9 Apr 2011

Quick Quotes Weekly | The Merlin Mann Edition

Every day, I steal (I mean share... yeah! Share!) my favorite quotes from my weekly reading over at SmarterThanIAm.com. To spice things up, I plan to share my five favorites here each week, all year long! Be sure to click the links and read the full posts, these are smart people saying really smart things.

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If we really, really are honest with ourselves, there is not really that much stuff that we can’t ship because of other people.

- Merlin Mann

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Until you know what you care about the only thing you’ll focus on is your lack of focus.

- Merlin Mann

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Nobody is ever going to be happy with how far along you are at being the person they wish you were.

- Merlin Mann

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Most companies try to heard racehorses and raise sheep.

- Andy Hunt (Hat tip to Merlin Mann)

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Those who think they can and those who think they can’t are both right.

Henry Ford (Hat tip to Dan Kisch)

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If you like what you see, be sure to visit and subscribe to my Tumblr blog, Smarter Than I Am! Need more inspiration? Click here to see a random quote, it is just like a fortune cookie, only smarter!

4 Apr 2011

Quick Quotes Weekly | The Late Edition

Note: Sorry for the late post... darn tradeshows...

Every day, I steal (I mean share... yeah! Share!) my favorite quotes from my weekly reading over at SmarterThanIAm.com. To spice things up, I plan to share my five favorites here each week, all year long! Be sure to click the links and read the full posts, these are smart people saying really smart things.

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David didn’t beat Goliath with a whiteboard.

- Tim Ferris - from Do More Faster (Affiliate Link) **<--- Click To Read More Smart Stuff! (Affiliate Link)**

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Find customers who see you as a partner, rather than a supplier.

- Ross Chowles (Hat tip to Brandt & Kath Botes) <--- Click To Read More Smart Stuff! (Affiliate Link)

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We reward those who draw maps, not those who follow them.

- Seth Godin - from Poke The Box <--- Click To Read More Smart Stuff! (Affiliate Link)

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The future’s not predicted — it’s created.

- Umair Haque <--- Click To Read More Smart Stuff! (Affiliate Link)

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I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

- Maya Angelou (Hat tip to Sally Hogshead - from Fascinate) <--- Click To Read More Smart Stuff! (Affiliate Link)

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If you like what you see, be sure to visit and subscribe to my Tumblr blog, Smarter Than I Am! Need more inspiration? Click here to see a random quote, it is just like a fortune cookie, only smarter!

25 Mar 2011

Quick Quotes Weekly | The Risky Edition

Every day, I steal (I mean share... yeah! Share!) my favorite quotes from my weekly reading over at SmarterThanIAm.com. To spice things up, I plan to share my five favorites here each week, all year long! Be sure to click the links and read the full posts, these are smart people saying really smart things.

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Control isn’t the goal - the goal is great, market-changing ideas. And you’re going to have to give up some control to get that.

- Alex Bogusky and John Winsor - From Baked In **<--- Click To Read More Smart Stuff! (Affiliate Link)**

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Why are so many people afraid of so many things, but they’re never afraid of mediocrity?

- Alex Bogusky and John Winsor - From Baked In <--- Click To Read More Smart Stuff! **(Affiliate Link)**

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The passionate amateur is often worth a lot more than the indifferent professional.

- Boris Veldhuizjen van Zanten **<--- Click To Read More Smart Stuff! (Affiliate Link)**

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If people aren’t making mistakes then that means they’re not taking enough risks.

- Tony Hsieh - from Delivering Happiness <--- Click To Read More Smart Stuff! (Affiliate Link)

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Maybe America’s Great Stagnation isn’t happening because we’re failing — maybe it’s happening because we’re not.

- Umair Haque <--- Click To Read More Smart Stuff!

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If you like what you see, be sure to visit and subscribe to my Tumblr blog, Smarter Than I Am! Need more inspiration? Click here to see a random quote, it is just like a fortune cookie, only smarter!

18 Mar 2011

Quick Quotes Weekly | The Birthday Edition

Every day, I steal (I mean share... yeah! Share!) my favorite quotes from my weekly reading over at SmarterThanIAm.com. To spice things up, I plan to share my five favorites here each week, all year long! Be sure to click the links and read the full posts, these are smart people saying really smart things.

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"Unless you’re being you, you’re doing it wrong."

- Danny Brown <--- Click To Read More Smart Stuff!

