at least do the same.

Monday morning rolls around. I wake up and grab this iced tea concoction from my frig as I'm running out the door.

Snap, I open the bottle. I didn't really realize my iced tea was carbonated. Sip. Ahhh. Tastes surprisingly refreshing. Even a bit sweet, so I check the label to make sure there is no added sugar. Nope. Then I look closely into the bottle and this gooey stuff is floating around. Ewww.

Finally, I start to read the packaging. I realize I am Kombucha'ing. Kombucha is basically a tea made by fermented cultures. The drink dates back to 250 B.C. in China where it was referred to as an "Immortal Health Elixir." It has recently become popular with cancer patients because it has been known to help the body heal. The fermentation process produces traces of alcohol in the drink (0.5 to 1.5%).

While I was impressed to read about its potential health benefits, I actually found this low calorie drink to be quite tasty and refreshing. Way tastier than a Diet Coke.

So I am on a personal mission to make Kombucha this hippest drink around.

The LifeStyle Group : Creating Connections

The LifeStyle Group
by Sheila R. Rose

In my dictionary, “networking” is a bad word. I cringe at the thought of attending a business related function where conversations feel contrived and relationships are formed out of tit-for-tat obligations.

This being said, I revel in “connecting” to people. To me, a true connection is formed when strangers relate to one another based on ideas, beliefs, backgrounds, interests and/or experiences. For a brief moment, life makes sense when you’re talking to someone and you think, “Wow, I get that.”

The LifeStyle Group is about connecting smart, creative, fun and genuine individuals who have an appetite for living life outside of what they know.

Several years ago when I lived in Arizona, I read about an avant-garde artist who saw life as his ultimate art project. Something in me knew I had to connect to him, so I did the unthinkable and e-mailed him. We started a string of e-mails back and forth until we agreed to take our virtual connection and physically meet at a hip coffeehouse called The Willow House in downtown Phoenix.

In many ways, Pete and I were completely different in how we lived life, yet we connected on how we saw life as art. Pete asked if I would like to attend a First Friday Art Walk with him, and I agreed. A few days before the event, Pete e-mailed me to tell me Friday would be my first performance art piece. He instructed me to show up to the event dressed in homeless attire. “He must be kidding,” I thought to myself. But he wasn’t, and I was willing to live out art.

That night two mere strangers walked through various art galleries to see life through the spectacles of “bums.” An open house art night is open to the public. The public includes people of all socio-economic backgrounds, including those who live on the streets. As a girl who has lived life in the upper middle class echelon, I was amazed at how people treated me that night. I was shoved around, avoided, ignored, ridiculed and mistrusted not because of my actions but all because of how I appeared.I learned something that night I will carry with me forever. All because I was willing to connect to someone based on a common interest and take a risk.

As a marketer, I am constantly looking for ways to take myself out of my box and experience life through other lenses. I feel it makes me a better marketer.

I can’t wait to meet you. Hopefully, we will “connect” on some level.

The Lifestyle Group: Founding Story Part 2

So, as a co-conspirator of the Lifestyle Group, I thought I would add my bit of how I got to this point in life and what Lifestyle Group means to me.

I moved to California six and a half years ago from St. Louis, MO, and started down the road of a "real" job. You know, the 9 to 5er gig. The kind that many of us have and many of us hate. I began that road in the printing and fulfillment industry and over the course of the next 6 and half years jumped to 3 different print and fulfillment companies, one software consulting firm, and one sales position. However, these weren't the jobs that got me to where I'm at now.

Now, If I really thought about it, I'd have to say that my years in the service industry is what really got me to this point. I spent about 7 years working in restaurants, bars, and nightclubs, trying to figure out what I was doing and where I was going. But those were not years spent in waste. Rather, they were years well spent in the study of psychology, human nature, conversation, fashion, art, and all things that people have to offer. I met anywhere from 50 to 100 people a day, had conversations of more than 5 minutes with more than 1000 different people a year, ranging from couples on a date, people on a business trip, CEOs, vacationing families, pro atheletes, artists, actors, movie stars, musicians, etc, et al. Every walk of life. And the big advantage of working in the service industry is that "people gotta eat and people gotta go out", no matter who they are in life and you will be there to meet them.

Well, I'm sure you're asking yourself where all this is going, and where I'm at now? I'll have to admit that I'm not quite where I want to be, but I know I'm traveling the right path. I still have a 9 to 5, but it's days to months before I blow that joint and am on my way to the lifestyle that I dream about. Why? Because I belive in in the idea of a lifestyle. Lifestyle is what I learned during my years of conversations and interactions with clients, customers, and and most importantly friends.

So, what is Lifestyle Group and what's it all about? It's exactly how it reads. The STYLE in which you wish to live your LIFE. Life-Style..........So what style do you want to live your life?

Every facet of a person's life makes up their lifestyle. But there's livin' life and there's livin' life. And if your like most poeple, you want to live life. What I've come to realize is that what's going to drive most of our lifestyles is our professional lives. And what's going to drive our professional lives is our connection with other people.

In meeting Tim Andren, co-founder of Lifestyle Group, I made one of those all important connections. We instantly bonded on a personal level. We found we had similar tastes in music, fashion, style, philosophies, and goals. Because of this personal connection, we found it easy to connect on a professional level and are currently working on several projects, one of which is Lifestyle Group, that we believe will set each of us free to live a lifestyle of our choosing.

And that's what Lifestyle Group is really about. Making connections with people is the reason for our founding of and commitment to the group. We want to meet people that have similar interests, similar passions, similar dreams as well as meet people that are completely different from us but can teach us something about ourselves that we could not learn on our own. It is our belief that it will be these connections that will help all of us reach the point where we can choose whatever lifestyle we wish to live.

Welcome to Lifestyle Group.

I hope to meet you soon.

The LifeStyle Group : Founding Story

The LifeStyle Group
by Tim Andren

My story began years ago when I took the leap of faith and became a sole proprietor. I am a graphic designer and marketing professional by trade and have over ten years of experience in the industry. I've worked for a printhouse, an advertising agency and in the corporate world. I realized in 2005 that I had a strong desire to work for myself and founded my first company, Andren Creative.

Over the years one thing continues to impress me is the fact that people and their amazing ideas and energy are the unstoppable current of the business world.

I am an avid reader on the subjects of business, success and psychology. Through acquiring this knowledge it became apparent to me that I wanted to form an 'official collective', an organized group of people who want the same things and are motivated in the same way I am.

I approached a good friend and business partner of mine by the name of Sasha Alms with the idea and together we formed the collective known as The LifeStyle Group.

We all want the something out of life. The members of The LifeStyle Group are business people who want success that accompanies a lifestyle of freedom, health and a reasonable level of comfort. They recognize the importance of building a network of people with a focus on the principles of success. Some of the principles include embracing a positive attitude, focusing on health and appearance, embracing the power of technology and most importantly, how being part of a network of like-minded people can make all the difference in the world.

The LifeStyle Group is organized and meets regularly to discuss ideas, network and enjoy the life that we create. We are very selective about who we include in this group in order to not dilute the message. We believe that good people find good people and there is nothing more powerful than these relationships in any area of the business world.

People + Ideas = Success