Esther: Welcome to the BusinessMakers Overtime Show heard here and online at theBusinessMakers.com/overtime. We're your hosts Esther Steinfeld -

Katie: And Katie Laird.

Esther: And we've got a show that's full of balance and business doing good; or at least trying to.

Katie: That's right. It is going to be one full show. Our Chapter 3 covers corporate social responsibility gone wrong and done right with some interesting cause-marketing stories and tips. Then in Chapter 2, we're headed over to meet Amy Robinson, a life coach who's all about helping people find their calling and get that balance back.

Esther: That's right, and boy, we could all use a little balance these days, seriously.

Katie: Totally.

Esther: Of course first up, we have the business week in review with a variety of business topics and topics that caught our attention this week. Tons of stuff in the news going on.

Katie: Tons and tons.

Esther: It's really interesting. So what's going on?

Katie: So, an interesting little blurb about Forbes, and of course, Forbes magazine, I feel like we're constantly getting different tips and story ideas and news bits; it's a really solid publication. But lately they've been popping up in a number of other websites and blogs basically coming under attack from this "callout" that they've put out there trying to get fairly influential bloggers to come onto Forbes.com and actually blog for free, for nothing.

Esther: Huh.

Katie: Which, in a way - you know, a couple of shows back, we talked about like the whole unpaid internship, you know, people are reviewing and how it's not a good thing -

Esther: Right, that's what it brings to mind for me.

Katie: Yeah, it feels very Craig's List, you know, 'cause really what they're saying is like, "Hey, come to our website and post your stuff, and we're not gonna pay ya, but people are gonna read it."

Esther: And you know what else is a little sneaky is that they do specify that they have - once you post it here, once they've posted your content or you've decided to write for Forbes, they can use it however they want.

Katie: Yes.

Esther: If they wanna publish it in their offline publication -

Katie: It's theirs.

Esther: - and edit it in whatever way they want, they are welcome to do so, which I think is kind of interesting because that is definitely a pay job. That's a journalist.

Katie: Exactly!

Esther: So it's one thing if you're just going onto the Forbes website and you have like a little page that's your and you can post your stuff, that's one thing, like blazing careerist or something. But this is like -

Katie: It's sneaky.

Esther: - a very sneaky way for them to take content from very influential bloggers and use it in whatever way they see fit when they should really be paying these people.

Katie: Exactly, and then I'd even like to see Forbes - like say that the pay wasn't much, but like for bloggers and writers to get compensated in some effect, but then to maybe do something - like you know the website Alltop. Alltop.com is really this collection of trusted sources and bloggers that's constantly refreshing for all the new content, you know, based on different topics. I'd love to see Forbes have something like that where alright, you know, they have a few extra paid bloggers, or helping pay some bloggers for content, but then just really bring all that great content together for its readers.

Esther: I mean, this is a very slippery slope we're on right now. That goes for the internship thing to which we talked about last week were companies were getting in trouble for having interns that were doing real work -

Katie: Yes.

Esther: - you know, kind of job-like work, not intern work.

Katie: Exactly.

Esther: And this is just - it's scary because what's going to happen - I mean, what other jobs are they gonna want people to do for free, you know. (Laughter) This is just the beginning.

Katie: Exactly. I mean, how would you feel if you were a reporter for Forbes and it was like, "Oh Lord, they're trying to find people that write for free!" (Laughter)

Esther: I know. It's just not fair.

Katie: It's - yeah. I don't know that it's completely evil, but it's just wrong. Like it just doesn't feel right.

Esther: Something else kind of interesting that's happening, and this isn't even on our soil, this is happening overseas in a Danish hotel actually. I think it's the Crowne Plaza.

Katie: Yeah.

Esther: The Crowne Plaza in Copenhagen is actually letting people bike for their food. Basically what they're doing is they're hooking these bikes up to generators which, you know, collect power and they're using it to power the hotel. And you actually, if you bike for 15 minutes, you get like a $36.00 meal voucher.

Katie: Yes.

Esther: Thirty-six dollars is a pretty good amount of money. That buys you a nice meal! Talk about eco-marketing, I mean -

Katie: Totally!

Esther: - and cause-marketing, I mean this is obviously making international headlines and it's incredible.

Katie: It is. And I really dig the idea of okay, so you get $36.00 to spend on awesome food, but you gotta burn off some fat first. (Laughter)

Esther: That's right. A little sweat equity.

Katie: Exactly. I really dig that.

Esther: So another interesting thing is - and this is one of our favorite stores, we've talked about this on the show before, Target -

Katie: Yay!

Esther: - how much we love Target and all that they provide, but actually Target doesn't love Visa anymore.

Katie: No, not at all.

Esther: Target has decided that they are no longer going to use Visa credit cards. They're actually going to issue their own credit cards which you can't even online, you can only use in the store -

Katie: Only in Target, yeah.

Esther: - which is weird. So basically, anytime you go to Target and make a purchase you use your Target card, and the first time you use it you actually get 15 percent off your purchase.

