Take a heap of child-like wonder
That opens up our eyes
To the unexpected gifts in life—
Each day a sweet surprise.

Mix in fond appreciation
For the people whom we know;
Like festive Christmas candles,
Each one has a special glow.

Add some giggles and some laughter,
A dash of Christmas food,
(Amazing how a piece of pie
Improves our attitude!)

Stir it all with human kindness;
Wrap it up in love and peace,
Decorate with optimism, and
Our joy will never cease.

If we use this healthy recipe,
We know we will remember
To be in the Christmas spirit,
Even when it’s not December.

Enjoy. Be safe. Be jolly. Be good. Enjoy.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and any other politically correct way to say: Enjoy this time of the year.

These days, bragging rights are tough to come by especially if you live in Michigan. The Lions can brag that they are officially the worst team in the history of the NFL and if they lose Sunday, they can brag even more. At least MSU can brag they beat Texas in a tough fought game.

But in business, it’s getting tougher and tougher to brag. And that is why I am going to brag the rest of this week about thebeautybook 2009 edition and how innovation matters.

The catalog is our biggest ever at 348 pages. Every word, every photo and every design was tossed out the window from the previous edition. We took a blank piece of paper and rewrote the rules of putting together a catalog.

The result is nothing short of amazing. It’s like the perfect wedding cake; the first time you drive the new car out of the dealer’s showroom; the manicure that when you leave the salon you wish your nails looked this good all the time. When you stop and think about the truly wonderful things and why they are such, the common thread for all of them is innovative design.

Design matters. Innovative design rules. We love Apple, OXO, and Nike for this reason. And shortly, you will love thebeautybook.

The first impression counts. The cover is such that you want to protect it from the elements so it stays pristine. Every page has an element that makes you stop because its more than just products on a page.

Yes, I am bragging. Thousands of hours went into this project and while it’s not perfect, it’s an innovation marvel. When you get your copy, I hope you love it as much as I do.

Next up: More bragging rights about innovative products inside thebeautybook.

Happy Tuesday!

I was watching CNN Friday morning while working out and during the newscast, the "Breaking News" logo hit the screen. This breaking news was about the auto bailout and Bush was going to speak at 9AM.

OK, I’m already watching the news which to me is all new information–isn’t that the reason why they call it "news" to begin with? So what the heck is breaking news?" And what does the word "breaking" mean anyway? Did someone break a plate? Now if it was "braking" news, then I guess I would stop in my tracks to listen to what the TelePrompTer had to say.

The fact is, we are conditioned. Watching CNN is not enough. We need "breaking news." We need "alerts." We need "code red" at the airports. We need "sirens" to slow down or stop. We need ! when we want to send a "breaking news" email. And when it’s really breaking and demands our full attention, there is nothing like the "special report."

I think Seinfeld got it right. We used to watch the news on TV to learn about new stuff. We were relaxed in our chair and looked forward to listening. But now, we got one line going right to left with information and we got another line going left to right with information and it’s impossible to read all that and listen at the same time. There is nothing relaxing about watching the news anymore. So to get is out of our stupor, they "break in" and alert us to stop reading and to listen to what they got to say.

I listened to Bush. Was it breaking news? Nope. It was news. Good news indeed. But CNN, Fox and the others will continue to give us breaking news because it elevates our stress levels and we all want to know something that no one else does.

And that my friends, is not breaking news.

Happy Monday!

As we expect 6-10" of snow tomorrow morning, and the thoughts of dealing with salt, shovels, and stress, once all settled, it will make for a very white Christmas (something that Florida will never have although it did snow 4" in Vegas).

This year of all years, the Christmas holiday period doesn’t feel the same. At TNG, we are busier than ever dealing with SAP issues, getting ready for all the changes in 2009 and making sure customers get their orders on time. There hasn’t been any down time to recover to think about eggnog, gifts and caroling.

With Chrysler shutting down all their plants for a month, uncertainly is gaining momentum. We still don’t know what Bush is going to do with auto aid. Johnson & Johnson is rumored to be coming out with a new signature line of band-aids but they aren’t sure if they will stick around.

