Katie: Welcome back to The BusinessMakers Overtime Show, heard here and online at thebusinessmakers.com. We're gonna jump into segment three, talking about something that I actually completely love to talk about and that is gift giving.

Esther: Yes.

Katie: I love presents.

Esther: Love gift giving, love gift getting.

Katie: Gift getting, totally. (Laughter)

Esther: That's awesome, too. It's very relevant right now as we're approaching the holiday season because maybe you're in a position of authority and you've gotta think about what to give your employees or maybe you are trying to impress your boss and you wanna think of something great to give him or her. So we're gonna touch on a couple of those things that will either make you look like a hero or a zero.

Katie: (Laughter) Cute.

Esther: Yeah.

Katie: Talkin' about a couple of things that may make you into a hero. I know that one of the coolest things that I would think, not being a CEO myself, but that I would think would be rockin' is headphones. Like everybody has an iPod. Everybody has a laptop. Everybody has some sort of portable device to listen to your favorite BusinessMakers Overtime Show –

Esther: Absolutely.

Katie: - podcast. (Laughter) And it's pretty cool, the options that are out there right now. I mean there's everything from those absolutely phenomenal Bose headphones, those noise canceling headphones that I know that actually my dad has a set and he just brings 'em on to airplanes specifically so he doesn't have to listen to anybody.

Esther: Right.

Katie: He doesn't listen to anything. He just listens to silence. (Laughter)

Esther: Right. Which is fine.

Katie: It's fine. It's fine, unless you're traveling with him and I's not very nice. But those'll are typically run you, uh, about $300.00. So –

Esther: It's a pricy gift. You might wanna go in with a couple people on that one.

Katie: Exactly. Maybe this is like a department gift and you can all sign the card and look really swell.

(Laughter)

Esther: Right.

Katie: Or somethin' like that.

Esther: Yes.

Katie: And kind of going along the electronics line. Of course Esther and I are absolute iPhone fanatics.

Esther: Uh huh.

Katie: Wouldn't it be awesome if everybody on your team chipped in five or ten dollars for an iTunes gift card and then maybe actually listed out all of the iPhone apps that they think that you, the boss, should have?

Esther: That's great and thoughtful.

Katie: So they can't actually go onto your iPhone and you know, install things for you, but how hilarious would it be, you know, to just kind of get a "Hey, we love you and here's what you should be dong to play with," (Laughter)

Esther: I think that's a great idea. And I think also think about if your boss is a reader, you could either consider a Kindle.

Katie: Yes.

Esther: A Kindle's a great gift for a CEO or just books. Think about some of the best business books out there. Check his bookshelf and see if he has 'em already and if he doesn't then get him some great books like Jim Collins' Good To Great –

Katie: Yeah.

Esther: - is a classic.

Katie: Yes, yes.

Esther: You know, Groundswell, classic.

Katie: Yep.

Esther: You know, these are great books that if you're a CEO and you've not read them, well, you should –

Katie: (Laughter)

Esther: - you should read them.

Katie: Get on that, proto, CEO. (Laughter)

Esther: Read that. Yeah.

Katie: So they have other things that I think are absolutely hilarious. So there's a company that actually sells nothing but laptop stands and not laptop stands, like for your desk or for your countertop, but for your treadmill and your, your workout places –

Esther: Wow.

Katie: And all that it is is this piece of plastic that you buy the different models according to what you're trying to fit it onto. And the idea is that it'll give you this like workout friendly workspace. (Laughter)

Esther: What kinda workout can you do with a computer in front of your face?

Katie: I have no idea.

Esther: That's like the – remember we talked about the TV that goes in your, on your steering wheel?

Katie: Oh my gosh. That's still pisses me off just thinking about it.

Esther: These two things just do not go together. I just – it's like the people who come into the gym in the morning with their cup of coffee and they're on the treadmill walking like two miles an hour. I'm like you may as well still be asleep right now.

