Sumo Challenges, Sushi Bite Solutions

August 18, 2013 by Raul Colon

As I work on establishing priorities that are fluid and moving one foot in front of the other when working on critical projects I felt the need to go into detail on how I engage large projects by dividing them into reachable goals.

Dana Montenegro calls it taking a sumo size challenge and dividing it into sushi bite solutions.

As Limonade Inc. works on the make over of Uncle Gussy’s Online Presence (focusing mainly on their website), I have divided a medium size project into multiple phases.

I won’t discuss specific details but I will give you some insight into how we worked on this project in order to help those who are working on projects (especially those related to online efforts).

1st Phase

In the first phase we worked on understanding the online and offline structures Uncle Gussy’s had in place. Once we were clear in what Nicko’s plans where to grow his business and enhance the customer experience, we immediately started working on some key elements that would provide positive business results while staying lean.

The first critical task was redesigning the menu. Some food vendors might overlook the menu but when you have a food truck with a line of customers as long as Uncle Gussy’s every second counts. Making the menu easier to read definitely helps with improving the customer experience and moving the line. Our previous experience working in the hospitality industry and on a previous food truck project, helped us tackle that task in an effective and efficient way.

We researched on-line conversations around Midtown New York which allowed us to be helpful to potential customers. By monitoring keywords, we are able to engage in conversations with others who are interested in Greek Food and in close proximity to the food truck.

By identifying key influencers and customers who are always sharing kind words about the Uncle Gussy’s experience, we are also creating deeper relationships with the existing clientele.

2nd Phase

We created a landing page where customers can order online, sign up to a newsletter, and connect on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus.

This makes the temporary landing page useful while we are building the new Uncle Gussy’s website.

3rd Phase

The next phase we are working on is giving Uncle Gussy’s an online image to match how awesome their food is. Our main focus in the re-design is to make it easier for customers to order online, hire the truck for catering services or special events, and keep those who are interested updated on events and specials.

Results in Only 6 Weeks

In less than 6 weeks we gained some traction and are seeing positive results. By working with Nicko, we helped him organize a few of the administrative tasks because he needs to focus on the business’ critical tasks. It helps Nick work on building his business and do what he does best, take care of his customers while the Limonade Inc. team supports his efforts.

Increase in Business

The first phase also gave Uncle Gussy’s an increase in business. I will use an acronym I learned from my peer and published author Olivier Blanchard, FRY (Frequency, Reach, and Yield).

1. Improving Frequency

Regular customers make more frequent visits. By being present in their minds during lunch time, while we monitor multiple channels, they pick Uncle Gussy’s as their first option.

2. Increasing Reach

Many new customers who visited the food truck where tied to the online efforts Nick’s team and the Limonade team had with those near the food truck and interested in trying Greek Food or seeking an option for midtown lunch.

3. Yield

Customers are buying more per transaction. For example, a few decided to try out one of Aunt Nitza’s (Nicko’s Aunt) Portokalopita or the other Uncle Gussy’s authentic greek desserts which was part of their meal purchase.

Moving Forward

As we continue to work with Uncle Gussy’s we realize how important it is to create reachable milestones and goals that motivate everyone to continue giving their best.

My New Business Venture

I will be writing more about how my new business venture Limonade Inc. might help someone like you who wants to run projects in a hassle-free and successful way. Our newest venture is for those who want to have successful, lean, online projects while surpassing your goals.

If you want to talk a bit more about an idea or project feel free to contact me directly and we can work together on attacking large goals.

A Young Mentor & A Village in Kenya

June 23, 2013 by Raul Colon

Throughout my life I’ve had multiple life experiences that have granted me the privilege to meet some pretty remarkable people like AJ Leon.

Experiences I cheering like the of meeting the CEO of a Big 4 Accounting Firm and the opportunity to work along with a New York Times Best Selling Author. I have many more stories to share where I am grateful of the awesome human beings that have guided me at the age of 33.

A Younger Mentor

This time I take the opportunity to talk about one individual who in a short period of time I have gained their trust. Something that is unique about this experience is that he is a few years younger than me but in a good way is an old and very beautiful soul. On every occasion, I get to interact or talk with AJ Leon I see how much more I have to learn from him. But what is unique is that in only a few years I know I have become someone he trusts and that means a lot.

