Back in the day. . .

Consumers bought quality items that lasted for years. Companies that wanted to succeed had to offer parts, service and dependable products. Gillette came out with the first razor with disposable blades. The razor was rock solid made of stainless steel and would outlast its user.

Craftsman tools offered lifetime guarantees. Clothes were to be worn and then passed down to the next generation. Women spent hours ironing, bleaching, starching and washing. Cars were built to last years. Owners were mini-mechanics who took care of their beasts. Nothing was wasted either. Remember, one couldn’t leave the dinner table until the plate was clean.

And speaking of clean. Durable consumers loved clean homes, clean cars and clean offices. Housewives made sure everything was "spotless." Remember Ajax cleanser (white tornado), Mr. Clean, Pine-Sol and Tide commercials?

This generation of durable ended with the baby-boomers. Generations following such as the X and Y have grown up somehow as the disposable generation.

To them, nothing is built to last forever. They want disposable lighters, disposable plates, disposable music. Cars are meant to lease, not own. Clothes are meant for the season not next year. Shoes are disposable, who needs shoe polish, wax and water repellant spray?

Clean? Forget it. This generation isn’t messy, but it isn’t clean either. It’s OK for the stove to be dirty, dishes in the sink, spots on the carpet and prints on the wall. Forget about Ajax and Mr. Clean. This generation thrives on disposable wipes of all kinds, Swifter’s (can you imagine this generation using a wet mop or sponge mop or even knowing what they are?), and plug-in air fresheners.

This is a very interesting phenomenon for marketers. Lifetime warranties no longer mean anything because this generation doesn’t want to own anything for a lifetime. Who needs china and crystal anymore? Who even needs a dining room? When you buy fast food and take it home, all you need is a microwave and plastic forks.

Can you imagine previous generations drinking bottled water or guzzling energy drinks?  I have some ideas to appeal to the disposable society. Too bad disposable cameras, video recorders and storage containers have already been taken.

Happy Friday!

P.S. I’m on my way to Italy for Kemon Days and Cosmoprof to get even more ideas. I’ll share with you on my return.

Back before I was in the beauty business, I went to a barber to get my haircut. He had a nice full-service shop with a manicurist, shoe shine guy and himself. He chain-smoked while cutting your hair and told great jokes.

All three sons got their first haircut by Antonio. My thoughts then were one day they too would go to Antonio.

It was kind of fun going to the shop. The waiting area always had donuts and bagels; fresh hot coffee; lots of magazines including Playboy and it was a great place to shoot the bull, talk sports, stocks and whatever else.

When you sat down to get your haircut, the manicurist pulled up, the shoe shine guy took your shoes and Antonio washed your hair. The experience never changed.

Alas I got into the beauty business and Antonio never attended shows, classes or events. I started going to salons that did and started to get my haircut by stylists instead. The experience was different but I was happy to get my haircut by someone who loved to learn and it was nice to walk out not smelling like smoke. It was sad leaving Antonio nevertheless.

Nostalgia struck today as I stopped by Antonio’s to say hello. Forty years later, the shop has changed little. The ubiquitous box of Dunkin’ Donuts was on the coffee table along with the fresh pot of coffee. The same magazines with 2009 dates on them were displayed and even Playboy was at the shoe shine area. The place still reeked of smoke and the manicurist was doing a customer’s nails.

I asked Antonio how business was doing and he said it was good but slower than usual. The reason was because he wasn’t getting any new customers and some of his regulars were dying. He went on to say he had another 4 good years and then perhaps he would go to 3 days a week.

Just then the phone rang with a customer calling for an appointment. Like the past 40 years, he wrote the customer’s name with a pencil in the ratty appointment book and I knew nothing changed.

He offered me a donut that he knew I wouldn’t eat and it was time for me to go. It’s part of the industry that we will miss and while it’s still open, I think I’ll visit more often. One day Antonio’s won’t be around.

Happy Wednesday!

Yoga with Shelly on Saturday mornings at the Sports Club is physically exhausting. Shelly puts you into poses and makes you hold them for so long that you want to collapse. But then she yells out that "it isn’t yoga until that point." So I hold the pose cursing her while breathing deeper and deeper.

As always, the end result is worth it. After finishing up and leaving the Sports Club last Saturday, Jodi in membership sales stopped me excitingly. I haven’t seen Jodi in months and could not figure out why she would be so excited to see me.

