Katie: Welcome to The BusinessMakers Overtime Show heard here and online at theBusinessMakers.com. We are your weekly look into the wild, wild world of business. I'm Katie Laird.

Esther: And I'm Esther Steinfeld.

Katie: And we have one heck of a great show for you this week.

Esther: Oh, it's just fabulous.

Katie: It really is. So -

Esther: Fabulous like the beautiful weather outside I must say, it is wonderful, it is glorious.

Katie: It is wonderful. Too bad we're not doing like, a live, outdoor beach show today.

Esther: I know, I'd love to be sitting on the beach building a sandcastle with you.

Katie: Exactly, because nothing goes better with business and entrepreneurial spirit than a margarita or a mojito in the sand.

Esther: We love alcohol and broadcasting together, it's a great combination. So our guest today is Carl Kleimann, he is a voice that you know very well, and he's gonna be here to talk to you all about business news you need to know.

Katie: We cannot wait.

Esther: Of course we're going to be talking in Chapter 3 about something that is very interesting, something different. Do you believe that a CEO is born? Or is a CEO made?

Katie: This is gonna be a good one.

Esther: We're gonna be talking about that in Chapter 3.

Katie: Excellent. But first as always, we're gonna kick off this rocking show with a look back in the business week in review. So first off, here's someone that we don't talk about so very frequently. The United States Postal Service is -

Esther: It's kind of something you take for granted, isn't it?

Katie: it really is, you know?

Esther: The mail just comes.

Katie: The guys in the cute little shorts lugging their big bags around, bring -

Esther: Rain or snow or sleet.

Katie: - bringing you goodies, getting chased by dogs. Well, apparently the USPS is feeling a little bit cash strapped. In fact, moneycnn.com actually says that they're anticipating about $238 billion dollars in losses in the next 10 years if Congress doesn't let it make some crucial changes to its business model. Now something that's very interesting to me is that one of the things that they're asking for is actually to cut their Saturday mail service.

Esther: Boo.

Katie: Boo. Seriously, like how am I gonna get my Cosmo now?

Esther: What's that gonna do for advertising, you know?

Katie: I know, exactly, exactly. So that's just one thing that they're looking at changing, but they're also looking at revamping some of its retiree health benefits. Actually they're going to eliminate its prepaid retiree health benefits period. And that, they say, is gonna cut almost $90 billion in costs over the next decade. Which, I mean, that's a pretty significant figure, but major bummer for these old Postal Service workers that are really counting on that.

Esther: You know, I think one of the things that really affected their business is just like newspapers; the electronic communication model is really taking off. And who's sending written correspondence anymore? I mean very rarely I actually receive a letter in the mail, a thank you note in the mail from one of our guests after we had him on the show and he was very appreciative via correspondence, and it was such a nice change. You never get that anymore, but it's rare.

Katie: Exactly, yeah, it is rare. And so, I mean, in addition to these other cuts, the Postal Service is actually looking to cut about 30,000 jobs.

Esther: Ooh, ouch.

Katie: Which, I mean, really is definitely a sign of the times, so -

Esther: It is.

Katie: Yeah, major bummer for USPS.

Esther: Well, President Obama is trying to do something about this. I know we've talked about this a little bit on the show before, but now he's really getting into these lunches with CEO's.

Katie: I like it and it's not like, "Hey, let's go to some shi-shi French restraint." Like, he has burgers, pizza and beer with people, like he's totally my kind of guy.

Esther: Obama is so a pizza and beer kind of guy. He's from Chicago, I guess it makes sense, you know? For sure pizza, oh yeah, deep dish. He should be going for a hotdog.

Katie: So actually, and actually, most recently, President Obama met with a small group of corporate CEO's for burgers in the Oval Office just talking about, you know, general business climate. Looking at everything from corporate bonuses to salary structures to economic policy. So I mean, just, what a cool way to have a round table.

Esther: Even high school dropout rates.

Katie: Yeah, exactly. You know what an interesting kind of holistic conversation to have with some major powerhouses in the country.

Esther: I think it gives you a more realistic perspective of the world, talking to CEO's who create jobs and manage people's lives outside, you know, outside of these big theories and the Senate and things that - they don't know what's going on all the time in the real world.

Katie: Exactly.

Esther: I mean that's really the truth, you know, they're kind of locked in this little bubble. And I think bringing in these CEO's really gives Obama another perspective. I mean, he met with some of the biggest names in the business. JP Morgan Chase CEO, Wal-Mart, Coke, Xerox, Exxon Mobile, Verizon, Microsoft, Starbucks, 28 in all, CEO's that he met with. Really amazing.

Katie: So I think we should start a campaign for our BusinessMakers Overtime entrepreneurs to like, have a special business lunch with President Obama.

