Tyler Jorgenson

The Mrs. and I were getting a bit stir crazy in the house today with all of the kids running around so we decided to go get a cookie and then play at the park. There is a new cookie store, the Nestle Toll House Cafe, here by our house so we went to try it out. The staff was polite and courteous, the store was clean and the overall presentation of the store was positive. We ordered some delicious looking cookies (that were as good as they looked) and then went to pay. The total came to $9.44. My wife asked if we could get a cup of water for the kids and the reply by the cashier was “we don’t give out cups of water but we do have bottled water for sale.” After she heard me chuckle at what I feel is a huge marketing blunder the cashier said sheepishly, “sorry, it’s not my call.” She was really sweet so I made sure she knew I wasn’t laughing at her and that she was doing a great job.

I’ve been a small restaurant owner and I know the importance of the up sell. In trying to get the customer to put avocado on their sandwich and get a large drink. I understand that completely… but are we missing something. I just spend close to Ten dollars on cookies and the last thing I remember as I leave the store is that they just wanted more from me. I wonder how much better the customer service would have been if the policy were to give out cups of water for free (or even 10 cents to cover the cup, lid and straw).

If I ever open a cookie store (don’t worry, I’m not planning on it anytime soon) it’s going to have a milk bar. Picture buying a couple of fresh jumbo chocolate chip cookies. As the cashier hands your the bag you can feel the warmth of the cookies radiating from the cute little bag. The sweet smell of the round bit of heaven rises up and you can nearly taste the perfection that is waiting for you. Just as you are about to leave the smiling baker hands you a small glass of ice cold milk (sure you can have soy or low fat if you’d prefer… you’re the customer). Now the treat is complete… you wander in dreamlike trance to the nearest table and begin to savor your snack, dipping it in the cold milk and letting the chocolate chips cover your fingertips.

I don’t know about you, but I’d go back to that cookie place a lot more than the other one. As a marketer this is, in my humble opinion, genius. As a capitalist I am still happy. Sure I lose the milk up sale, unless somebody is wants a larger thing of milk, or soda, or coffee or hot chocolate, etc. but I know that the number of customers will increase and I also know that if my customers have a positive experience they’ll be back sooner to drop another $9.44 on a few cookies.

Last weekend my wife and I took off to our favorite local getaway destination. Apparently we didn’t name the place, so I thought I’d share what makes the Marriott Newport Beach Hotel & Spa our favorite local hotel.

So here’s my top 10 list.

10. They comp us in some way every time we go there. Seriously, everything from room upgrades, fruit plates, cookie plates, VOSS water, etc.
9. The staff is always exceptionally polite. The free in room amenities aren’t for making up for a lousy customer experience, they just enhance it. (sorry to end the sentence with a preposition grammar people.)
8. Pure Blu Spa. We haven’t had a bad massage yet
7. Pure Blu Spa. It has it’s own pool, away from the noise of the family pool. The double lounges under private cabanas are a perfect place to order a light lunch too after a massage and a swim.
6. Pure Blu Spa. Cold water foot bath, hot tubs, sauna, fancy shampoo, the relaxation room with tons of magazines, the individually packed combs, and the little glass Q-tip holder… the list goes on.
5. The view.
4. Location. Walking distance to all the restaurants and shops that Fashion Island has to offer.
3. Location. A very short drive to Balboa, my favorite beach town.
2. Atmosphere. The rooms are relaxing, the air is energizing, the views are inspiring and the ambiance is soothing.
1. Great memories of time ‘away’ with the girl I love.

So well done Marriott, you’ve created a stellar product there in Newport. We’ll be back as soon as we can.

For some reason my Mom let me read MAD Magazine growing up. I loved SPY vs SPY, the cartoons in the margins, the spoofs on current events and movies and always loved the back page fold in. I was always mad (irony?) when some kid would fold in the back cover of a copy in the store. It seemed to take the fun out of it for me so I had to dig around for one that was unadulterated.