The Misfits in Fargo

A few weeks ago I had the privilege to attend the Fargo Misfit Conference. After requesting to go to the Conference I am thankful that AJ Leon and his lovely wife Melissa extended an invitation.

I was very excited and I wanted to everything possible to go support Aj and Melissa. Little did I know that truly they where supporting me and the many other misfits in attendance. I truly had a unique lifetime experience in Fargo, North Dakota, which will pave a new path towards my future projects and goals.

Time Flies when you have an awesome time

The minutes, hours, and days flew by so fast that when I realized what had happened I was on the way to the airport headed back home.

The interactions with the awesome people at the conference put me in a good state of mind. This allowed me to overcome a few obstacles that had held me back for many months.

Focusing on A Few Things

This is the first post I have written since I got back 3 weeks ago. I had to focus on getting a few projects completed such as the launch of Fit911studio’s website.

I am also in the process of restructuring how I do business with a new name and structure. Those who are subscribed to my newsletter and blog will find out first.

I was so into getting myself in order that I totally forgot I had committed to raising some funds for a Windmill in Gambella Village in Kenya, Africa.

The Glass Almost Half Full

This past week awesome Jessie White emailed me asking me if we needed some extra help to make sure we hit our $500 goal.

Getting that email made me realized that if I did not act quickly I was going to disappoint two of my favorite people in this small planet Melissa and AJ.

In a matter of hours we had a few donations going and in only a few days and with 7 days to go we are almost at the halfway point (at the time of this blog post being written we are at $235 of the $500 goal).

Why Be Part of the Windmill in Gambella

I get pitched on helping many other social good efforts and I truly wish I could help much more but I sometimes lack the time and more importantly trust with those other organizations. I trust the misfits the same way they trust me and if I were to ask them for assistance on any of my social efforts they would provide it.

AJ Leon, Jessie and Melissa are known for raising money and different to others they make sure the fundraising objective is met by rolling up their sleeves and working along those who they raised the money for.

AJ Leon, The Misfits, and I need your Help

I want to reach the goal of $500 in the next few days. It would mean a lot to me if you could donate $5, $15, $25 or more to this great cause.

We can reach the $500 (we need $265 goal if :

If you and 52 people donate $5
If you and 17 people donate $15
If you and 10 people donate $25

Can you help us make a Village in Kenya Sustainable?

More about the Project

Believing in Yourself

May 26, 2013 by Raul Colon

My confidence sometimes tends to go on the overly optimistic side.

In the past, people have told me that it could be perceived as being cocky. The first time someone pointed out this issue, I was in the Army Reserves and Drill Sergeant Instructor Deborah Hancock was the one who told me. I had just completed a task before the rest of the other Sergeants; they had not met her expectations. and it might have been the first time I had completed and passed something where it stood out to her.

She found the best way to tell me that in life I had to find a way to demonstrate confidence but trying to hard was making me be perceived as cocky.

Taking the Advice to Heart

Since then I have struggled with staying on the healthy side of that thin line where being too confident can get me in trouble.

I like taking any knowledge I acquire to make the world around me a better place. With this knowledge, I try to help people see that achieving goals can be possible by taking different routes. Since that day where Drill Sergeant Hancock (now retired) gave me that valuable piece of advice, I have been on a journey to identify other people’s talents with the purpose of sharing my strengths and having them help me in the areas I have weaknesses.

This also helps me understand that there are always people better than me in many ways and many areas.

Different Talents

I went to college and got a Public Accounting Degree. I have always been a fan of numbers and statistics. When I was 12 years old, I kept records and books of sports cards I sold to my classmates. I had another notebook with the telephone numbers of my clients for my Dog Grooming Business that I ran from the ages of 14-17. If only I had a CRM at that moment things would have probably been different.

I kept an inventory of my sports cards, sales records, market price changes, how much I sold them for, and many other business metrics. It was in my nature to do those things and my dad and Uncle Tito also helped along.

Since nobody told me I could not do it, I created and ran multiple small businesses that brought me income to have fun as a teenager.

Finding my passion

Years later I moved on to other things. While in college I was lucky enough that Radio Shack gave me a loan to buy my first computer.

