Starbucks..... Is There Anywhere Better to Be at Christmas

After dropping the kids off at school I headed off to the Starbucks at Indigo Books, my version of heaven - coffee and books. I love Starbucks at Christmas the amazing latte flavors like gingerbread and eggnog, the gifts, and tree decorations. Starbucks is an example of excellent marketing, design, and retail display.

I came here to write a chapter of a novel I'm working on and was so impressed by the Christmas merchandising I had to quickly make a note of it here. Timmy's doesn't have the same feel or inspiration that Starbucks does to sit for a time and enjoy its ambiance. (Tim's also doesn't have the Internet connection - I need to find a job, my next activity this morning.) Other private coffee shops have ambiance, and I do prefer to support them, but somehow at Christmas there is no other coffee shop I'd rather spend time in.

There is a small coffee shop kitty corner to the Starbucks I'm visiting and I do enjoy spending time there. Small business coffee shops have something special to them because they are unique. The Mocha House just outside of here is a quiet place to read and enjoy a great cup of joe.

I found a great coffee house in High River, AB, filled with antiques, local art, and comfortable chairs on main street. In Enderby, BC, Jack's on Cliff Ave is the place for an affordable breakfast or lunch and a wonderful cup of coffee. Enderby also has a coffee house on the main hwy to sit and enjoy a cappuccino in a historical brick building filled with art and warmth. Small towns have the best coffee shops because they don't compete with Tim Horton's and Starbuck's brands.

I found a wonderful coffee shop in White Rock called the "The Coffee Ritual Society." It is run by a church and is a non profit coffee house that donates the profits to charities. I love this place because of the modern decor, the separate room for kids to play in, and the games area. It's a really neat little place that needs some marketing and merchandising to make it extra special.

If a small coffee shop wants to survive in this big name brand world, it needs to be unique and a place people see as "their place." I don't just mean reward cards, you know the type - buy 10 and get one free. But a place that people feel they belong, where they can go and relax. The question always is how.....

Start by looking at the big names like Starbucks and Tims, what is it that makes them special? It's not all about the amount of money they have, there is a reason some people choose Starbucks and others choose Tim Hortons....

Why do you choose one over the other? What is it about your preferred Coffee Place that keeps you coming back?

Companies Use Internet to Find Employees

One thing I've noticed recently is that companies will use various Internet tools to advertise jobs and find employees. Here are just a few:

1. Job boards like Monster, Workopolis, Job Shark
2. Company Website's Career Sections
3. Blogs
4. Twitter and Facebook
5. Classified directories like Craigslist and Kijiji

Finding a good job in a newspaper is becoming a thing of the past.

Where did you find out about your current or past position?

Complainer or Problem Solver - You Decide

Complainers are everywhere they can identify obvious problems easily and tell everyone about it. Problem solvers are rare and valuable to have in your business. When these people talk about problems they don't focus on how the problem effects them but on how they can solve the problem.

I know I'm spouting out the obvious here, but I'm sick of complainers that rock the boat and make everything worse for everyone. When someone complains, and are very verbal about it, there are consequences for everyone involved. Some organizations, like schools, will create policies that come out of flippant complaints and these policies make it harder for other parents. These parents turn around and complain and another policy is put into place. Before you know it, the kids don't know which way is up or which way is down and their whole schedule is off. Complainers think only of themselves and not the far reaching implications of their words and actions.

I love problem solvers, these people take an issue, look at all the ramifications and take into account the resources they have and need to come up with the best solution. Compromise and diplomacy rule with problem solvers even when they get frustrated and feel attacked by the complainers. There are few problem solvers in my world and I truly value them as people and friends.

Leaders and great people were not complainers, they were problem solvers. They saw an issue and fought for it. They rocked the boat with their words and actions but their words were always for the greater good and NOT just themselves. Martin Luther King, Ghandi, Abraham Lincoln all stood for something outside themselves, they saw a problem and came up with a solution. Most of which meant a collapse of the way things were and a rebuilding of society for the better. They identified the problem, came up with a solution, and put their lives on the line for the good of others.

I want to be a leader, a problem solver, a better person for society. I educate and raise my children to be the same, to find a solution not just whine about the problem. To think of others and how their words effect the larger picture. To have a positive attitude but not a selfish positive attitude.

Karma and Consequences..... This is a really interesting view of health attitudes and the attitudes of economists / mortgage specialists.