“The NY Times recently ran an interesting story on Al Jaffee, the mastermind behind the fold-in. Since its first appearance in the April 1964 issue of Mad magazine, the 87 year-old Al Jaffee has drawn every one of these backpage fold-ins. WOW!

Take a few minutes this Tuesday and rekindle your MAD magazine fold-in memories with this wicked cool digital gallery.” – John Moore

My wife and I celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary with a little jaunt down to Newport Beach for a stay in our favorite hotel. After sleeping in with no children waking us up we drove up and down the coast checking out the gorgeous views and homes. For lunch we enjoyed The Cheesecake Factory. I tried the Miso Salmon that looked so good last time I was there and it was great. Upon the recommendation of one of my wife’s friends we had a little sweet fix at Sprinkles. (Entrepreneur side note: They are doing this right! They have one product and are delivering phenomenally. They currently have 5 stores and are opening 16 more! I hope they don’t lose sight of their foundation and start offering cakes and pastry’s, only to become just another bakery. Great cupcakes Sprinkles, good work!)

We somehow worked our way up to Long Beach around dinner time and walked around Shoreline Village to see what restaurant would tease our taste buds. It wasn’t hard to miss this:Meet Paraffin, a 197 foot yacht that had all who gazed upon her beautiful hull drooling in awe and a little envy. My curiosity was peeked, what type of person owns such a yacht? Google gave me the answer and a great story or two.

Like many teenage boys, 17-year-old Mike Kittredge couldn’t aford a Christmas present for his mother. His solution was to melt a bunch of crayons and make the into a candle. His neighbour liked it so much that she asked to buy it, and so the first candle of the Yankee Candle Company was sold. Mike made another for his mother and one to sell, and the company found its wings.

Nice work Mr. Kittredge, but I hope you’re not still making make-shift candles for your Mother’s Christmas present anymore.

Here are a couple more photos:

Post your score in the comments. Don’t be shy.

I rarely read email forwards, but for some reason I watched this video that was forwarded to me today. I’m really glad that I did, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Thank you for being a part of my life.

I’m currently reading a few books, and have finally finished a couple. When I read a novel I usually finish it within a day or two of starting. Fiction books are a quick read as I can analyze the text and enjoy the character development while continuing to read. My downfall is on non-fiction books. I really enjoy reading self-help type books. It started about 5 or 6 years ago when a good friend told me to read Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki. That one was an easy read, but it got me started on a different type of reading. Now I read with a notebook and pen in hand. I don’t want to miss one ounce of life enriching wisdom that the author is trying to impart, so I squeeze it like a thirsty man squeezes an orange and suck out the last drop. Here are some of the books being juiced now (I like that… juice your books):

1. Sharing The Wealth – Alex Spanos (owner of The Chargers)
2. The 5 Lessons a Millionaire Taught Me About Life and Money – Richard Paul Evans (Gift from My Sister)
3. How To Master the Art of Selling – Tom Hopkins
4. The Richest Man Who Ever Lived: King Solomon’s Secrets to Success, Wealth, and Happiness – Steven K. Scott

So that’s my current list. I also read I Am Legend recently and give it a 2 out of 4 stars. It’s much shorter than anticipated.

What’s on your reading list right now? What books do you recommend I read this year? What books are a ‘must read’ in your opinion?

I just started reading another book, Sharing The Wealth by Alex Spanos, owner of the Chargers. I’ve only read the forward and the first chapter but I am thoroughly enjoying it. Rush Limbaugh wrote the forward in this book about Spanos, who became America’s number 1 builder of apartments from extremely humble beginnings. Here is one quote I loved:

“Two things separate America from the rest of the world. First is our freedom. Second is our Founding Fathers and their brilliance in constructing a Constitution that is itself founded on the notion of the yearning of the human spirit. Our Founding Fathers knew that this spirit is part of our creation. That spirit, that yearning for freedom, comes from God, not from other men granting it to some and not to others, and they wrote a Constitution that limits not the freedom of the American people but rather the power of those we elect to govern us. This is the framework from which individual greatness grows, and to understand this is to understand the roots of this country’s amazing success.”
– Rush Limbaugh

I wish more people had the same level of respect for the Constitution and the Founding Fathers.

