Russ: Good morning. This is The BusinessMakers Show heard here and online at theBusinessMakers.com. And this is that show about the innovators, about those that go out there and make business happen.
John: That's right, they make it happen, they create the idea, and then get it executed. And they raise the money, they find customers, they hire people; and that's an upward spiral. And it's just a great thing that to see and you know we've seen it happen so many times with the people we've had on the show.
Russ: That's right. Alright.
John: It's quite impressive actually.
Russ: I like the way that you said that. Sure.
John: Well thank the upward spiral of success.
Russ: You bet. And speaking of people that we've had on the show, here's what we've got lined up this week. This week's guests both are on the road interviews, actually across the Atlantic interviews. First up for the Aflac BusinessMakers Flashback, I was on the campus of the University of Edinburgh in Scotland talking entrepreneurship. And I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with Jessica Williamson, who is both an entrepreneur and the Entrepreneurship Coordinator at the University of Edinburgh. And then Jessica brings five interesting Edinburgh Entrepreneurs into the discussion. And then for our Featured Guest segment, I moved on down to France and had both the opportunity to both interview and participate in a very private tour of the D-Day landing sites with the founder of the first English speaking tour company of these very special places in Normandy. I am talking about Michael Phillips, founder of Perception Travel Company. But first... That's right. It's time for The BusinessMakers School of Business and this is our specially selected curriculum put together rigorously each and every week to help out our listeners.
John: That's right, just in time for the Final Four. Before you get immersed in all that basketball this weekend we think you should sit down and get smart. So all you have to do is sit back, listen, no tuition, no final exams, just grin and bear it and then go watch your basketball.
Russ: There you go.
John: Alright.
Russ: And we kick off the School of Business each Saturday morning with the quote of the day.
John: Quote of the day.
Russ: You bet, you bet.
John: Yeah.
Russ: And you actually supplied some quotes recently.
John: I did, I did; yeah. And I think I know which one you're gonna use, but there's a number of quotes on there that are pretty funny.
Russ: Oh, this one's great, yeah. It comes from the Washington DC Gridiron Dinner which took place a couple of weeks ago and Bill Clinton was there speaking as a stand-in for President Barack Obama who was -
John: Working on his brackets or something.
Russ: Yeah, working on his brackets. (Laughter) I think so. And former President Clinton noted that he was speaking on the night before the start of spring.
John: That's right, the start of spring. The birds are chirping, you know, daylight savings, and all that.
Russ: So he said, "Tomorrow's spring," and this is where the quote starts.
John: Okay, alright, okay.
Russ: "Otherwise known to Al Gore is proof of global warming."
John: (Laughter) That's right. That's quite clear now.
Russ: (Laughter) And it's extra-cool that it's coming from Bill Clinton -
John: I know.
Russ: - talking about Al Gore.
John: That's right. Gore was his Vice President for two terms and fortunately Mr. Gore did not win the election although it was very close.
Russ: That's right. It was a close call.
John: Well the problem Al Gore had is he won every precinct in the District of Columbia but the Supreme Court.
Russ: Right. (Laughter)
John: All he had was (Laughter) - he was down to one building -
Russ: - and he lost that one.
John: If he would have got in that building -
Russ: He would have had it.
John: Yeah right, yeah right.
Russ: And that brings us to this week in business history. So what happened during this April week in business history?
John: Okay, we're going back to 1581 this week in business history. A Francis Drake completes circumnavigation of the world.
Russ: Wow.
John: And it's Francis Drake who has actually worked for the Queen of England, Queen Elizabeth.
Russ: And he launched that hotel, right, in San Francisco?
John: To Sir Francis Drake, right, yeah.
Russ: Yeah, he was in the hotel business.
John: Alright, later on in 1803 is the first performance of Ludwig van Beethoven's Second Symphony in D.
Russ: Ah, okay.
John: And it's a great symphony. All symphonies are great; however, it seems that the one that are the most popular were the odd numbered symphonies - the first, the third, the fifth which is the one that's most famous, the seventh and the ninth which is the one that actually transformed music. But the only exception to that is the Sixth Symphony actually, which is known as the "Pastoral Symphony" and it has a lot of great melodies in it and everything.
Russ: Okay, so since this is the anniversary of the second, this one was sort of ho-hum because it's even.
John: Well you could hum a few bars.
Russ: Okay. (Laughter)
John: Alright, this week in business history in 1902, the Texas Oil Company forms called Texaco.
Russ: Texaco.
John: Yeah.
Russ: You can trust your car to the man that wears the star. Right, yeah.
John: This week in business history in 1912, the electric starter first appeared in cars.
Russ: Oh, so we got rid of that hand-crank.
John: That hand-crank, yeah. 'Cause that hand-crank, once the engine, if you didn't get out of the way
Russ: It could hurt you. (Laughter)
John: Yeah, you could knock you into you know, 1581. You'd be running into Francis Drake checking into his hotel.
Russ: (Laughter)
John: Alright, this week in business history in 1912, the Titanic leaves Queenstown, Ireland for New York.
