Russ: Good morning! This is The BusinessMakers Show heard here and online at thebusinessmakers.com. And this is that show about those innovators - those innovators that are going to champion the cause and gets us out of this mess.

John: Well, they'll get us out of this mess as long as the government leaves them alone.

Russ: Well, that's right.

John: We always used to talk about the minimum wage. Now there's a maximum wage, and there's going to be some federal agency of "wagology" there that's going to determine all of this.

Russ: I've got to agree. It is challenging at times. But I think one thing that they have to do is they have to take that advice of Archie Bell and the Drells.

[Music: 'Tighten up"]

Russ: That's right they have to tighten up. Alright, but here's our lineup for this morning. First up for the Aflac BusinessMakers flashback, earlier this week, I visited with Phil Morabito, the founder and CEO of Pierpont Communications, talking about marketing in this tough, tough economy and what you have to do about it. I think everybody ought to pay attention to this.

John: One thing is you just don't give up. You've got to keep plugging away to get that market share. It's the best time in the world to get market share.

Russ: Yeah, buyers' market. I agree, and so does Phil.

John: Alright.

Russ: And then for our Featured Guest segment this morning, I'm going to visit with Giovanni Gallucci. He is an expert on everything about marketing online. But first...that's right, it's time for the BusinessMakers' School of Business. And this is our special curriculum designed to fill the gaps - the chasm - in regular business education.

John: That's right, but we do so by making this curriculum much more real world and closer to the student.

Russ: And we kick it off - we kick off the School of Business with a quote of the day.

John: Quote of the day.

Russ: Speaking of these economic conditions. And this morning, the quote comes from Don Boudreaux, the chairman of the Department of Economics at George Mason University.

John: Alright.

Russ: And I think you're gonna love it. Here it is. "Popular sentiment has it backward. The bigger the unproductive firm, the more vital it is to let it fail."

John: That's right, yep. If you're successful, you get penalized. If you're unsuccessful, you get the bailout.

Russ: You get the bailout.

John: Alright, here we go. This week in business history, in 1860 - again, we keep running across these inventions that are still with us that were invented many, many years ago. And it's the corkscrew.

Russ: Ah!

John: Actually, it was patented by M.L. Burn of New York, New York.

[Music: "Red, Red Wine"]

John: And then speaking of corkscrews, later on this week in business history, in 1937, Billy Carter was born. He's the brother of Jimmy Carter. And here is one of the Billy Carter quotes that are among my favorites.

Russ: Okay.

John: "Yes, sir. I'm a real southern boy. I got a red neck, white socks, and Blue Ribbon beer." The thing is that he switched from Blue Ribbon. He developed Billy Beer.

Russ: That's right. He did.

John: Okay, this week in business history, in 1842, ether was used as an anesthetic for the first time by Dr Crawford Long - 1842.

Russ: Well, you know, I actually had some surgery in - it would've been 1955 using ether, and it was nasty stuff.

John: It's nasty because you wake up sick and everything.

Russ: Yes, but it was far better than the alternative back then.

John: Yeah, there was a big stick to bite down on like you see in the movies. They take some guy's leg off and make him bite on a stick or something.

Russ: We have come a long, long way.

John: Okay, this week in business history, a pretty good real estate deal here. U.S. buys Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million - about 2 cents an acre. And it was called Seward's Folly. Seward was in the Lincoln cabinet and engineered the transaction and was ridiculed for it. Okay, this week in business history in 1889, the 330 meter Eiffel Tower officially opens. And I didn't know this. They built it to commemorate the French Revolution.

Russ: Wow.

John: This week in business history, probably one of the worst personnel moves ever made, Stalin was appointed General Secretary of the Communist Party.

Russ: He was the meanest of them, wasn't he?

John: Oh, they were all a bunch of thugs.

Russ: Yeah, but I think he was the worst.

John: There was a run of psychotic dictators.

Russ: Okay.

John: Okay. This week in business history in 1940 is the birthday of Barney Frank.

Russ: Wow.

John: Okay now, as tradition often calls for, we sing it like this. "Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, Barney Frank. Happy birthday to you."

Russ: Great job. Happy birthday, Barney. That means he's, what, 69?

John: I was channeling the great Marilyn Monroe.

Russ: He's 69 years old now.

John: I know, boy. Okay, this week in business history in 1941, the birthday of Leon Russell, pianist and a singer, wrote one of my favorite songs of all time, "This Masquerade"

[Music: "This Masquerade"]

Russ: Cool song so that means Leon here is 68 years old.

John: I know. Man, they're all - all these guys are getting old.

Russ: Okay

John: Okay. This week in history in 1943, meat, butter, and cheese - that's not a rock group back in those days - the actual commodities meat, butter, and cheese were rationed in the U.S. during World War II.

Russ: Wow, yeah.

John: You know, because they give them to the troops.

