Russ: Good morning. This is The BusinessMakers Show here and online at thebusinessmakers.com. And this is that show that champions innovation by featuring entrepreneurs. The entrepreneurs brought to you by our maligned private sector.

John: That's right. I think maligned is too kind a word...

Russ: You think so?

John: ...and too mild a word. Excoriated is a much better because it's a very harsh repudiation of the free enterprise system that for two hundred years built this country second to none. Now we've got a Harvard Law graduate running the thing and he's, you know, I don't think he has a clue.

Russ: I don't either. Alright.

John: Okay.

Russ: And here's our lineup for this morning. First up for the AFLAC BusinessMakers Flashback. Earlier this week, we featured and premiered BusinessMakers Overtime, a new very cool look at American business led by Katie Laird and Esther Steinfeld. So we're going to share some of that with you on the flashback.

John: That's great. They are going to do a bang up job and, you know, we've been looking for a way to refresh the show a little bit. You should never stop in proving your position in business and I think this is a good move for us to make the show more appealing to some other demographics out there that might be listening to us.

Russ: Man, they are really happening. Okay. And then for our featured guest segment, I'm going to set down and visit with Jimmy Jongebloed, the founder, President, and CEO of Gripping Eyewear. I know enough about this story to know that this is going to be real cool. This guy stumbled across a patent that he has made into a real happening business. But first... that's right, it's time for The BusinessMakers school of business. And this is not your business as usual school.

John: This is a school where we polish people's minds in such a way that they just are effervescent out there in the business community.

Russ: Alright. And we kick off the school of business each Saturday morning with a quote of the day.

John: Quote of the day.

Russ: I'm going to read this quote first and only then, and after then, I'm going to tell you who it's by and when they said these words. The budget should be balanced. The Treasury should be refilled. Public debt should be reduced. The arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled and the assistance to foreign land should be curtailed lest Rome become bankrupt. Now obviously the mention of Rome –

John: It was the Pope, right? The Vatican?

Russ: No, it was not. It was Marcus Cicero in 55 B.C.

John: He's a contemporary of Julius Caesar and Pompey and I forget the other Emperor. But they had a triumvirate I believe back in those times. Three guys running the republic and of course no decisions could ever get made.

Russ: Okay, that was 2,060 years ago but probably some good advice for today.

John: I would think so. It's good advice for any age, for any era.

Russ: That's right. Alright. That brings us to this week in business history. What happened in this first week of August?

John: Oh, we have quite a roster here. This week in business history, in 1693, this is the week which most people identify Don Perione's invention of champagne.

Russ: Oh, I'll drink to that.

John: Okay. This week in business history, in 1790, is the first census of the United States. Now it showed there were about 3.9 million people. About, a little more than a fifth of those people were slaves and the largest cities were New York City with only 33,000 people and Philadelphia with 28,000 and, you know, they've h ad a census every four years and there's going to be a change, many believe, in this upcoming census because they're going to be actually counting people but they're going to be taking those numbers as kind of a representative sample –

Russ: And extrapolating them.

John: and extrapolate. So it's going to be very inaccurate.

Russ: And controversial.

John: And controversial.

Russ: Because it's very important.

John: Because it's going to be run by the White House as opposed to the Commerce Department. Okay. This week in business history, in 1794, the Whiskey Rebellion begins.

[Music: "Whiskey River"]

John: I mean they just started a new country. No sooner are they starting a country, there's another rebellion over, guess what? Taxes.

Russ: Taxes, because they were apparently taxing whiskey.

John: They were taxing whiskey. They had that pesky, Alexander Hamilton, who decided to assume the debts of the individual states and federalize those debts and he had to raise taxes. Now the interesting thing, the really historical thing about this rebellion was, it's the only time a U.S. President has led troops into a potentially combative situation. That was George Washington who led about 15,000 troops up into Pennsylvania. And that's South Park area where this happened. It's right around where I used to live as a kid. And, of course, when these rebellious people heard that Washington was leading these troops, the rebellion folded like a cheap suit. So, how would you feel?

Russ: So he led because he was real serious about this tax on whiskey?

John: Well, he thinks that the federal government should not be rebelled against. This week in business history, in 1812, is the start of the war of the 1812. It's actually been referred as the 2nd American Revolution because the British Navy were boarding U.S. ships with what they would call impressing, in other words, taking these Navy personnel on the ships and claiming them as British subjects.

Russ: Oh. Well, what's the difference between that and taking them prisoner?