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If something is not happening for you it doesn’t mean that it is never going to happen. It means you’re not ready for it - Unknown

"If something is not happening for you it doesn’t mean that it is never going to happen.

It means you’re not ready for it."

- Unknown

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"The ambitions we have will become the stories we live."

- Donald Miller - From A Million Miles In A Thousand Years <--- Click To Read More Smart Stuff! (Affiliate Link)

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"Keep your message simple, direct, honest — and very public."

- Richard Branson <--- Click To Read More Smart Stuff!

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"The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one."

- Elbert Hubbard (Hat tip to Chris Guillebeau - From The Art of Non-Conformity) **<--- Click To Read More Smart Stuff! (Affiliate Link)**

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If you like what you see, be sure to visit and subscribe to my Tumblr blog, Smarter Than I Am! Need more inspiration? Click here to see a random quote, it is just like a fortune cookie, only smarter!

17 Mar 2011

Why Instagram Is The Most Important Social Network I’ve Ever Used

(download)

I’ve never considered myself a creative person. I can’t draw, I can’t paint, I really can’t act and I’ve never been particularly drawn to the visual arts. Yet more and more, I find myself looking at the world through a new lens, both literally and metaphorically. I find myself seeking unique perspectives, unusual angles and unexpected images. I find myself searching for points of interest in ordinary, everyday objects, seeing beauty in the things I have always ignored. Lately, I find the way I am approaching the world changing because of a simple photo-based social network called Instagram.

For those who have never used it, Instagram is a photo-based iphone app where you take pictures and apply vintage filters to create a more interesting end result. You have an array of filters to chose from (15 at the moment) that give an impressive range of looks to every shot you take (yet somehow, there always seems to be the right filter for the right picture). They’ve also just added an easy-to-use tilt-shift feature that adds impressive depth and perspective to your image. Once you style your pic, you can add a quick caption and blast it off to Instagram and several of the more popular social media sites and micro-blogging platforms like Tumblr and Posterous.

Now, those who know me will attest, I am prone to hyperbole. That said, in the case of the title of this post, I think I just may be serious about the impact that Instagram is having on me. Clearly, I have some serious passion for my social networks. Facebook has gone a long way towards expanding my network and has helped me to nurture relationships I would have traditionally let lapse. Twitter has forced me to chose my words more carefully and blogging has gone a long way towards adding structure to my critical thinking. However, all of these have sites have simply provided tools to improve upon aspects of myself of which I was already aware. Instagram, on the other hand, is tapping into a creative yen that I did not know I possessed.

This probably sounds silly, that a social network centered around snapping pictures and applying filters to them would have such an impact, but I am starting to see the effects rippling through my everyday life. The desire to look for the unusual in the ordinary is beginning to permeate more and more of my thinking. There is a willingness to consider ideas that traditionally would have been way too out of the box for me. The act of looking at the things in a different way is leading me think about things in a different way as well.

Sure, some who are smarter than I am will say that Instagram is only creating an illusion of creativity, but if that illusion is leading to a more creative me, then so be it. I’m certainly no professional photographer, but the ease with which you can create an impressive result is leading me to get a lot bolder in my creative efforts. I am sure that many of you are thinking that you would prefer dental surgery to another social network, but if you haven’t already, you just might want to give Instagram a look. It is an interesting app and I’ve already found a great group of users sharing their own perspective on the ordinary. Like any good social network, Instagram is fun, easy to use and a little addicting. However, the thing that has surprised me the most is how this crazy little app is having a real impact on the way I approach the world.

Have you given Instagram a shot? Let me know in the comments below!

15 Mar 2011

App-solutely Not | From JCK Magazine

If you’ve ever downloaded an app on your iPhone, you’ve probably thought, “We need one of these for our store!” Apps are fun and easy to use, and the best ones get a lot of attention. Considering that a third of U.S. citizens now carry a smartphone and that mobile Web traffic tripled in 2010, creating an app for your business seems to make sense. However, in a jeweler’s long list of digital marketing priorities, the coveted app should rank relatively low.

via jckonline.com

It's that time again! Time for JCK Online to let me talk about the ways that technology and Social Media are impacting the jewelry industry. For the March article, I wanted to touch on one of the hottest online trends, the app. More specifically, I wanted to tell you why creating a custom iPhone or Android app is probably the wrong move for your business. Give the full article a read and let me know what you think!