Russ: Do you think we could do that these days?

John: I know. And I'll tell you, digging that vegetable garden in the White House, that's not for show. You know, they -

Russ: That's right.

John: Alright. Okay, this week in history in 1945, the birthday of Eric Clapton of Ripley, England.

[Music: "After Midnight"]

Russ: Mr Clapton, what - he's 64! Goodness gracious. Okay.

John: Okay. This week in history in 1948 - that was the year I was born. That's the birthday of Al Gore, Jr.

Russ: Another birthday, whoa.

John: Okay, this week in business history in 1961, Jim Baker, the evangelist, marries Tammy Faye.

[Music: "Going to the Chapel"]

John: Alright, this week in history in 1968, LBJ announces he will not seek reelection. And I was watching that speech.

Russ: I was, too.

John: And that was not on the script.

Russ: Right. It surprised everybody.

John: All these news announcers - you know, they get the President's speech hours before he gives it -

Russ: Right. Right.

John: And he just kind of threw that in there.

Russ: Right, and it surprise everybody because he had one more term that he could've run, and he would've been there for, like, what, 10-11 years because he had part of JFK's and boom, on live TV, he said, "I'm not running again."

John: Yeah, the war got to him, I think. It dragged him down emotionally.

Russ: Yep, you bet.

John: Plus, he had the heart condition, too.

Russ: Oh, yeah.

John: You know, April Fool's Day is in this week, okay.

Russ: Yes, it is.

John: So we have this week an April Fool's Day history.

Russ: Ah, cool.

John: John Lennon and Yoko Ono issue a press release saying they're having dual sex change operations.

Russ: Meaning he was gonna become a she, and she was gonna become a he, and they were gonna stay together.

John: If someone did that, and they had a partner, would they put them like on joining operating tables and then you would just take the glands and swap the glands?

Russ: Maybe.

John: It would be a lot easier to do.

Russ: It's probably - you'd get a discounted price that way, too.

John: I know, right. This week in business history in 1970, the AMC Gremlin - one of the ugliest cars ever made - it was made because people had this sudden urge to save fuel because the gas went for a few bucks.

Russ: Right. Right.

John: Okay, this week in business history, in 1973, launch of the Lexus Nexus Computerized Legal Research Service -

Russ: They're still in business out there.

John: They are still in business, and they're used a lot - you know, and Tim Russert used to do Meet The Press. He was able to dig up all these old quotes from these politicians he was interviewing which directly contradicted their current stance and whatever they were talking about.

Russ: Right. But can't you do that just with Google now? Almost?

John: Yeah, you almost can do it. But Lexus Nexus is a lot richer, okay.

Russ: Okay. Congratulations to them.

John: Congratulations to them. Okay. This week in business history in 1976, Steven Wozniak and Steven Jobs found Apple Computer.

Russ: Wow. Well, one of our former guests, Wozniak, was on the show. He was also on Dancing With the Stars recently. What a guy.

John: And there's a lot of conjecturing that Steven Jobs is not well physically.

Russ: That's right. That's right.

John: Okay. A lot of people are wondering, is Apple gonna fall the way of other companies that have these charismatic leaders but no succession plan or anything.

Russ: Well, there is absolutely no question that he's the guy that's put them back in the game big time. Jeez.

John: Yeah, the company was hot when he started, and they were growing. And then when he moved out, they faltered a lot.

Russ: Yeah. Right. They faltered a lot. Yeah.

John: They even brought the guy, Scully -

Russ: Yeah, that's right. The Pepsi Cola guy.

John: Scully, the woman in X-Files, tried to run it.

Russ: Yeah, right. Alright.

John: Alright. This week in business history Fleetwood Mac, one of my favorite groups, by the way - they had a good, consistent sound. Their Rumors album goes to #1 and stays there for 31 weeks.

[Music: "Go Your Own Way"]

Russ: That is a cool song and cool album. Malcolm Gladwell likes to talk about Fleetwood Mac in one of his books about how people thought, "Wow, they were just an overnight success," but that was after, like, 20 years of the band before Rumors came out.

John: This week in business history - I almost was an eyewitness to this, believe it or not, because I drove by the hotel where Reagan was shot by John Hinckley about 10 minutes before it happened.

Russ: What year?

John: This week in business history in 1981.

Russ: '81. And you were close by?

John: Yeah.

Russ: Wow.

John: On Connecticut Avenue.

Russ: How did you find out? Did you hear about it on the radio?

John: It was on the radio, yeah, right.

Russ: Wow. Well, it was pretty cool. Reagan demonstrated he could take a bullet, didn't he?

John: It almost killed him. It was a lot more serious than people thought initially.

Russ: Than people thought. Yeah.

John: This week in business history IBM introduces PS2 and OS2 in 1987.