John: Well, that's what they were doing. But they were making them work on the ships as opposed to incarcerating them. Of course, what I did not is the British military was supporting the American Indians and the resistance against the expansion of the American frontier and that was another reason. This week in business history, in 1873, a test drive for the world's first cable car. Now, there's a guy named Andrew Smith Holiday born in 1836 in London. He immigrated to the United States during the gold rush. He didn't find any gold. But he did find work as a surveyor and he helped plan and build ditches, roads and suspension bridges using wire and rope. And eventually, he decided to develop this freight system for moving goods across canyons and rough terrain by using suspended loops of wire rope. So, he took that concept and put it underground in San Francisco for the cable cars.

Russ: Wow, neat.

John: This week in business history, in 1875, the first roller skating rink opens. 1875.

Russ: I wonder if they used real roller skating rink music back then.

John: I don't know. Like an organist or something? I wonder if they had roller derby back in those days? Remember Joan Weston, the blonde Amazon?

Russ: Was she with the Bay Area Bombers?

John: She's a Bay Area Bombers, right. Okay. This week in business history, in 1900, Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, is founded by Harvey Firestone and the rest is history. This week in business history, in 1926, is the birthday of Tony Bennett and he needed the cable cars back there in San Francisco because that's where his heart is and he has to visit the heart to get it rejuvenated.

Russ: Yeah. Well, I guess so. So '26, that would be what? He's 83 this week. Happy Birthday, Tony.

[Music: "I Left My Heart in San Francisco"]

John: This week in business history, 1941, the first Jeep is produced, off the road vehicle. The first SUV to help win the war. This week in business in history, in 1942, is the birthday of Jerry Garcia.

Russ: The Grateful Dead.

John: Of the Grateful Dead, yes.

[Music: "Truckin'"]

John: Now this week in business history, in 1943, a year after Jerry Garcia was born, was when John F. Kennedy gets his PT boat rammed in the Salman Islands and instantly becomes a war hero. To his credit, you know, he did some amazing heroic acts to save his crew and get rescued.

Russ: And survive and then get elected.

John: And get elected. This week in business history, in 1956, Elvis Presley releases Hound Dog.

[Music: "Hound Dog"]

John: Man, that got him going.

Russ: Well, I think it got a lot of people going. Man that was a huge change in the world of rock and roll to see that guy do that song. Wow.

John: Yeah, right. rockabilly. This week in business history, 1957, a year afterwards, American Bandstand begins with the ageless Dick Clark.

Russ: Yeah, no kidding. Now did you watch American Bandstand?

John: Yeah, I watched it.

[Music: "American Bandstand Theme"]

John: Okay. This week in business history, in 1960, Chubby Checker, starts a new worldwide dance craze known as the Twist.

[Music: "The Twist"]

Russ: Well, now that was huge and monumental as well. Man, he just changed the way we all danced.

John: This has been a monumental week.

Russ: It has.

John: Okay. In 1961, Patsy Cline tops American Country Music Charts with, I Fall to Pieces.

[Music: " I Fall to Pieces"]

Russ: What a classic.

John: That is a great tune. I love that song. Okay. Later on in 1963, the British, the U.S., and the U.S.S.R. sign a Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. I guess you could say this was one of J.F.K.'s foreign policy accomplishments.

Russ: That seemed so unusual when it happened. I thought we were all getting ready to fire at each other and then all of a sudden everybody gets together and seems to be sane for a moment.

John: Well I think everybody had gotten all they were going to get out of those tests anyway. They were ready to launch them at each other.

Russ: Yeah. That might be true, too.

John: This week in business history, in 1972, the first article exposing the Watergate scandal. Woodward and Bernstein who were back benchers of the Washington Post, they were sent to cover some hearing, and boom. Look what happened. It caused a lot of people to go into journalism for all the wrong reasons in my opinion. This week in business history, in 1975, a great song, One of These Nights, by the Eagles, hits number one.

[Music: "One of These Nights"]

Russ: A big time great song.

John: Oh, what a great song. What a great band. They just came out with a new album last year and marketed it exclusively in the Wal-Mart. They kind of bypassed all the middle guys. This week in business history, in 1978, the Rolling Stones, Miss You, is number one.

[Music: "Miss You"]

Russ: Wow. That was a classic as well.

John: And then Garth Brooks performs a free concert in Central Park in New York for HBO this week in business history in 1997.

[Music: "Friends in Low Places"]

Russ: Yeah. That was kind of interesting to hear his music from New York City in Central Park. But I watched a little bit of it on TV and man, it was pretty incredible.