11 Mar 2011

Quick Quotes Weekly | The Well Wasted Time Edition!

Every day, I steal (I mean share... yeah! Share!) my favorite quotes from my weekly reading over at SmarterThanIAm.com. To spice things up, I plan to share my five favorites here each week, all year long! Be sure to click the links and read the full posts, these are smart people saying really smart things.

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"The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time"

- Bertrand Russell

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"Inspiration and wealth will come to you if your goal is to help another person solve a problem."

- 37Signals <--- Click To Read More Smart Stuff!

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"Interesting destines rarely come from just reading the instruction manual."

- Hugh Macleod - from Evil Plans (Affiliate Link) <--- Click To Read More Smart Stuff!

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"No one cares how much you know until he knows how much you care."

- Unknown (Hat tip to Tim Sanders) <--- Click To Read More Smart Stuff!

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"There are two mistakes one can make along the road to truth.

Not going all the way, and not starting."

- Siddhartha Gautama (Hat tip to Seth Godin - from Poke The Box (Affiliate Link)) <--- Click To Read More Smart Stuff!

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If you like what you see, be sure to visit and subscribe to my Tumblr blog, Smarter Than I Am! Need more inspiration? Click here to see a random quote, it is just like a fortune cookie, only smarter!

4 Mar 2011

Quick Quotes Weekly | The Truly Moving Edition!

Every day, I steal (I mean share... yeah! Share!) my favorite quotes from my weekly reading over at SmarterThanIAm.com. To spice things up, I plan to share my five favorites here each week, all year long! Be sure to click the links and read the full posts, these are smart people saying really smart things.

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(Note: Possibly the most moving and inspiring pieces of content I've come across this year)

"Just because the tide is out, doesn’t mean that there is less water in the ocean." - Seth Godin <--- Click To Read More Smart Stuff!

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(Note: This Six Pixels Of Separation Podcast features a conversation between Edward Boches from Mullen and Mitch Joel from Twist Image on the need for innovation in marketing.)

"Take a startup approach to things…

Learn. Test. Iterate.
Learn. Test. Iterate.
Learn. Test. Iterate."

- Edward Boches (Hat Tip to Mitch Joel <--- Click To Read More Smart Stuff!)

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"Brand is about emotion because emotion is what triggers recognition." - Christopher S. Penn <--- Click To Read More Smart Stuff!

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"Most people have been brainwashed into believing that their job is to copyedit the world, not to design it." - Seth Godin <--- Click To Read More Smart Stuff!

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"Never be afraid to put a price on something. If you pour your heart into something and make it great, sell it." - Jason Fried <--- Click To Read More Smart Stuff!

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If you like what you see, be sure to visit and subscribe to my Tumblr blog, Smarter Than I Am! Need more inspiration? Click here to see a random quote, it is just like a fortune cookie, only smarter!

28 Feb 2011

The Next Generation Framework

There is so much confusion and frustration (on both sides of the fence) when it comes to how to incorporate the next generation into our businesses, so we hope that this framework can help you and your team get a little clarity on the subject. You can click here to download The Next Generation Framework.

via gen-nextjewelers.com

Earlier this month at the Centurion Jewelry Show I had the distinct pleasure of getting up early alongside my fellow GNJ Board Members, Matt Rosenheim and Lisa Nikfarjam, to moderate three days worth of retailers roundtables focused on the next generation employee and consumer. Although they were VERY early, it was a refreshing way to start each morning and the conversations were truly worthwhile.

To keep the conversation going, we wanted to share our Next Generation Framework, essentially the list of "go-to" questions we had prepared for the occasion. While the questions may feel like common sense, the insights that came from these conversations were are anything but common! Hopefully you find them useful when figuring out how the next generation fits into your business! Enjoy!

25 Feb 2011

Quick Quotes Weekly | The Hectic Week Edition!

Every day, I steal (I mean share... yeah! Share!) my favorite quotes from my weekly reading over at SmarterThanIAm.com. To spice things up, I plan to share my five favorites here each week, all year long! Be sure to click the links and read the full posts, these are smart people saying really smart things.

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"Don’t be the best in the world at what you do, be the only one in the world who does what you do…" - Hugh MacLeod <--- Click To Read More Smart Stuff!

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"Before change can be managed, it has to be sparked." - Amber Naslund <--- Click To Read More Smart Stuff!