But when all is said and done, Christmas comes but once a year and people will celebrate. Here is my question: Do you like Christmas Eve or Christmas Day best? And why?

One thing is for certain: we all need a break. Let’s enjoy the break, decompress, and get ready for 2009. For the next 13 days left in 2008, let’s try to bring some semblance of normalcy; enjoy the white snow, make a snowman and sing some songs.

Happy Thursday!

At our annual company meeting at the Ritz Carlton Saturday, I made one of the biggest announcements in company history: We are changing our name to tng worldwide effective January 1, 2009.

Everyone cheered and hooted and then wondered what it meant for them. For The Industry Source, it meant that after ten years, the name is being retired (we will keep it for the stores during transition). For Beauty Direct, it meant that since 1995, the name is being retired to tng worldwide wholesale.

I also previewed the all-new look for tng worldwide including thebeautybook and magazine. These two are so exciting that you will have to see them for yourself to experience how incredible they are.

Not to be outdone, I announced our all-new loyalty program simply called Nailco Gold. This is another very exciting program that will launch January 2 on our all-new website, tngworldwide.com.

The changes taking place for 2009 are incredible. Our new motto is:

And that is exactly what we will do in 2009. Two weeks and counting until thebeautybook 2009 edition comes out-our biggest edition yet!

Happy Monday!

P.S. I have jury duty the rest of the week–anyone care to join me?

With the Senate telling the Big 3 NO DEAL, the news couldn’t be worse for Detroit and Michigan. But my blog friend doesn’t like me to write about bad stuff, so since we are having a cookie bake-off today, I’m going to write about cookies!

As a kid, my favorites were Oreo, Chips Ahoy, Pecan Sandies, Vienna Fingers, Ginger Snaps, and Mystic Mint. Every day I ate at least one row; cookies didn’t last long at our house.

When my kids were young, one of our favorite pastimes was making chocolate chip cookies. Of all the varieties, chocolate chip are still the most popular by a wide margin. Nothing but unsalted butter, pure vanilla, whole eggs, Nestle Toll House (is there another brand) chocolate chips, baking powder, baking soda, sifted white flour, salt, white and brown sugar, and if I got crazy, a Hershey bar broken into pieces.

A full tablespoon of cookie dough on the baking sheet and 15 minutes later, hot, gooey, cookies. Now tell me, is there anything better than the first cookie off the cookie sheet? You got that right, a glass of cold milk to wash it down.

Alas, my kids are in their 20’s and the furthest thing on their mind on the weekend is to bake cookies which is lucky for me since they are not around for me to eat. With our cookie bake-off today, there will be all sorts of cookies including bars, balls, with nuts, frosted, shaped, peanut butter, and who knows what else.

What is your favorite holiday cookie?

And if the news gets any worse, get out the ingredients, turn on some Buffet, and eat some cookies.

Happy Friday!

Wouldn’t it be great to be an Eagle? You soar far above everyone else, in full command and pretty much set your own destiny. Plus Eagles make perfect metaphors.

This Eagle is especially looking forward to 2009. First off, 2008 will be done. We will be one year closer to a recovery. And although the first half of 2009 will be brutally painful, it will build character for us to survive into the next decade.

The changes taking place at TNG January 1 are huge. We have our Annual Meeting at the Ritz Carlton taking place Saturday so I can’t share anything until after then. But I will share this: in these times, you either up the ante or fold your cards. This Eagle is upping his ante.

As I walk around our offices and through the building, people say they are excited about the meeting. To me, this means they are excited about change and what TNG is going to do to weather the storm. They know the news isn’t going to be good and that’s OK. It’s the future that people are most concerned about. If people can see a positive future, then no matter what the difficulty is today, they can deal with it.

Eagles are on the endangered list. They don’t have a choice but to constantly take risks, be exposed to their enemies and soar where others can only wish. But Eagles are not extinct and perhaps never will be. They have a natural knack for survival.

We’re putting unprecedented changes into place. If everyone stops buying no matter what, these changes won’t matter. However one thing is for sure, if you want 2009 to be better than 2008, standing still is far more dangerous and those that do will be extinct.

Happy Thursday!