Katie: Ah – yeah, exactly, come on.

Esther: Like you're not working out, come on.

Katie: Yeah, but maybe you, you have some sort of innovative workspace and everybody has those desk treadmill things. And then you got a built-in gift right there. (Laughter)

Esther: Absolutely. I should get – my desk does raise.

Katie: Oh does? See?

Esther: I should get one of those little treadmills underneath.

Katie: You could do it. You could totally do it.

Esther: But I would get no work done.

Katie: (Laughter)

Esther: Be like get my iPod out, start walkin' around on my treadmill. It could be dangerous.

Katie: So wouldn't it be nice as an employee to give your beloved CEO maybe the gift of absolute silence and serenity. Like the gift of you not being around to but them. How nice would that be?

Esther: That would be a great gift, probably. No interruptions.

Katie: Exactly. So I mean of course everybody sees these massage places popping up all over the place and when I see massage places, I actually mean the massage places.

Esther: Massage Envy people. Come on.

Katie: Exactly. Massage Envy. What's up. Gift cards or go completely extreme and find your nearest sensory deprivation tank.

Esther: Oh yeah.

Katie: I mean there's companies that they'll rent out – it's like $100.00 for 90 minutes and you can put your boss in this complete state of blackness.

(Laughter)

Esther: Not for your for your entrepreneurial claustrophobics.

Katie: Exactly! (Laughter)

Esther: But if you have a boss who likes to be in tightly confined spaces, I'm – would hate that gift. But that might be good for you.

Katie: Exactly. (Laughter)

Esther: Imagine.

Katie: Gifts to give if you hate your boss.

Esther: I know. Bad gifts. You know, just try to talk to your boss as a human being and see the kids of gifts – what is he interested in? Like last year, my boss – who is also my father as you, most of you know – he is likes to sing barbershop quartet music.

Katie: No way?

Esther: He is in a barbershop quartet and we actually got him a pitch whistle. That's great for him. That's a perfect gift for him.

Katie: Versus a –

Esther: If your boss likes to sing barbershop quartet music, then you should also get him a pitch whistle because he will enjoy that.

Katie: The weird thing is I actually really like barbershop quartet music.

Esther: Do you?

Katie: But I had no idea.

Esther: Well ma- maybe you should be his daughter then.

(Laughter)

Katie: That's fascinating.

Esther: I have bad memories of my dad turning the barbershop music on in the car like being in sixth grade. The boy- like boys are in the car. He's like, "Let's listen to this barbershop music." Like damn!

(Laughter)

Katie: That's awesome.

Esther: Yeah. Oh, I'll send you some, some links.

Katie: So let's switch gears a little bit. What, what are some of the worst gifts that you've gotten. Either in the professional, you know, workplace where people, you know, sometimes are prone to try to buddy you up, I guess, with gifts, whether they're vendors or whatever – or just personal everyday and you don't have to mention names. No names. Well – I don't wanna break any friendships here.

Esther: Ahem. Dad.

Katie: (Laughter)

Esther: The worst gift I ever got and we still joke about this to this day – got this bag, was real excited about it. Take out the tissue and then it's a dictionary.

Katie: (Laughter)

Katie: You know, when you're like ten years old, the last thing you want is a Webster's Dictionary.

Katie: Oh, my gosh.

Esther: Now, that might be okay. May- uh, prob'ly not.

Katie: It'd still be weird.

Esther: It'd still be weird.

Katie: Yeah. A dictionary!

Esther: Yeah.

Katie: It's still just, uh.

Esther: Give me a gift card, you know?

Katie: Yeah.

Esther: Stick with a gift card.

Katie: Exactly.

Esther: Dictionary's still the worst gift I ever got and every time I open a present from my dad, I'm like, "Is this another dictionary?"

(Laughter)

Katie: That's awesome.

Esther: He's like, "Could you be grateful for something?"