Russ: Oh, man.
John: And Leonardo DiCaprio actually got his first look at Kate Winslet.
Russ: Oh, this week!
John: Yeah, and when it left you know, he had this "King of the World" and all that.
Russ: Right.
John: He should've gotten the heck off of that ship.
Russ: He should've.
John: This week in business history in 1916, U.S. Senate agrees to participate in World War I by a vote of 82 to 6.
Russ: Wow, I wonder who those 6 were.
John: I don't even know who was in the Senate back in those days.
Russ: Right. (Laughter)
John: Okay, alright. This week in business history in 1937, it's the birthday of Colin Powell.
Russ: Whoa.
John: And born in Bronx, New York; a General; Assistant to the President in National Secretary Affairs. He's also Secretary of State for President Bush.
Russ: Yeah. So he's 73.
John: I guess he is.
Russ: Man, he's up there.
John: Yeah, he's up there.
Russ: Okay, alright.
John: This week in business history in 1943, U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt in an attempt to check inflation freezes wages and prices, prohibits workers from changing jobs unless war effort would be aided thereby, and bars rate increases to common carriers and public utilities.
Russ: My goodness!
John: This week in business history in 1951, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg who leaked atomic secrets to the Russians, they were sentenced to death.
Russ: Well, alright.
John: That's what happens when you're a traitor you know -
Russ: Yeah, yeah.
John: - now you get a book deal.
Russ: (Laughter) Yeah right.
John: We're in the wrong period.
Russ: Right.
John: But too bad they were born back in the '30s and '40s.
Russ: Where treason was really against the law.
John: Where treason was treason.
Russ: Yeah, right, right.
John: Okay, this week in business history in 1954, Elvis Presley records is debut single, That's Alright.
[Music: "That's Alright"]
John: Yeah, he was good.
Russ: That was great John. Good music there.
John: Okay, this week in business history, again in 1954, the TV Dinner was first put on sale by Swanson and Sons. Now some of you who were around back in those days, a lot people eat dinner while they're watching TV.
[Music: "TV Dinner"]
John: These were called TV Dinners because they were so easy to fix, right. They were all -
Russ: Yeah, because they were all frozen.
John: They were frozen dinners, you had your pre -
Russ: Pre-prepared.
John: Yeah, pre-prepared. You had your peas, you had your potatoes, there was always Salisbury steak you know.
Russ: Yeah always. (Laughter)
John: Always Salisbury steak, and then you have some little apple crisp -
Russ: That's right. (Laughter)
John: - and then you'd put it in the oven for about 15 minutes.
Russ: Right.
John: They didn't have microwave ovens back then -
Russ: No.
John: - so you had to put it in the oven, you had to preheat the oven -
Russ: It's a little tin plate.
John: In a tin plate and tin foil.
Russ: It was really revolutionary.
John: Yeah, right. It was probably one of the first inventions that really broke up the home. (Laughter)
Russ: Yeah. (Laughter)
John: (Laughter) And also before then, people would sit around the dinner table and talk about what kind of day they had.
Russ: And also those peas and the Salisbury steak tasted almost the same.
John: (Laughter) I know.
Russ: (Laughter) It was kind of interesting how they did that.
John: This week in business history in 1964, the Beatles Can't Buy Me Love single goes number one and stays there for five weeks.
[Music: "Can't Buy Me Love"]
Russ: Don't you think that song was probably a major disappointment for those that did have money.
John: It was proclaiming that you couldn't buy -
Russ: Well they thought you could.
John: You could buy -
Russ: Temporary love.
John: Right. Eliot Spitzer -
Russ: Yeah, he was buying lots of it wasn't he.
John: And Tiger Woods.
Russ: (Laughter) Yes.
John: He was buying his temporary love in mass quantities.
Russ: (Laughter) Yes he was.
John: This week in business history in 1980, Post-it Notes were introduced.
Russ: My goodness.
John: A couple of go-getters at the 3M Company came up with that idea and man.
Russ: No kidding. How could we live without Post-it Notes?
John: I know, I know. Alright, this week in business history in 1991, Sam Walton, billionaire CEO dies of cancer at 74 years. What an icon he was.
Russ: No kidding.
John: I think the company could use him.
Russ: Yep, they probably could.
John: I'm not too happy with some of the things they've been doing, but anyway.
Russ: Well.
John: And then finally, last but not least, this week in business history in 1998, Tammy Wynette, the American country western singer passes away. She's born in 1942 and of course her very famous song, Stand by your Man.
[Music: "Stand By Your Man"]
Russ: Does that wrap up this morning's history lesson?
John: Yeah, I think it does, yeah.
Russ: Alright. Good job. And that brings us to the Jargon Challenge Round. This is where -
John: Jargons, yeah I like this.
Russ: Yeah.
John: I've been doing pretty good, although I think last week I didn't score very well.
Russ: Well that's okay, we can forget about that.
John: You know, nobody's perfect. I mean, you know, c'mon.