"Larry, I have to tell you that your new Ginger Lily Farms shampoo and conditioner is amazing!" She raved about the products for ten minutes. Jodi went on to tell me that she was in the shower and another member was next to her and forgot her shampoo. Jodi let her borrow her Ginger Lily Farms, you know, yadda-yadda-yadda, and when the lady next to her gives it back to her, she exclaimed "this was the best and do you know where I can buy this?" Jodi gave it to her. Jodi has given so many bottles away she’s thinking of selling it at the Sports Club (they don’t retail).

This story has repeated itself many times and it is exciting to have a product that people brag about. One of our BE’s told me that she has a salon selling it for $4.99 (suggested retail is $2.99) and they can’t keep it in stock.

Bottom line is that people love to seek bargains on quality products. Salons finally have a "secret" product that they can sell exclusively and brag about. It’s so much fun!

We are currently working on a few styling products, hand lotion and maybe even a shower gel all in the signature Ginger Lily Farms fragrance. If you have any ideas for what you would like to see, I would love to know. Oh, more about yoga later.

Happy Tuesday!

Leave it to TIGI to take a staid, nearly dead item and turn it into an overnight sensation. The item: Rockaholic Dry Shampoo. I’m sure the next item they will add to their sizzling line is a knock off of Brylcreem.

To celebrate the success of Rockaholic, TNG held the first Rockaholic LIVE! event Saturday night at the Academy. Never holding an event on a Saturday night before, we had no idea what to expect. The unexpected was expected.

In all, 125 hairdressers made their way from their salons to TNG to capture a piece of the excitement TIGI has created with this brand. Beer and wine was flowing and the store was buzzing with buyers snatching up Guitar promos and DVD’s of the newest collection.

The TIGI artistic team did a splendid job on the models and live portion on stage. The music was all rock and the looks matched the music. At the end of the show, everyone was wowed and ready to take the looks to their salons.

TIGI knows marketing best and has once again used their expertise to bring yet another line of products to life. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for a little Bob Seger’s Ramblin Gamblin Man.

Happy Monday!

It starts with Little League. I remember being around 8 or 9 years old and playing Tee Ball for the first year. The coach was some teacher who liked doing this stuff and at 8 or 9, who knew why. The competition to make the starting team was tough.

I didn’t make it.

The following year was fast pitch. This coach was more experienced and demanded results. There was something about a ball traveling at 60 mph that didn’t set right with me. The competition to make the starting team was tougher.

I didn’t make it.

From little league it progressed to junior high and then high school games. All the while the coaches got tougher and meaner and winning was the only focus. Hey, if you are going to play the game, play to win. I was too busy working to play in school but if I did have the time, the results would have been the same.

I didn’t make it.

Fast forward to now and the competition and coaches is far worse. Instead of Little League and Tee Ball, soccer has taken over as the sport of choice. And forget about 8 or 9 years old; we’re talking 5 and 6 years old. By the time you get to 9, you might be toast! The coaches are ferocious and so are the parents. When the team loses because of a player’s errors, watch out!

Sore losers are losers for sure.

The scuffles that go on are fierce and you would think people are getting paid for this and their careers depend on winning. These are kids after all. The thought is that if they lose now or aren’t picked for the starting team, they will be losers forever. So the parents fight, yell, scream, swear and threaten.

Sore losers are losers for sure.

What happens growing up in competitive sports surely affects you as an adult. With Competition my #1 theme, I hate losing. I gave up Black Jack because of it. What’s worse than being dealt two face cards and the dealer has a 6 showing. You know you are going to win the hand. But how many times does the dealer flip over a 5 and then peel off a face card to make 21? Once I had lost a bet that I should have won that I literally tried to flip the table.

Sore losers are losers for sure.

Watching sports and competitive games is just as bad. When State is losing I have been known to yell, scream and say any words that come to mind especially when they should be winning. People used to come downstairs to see if I was OK. I wasn’t. And to think it’s only a game that doesn’t affect me personally.

Sore losers are losers for sure.

The great thing about experience is that you learn to temper your emotions when you lose. I’m no longer a sore loser although I still hate to lose especially in poker and gin rummy. And I still hate to see the Spartans blow a lead. With the NCAA tournament going on, this is a very emotional time for me. State best get to at least the Elite Eight. So instead of thinking of losing, I like to think of winning.

