join me in the small business challenge?

Not to brag, but today I came up with a really inspired marketing idea.

I was on the other side of town and needed some coffee. Really. Needed. Coffee. It had been one of those mad mornings and I hadn't had nearly enough before leaving the house. I thought over my options based on location and decided to skip the big chain cafe I usually visit and went to a local coffee shop called Bad Ass Cafe* instead.

While Bad Ass Cafe is a franchise, the one at the beach in Virginia Beach is the only one in Hampton Roads. It has a unique local, beachy feel. The staff were friendly and wearing whatever they wanted to wear. There was no obnoxious music playing. And my cafe au lait and breakfast wrap were delicious and reasonably priced. Best of all down at the beach - free parking.


So, there I was mid-sip of my delicious cafe au lait with Kona dark roast and it hit me - if I'm going to talk the small business talk, I want to do the walk, too.

And that is how I came up with the inspired idea of the the Small Business Challenge.

Want to join me? Here are the Small Business Challenge objectives:

1. Replace. Each week replace 5 big brand businesses that you use with local, privately owned small businesses.

2. Comment. On your blog, Twitter, Facebook, or whatever your social media marketing tool of choice, comment on your experiences. Tell which big brand shop you passed up and discuss the small business you chose instead.

3. Review. Share your experience at the small business via Yelp or any other reviewing site or tools. In this way, you can give the owner feedback while promoting their small business to other potential customers.

Now, when it comes to grocery shopping and items you can purchase at Target, using small businesses could be tricky and require some online searching on our part. Perhaps it will mean visiting more than one store to get what we need. And I'll admit it, one of my main concerns as a consumer is cost. Will it be more expensive to use local businesses?

I'm looking forward to finding out the answer to all of these questions and hope you are too.

After all, if you try it for a week or so, what do you have to lose? And, in the long run we're going to be supporting our local businesses and make our communities stronger.

So join me in the Small Business Challenge in your neighborhood and keep me updated with your experiences.

*Please note: Bad Ass Cafe is NOT a client. This is an honest review from an actual customer - me.

what makes a creative idea "good"?

Have you ever wondered why some creative ideas flourish while others fizzle? Being in the advertising business for a living, it's something I've given a lot of thought.

Over the years, I've seen ideas that were truly awful take off and I've seen really imaginative creative ideas die before even being presented. And then there are ideas that fall somewhere in the middle; ideas that are not all that great, but they get the job done by earning results, though not accolades or awards.

Working with clients on developing creative ideas for their advertising executions recently got me thinking about the question again - what really does make an idea for creative advertising "good"?

Simply put, here are some key factors:

Stratagy. The most important component of all. Having a passionate delivery of a new idea is good but when you can support that excitement and clearly articulate why the idea is strategic and will achieve your marketing objectives, you know that on some level the idea will be successful.

Nurtured. An idea needs to be nurtured carefully and allowed to take root and grow a bit before it is shared. Former Hallmark greeting card executive creative Gordon MacKenzie very eloquently discusses this point throughout his amazing book on corporate creativity, Orbiting the Giant Hairball.

Delivery. Sometimes it's all in how you deliver the idea. I've been in brainstorms where someone would blurt out the craziest, most absurd idea, but because they were excited and enthusiastic about the idea we listened, got excited, and got on board too.

Levels. Years ago a mentor explained this one to me. If the idea works on more than one level, such as in the abstract as well as the literal, or if it is culturally relevant, or if it has double meaning (or for some clients double entendre) it is more complex and will tend to engage people more deeply.

Buy-in. Often who supports your idea can be just as powerful as the idea itself. When people you respect or have sway in your industry like and back your idea, it not only supports the idea, it will give you the confidence to be fearless and execute the idea with passion.

Fearlessness. New ideas tend to make people uncomfortable. As a small business person, venturing your time or money on a creative advertising idea that has never been done by you or anyone in your industry is intimidating. If there is marketing strategy behind the idea, be fearless and let it loose.

Confidence. Just because you are not an advertising executive doesn't mean you aren't creative. You know your customers best. With a little coaching, research, and inventiveness you can gain the confidence you need to develop creative ideas that encompass all of these points.

do you have a mentor?

Sometimes owning and operating a small business seems like working in a vacuum. If you're a sole proprietor, you often don't have someone knowledgeable in your business to bounce ideas off and get reliable feedback. Or, you're so busy working on the day-to-day, you don't take time to look at the big picture. That's where the small business mentor can help.

When I was just starting Simple, I was lucky enough to stumble across SCORE, the Service Core of Retired Executives. I was even luckier when I was randomly assigned my mentor, an IT and marketing genius who pioneered early computers, opened trade agreements between the US and Asia, worked in the White House, and then founded a company that invented computer software that you've probably used at least once today.

I meet with my mentor each week. He's advised me on nuts and bolts tasks like developing my business plan and wading through cash flow spreadsheets. But the most valuable service he's provided is getting me to look at my business sideways, and upside down, and five years from now.

In the next week, I'll be rolling out some updates to Simple that have come out of our work together. None of my core services have changed, but the way I'm presenting them and pricing them have. Simpler and cheaper are the keywords, and those are two words that any small business owner likes to hear.

Find Your Mentor
If you don't have a mentor, here are some resources that can help you find one:

SCORE: A nationwide organization of retired C-level executives who provide free and confidential advice for entrepreneurs. 364 offices nationwide. Get started with the 60-Second Guide to Finding a Mentor, a quick tip sheet on how to find a mentor - online or face-to-face - that is right for you.

SCORE for Women Entrepreneurs: A part of SCORE run by retired female executives. Provides same SCORE expertise specifically for woman-owned small businesses.

Small Business Development Centers: A list of SBDC's compiled by the US Small Business Administration. SBDCs offer one-stop assistance to individuals and small businesses by providing a wide variety of information and guidance in central and easily accessible branch locations.

Office of Entrepreneurial Development: Also presented on the USBA website, the OED offers resources such as entrepreneurship education and the small business training network.