Russ: Yeah, that's right. For those of you who don't know, the way that this works is I get to select a word and keep it totally confidential from actually from anybody, but particularly from John. And after I choose a word, then I say the word and then John has to guess the meaning.
John: Yeah, or you make up the word.
Russ: That's right. Alright, here we go. This morning's word is nanostalgia.
John: Wow, nanostalgia. I know what nano means - a real small, minute, short - it can be either expressed for a really short period of time, so it's probably - but it's more small, minute. So stalgia is referring to remembering the past.
Russ: Yeah, yeah.
John: Nostalgia is remembering the past.
Russ: Right, right.
John: So nanostalgia is remembering small things.
Russ: Ah, you were so close! But you're wrong.
John: Okay.
Russ: You're a loser. Nanostalgia is nostalgia for an event that has only just finished.
John: Huh?
Russ: (Laughter) It says nostalgia for something that just took place.
John: Okay.
Russ: Okay? You got it?
John: Yeah.
Russ: Nanostalgia.
John: Alright, okay.
Russ: Alright, alright; and that brings to Dumbest Business Moment. You got one for us?
John: Alright, okay, yeah. Whenever I search for a dumb moment and can't find one, I just go to old reliable.
Russ: Yeah, where's that?
John: Hugo Chavez -
Russ: (Laughter) Right. Yeah, he's got good ones.
John: - the Dictator of Venezuela.
Russ: What a source.
John: Hugo Chavez announced a power reduction. He wanted everybody to use less power -
Russ: Energy power, yeah, yeah.
John: - energy power you know. And homeowners - of course not too many people own their home in Caracas, Venezuela. Businesses - and you know, some of them went along, but others you know, said, "Hey, I've got a business to run here, you know, I've got products to make," so they didn't obey the edict from central planning to cut the power, so Hugo Chavez punished 80 firms for power use by just arbitrarily cutting off their power for 24 hours.
Russ: (Laughter) So that cut their usage, right?
John: Yeah, right. These are restaurants, liquor stores, hotels, gyms, car dealerships, and even a yacht club on the list of 80 firms in the capital, gonna have their power cut off for failing to bring consumption down 20 percent. So they were mandated and if this cap-and-trade goes through just like the healthcare did, there will be mandates on power. I guarantee you that
Russ: Well yeah, I think though -
John: And they're gonna have stuff going on here. Maybe not now, maybe not a year from now -
Russ: But you need to enforce that. You really need a dictator, don't you think?
John: Yeah, right, you do.
Russ: Yeah, you can't do it like with Congress or anything.
John: No, congress won't do it, but they'll give the authority to some czar. That means President Obama's got what, twenty-seven czars -
Russ: Twenty-seven czars, yes.
John: - then he'll let some commaczar, he'll be running the show.
Russ: Yeah, looking at people's meters.
John: He'll delegate to the czar and say, "Look, we've got this power shortage and anybody doesn't follow it, just -
Russ: Cut 'em off.
John: Yeah. The Soviet Union, they got to the point where they would just ship them off into some gulag in Siberia and never be heard from again.
Russ: Yeah, and that cut down their power usage.
John: Yes it does, it does.
Russ: (Laughter) It works.
John: Hey, it does work.
Russ: It's effective management. (Laughter)
John: (Laughter) Alright.
Russ: Alright, and before we wrap up this morning's School of Business, it's time for that very popular PKF Texas' Entrepreneur's Playbook.
John: And here's one guy that operates under his own power.
Russ: That's right. (Laughter)
John: He's a dynamo; and here he is.
Russ: Mr. Greg Price.
John: And he's always on time.
Russ and John: On the piano. A one, and a two, and a -
Greg: This is Greg Price with PKF Texas' Entrepreneur's Playbook.
Beyond benefits like health insurance, what programs does your company have in place to promote the health and well-being of your team members?
According to a study done by the American Journal of Preventative Medicine, employers who invest in worksite health promotion programs, can see a return of $3-$6 for every dollar invested over a 2-5 year period. Documented savings are observed in medical costs, absenteeism, short-term disability and worker's comp claims.
Here are several ideas you can use to create your health and wellness program:
- Negotiate with a local gym for a reduced membership rate for your employees
- Provide healthy alternatives to junk food in your office vending machines
- Add a health tips section to your internal firm newsletter
- Distribute pedometers and hold a walking contest, giving a prize to the employee who takes the most steps over a defined period of time
Health is a topic of conversation everywhere you go these days, what are you going to do to make sure your company is a part of that conversation?
To read and comment on the PKF Texas' Entrepreneur's Playbook, visit my blog, fromgregshead.com. And be sure to check out the new mobile ready website at PKF Texas.com - PKF Texas, The Fit That's Right!
For help on setting up a Wellness Program at work click here.
Russ: And that wraps up this mornings School of Business. Stay tuned in for the Aflac BusinessMakers Flashback where the subject is Entrepreneurship at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. And then for the Featured Guest Segment, where I sit down with Michael Phillips, the founder of Perception Travel Company, the first company to give private tours of the D-Day landing sites. You're listening to the BusinessMakers Show heard here and online at thebusinessmakers.com.
