Gonink - Design & Print

If any of you are even remotely interested in sports you’re probably aware that most skill involves some sort of follow through action and in business there really isn’t anything that’s more important.

Whether you’re aiming for a completion date of a project for a customer or you’re working on an in-house project such as marketing, following through is critically important. And as I sit here spewing my rhetoric to you about this, I myself can’t seem to follow through. What’s more ironic is my recent idea for a marketing campaign involves sports and one of the most critical follow through actions in the sports world - the golf swing.

The plan started off strong with a list of courses to market to, the products to include and the sales pitch or ‘call to action’. I even went as far to design, print and assemble the entire kit for each course. And then I did the exact opposite of a golf swing. I didn’t follow through.

I’m now back on track with the idea, but I could use either a.) some encouragement from friends and business associates or b.) a very solid time tracker to keep me - well - on track.

So what do you do to keep your business tasks on track and done in a timely manner?

So last night (Thursday, Aug 9th) I did the extroverted thing and attended a free “Table Top” business event near gonink. Basically the event allows any local business to come in and set up a card table displaying their products/services for free and network with others. Being the introvert that I am, knowing how small our company is and knowing even further that most people at this event would be clueless about gonink, I forged on inside and set up my little booth. My nerves were probably a bit more calm because a fellow business owner set up shop right next to me, but I digress.

After a couple of hours of talking and networking I had accumulated a decent pocket full of business cards and contacts from various businesses. Some were very hopeful while others will end up in the “file here for later” file. Be that as it may, it got me thinking about networking such as this and online networking. The idea of online networking is fairly new but catching on fast and the business community is starting to realize it.

A much younger generation started the craze with MySpace and then Facebook entered the fray with their application that was originally intended for college students only, but spread to encompass just about anyone and everyone. Add to the mix an actual business networking site such as LinkedIn, Ryze, BizMeed etc. and you have a whole other way of networking.

What’s advantageous about online networking is your ability to reach far beyond your office, nearby towns or even the state line. These networks allow you to connect and communicate worldwide with businesses, possible employees and maybe even a new partner. And now the online networking and communication phase has taken off in other directions.

This article recently mentioned a new fad amongst online social networking people that essentially tracks you, what you did and where you’ve been at any given time. One that particularly caught my attention with relation to business is Groovr. In a nutshell, people take photos of where they’re at, upload it to the site and then their friends who are “connected” are notified via their cell phone where this person is currently. Imagine the word of mouth that could occur if that person is connected to 10 people and they all decide to contact or visit your business. No, it’s not Big Brother in the sky and is only updated by you, but it is fascinating to see just how limitless we really are when it comes to networking and interacting with others.

So from one face-to-face networking event I’ve truly realized the power of interacting with others when it comes to my business growing for the future.

Have you realized it? I’d love to hear some of your stories. We might even trade online profile links.

The term “walkable” is a bit misleading when talking about the true subject matter of what currently defines walkable. The basic idea behind this term is applied to particular areas of a city that have a cluster of retail and residential structures. It also includes things such as public transportation, small community parks and wide sidewalks for the higher volume of pedestrian traffic.

So is your city or town walkable?

We certainly didn’t coin this phrase, but it is becoming more and more popular for cities such as San Francisco or Chicago to implement within their city structure, but what about the other cities and towns around the U.S. who don’t have the large condensed areas of residential and retail dwellers? Oh, and if you haven’t noticed, the previous links to San Fran and Chicago are the same site: www.walkableneighborhoods.com.

Let’s first look at what the key elements are to a city being more walkable.

1.) Pedestrian Friendly

• Sidewalks are wider
• Traffic calming implementation
• Pedestrian areas and paths only (no bikes or motorized vehicles)
• Don’t forget that those in wheelchairs will be sharing these paths and sidewalks also

2.) Facilities

• Shops and services clustered together
• Not just retail, but grocers also
• Public restrooms

3.) Public Transport

• Pedestrians can easily arrive and exit the clustered areas
• Reduces need(s) for large parking lots
• Lowers noise pollution

4.) Common Space

• Parks (mini and large if possible)
• Benches for resting and “people watching”
• Mini fountains possibly
• Shaded areas for rest/relaxtion

5.) Landscaping

• Trees for shading as mentioned above
• Flowers to admire but not to pick
• Easy to walk on paths for people of all ages made of recycled rubber would be an idea

6.) Community Presence

• Organizations that help keep areas clean
• People needed to plan events & activities
• Someone to ensure the area is advertised

But what if you’re in a town such as where gonink is located in northeast Indiana? Now you have a rural setting where neighbors can be as far away as one mile or right next door in a small neighborhood. Can all of the above points be implemented in a town as small as ours? Not immediately, but the smaller towns are at an advantage. They still have open real estate to grow their ‘green’ ideas for the future.

So take a moment, look at your city as ask yourself Is It Walkable? And let us know what your city or town has done to make things more walkable and earth friendly.