Katie: Yes. I'm so tired of hearing that in the checkout line. Like, "Did you know ma'am?" I'm like, "Just stop there, I know." (Laughter)

Esther: I know. Every time I go to Macy's.

Katie: Yeah, if you use one of our cards.

Esther: Which is - but if you have one, it's a great way to build brand loyalty, because if you have this card it's like Kohl's. Kohl's did a great job with their Kohl's credit card and you can only use it at Kohl's, and it has created some Kohl's crazies.

Katie: Yeah. No, it's true, it's true. But going kind of a different note with Target and this new credit card line, I wonder - and this article that we were reading actually talks about how much more information they're gonna be able to collect on consumers. And of course, I'm little Miss Paranoid big brother's watching. Like, I get that somebody's always looking at what I'm purchasing and what my spending habits are and whatever, but I don't know. Like, you know, I'm kinda feeling a little tough about my favorite brands lately, like Apple and Google, they're just getting bigger and bigger. Is Target gonna be next? Like - (Laughter)

Esther: Oh, Target already is.

Katie: They are huge. They are so huge.

Esther: Target is so massive, it's really incredible the job they've done just in branding.

Katie: Oh yeah.

Esther: It's beautiful what they've done.

Katie: They're incredible, they're incredible. (Laughter)

Esther: So, we'll see. They can pretend to be this happy little, clean little -

Katie: Do-dooooo.

Esther: - company.

Katie: Exactly.

Esther: We're not Wal-Mart.

Katie: Nope, but now we have our own credit card; what! (Laughter)

Esther: Yeah. (Laughter) We don't need Visa.

Katie: Yeah, baaaah! Those small fries. (Laughter)

Esther: And there's one more thing that I found soooo cool to see.

Katie: Yeah.

Esther: And not that I'm the biggest fan of him, but I mean he's fine, he doesn't influence me one way or another. But apparently, Lance Armstrong is America's most influential athlete.

Katie: Ahhh!

Esther: - and not just because he won the Tour de France a billion times and because he beat cancer and because he dated Sheryl Crow -

Katie: And 'cause everyone wears yellow bracelets now because of him. (Laughter)

Esther: Right.

Katie: LIVESTRONG. (Laughter)

Esther: Right. Well that actually is why.

Katie: Ah! (Laughter)

Esther: It's more because of the social and entrepreneurial and kind of dabble in politics that he's had, and all of these different area he reaches into so many different areas and he creates this - wherever he goes, he creates this buzz -

Katie: It's true.

Esther: - and anything he touches turns to gold. So I think that and when they polled people, most of the people said he was either influential or I really like him a lot.

Katie: Yeah.

Esther: So, we know it's not Tiger Woods anymore.

Katie: Yeah, not so much.

Esther: Tiger Woods has kind of become the punching bag of athletes, the joke of celebrity athletes. And actually, LeBron James was in the running for this title because, you know, him and his empire that he's been building.

Katie: Absolutely.

Esther: But, Lance Armstrong.

Katie: Yeah, he's the man. So I mean, there's all these stories and I know people that work with him very closely, that like he's not always like the most warm and fuzzy kind of guy at all. But he's always really consistent and he appears to always be very true to what he does and what he believes in, in any sort of arena, you know, in personal, private, business, non-profit.

Esther: Although I will say this. One thing I always wasn't clear about with him, did he cheat on his wife? I believe he did.

Katie: Um, I believe he did.

Esther: And so, okay, why does he get a free pass? He is the most influential athlete in the world. Cheated on his wife with Sheryl Crow and Tiger Woods is the joke. I mean, it just - marketing and what the media picks up. They're buddy-buddies in Austin -

Katie: But Tiger was always the clean-cut, good boy. Nobody knew anything about him.

Esther: So was Lance Armstrong! So was Lance Armstrong.

Katie: Yeah.

Esther: How is it different. And Lance Armstrong still is clearly to be named the most influential athlete in the country.

Katie: Right.

Esther: I mean, I'm not saying that I have an opinion about it one way or another to be honest, I just think it's interesting -

Katie: The double-standard.

Esther: - the double-standard -

Katie: Completely.

Esther: - that we see all the time in the media.

Katie: Yeah.

Esther: So, you just have to take it with a grain of salt. But apparently, according to some survey -

Katie: (Laughter)

Esther: - Lance Armstrong is the most influential athlete.

Katie: An overwhelming majority, yes. (Laughter) Way to go Lance. (Laughter)

Esther: Yeah.

Katie: Well good. Well that was a healthy roundup of interesting new bits. I love our news pieces. (Laughter)

Esther: I know. So different, so varying.

Katie: Exactly, just like us. (Laughter) Well stick around for a fantastic Chapter 2 where we're gonna be talking to Amy Robinson, a life coach based out of Houston, Texas who is changing lives and the way people are thinking about them, so stick around. You're listening to the BusinessMakers Overtime Show heard here and online at theBusinessMakers.com/overtime.