I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.
– Thomas Jefferson

I have long been a believer that we create much of our own destiny. There are certainly times when we are lucky without any exceptional effort on our parts, but Jefferson learned that if you want to create a lifetime of fortunate circumstances you must work hard. I would only add that one must also work smart, although I feel that concept is becoming a bit cliche.

Jefferson is on the $2.00 bill, the nickel and the 2007 $1 coin. I think it is worth noting that the early $2.00 bill had Battleship on the reverse. How much luck would a battleship have if it’s crew did not work hard? The $2.00 bill currently has a depiction of the signing of the declaration of independence, another example of a bit of ‘luck’ that came about by the blood, sweat and tears of some great men.
This wasn’t intended to turn into a history lesson, and I may lose a few readers because of it, but I think it is important to show that Jefferson had a sure foot to stand on when he made this quote.

Now, enjoy your week. Work hard, and create some luck.

on a 5 cent coin in 2005.

on a 5 cent coin in 2006.

on a 2007 dollar coin.

I saw this on a recent email that I received and thoroughly enjoyed the wit of the comic, so I thought I would share. I think it was especially funny since I didn’t notice who the job applicant was until I read the punchline and looked back at the drawing.

I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it.
– Pablo Picasso

I had a nice morning. My brother in law bought himself a nice birthday present today. The problem is that he is in Utah and his truck is in the shop… and the boat was in San Diego. I went to pick it up for him and along the drive had some time to ponder. I like pondering.

First of all when I got to the house where the boat was I had to check out the view. Growing up in San Diego and spending a portion of every summer in Mission Beach and Mission Bay I was in love with the view from this street. The boat seller bought the house in 2005 for $1.3m and it’s probably dropped a bit in value but the view is priceless. This photo does not do it justice, but is from the yard of a nearby home (I knew I should have brought my camera)Side note: If you’re the Realtor selling the house that I am using this photo from please do your clients a favor and hire a professional to come and take the pictures.

After a nice inspiring ocean view and hitching up the boat I was driving up the I-15 and needed to stop and and get some things so I figured I’d pop in and see my friend Devan who I grew up with back in the day. Devan and I were always coming up with fun ideas when we were kids, but I have to admit he was the more creative one. He is President of Sephra, a company that although you may not know of hand, you may owe a bit of your love handles to. When was the last time you were at a wedding reception and saw one of those jazzy chocolate fountains that you could dip strawberries, pound cake, pretzels and the like into? Chances are Sephra made fountain, and if the caterer knows what’s best you were probably eating Sephra’s chocolate. I got a nice tour of their warehouse and offices and was really impressed with the operation.

So why do I love entrepreneurship? (and what has this post had to do with the title thus far?)

Devan’s company employs 18 people directly. They also ship between 5-20 pallets of goods per day! Think of the economic benefit that they provide as you follow the chain from inception to consumption and think of how many people this one little (or not so little) entrepreneurial venture benefits. There are people working in manufacturing, shipping, packaging, graphic design, etc just to get the products from A to B. Let alone the fact that they had a pretty good size warehouse so their landlord is happy to get lease payments. My favorite part isn’t the direct benefit so much as the indirect benefit. I picture a Chinese man coming home from work after a long hard day of manufacturing the high end Sephra fountain and smiling at his wife and kids and saying to his wife (in Chinese of course) I’ll always have a job as long as Sephra keeps selling fountains. Being able to be a part of providing that security for somebody else makes me feel good (pleasure).

What about the house and view… what did that have to do with entrepreneurship?