Russ: Well, I was at the announcement of it. It was in Miami, Florida. I will never forget it. Lots of fanfare. It was a national announcement. And in the audience was Bill Gates, you know.

John: Oh, so did you get to meet him? Shake hands with him?

Russ: No, but I think he was just a measly billionaire at the time.

John: Oh, okay.

Russ: But he wasn't like he is today. But he was walking around the trade show and looking under the cover at all these PS2s, and it was surreal it was like this was his first introduction to it. And many thought that the PS2 and OS2 was their first and last attempt to get away from Microsoft. They ultimately gave up and stuck with him, and then he became a giant.

John: Okay, this week in business history in 1995 one of the most inconsequential events on our list.

Russ: Yeah. Alright. Well, I'm braced.

John: Julia Roberts and Lyle Lovett split up.

Russ: Aww! How terrible.

[Music: "She's No Lady"]

John: Alright, then last. Google introduces its Gmail product to the public. It met with a lot of skepticism because the launch date was April 1.

Russ: Yeah, well, it's not met with much skepticism today. Everybody uses it. You continue to blow me away week after week with your history lesson. This might be the best... great, great history lesson.

John: Thank you, sir.

Russ: Alright, and that brings us to our vocabulary lesson.

John: That's right, every school, every class, you need a vocabulary lesson. No exceptions.

Russ: That's right. We focus on that part of the world of words. It's called jargon. And it's all the techno speak, acronyms - the new stuff.

John: The stuff you gotta know.

Russ: Yeah, that's right.

John: Unfortunately, we are judged by the words we use.

Russ: Absolutely.

John: And if you're not using the right words, baby, you're out of town.

Russ: And these things pop up and they're so new that it's hard to stay ahead.

John: They're so new, I don't even know them half the time. Well, more than half the time.

Russ: Well, then it's my job to go out and find a new word or new phrase.

John: Scour the globe.

Russ: That's right. And then I say the word, and then John uses all of his vocabulary and cognitive skills to take a shot at guessing it. This is going to be interesting. I think it's a challenge. I think he can get it, but it's gonna be tough.

John: Well, it's easy for you to say that because you know the word and I don't.

Russ: And I know you. Alright. Here it is. "stall nap".

John: Stall nap.

Russ: Stall nap.

John: "Stall" means you're losing momentum, you're just kind of hanging. "Nap" is when you fall asleep.

Russ: Well, let me give you a better hint. This "stall" is a noun.

John: "Stall" is a place where a horse goes to sleep.

Russ: Okay.

John: Okay, so stall nap is when you're in a little, itsy bitsy, little cubicle -

Russ: Alright, I'm gonna give you another hint. Iit's another kind of stall.

John: I give up.

Russ: Okay.

John: I'm burned out, man. You're burning me out, man!

Russ: It's a short sleep taken in the office bathroom. And you gotta watch out for the telling red forehead spot afterwards because, you know, you're having to prop your head up while you're in there taking a nap. So, you need to start inspecting your employees. If they come out with a red splotch on their head, they were just in there sleeping. Alright, that brings us to dumbest moments. Do you have a story for us in this category this morning?

John: Well, I believe in cause and effect.

Russ: I do, too.

John: For every dumb moment, there's gonna be an after shock or a result that proves that it was a dumb moment. Because while we're in dumb moments, we don't know exactly that they're dumb moments right away.

Russ: Right. We just think they are.

John: Yeah, but right now, I would say, due to the move of the government to enforce stricter federal fuel economy standards because of the bailout to build more fuel efficient cars.

Russ: Right.

John: And the result is there's about a half a million fuel efficient cars piled up unsold around the country's various lots because of people aren't buying them.

Russ: Because people are not buying them?

John: That's right. Because there's a dealer - his name is Bo Beckerman whose family owns a Ford dealership - the largest Ford dealership in the country which is in southern California.

Russ: Okay.

John: This is a direct quote. He says, "I don't think Americans really like small cars, 'said Bo.' They drive them when they think they have to - when gas prices are high, but we're big people and we like big cars." And this is what happens. You think the government would've learned with the mortgage crisis when they were forcing some of these banks to make loans to people who couldn't pay them back. The market dictates what kind of car you make.

Russ: Not the government.

John: Not the government.

Russ: Alright. And before we wrap up this morning School of Business, it's time for that very popular vignette called PKF Texas, the entrepreneur's playbook.

John: You know, Greg, the guy, is always on time.

Russ: Right on time.

John: And he keeps the time.

Russ and John: A 1, and a 2, and a -

[PKF Texas - The Entrepresneur's Playbook]

Russ: And that wraps up the School of Business. You're listening to The BusinessMaker Show heard here and online at thebusinessmakers.com. Stay tuned to hear Phill Morabito tell us what we ought to be doing marketing wise in this down economy. And then he's gonna be followed by a discussion with Giovanni Gallucci, the man that knows interactive marketing and everything about marketing online.