Bobby McFerrin back in September 1998 made his song, "Don’t Worry, Be Happy" and expression famous. Bob Marley did his take on it and it became a hit.

I was having lunch yesterday when I bumped into a friend that I haven’t spoken to in about a month. She was smiling as always, looked happy and after the ceremonious hellos and hugs, she said to me, "Larry, I read your blogs every day and lately, they aren’t happy like you normally are."

I paused, thought a moment about my previous posts and sure enough, news about the implosion of the Big 3, unemployment and the state of affairs overall was nothing to be happy about. I assured her that my post today would be happy.

The first thing I thought about was the song. My mind immediately then went to Jimmy Buffet and yes, I could be a true Parrothead but I can’t remember lyrics to save my life. In fact, while I was running on the treadmill at 6AM, I was watching and listening to his Live at Anguilla CD.

McFerrin, Marley and Buffet all have (or had) one thing in common: be happy and enjoy life. For me, I am a fan of island life. Walking on the beach, doing nothing and looking at turquoise blue water, ice cold Perrier (Piña Colada’s in another lifetime), bathing suits and flip-flops. Everything is a lot slower, the days last longer and people around you are relaxed and feeling good.

As I look out my office window today, I see snow, ice, gray skies and a frigid wind blowing the flags. It certainly is not island life in Michigan!

But my friend’s advice is good and one that I preach: life is short and we have to enjoy each and every day. In the scheme of things, there are always people worse off and better off than you. Be happy that you are better off than most.

So thanks for the advice and with that said, I’m going to i-Tunes to play a little more Jimmy, the next best thing to being in the islands.

Happy Wednesday!

The biggest discounts in the history of retailing are taking place before our very eyes. Even luxury stores like Saks and Neiman Marcus are playing the game. If it’s full price, it’s on sale.

The other day I’m at Somerset with my kids are we walking by sweaters at Saks. The entire collection is 50% off and it’s right after Thanksgiving. Customers aren’t even interested at looking at them let alone buying them. A year ago they would have been snapped up.

If 50% is no big deal, what about 60%? What about 70%? We walked around the store and found just about everything on sale and customers seemed fazed and not motivated to buy.

Online retailers are offering free shipping on any size order and huge discounts. Consumers are being inundated with sales, special offers and the like as never before.

Here are my questions of the day: At what point is the discount big enough for you to make a decision to buy? Another question: Knowing the specific goods on sale now, can you buy them at full retail again later? And finally, what products will you buy at full retail price?

I know one product category that is doing very well at full retail price: Alcoholic beverages. As Jimmy Buffet says, "It’s Five O’clock somewhere!"

Happy Tuesday!

We hate uncertainty. I have written about this before but it seems to keep coming up as of late. We hated the uncertainty of gas prices continually going up. We hated the uncertainty of the election campaign and waiting until November to find out who are next President was going to be.

We hate the uncertainty of the stock market. We hate the uncertainty of the fate of the Big 3. We hate the uncertainty of the companies we work for. And to top it all off, mostly we hate the uncertainty of not knowing when the light in the tunnel will finally shine through.

The bottom is coming but when? Employers cut a record number of employees last month; the most in 34 years. The U.S. unemployment rate is 6.7%, soon to go to 8%. Michigan already at 9.3% will most likely report close to 10% next week and that will soon to go to 12%.

Housing is a mess. We still don’t know about the true financial situation as the government only tells us the most basic information. And if you got to listen to Richard Shelby, the Alabama senator grill the Big 3 executives yesterday, you know that if people like Shelby are the solution, we might as well pack up now on horse-drawn wagons.

What is one to do? It’s like the doctor telling you that you have cancer. You can fight it or accept it. If you fight, you face chemo and radiation and a host of other issues none of which are pleasant.

If you want to fight the current crisis, you have to be a star. You have to excel in what you do. You have to take the lead, the initiative and learn new skills fast. You have to volunteer to do the work of 2 or perhaps 3. And if you look at your watch at 4:30 or 5:00PM, throw it out. Sure, it won’t be pleasant, but you will survive. And like cancer survivors, you will be much better for it afterwards.

What do you want to do?

Happy Friday!