I’m glad you asked. The sellers of the boat are in the same boat (pun intended) that I am in. They are Mortgage Brokers in a maelstrom of a mortgage crisis. Luckily I built my company on a sustainable overhead business model and I’m not having to worry about getting out of a lease on a 4000 sf office like these guys are. We spoke for a while about what is needed to keep a company, and personal finances, alive in this market and there is actually a lot of opportunity to help people and make money. That’s the second thing that I love about entrepreneurs, they know how to adapt to the situation. We’re like chameleons, or at least we have to be if we don’t want to get picked off and eaten by the crows.

Even Devan is a bit of a chameleon when his business is going well. He has a couple of other cool products that he’s having success with, I got to sample the edible chocolate bullets (thanks Dev). He’s a diversified chameleon.

Pain or Pleasure?

A friend of mine has a great post about motivation. His friend is building a mansion in Santa Barbara as a speculative investment and is considering moving in rather than selling, even though the market is hot enough to sell, so that the mansion will motivate him to achieve greater goals. Deyl asked: Do you think there is anything wrong with a material thing like a house being a motivator to work hard and smart? He has received some great responses so far.

What I find interesting about choice is that all of our choices in life come down to our desire to gain pleasure and our need to avoid pain. Think about it. From the very simple decisions in our lives to the most complex those two factors are at the root of our the choice we make.

Example

Ask a woman why she spends hour(s) every morning applying makeup and doing her hair. The answers are likely to be either because doing so makes her feel pretty (pleasure) or because not doing so may garnish some ridicule (pain).

You can go through any choice and break it down to these two factors. When the light turns red you stop to avoid pain. Even if you are certain no cars are coming you don’t want the pain of having to pay for a ticket and the serious agony of sitting in traffic school. If you give to charity, what is your motivating factor? Is it because you want the pleasure of helping somebody? Do you not want the pain of higher taxes and want the pleasure of a nice write off?

Understanding these two principals is helping me understand what drives me and what influence the decisions I make. I am currently in the middle of a few real estate deals that are generating a bit of stress, but the idea of the payout and the pleasure it will bring motivates me to make the deals work.

Just because we are driven by pleasure and pain doesn’t make us bad people. If the things that we associate pleasure to are being able to contribute back to society then that’s a good thing. If you get pleasure from knowing that you are providing for your family, creating employment, promoting commerce, etc then building a nice house for you and your (6) kids is a great thing. Especially if it’s going to motivate you to take on more ventures that are likely to continue the cycle even more. So, Deyls’ friend, build on and love your home. Enjoy the pleasure that comes from the sense of accomplishment and knowing that you are living in something that you envisioned from a bare lot and a bunch of sticks.

In doing some research for my previous post I came across a few funny toilet related pics.

My favorite is the last one. Have a nice night!

Reuters reports (via Yahoo) that a woman in India accidentally gave birth to a baby girl while using a train toilet. What’s worse is that not only was this child born into a toilet but she slipped down the hole, onto the tracks and wasn’t found for a couple of hours. Apparently she survived and is doing well.
I guess the good thing is that if she ever makes it onto American Idol she won’t have to think very hard to come up with a most embarrassing moment.

Which do you prefer?

Cogito cogito ergo cogito sum

or

Cogito, ergo sum

The shirt to the right cracks me up. A while back I read a post on some blog somewhere that many people blog not because they expect a lot of readers but because they feel a sense of accomplishment when they click the ‘publish post’ button. How weird are we as a people that we feel a level of validation from such a thing. I’m not much of a blue collar working with my hands and sweating all day type of a guy and I do feel good when I create something that I can look back on and see the fruits of my labor. I guess that means I blog for me… even though all this time I thought I was blogging for you, the reader… or at least I thought I was doing it for us. Maybe that’s still it. I know that people feel all warm and fuzzy when they get comments left from visitors. This little blog of mine had over 50 visitors (not many, but hey I’m not complaining) the other day and few comments. Do we blog to interact? Do we blog to share? Do we blog just so that there is some evidence that we once existed… blogito ergo sum?