Celebrity Christmas ornaments

You can make your own celebrity ornament, too! Go to
www.perryballard.com/holiday and follow the directions.

Kill and kill again! Kills 99.9% of Germs -- Sometimes - WSJ.com

Kills 99.9% of Germs -- Sometimes - WSJ.com: "Mr. Tetro showed the difference by testing three hand-sanitizer products for CBC News last month among eighth graders in Hamilton, Ontario. Three popular sanitizers killed between 46% and 60% of microbes on the students' hands, far short of 99.99%. Bugs that aren't killed by sanitizers aren't necessarily more dangerous than those that are. But the more that remain, the greater the chance of infection, doctors say."

Comment -- They key is "operator error." Few people wash/sanitize their hands for the required 20-25 seconds.

My video clip on TV-6 News

http://www.wlns.com/global/story.asp?s=11675745

This is the link to the TV-6 News video of me talking about the tight credit market for small businesses. I'm wearing my trenchcoat because I was had on a sweater instead of a coat and tie that day and I wanted to look a little more business-like.

See me on TV6 today at 5 pm

I talked with a reporter about small business access to credit. My storyline is that there are two things going on: tight credit standards and the poor economy. If credit rules were looser, more small businesses would qualify for credit. But it's also true that if the economy were doing better, more small businesses would qualify for credit. So, we need more lenient lending and improved economic conditions.
The way things are now, if you really really need a loan, there's no way you can qualify. Bankers only have money for people who are not in the market for credit!

Classic Christmas video

I used to watch Hardrock, Coco and Joe on TV when I was a really little kid in the 1950s. I think it's hilarious to watch it now because of the relatively primitive special effects. Nowadays they'd probably be cool because they are so retro. Do any of you guys remember seeing this?

Butt out of small businesses?

Smoke-free legislation cuts costs and improves health | detnews.com | The Detroit News: "Lawmakers need to realize that by passing smoke-free legislation, the state of Michigan, local businesses and taxpayers could save billions annually.

Repeated polling shows strong support for smoke-free legislation among Michigan residents. In fact, a poll conducted by Lansing-based EPIC/MRA and released in March found 66 percent of those interviewed favor smoke-free workplace legislation -- and 52 percent 'strongly favor' it."

Comment -- Actually, our organization has an official policy that opposes the smoking ban. We feel it should be left up to the individual bar and restaurant owners.

I'm disappointed that the legislation approved today by the state Senate exempts the Detroit casinos. That will end up concentrating smokers at those venues. But if they didn't exempt them, the player/smokers would flock to the Indian-owned casinos.

Examples of really creative billboards

First, let me apologize for the infrequent blogging. I've been really busy (being the holiday season and all.)

Click over to http://www.talentzoo.com/news.php/More-Like-Billboreds/?articleID=6242& to see more examples of creative billboards.

My pet peeve about most billboards is that a suprisingly large number of them are impossible to read as you drive by. What good does that do for the advertiser?

Me in the media

I'm in the Detroit News twice today!

http://www.detnews.com/article/20091203/BIZ/912030393/The-business-of-social-networking. Excerpt: Although social media has become a popular way for people to communicate with friends and relatives, the technology hasn't caught on with most small companies. A nationwide survey this year found that of 500 small business executives polled, 76 percent have not found networking sites to be helpful in generating business leads or for expanding their business during the last year.Although there's no data on how many Michigan companies use social media, it doesn't appear to be popular here, said Mike Rogers, vice president of communications for the Small Business Association of Michigan. Businesses' reaction to social networking today is similar to the mid-1990s, when the Internet was new and companies didn't see a need for it, he said.

Only 15 percent of small businesses in Michigan had an Internet connection in 1993. By 1998, 20 percent had a Web site, and now nearly all companies in Michigan have a site, Rogers said.

"Small businesses are learning (about social networking) as they go along," Rogers said.

And...

http://www.detnews.com/article/20091203/BIZ/912030394/1001/biz. Excerpt: There are so many applications that it can be too much for small business owners, said Mike Rogers, vice president of communications for the Small Business Association of Michigan.

"There are tremendous opportunities, but it can be overwhelming for small business owners who are already wearing so many hats," he said. "For those (entrepreneurs) who are adept (with technology), they can be useful tools, but they are so busy keeping their heads above water, that they can't always analyze" which applications are working and which aren't.

Finally...http://www.talentzoo.com/digital_pivot/news.php/Will-Cyber-Monday-Always-Be-As-Popular/?articleID=6206#. A brief quote in this article about Cyber Monday online shopping.