(Laughter)

Katie: There are children in Africa, Esther –

Esther: I know.

Katie: There are children in Africa.

Esther: I know. It's true.

Katie: Which isn't connected at all. But like –

Esther: I know. Like we have Internet now. We don't need to be giving anymore dictionaries.

Katie: Exactly.

Esther: Got dictionary.com, we're good.

Katie: It's totally cool.

Esther: What about you, Katie? What's the worst gift you ever got?

Katie: So I just wanna start this off by saying that I am very, very pro eco- reuse, recycle. Like I'm very into that. Like I really am. Like I use plastic bags for a variety of things in my household and I could go on but I'd completely bore everybody like I like reusing stuff. You know, because there's some things, just like talking to Brenden about recomputed, about this computer, that just because you're done with something, doesn't mean that you can't take care of it, you know? It doesn't just t go in the trash.

Esther: Right.

Katie: Having prefaced my little statement with that, I –

Esther: Not everything –

Katie: Not everything –

Esther: - can be reused.

Katie: - should be reused. And I'm talking specifically about regifting. Regifting of course being the concept that somebody has received a gift in the past, whether it was five years ago, whether it's, you know, ten minutes ago – and then they give it to you as a new gift – like look at this thing.

Esther: Because they hate it also.

Katie: I can't use it, so I'm just gonna pawn it off on you so that I don't have to see it anymore and I don't have to see it anymore and I don't feel guilty about throwing something perfectly good away.

Esther: Right.

Katie: So I would have to say that my worst gifts have been those really bizarre regifted gifts. Like if you get a gift card to place that you'll never go to, and you give that to somebody like that's a perfectly awesome regift.

Esther: Absolutely.

Katie: But if you get say a bottle of lotion and use a little bit of it and the bottle of lotion that smells like old women. Okay, like old people.

Esther: (Laughter)

Katie: - and then you put it, say, in a gift box that's obviously that has like some spills on it and whatever and then you wrap it in tissue and give it to someone, that's not appropriate. That's really not appropriate at all.

Esther: Stick that under your tree.

Katie: Exactly.

(Laughter)

Katie: So when you're thinking about regifting –

Esther: I'm imagining your face. That's why I'm laughing so hard. Imagining your face receiving smelly lotion.

Katie: I was so gracious. I was so gracious and now I'm talking about it on the radio. No names will be mentioned here. (Laughter)

Esther: If you've ever considered giving a bottle of half-used lotion –

Katie: Unless there's a hundred dollar bill in the lotion –

Esther: - at the bottom of the – unless there's gold that I can strain out of this lotion –

Katie: Exactly.

Esther: - you better –

Katie: Exactly.

Esther: - use it yourself or toss it in the trash. That's an acceptable thing to throw away.

Katie: That is totally acceptable. So that would be the worst. That would be the worst gift that I've ever received.

Esther: That's bad.

Katie: And it wasn't even a joke 'cause even the – it wouldn't have been funny if it was but you know? (Laughter)

Esther: If you've ever received a terrible gift like that, a dictionary or half-used lotion, we wanna know about it. Will you please tell us at our Twitter account?

Katie: Please tell us.

Esther: Twitter.com/overtimeshow or –

Katie: Or on Facebook at Facebook.com/thebusinessmakers.

Esther: We love hearing from you. It's so fun.

Katie: We do and it makes us feel so much less bad about our lotion and dictionary woes.

(Laughter)

Katie: Make us feel better.

Esther: Yes, please.

Katie: You've been listening The BusinessMakers Overtime Show where we're servin' you up fresh business news and ideas, not regifted ones. Don't go away.

Esther: We like to keep it fresh for you.

Katie: That's right. Keepin' it fresh. (Laughter) You can check us out on line at thebusinessmakers.com/overtime. And we've had such a great time talkin' to you. I'm Katie Laird –

Esther: And I'm Esther Steinfeld –

Katie: And we'll see you next week.