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"For all the madness you endure, your ideas, whether grand or small, have the potential to change the world in an instant." - Jay Dolan <--- Click To Read More Smart Stuff!

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"You can’t outsource giving a shit." - Tom Critchlow <--- Click To Read More Smart Stuff!

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"They say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself." - Andy Warhol

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If you like what you see, be sure to visit and subscribe to my Tumblr blog, Smarter Than I Am! Need more inspiration? Click here to see a random quote, it is just like a fortune cookie, only smarter!

David didn’t beat Goliath with a whiteboard.

- Tim Ferris - from Do More Faster (Affiliate Link) <--- Click To Read More Smart Stuff! (Affiliate Link)

We reward those who draw maps, not those who follow them.

The future’s not predicted — it’s created.

I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

- Maya Angelou (Hat tip to Sally Hogshead - from Fascinate) <--- Click To Read More Smart Stuff! (Affiliate Link)

Control isn’t the goal - the goal is great, market-changing ideas. And you’re going to have to give up some control to get that.

- Alex Bogusky and John Winsor - From Baked In <--- Click To Read More Smart Stuff! (Affiliate Link)

Why are so many people afraid of so many things, but they’re never afraid of mediocrity?

- Alex Bogusky and John Winsor - From Baked In <--- Click To Read More Smart Stuff! (Affiliate Link)

The passionate amateur is often worth a lot more than the indifferent professional.

- Boris Veldhuizjen van Zanten <--- Click To Read More Smart Stuff! (Affiliate Link)

If people aren’t making mistakes then that means they’re not taking enough risks.

Maybe America’s Great Stagnation isn’t happening because we’re failing — maybe it’s happening because we’re not.

- Umair Haque <--- Click To Read More Smart Stuff!

"Unless you’re being you, you’re doing it wrong."

- Danny Brown <--- Click To Read More Smart Stuff!

"The ambitions we have will become the stories we live."

- Donald Miller - From A Million Miles In A Thousand Years <--- Click To Read More Smart Stuff! (Affiliate Link)

"Keep your message simple, direct, honest — and very public."

- Richard Branson <--- Click To Read More Smart Stuff!

"The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one."

- Elbert Hubbard (Hat tip to Chris Guillebeau - From The Art of Non-Conformity) <--- Click To Read More Smart Stuff! (Affiliate Link)

"Inspiration and wealth will come to you if your goal is to help another person solve a problem."

- 37Signals <--- Click To Read More Smart Stuff!

"Interesting destines rarely come from just reading the instruction manual."

- Hugh Macleod - from Evil Plans (Affiliate Link) <--- Click To Read More Smart Stuff!

"No one cares how much you know until he knows how much you care."

- Unknown (Hat tip to Tim Sanders) <--- Click To Read More Smart Stuff!

(Note: This Six Pixels Of Separation Podcast features a conversation between Edward Boches from Mullen and Mitch Joel from Twist Image on the need for innovation in marketing.)

"Brand is about emotion because emotion is what triggers recognition." - Christopher S. Penn <--- Click To Read More Smart Stuff!

"Most people have been brainwashed into believing that their job is to copyedit the world, not to design it." - Seth Godin <--- Click To Read More Smart Stuff!

"Never be afraid to put a price on something. If you pour your heart into something and make it great, sell it." - Jason Fried <--- Click To Read More Smart Stuff!

"Before change can be managed, it has to be sparked." - Amber Naslund <--- Click To Read More Smart Stuff!

"For all the madness you endure, your ideas, whether grand or small, have the potential to change the world in an instant." - Jay Dolan <--- Click To Read More Smart Stuff!

"You can’t outsource giving a shit." - Tom Critchlow <--- Click To Read More Smart Stuff!

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Archive

- Tim Ferris - from Do More Faster (Affiliate Link) **<--- Click To Read More Smart Stuff! (Affiliate Link)**

- Alex Bogusky and John Winsor - From Baked In **<--- Click To Read More Smart Stuff! (Affiliate Link)**

- Alex Bogusky and John Winsor - From Baked In <--- Click To Read More Smart Stuff! **(Affiliate Link)**

- Boris Veldhuizjen van Zanten **<--- Click To Read More Smart Stuff! (Affiliate Link)**

- Elbert Hubbard (Hat tip to Chris Guillebeau - From The Art of Non-Conformity) **<--- Click To Read More Smart Stuff! (Affiliate Link)**