Winners win.

As a business owner, I know running a business is the ultimate game. I tell my talent this all the time. It takes hard work, strategy, luck and the best team to win and to play the game well. But even the best teams lose once in a while. It’s the long term results that count in business, not the short ones. If you look at the S&P 500 companies each decade over the past five decades, you would be amazed to see more than 80% of the companies no longer exist. Those still around know what it takes.

Winners win.

These are unprecedented times. Many decisions are not popular nor easy to make. However, in the game of business, the ultimate objective is to survive and be ready to play the next day. That’s my job. And whether I’m in the office, visiting customers, or on the beach, it’s a job that never stops. I just finished reading (well almost) one of my new favorite books. It’s the life of Warren Buffett (not related to Jimmy). More of him later. Leaders make tough decisions every day. Sore losers are those that don’t understand them because they didn’t fit in with the team. Charles Darwin said it best that evolution is based on "survival of the fittest." Winners will evolve and losers will not.

Winners win.

Happy Friday!

The furor over the AIG bonuses reminds me of when things are bad, public sentiment swings so fast that if you are in the way, death can behold you.

Yes, $165 Million was passed out to some AIG employees. Yet the government knew about it well before and allowed the bonuses to be paid. While the public is peeved off about the bonuses, the real concern should be the government’s inability to account for taxpayer money given away and any accountability to the company(ies) when it does.

But that’s not the point of today’s blog.

The point is if YOU were one of the AIG employees that received the bonus. Now remember, the contracts were negotiated well over a year ago and well before the company got into trouble. Like most contracts, these most likely stated that if they hit certain numbers, they would receive a bonus. There most likely was no language that the company would be off the hook if the company sought government financing.

So if this YOU and you make your number, would you expect to get your bonus? Think hard before answering.

And before you answer, think about this. Tiger Woods gets paid endorsements for many products. The endorsements are valued when he is playing golf on national TV. Now he gets surgery and can’t play for a year. Should Tiger return a portion of his endorsements to the companies since the company still had to pay in full?

One final thought: The media loves to push our buttons. It sells more advertising. Perhaps someone should have thought of not giving AIG any government money in the first place and then this wouldn’t have happened. How about that?

Happy Thursday!

Madoff won’t being seeing his massage therapist, hair dresser or manicurist anytime soon. His standing table at Le Cirque has been canceled. And his private jet is grounded. At age 70, his life is over.

He claims in an interview that during the 80-81 recession, he wanted to make some extra money by doing what he did best. And he figured he would only do it for a short while. $65 Billion later, he plead guilty to all 11 charges. His life is over.

Some people claim that he led a great life up until now. But at the young age of 70, I can’t imagine living the grandest life of all and then it being over.

Madoff is not alone when we wonder why people do what they do. Some think they won’t be caught. Some think what they do is not wrong, illegal. illicit, or disruptive to anyone outside their sphere so it is OK. Some don’t think at all and just do and if caught, live with it. Some do it for the action. Some even do it to be caught and then brag about being in jail to others. Some don’t care when their live is over.

Life is short enough not to be incarcerated in a 10×10 cell for a month, let alone a year or the rest of your life. But history has shown there is something wired in some of our brains that can’t be helped. Serial killers come to mind.

Michigan spends nearly one third of their entire budget dealing with crime. Jails across the country are overflowing with no new money to build new ones. Instead of building new jails, how about figuring out why we do what we do?

I think most people are honest and love to support their community. I was in a Starbuck’s the other day and an Army guy came in wearing his uniform. I can’t tell you how many offered to buy him a cup of coffee. People are mostly good. It’s the few that make it difficult and that’s why we have politicians, lawyers, law enforcement, jails, DA’s and media.

Perhaps using more common sense makes sense. If something sounds too good to be true, in most cases, it must not be true. Common sense will help to keep us out of trouble and grounded. That might be a good start. It sure beats your life being over.

Happy Friday!

P.S. I will be out until next Thursday so enjoy the time off!

Since everyone loved the story from Tuesday, I decided to steal another story for today. If you think about ideas and where they come from, my theory is that they come from the ceiling. All ideas are floating, you must have the ability to pull them down and use them to the best of your advantage.

I love pulling ideas down. I hope you love this one.

