I’m not sure who wins during the month of October, where Halloween falls on the last day. We all fill up on the candy and goodies we get from trick or treating, or eat some of the candy we are handing out. The candy companies sell more candy during the month of October compared to all the other months on the calendar. Now do they do better? Or is it the dentist that win? After all, all those great sugary snacks we are eating is also eating away our teeth. I think dentist will get patients down the road from all the kids that will be piging out on the candy and going to bed without brushing their teeth.

Candy is a big business for the stores, our dentists, and it helps out all the companies that sell costumes for the Halloween season. Halloween might just last one day, but when you look at all the movies and haunted houses that are going on weeks before the day of Halloween, you quickly realize that Halloween is more than just a 1 day event. It’s the weeks leading up to Halloween that all the businesses really profit from; the actual day of October 31st, is just a day that ends the month long celebration. Ok, let’s get back to carving the pumpkin and hopefully someone sends me a great pumpkin pie recipe for this Halloween. Pumpkin pie is my favorite treat!

The secret to doing anything well is to practice. It is true in billiards that the more you practice, the better you will be. I know when I get a lot of practice in, I shoot pool a lot better than if I didn’t practice any. There is no such thing as practicing too much. It can get boring if you practice by yourself all the time. It’s great if you can find a friend that likes billiards as much as you do.

One way that I have found that really gets me in the zone is to burn out from playing. Spend a day where you have at least 8 hours to just play pool all day long. Have someone that is playing against you and maybe race to 100. Keep score and really try to focus on every shot. Even if you have a big lead on your opponent, try to beat them as bad as you can. Maybe the score will end up being something like 100 to 41 in your favor. Do it again some other day and try to improve on your mark. If you spend a full day, just burning yourself out on the table, you will see a big difference in your game the next day. You will know what it feels like to be in the zone and you will be able to make a lot of shots, just one day after burning yourself out.

Now the key thing is to concentrate on every shot. Once you start to burn out, you will have trouble making simple shots. This is what you want to achieve when you burn yourself out. It’s all the shots you take after you’re burned out, that will make you play like a pro the next day. Try this method and be sure to let me know how you did. I’m sure you will see a big difference in your game, if you can find a full day just to knock the pool balls around.  This strategy will work in 8 ball or 9 ball, so play the game you like best or mix it up!

We just purchased my daughter a new set of Healys, and they now have placed a bright yellow sticker on the sole of the shoe stating ” Removing of this sticker, you waive all rights to sue Healy, and accept all liability….” WOW! I don’t remember that on the first pair we bought. Next I guess we will those stickers on Lincoln Logs, ” Should you remove this sticker and swallow one of logs, you waive all rights to sue our company…”

The world of blogs has grown by leaps and bounds and the communication lines have now become blurred between personal and business. As more and more people are creating their own social groups online blogs have grown since they offer a veyr easy way to get your ideas and content online. Many companies are looking to incorporate blogs into their consumer campaigns and make their websites more consumer interactive.

In a recent article on the The Crimson Blog they talked about the article that appeared in Business Week back in 2005 called “Blogs will change your business” While it was taking off at the time more and more companies were experimenting with the idea of having both company and consumer generated blogs. That has all come to life in 2007 more than ever with more and more companies putting their blogs out for more public viewing. This has also lead to the growth of such companies like PayPerPost.com who is the leader in consumer generated media. They basically provide a vehicle by which companies and bloggers can hook up to provide services to each other. Getting paid to blog about what you love is one of the themes for PayPerPost. For all of bloggers out there this is change in the tide and the future looks very bright.

When developing your marketing message and product offering keep these items in mind to help you create a brand and expand the market. Trying to launch into a crowded market and become a me-too will almost result in failure unless you have the capital to compete with the big boys.

1) Find a need and fill it: Find a dissatisfaction with the current offerings and fill that need

2) Engineer a new way to think about the product; Think about other ways your services could be used, and what potential market may not even be aware that service like what you offer even exist.

3) Tie your equity in your brand to an emotional element: Focus your creation brand on the problem is solves and how it can make life easier, more productive.