John: And last but not least, this week in business history, in 2007, Barry Bonds, of the San Francisco Giants, formerly of the Pittsburgh Pirates, we used to call Mr. Floptober there in Pittsburgh because they'd get in the playoffs and he'd go high. He couldn't hit. He couldn't field. But anyway, he breaks Hank Aaron's homerun record by hitting his 756th homerun.

Russ: Asterisk's there. Yeah. Mr. Floptober, maybe he wasn't doing the juice back there in Pittsburgh.

John: I don't think he was because he was skinny as a rail. You know, he was a good player. They put him out in left field. Unfortunately, he couldn't throw out the slowest player in baseball which caused them to lose to the Atlanta Braves and then which kept them from getting into the World Series.

Russ: Okay. And that wraps up our history lesson for today.

John: About Mr. Floptober. Right. Okay.

Russ: Okay. There you go. Good stuff there, for sure. And that brings us to navigating business jargon, our vocabulary lesson where I get to go out there in the world and I review the new techno speak, the acronyms, all these new words. Pick one out, bring it in here, keep it private from John. He doesn't know what it is at all. And then I say the word and then John tries to guess the meaning.

John: That's right. And I guarantee you. This is no BS out there to the listeners. You need to know that I do not know the word.

Russ: He doesn't want to know. He doesn't want to know.

John: I don't want to know because this adds drama.

Russ: Alright. You ready?

John: Yeah.

Russ: Here's this morning's word. Overshare.

John: Overshare. Overtime is when you work over time. Well, overshare is when – you know, you share things with people and sometimes you have to go over and above to maintain the friendship, to maintain the relationship. So you overshare.

Russ: Boy, you are close, but no cigar.

John: Oh, what?

Russ: It's really, a better definition of this overshare is just TMI, too much information. To divulge excessive personal information in a blog or Twitter or broadcast interview prompting reactions ranging from alarmed discomfort to approval. A lot of oversharing going on these days, man. All over the place and blogosphere particularly, and in Twitter.

John: Yeah, yeah.

Russ: Alright. And that brings us to dumbest moments. Do you have a story for us this morning?

John: I was debating whether to do this one or not because very rarely do you find the story about the stimulus dollars going to good use.

Russ: Oh, cool. We've got one?

John: Right. Yes. I'm finding out, this is according to the New York Post, that the Feds are spending tens of millions of stimulus dollars to repair and build toilets around the nation.

Russ: What kind? People's homes or public toilets or - ?

John: Well, all kinds of toilets from outhouses to historic restrooms.

Russ: You're making this up?

John: No, no. It's going to spruce up and completely replace them, replace the aging toilets in various locales. In New Mexico alone, they're spending 2.8 million dollars in the National Forest. Now the reason why I'm saying this is a good thing is we're finally getting an idea, if you ever want to think of a symbol –

Russ: Of where our stimulus dollars are going –

John: Yeah. So it's something better than the Feds taking all this excremental I mean incremental money and putting it into something that everybody uses.

Russ: This is really a true story? Where did you get this information?

John: Again, I am sourcing the New York Post. A guy named Jeff Earl who is the correspondent. Leslie Page of the Citizens Against Government Waste says you can definitely say this is potty pork. This puts a whole different swirl of money going down the drain.

Russ: Now I can't call them and say, "Look, I've got a pretty old toilet in my house. Will you come and fix it?"

John: I doubt that. Okay. I don't think so.

Russ: I should take care of my own toilet.

John: Take care of your own toilet. And some of this money, they say, is going to improve accessibility of these toilets under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Russ: Okay. Alright. Well, that's a good story there. I'm glad you shared that. I'm glad in the debate on whether or not to share that with us, you decided to share that with us.

John: Well, it was a tough call.

Russ: Alright. Alright. And before we wrap up this morning's school of business, it's time for the vary popular PKF Texas Entrepreneurs Playbook. So let's welcome Mr. Greg Price.

John: There he is. The guy is always on time. Come on in, Greg.

Russ and John: A one and a two and a –

[PKF Texas – The Entrepreneurs Playbook]

Russ: And that wraps up this morning's school of business. Stay tuned in for the AFLAC BusinessMakers Flashback as we share highlights from this week's premiere of The BusinessMakers Overtime and then our featured guest segment with Jimmy Jongebloed, the founder and CEO of Gripping Eyewear. You're listening to The BusinessMakers Show heard here and online at thebusinessmakers.com.