What’s going on in corporate America?

Over the last 120 days I’ve been speaking with business owners about what’s going on in corporate America. The questions we continue to discuss center around the economic climate, recovery or no recovery, inner workings of corporate America and overall gut feeling about the next 24 months. Chewing on all of these conversations, I wanted to expand the dialog to include my industry friends.

As you would expect, I have a theory. I believe that what’s currently happening in corporate America (and what will emerge over the next few years) actually allows for some big opportunities in the promotional products industry. But only a small number of business owners are currently positioned to take advantage of them.
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Light + soil + water = recipe for company culture

Right smack in the middle of Austin’s live music district, on the corner of 6th Street and Brazos, you’ll find the Boundless Network corporate headquarters. This spot has been our home for five years, during which time we’ve built a reputation for throwing some pretty great parties and events on our amazing third-floor patio. Starting this month the patio is being put to a new use as the scene of our culture committee’s Q3 gardening competition.

Each company department was responsible for planting their own garden on the Boundless patio. Entries include: The Avant Garden, Daily Dirt, James and The Giant Tomato, The Superb Herb Garden, and Boundless Botanicals of Doom (an all-pepper garden).

My personal favorite was “The Superb Herb Garden,” the brainchild of our sales support team; the herbs will be used down the road in various adult beverages.

If you’re looking for a fun, culture-enhancing activity for your team and you have even a small amount of outdoor space, consider starting a collaborative garden. Check out some pictures below of the “fruits” of our labor!

Let’s keep growing… it’s a tough world out there.

-JB

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Big fish story

This past weekend, I went to East Texas to go black bass fishing with my father. This is a regular trip we take for some R&R and to hunt for the monster bass. As someone prone to finding business analogies in everyday life, I of course started drawing parallels between fishing and professional success.

I ended up with four key findings:
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The Climb to #1

In sports or business, striving to be number one is important.

One of my biggest frustrations is seeing how we’ve become so soft with our children, a society where everyone is a freaking winner. Real life doesn’t work that way. Much to my wife’s dismay, if you ask my 6-year-old about second place, she will tell you that second place is the first loser. Whether you’re dealing with 6-year-olds playing sports or distributorships in the promotional products industry, there are always winners and losers.

Counselor Magazine recently published its annual Distributor Top 40 list. Boundless Network was ranked 33rd. It’s great that we’re on the list, but there are other numbers we can consider that tell, as Paul Harvey would say, “the rest of the story.”
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Boundless celebrates another great year

Last week Boundlessians from far and wide gathered in Austin for Founders’ Circle 2010, our annual three-day celebration of everything we’ve accomplished as a company. It’s part education, part recognition, and more than a little part partying. About 130 Boundlessians from all over the country converged at Boundless World Headquarters for some intense fun, and boy did we push the envelope this year. (Note to self: stay off mechanical bulls!)
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3 steps to your own Cinderella story

Being the son of a coach, I am naturally a basketball freak. I’ve probably watched more basketball over the past 40 years than Tiger Woods… (won’t go there). For a basketball nut, the pinnacle of the year is March Madness, where 64 teams duke it out (no pun intended) to be the last one standing and take the national championship.

In an effort to not be completely lazy while watching this year’s tournament, I tried to draw some life lessons from March Madness that hopefully you can apply to your business. So what do promos and hoops have in common? Here are three ways you can pull off a business slam dunk.
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Some business inspiration

Those who know me can tell you without hesitation that my favorite reality TV show is “The Biggest Loser.” This show is inspirational on many levels, but I’m most inspired by the fact that the trainers, Bob and Jillian, give people hope. It sounds corny, but it reminds me that no matter how big the challenge, whether it’s business or personal, if you want it bad enough and are willing to work for it, you can accomplish anything you want… and I mean anything.
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Lessons learned in 2009

We’ve all heard it before: in 2009 the economy had a big impact on the promotional products industry. And although the industry as a whole took a hit, individual businesses experienced the recession differently. Some people sank, losing up to 50% of their business. Some treaded water, surviving but not thriving. And some people swam, taking market share and growing their business despite the stormy economic climate. What did the swimmers do that the sinkers didn’t, or vice versa?

I asked hundreds of sales professionals what business decisions they made and strategies they used in 2009, and what they are changing for 2010. Their feedback was invaluable. I was able to identify four strategies that were successful in pre-recession times but lost their effectiveness in ’08-’09 when the economy went south.

Four strategies that should have been left in 2008:
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‘Tis the season

‘Tis the season for celebration, and I wish each of you a great holiday break full of reflection, relaxation and new resolutions!

Reflection…
As we close the book on 2009, I think we have many blessings to be thankful for in both business and family. Granted, this year was exhausting. Some say it was the worst 12 months in the history of the promotional products industry. But you can take pride in the fact that you survived the storm and are prepared to come out stronger in the upcoming years. Give yourself a big pat on the back. I think many times we lose perspective on how blessed we really are.

Relaxation…
During the next few weeks, take some time to recharge the batteries and enjoy the most important part of life – your friends and family. Hopefully during the Christmas/holiday break you’ll have a chance to just be still and let your brain relax. Watch some football, drink plenty of eggnog and root for the Texas Longhorns in the championship game. If you find yourself getting bored, send me some e-mails and I will gladly respond, as I will be equally restless.

Resolutions…
Next year is going to be great. All of the industry and customer dynamics are working in your favor. Be sure to take time to make some business resolutions for next year. Most of all, be bold and dream big!

Have a happy, safe and relaxing holiday.

See you next year,

-JB

Bike or plane?

If you had to travel from Dallas to Chicago, what mode of transportation would you take?

1. Walk
2. Ride a bike
3. Drive
4. Fly
5. Private Plane

According to MapQuest the total distance from Dallas to Chicago is 969 miles.

*Walk – 10 miles/day, Bike – 100 miles/day, Drive – 20 miles/gallon, Fly – Direct flight on commercial, Private – Net Jets

There’s no wrong answer to this question (except maybe the walking thing). How you get from point A to point B is a personal decision based on your own preferences; the important thing is that you make it to point B somehow.
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