Esther: Absolutely. I think he should meet with small business owners. It's one thing to meet with CEO's of major public companies, and it's another thing to meet with small business owners who are really in the trenches dealing with the problems of everyday life and the economy and crappy economy and just kind of trying to make ends meet and keep their businesses running. I mean it's - Exxon mobile is maybe not the best indicator of what's really happening in the business world, but -

Katie: Slightly different economic bracket than most.

Esther: Slightly different, yeah, just a little. Different perspective on the world, but that's okay, they have their own problems, don't get me wrong.

Katie: Exactly. So, in slightly more lighthearted news, we been hearing a lot about Girl Scout cookies of all things.

Esther: I bought several boxes already and almost finished several boxes.

Katie: See here's what I'm actually kind of depressed about, and this is a call to action to all of our listeners, my email is on our website, theBusinessMakers.com, nobody has approached me this year to buy Girl Scout cookies.

Esther: You haven't been to the grocery store and passed by a table of Girl Scouts who are pushing cookies in your face?

Katie: I swear, I've been to the grocery store many times, not a single Girl Scout.

Esther: I haven't been approached by a Girl Scout but I have bought at the grocery store, because - and actually, the funny thing was, the mom. The mom was the one who pounced on me and then as I was asking her like, which ones I should get, the little girls were trying to speak to me and trying to explain to me the types of cookies they had and the mom was telling me all about the cookies.

Katie: Oh, come on.

Esther: She was dressed like a Girl Scout. It was bizarre.

Katie: Oh no, oh, no that's just weird.

Esther: It was really - something wasn't right there.

Katie: So now hopefully when you were selecting what cookies that the mom apparently wanted you to get from the Girl Scouts, you weren't pulling out the Lemon Chalet Crèmes.

Esther: No.

Katie: So those delicious lemon cookies have actually been recalled, like quite an order, like not the entire run, but a number -

Esther: Our producer John is making an awful face because those are his favorite and he's already devoured several boxes. So -

Katie: Yes, see, that's why you're looking a little yellow today.

Esther: He's giving us the thumbs up.

Katie: It's those lemon crèmes. Feeling good over there?

John: Feeling a little sour.

Esther: Feeling a little sour, nuk-nuk.

Katie: So apparently, these cookies have a foul smell.

Esther: Yes.

Katie: A foul smell - some of the people didn't even taste them but they just knew they had a terrible smell and the bakery who creates these cookies - who bakes them - says that the smell comes from a breakdown in the oils that are in the cookies, but that probably means that the cookies are leftover from last year's sales.

Esther: Oh, that's revolting.

Katie: That's why the oils have broken down already.

Esther: Now luckily, Little Brownie Bakers in Louisville, who's one of the two bakeries that makes Girl Scout cookies in the U.S., they're telling us that no one has gotten sick, there's not been any tragic Girl Scout cookie deaths or anything like that, thank goodness. They stink but they're good to eat. Go ahead.

Esther: But still, it's yucky, so, yeah, just don't you dare return them to us, we don't want them. Is basically what they're saying.

Katie: And I mean, this is tough news for, you know, Girl Scout cookies that are - that are actually, because of the economic climate, Girl Scouts are having a harder and harder time selling the cookies.

Esther: That's why the moms are involved.

Katie: Exactly, and not only that, but the Girl Scouts have actually been reducing the number of cookies per box to help save money.

Esther: Dude, those cookies are expensive.

Katie: Exactly, like we -

Esther: $3.50 a box. $3.50 a box. That is more than Pepperidge Farms. That is more than like you would get at a bakery.

Katie: Honestly. Honestly, and I mean that's just - well, the Girls Scouts are saying it's because, I mean, the economy means the ingredients are going higher and they just have to make up for it to, you know, sustain.

Esther: And it's for charity, I get it. But wow, that's a pricey box of Samoa's.

Katie: Exactly. Jeez. Anyway, that wraps-up our business week in review as business related as it was. We have a one track mind, I swear. Like everything we talk about is dessert-related.

Esther: Cookies, wine.

Katie: I was actually dreaming about strawberry cupcakes today.

Esther: Strawberry cupcakes?

Katie: Yeah.

Esther: Oh my gosh, from The Dessert Gallery.

Katie: Yeah, it was like I was having flashbacks and really thinking that my soup for lunch was pathetic compared to what I could be having.

Esther: Yeah, totally. Lame.

Katie: Yeah. Lame soup.

Esther: So coming up on our wonderful BusinessMakers Overtime show we have got Carl Kleimann, he's coming at you, he's gonna be giving us all - you listen to his survival tips every week anyway, so now here he is, in the flesh, in person to talk to us about some real business news we can use.

Katie: Exactly. We can't wait to hear him.

Esther: You're listening to The BusinessMakers Overtime Show, heard here and online at theBusinessMakers.com. I'm Katie Laird.

Esther: And I'm Esther Steinfeld.

Katie: And stay tuned for Chapter 2 with our interview with Carl Kleimann of Odyssey OneSource. See you there.