The Educated Emotion

Les Go Social Tip of the Week, shared with Aquarius Press and Willow Books newsletter. The advertisement above is a sneak preview of the tips you will find when you join my newsletter  to be relaunched in 2014.  Nobody is immune to the ills in society that can surface on social media, but there are many more benefits than risks. One way, is to give the places, vendors, stores, artists, nonprofits, and restaurants a shout out. If you don't know what a shout out is, I will explain. Back in my hey day (mid 90s and early 2000s), there was time each evening that my favorite Detroit radio DJ would allow people to call in and request a song and mention a name of a family member, friend, or business. It would sound something like this, "Hi, my name is George and I would like to request Butterflies by Michael Jackson. I also wanna give a shout out to my One Touch Barber Shop and Salon on 7 Mile." It was a simple gesture, but I remember making decisions on places to eat or...

Nicola's Books in Ann Arbor, poster made for Giving Tuesday, Cafe Ollie's in Ypsilanti, Santa and 3-y-old Judah in Depot Town, Kolossos Printing  in Ann Arbor, and Bookbound of Ann Arbor. In a conversation with the founder of DishFish , Joel Vergun, he said something that really stuck out to me as a community enthusiast. He likened the support of small businesses to a cause that you you would normally associate with a nonprofit. "We see helping small businesses in the community as a worthy cause," said Vergun.   In the collage above, I captured a few locally owned and operated businesses and organizations that I patronized this year. In the top row f rom left to right:  Mashup of an evening with poet Nikki Giovanni at Nicola's Books in Ann Arbor, a poster for my first year serving in the role of a social media ambassador for Giving Tuesday, In the bottom row, from left to right:  Danielle Teachout, co-owner at Cafe Ollie's in Ypsilanti, ser...

An aerial view of downtown Ann Arbor, Michigan. Businesses without people are just buildings! Today, The Educated Emotion starts its People Talk Series. This series will teach you how to lose a good prospect, a good client, a good customer, a good employee, and a good referral in 3 days or less!  How to Lose a Prospect Last year, I went shopping for a new gym for the first time in years.  I am, by no means, a "gym rat". In fact,  I could probably live inside of a YMCA and still avoid working out on certain days. However, I do like to see energized, welcoming faces when I go to workout. This makes me think they will notice if I am missing in action - which is a good thing for me. Also, as a new entrepreneur, my time and budget are stretched.  In this quest to find the best fit for me, my lifestyle, and my budget I spent about 6 weeks taking tours of various facilities, taking advantage of complimentary guest passes, and hearing a whole bunch ...