Author: whatifconcepts

Empowering those that inspire so they can excel at the work that matters.

The New Fan$

An article by Wright Thompson published on ESPN.com shares his journey into the priciest seats at the new Yankee Stadium. He gives a behind the scenes account of the experience at the ballpark. What is most compelling is his discussion about the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’ and their role as fans. If you know your audience and have a business plan then you can cater to a very limited audience. Take a look and see if you think the Yankees have made the right decisions.

An excerpt from the article:

A recent poll discovered an unsettling trend emerging for the first time. American families whose household income is $75,000 or less now have zero dollars of discretionary income. According to Luker, that means about 75 percent of the country can never responsibly afford to go to a live professional sporting event. Franchises want them to be fans, to buy the gear and pull for their teams and watch the telecasts the leagues are paid billions for. But they don’t need them to come to their stadiums. There are, right now, plenty of rich people who love games. The prices reflect that. The reason sporting events cost so much now, Luker’s research shows, is because they are designed to be affordable only to those making $150,000 or more a year.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=091005yankeestickets

Is the Honor Serving or Being Honored?

I just saw this in the local media. It just makes me wonder if the honor is in serving or if the honor was being elected? This is quite humorous when it comes to petty requests but makes you wonder what is being done during the rest of the meeting?
http://www.ktvb.com/news/localnews/stories/ktvbn-oct0809-achd_parkcenter_stalin.1f98c7f8b.html”>http://www.ktvb.com/news/localnews/stories/ktvbn-oct0809-achd_parkcenter_stalin.1f98c7f8b.html

Sometimes you are in the right place to witness great changes in nature. It cannot always be planned and the moments appear randomly. I arrived at Idaho’s most famous ski resorts for work yesterday. The day was sunny and temperatures hoovered in the high 70’s. It was still summer. Tempting enough to get out on the bike path and play nine holes of golf that ended at dusk.

This morning the world looks different. Overnight rain fell. The temperature is in the 50’s and snow is predicted to make an appearance just above the valley floor tonight. Talk of summer activities such as biking, swimming, running are now giving way to peeks into the ski shops. It is as if overnight the seasonal switch was thrown and fall has arrived.

It should not be a shock. It happens every year and yet it feels sudden, as if you arrived at the pool and it was empty and the poolside furnishings had all been packed away. Now the rush for firewood will start for those who have been enjoying a warm September. Lawns will be aerated, gutters will be cleaned, clothing will be rotated in closets.

Sometimes it takes a night of cool rainy weather to get each of us to focus on seasonal responsibilities. I imagine somewhere an end-of-the-year appeal is being drafted by a Development Officer, grant reports are being submitted after a successful summer of programs, and summer interns have left for college. It says September on the calendar but the 4th quarter activities seem in progress already.

Something Bigger Than Yourself

Walked past the television this morning and the kids breakfast dishes were scattered, the TV was on and nobody was in sight. I took a glance at the TV and saw that Nickelodeon was advertising World Wide Day of Play. An announcement and scrawl at the bottom encouraged viewers to turn-off their TV, computers, mobile phones and to head outside to play. Programming was closed so move on. Not everyday do you see a business suggesting you do something more productive with your time than take advantage of their offerings.

Being part of a world-wide effort is noble and offers a striking contrast to the usual marketing.

Wise Steward of Funds

Obviously the curtain has been raised on many schemes and risky financial practices during the last year. Interestingly, some of the high-profile nonprofits that have gone out-of-business or had to make major cuts in their staffing and programs can attribute part or their failure to leveraging their debt. In many cases, the unstoppable need to build more facilities, grow bigger, reach across the globe has left them holding tax-free bonds that they cannot finance. When enrollment at a school meets capacity and there is a waiting list, it is hard to believe that the educational institution will suffer any financial hardships. Being fiscally conservative is tough, even during good times. Leaving the next board (those board members who follow you) with a budget that is reasonable and limited liabilities is one of the ultimate signs of wise stewardship. Low hanging-fruit that is not core to the mission sometimes leads your enterprise to start climbing a tree it never intended.

How do you operate as wise fiduciary? The New York Times highlights some organizations that reached beyond their means.

Suggested Links- Impact on Your Brand

I sent about an hour this morning clicking on recommended hyperlinks from other bloggers. I was doing this for my wife who writes her own blog which is far more insightful, talented, and inspiring than mine. What was interesting to see is what other blogs each blogger is reading. I know that just listing another blog is not an outright endorsement but rather an attempt to share a resource or source of inspiration. For me it was an enlightening exercise. It was as if somebody had let me through their front door and was allowing me to go on a self-guided tour of their home. Each link to another blog appeared to be a different room in their house and represented another reflection of their taste. It was an interesting cyber-adventure but it also re-enforced that each recommend link is a direct reflection of your own brand.

Which links do you share?

New skill for those with the most experience

Interview on NPR’s Marketplace show today about Experience Work, a training and job placement organization for senior citizens. Those who thought that they had saved enough for retirement are now back in the workplace. Many are learning new skills that were not required previously. Some seniors are starting with basic computer skills and others are making the sober choice between paying the rent or purchasing prescribed medicine.

These seems to be an enterprise that is uniquely positioned to meet a growing need.