HOW TO STAY YOUNG
1. Try everything twice.  On one woman’s tombstone she said she wanted this epitaph: Tried everything twice…loved it both times!
2. Keep only cheerful friends.
The grouches pull you down.  (keep this in mind if you are one of those grouches)

3. Keep learning: Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever.  Never let the brain get idle.’  An idle mind is the devil’s workshop.’  And the devil’s name is Alzheimer’s!
4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud.  Laugh until you gasp for breath.  And if you have a friend who makes you laugh, spend lots and lots of time with HIM/HER.

6. The tears happen: Endure, grieve, and move on.  The only person who is with us our entire life, is ourselves.  LIVE while you are alive.
7. Surround yourself with what you love: Whether it’s family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever.  Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it.  If it is unstable, improve it.  If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.
9. Don’t take guilt trips.  Take a trip to the mall, or a trip to the next county or a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.  I love you, my special friend.

And I would be remiss if I didn’t add to love TNG!

Happy Wednesday!

Like most of us, I get tons of emails with stories, jokes, photos and such. 99% of them are tossed away. But with the everything going on, I thought this particular story was a good one to share with you. Enjoy.

Two 90-year-old women, Rose and Barb, had been friends all of their lives. When it was clear that Rose was dying, Barb visited her every day. 
        One day Barb said, ‘Rose, we both loved playing women’s softball, and we played all through High School. Please do me one favor: when you get to Heaven, somehow you must let me know if there’s women’s soft-ball there.’ 
        Rose looked up at Barb from her death bed and said, ‘Barb, you’ve been my best friend for many years. If it’s at all possible, I’ll do this favor for you.’ 
        Shortly after that, Rose passed on. 
         At midnight the following Friday, Barb was awakened from a sound sleep by a blinding flash of white light and a voice calling out to her, ‘Barb, Barb.’ 
         ‘Who is it?’ asked Barb, sitting up suddenly. ‘Who is it?’ 
        ‘Barb — it’s me, Rose.’ 
         ‘You’re not Rose. Rose just died.’ 
         ‘I’m telling you , it’s me, Rose,’ insisted the voice. 
         ‘Rose! Where are you?’ 
        ‘In Heaven,’ replied Rose. ‘I have some really good news and a little bad news.’ 
        ‘Tell me the good news first,’ said Barb. 
         The good news,’ Rose said, ‘is that there’s Softball in Heaven. Better yet, all of our old buddies who died before us are here, too. Better than that, we’re all young again. 
         Better still, it’s always springtime, and it never rains or snows. And best of all, we can play softball all we want, and we never get tired.’ 
        ‘That’s fantastic,’ said Barb. ‘It’s beyond my wildest dreams! So what’s the bad news’ 
‘You’re pitching next Tuesday.’ 

Happy Tuesday and make it your best one!

Sometimes there’s nothing better to do than get into your car and drive off the beaten path to a destination. One of my favorites is Saguatuck starting in Ann Arbor and taking Highway 12 traveling on 2-lane roads.

One of the great pleasures besides seeing countless barns and corn fields is traveling through small towns. Every town has at least one bar, two churches, VFW hall and a "cozy" cafe. Nostalgia loves cafes especially for breakfast.

For some reason, small town cafes have the best hash browns, hotcake’s, and omelets with bottomless cups of hot coffee. Cafes also specialize in pies and french fries. We try to stop in as many cafes as possible.

We also love to walk around small towns. The shops are owned by small town folk and we never know what we are going to find inside. We think we are going to find stuff that is amazing and not found in the big cities. We yearn for it. But more times than not, it’s just more stuff. But what fun anyway!

And being in the beauty business, what better place to find a salon or "shop" than small towns? Here you can get your haircut, nails done, get a quick tan and perhaps pick up a video or two.

Route 12 features plenty of small towns and cozy cafes. One small town even features a store with every kind of wood stove you can think of (they invented the wood stoves here). Having a beer at the bar is always good for lots of stories and history.

Destination Saguatuck is a great place to end. This small town (not really that small) features great places to eat, stay overnight and in the summer time, great beaches. You can take I-94 back and stop and visit local wineries.

Now what all this has to do with business, I’m not sure. But if you need a diversion and some time to think, this is a perfect thing to do (hey, if you are in California reading this, come up with your own side trip destination and share).

Happy Monday!