This is when I consider to have truly found my passion with technology. I would spend a lot more time in front of the computer building websites learning HTML and a series of other things. Those skills helped me greatly especially when I left the accounting field to pursue other opportunities.

End Product

This past week I launched a website for a client named Farmacia San Rafael. When I look at that website, I can see how my work while collaborating with others, has evolved over time.

With the help of talented individuals who believe and are good at what they do like my friend Rick Lipsett (head creative on the project), Patricia Jimenez (photography), Lucilla Feliciano (Project Manager), and the staff of Farmacia San Rafael, we where able to make this Specialized Pharmacy website look very different from all the others.

As time goes by, I see how believing in me has resulted in the creation of many things that make me proud, certain things I think need improvement,, and the opportunities that will arise finding solutions to new issues.

Support from others

I have had some great opportunities arise for believing that I can do many things. But I’ve had even more people believe in me to take me to those opportunities from close family members to distant friends who I have only met online.

Building that support system (network) is critical and very healthy in the long term.

Where do you need help in believing in yourself?

How can I become part of your support system?

PS: I have been working on new packages to help small business owners with improving their websites and their overall online presence. If you are interested in talking a bit more on how I can help you reach your business and personal goals online feel free to contact me.

Make it a Holiday

May 12, 2013 by Raul Colon

To many people holidays are not voyages of discovery, but a ritual of reassurance.

– Phillip Adams

*|FNAME|*, if you celebrate today as a holiday then Happy Mother’s Day. If not, then make sure to enjoy your Sunday as much as I will.

To a certain extent I like the concept of Mother’s Day. What I don’t like is the fact that so much weight is put upon so many, that just to comply with society, they have to get or give an expensive Mother’s Day gift.

I also want to clarify that the women who have influenced me over time, have done so in a positive manner and I wish I could give them a gift every day.

Admiring Women and Mother’s Should be Every day

My biggest concern with Mother’s Day is that we don’t appreciate them enough the rest of the year and try to make up for it on a specific day.

I try to be grateful when it comes to my various mentors who also happened to be moms, especially my mom and my other half Lucy.

I also know many women who are not moms but they nurture those around them and some of them go beyond what some moms, that have kids, could ever do when it comes taking care of others.

I can create a long list of women mentors throughout my life but I would stray away from the main subject here which is why such a holiday is important but sadly too commercial.

My Holidays are…

I personally take holidays as regular days. For me a holiday is any day I get to enjoy time with those I admire, respect, and love.

I guess that not being able to be close to my mom for many Mother’s Day, has made me realize that I have to appreciate her when she is next to me not on a special date.

The past few years my mom was able to spend Mother’s Day here on the Island. Today she will spending time with my brother and rest of my family in Connecticut.

Make any Day a Holiday

So my advice to you is that by taking control of your life and understanding that certain moments happen without planning, you can make the best of your days outside of any holiday.

For those of you that don’t have your mom near you, feel free to take some time to enjoy the positive memories and make the best of your day in their honor.

So are you into holidays? What is your favorite one?

Mistakes Will Happen

May 5, 2013 by Raul Colon

“As long as the world is turning and spinning, we’re gonna be dizzy and we’re gonna make mistakes.”

— Mel Brooks

Recovering from mistakes is something I wish I could get better at, but over time I feel I have gotten better at it.

Last week while I was testing out a WordPress Plug-in called Autochimp and did not configure it correctly. My blog ended up sending multiple messages into your inbox. The first one was a previous newsletter, the second one was the correct newsletter ,and the third one was another version of a newsletter.

Before I continue. I want to thank you for not unsubscribing from my list. Experimenting with new things to enhance my newsletter made you receive a few unnecessary emails. I really appreciate and thank you for supporting me even when I make a mistake.

The Fear of making a mistake

Like every other human in this world I am scared of making a mistake that will impact negatively the relationship I have with you and others I respect.

Overall, I fear making many types of mistakes. But the fact that I am not normal is that with time I have learned that by building enough courage I can overcome most fears.

Your subscription is important to me

Thanks to you this newsletter exists and more importantly the feedback I receive from you and others not only helps me improve it but do better in other areas of my life.

I understand how important it is for you to give me a few minutes to read this newsletter. You have many more options and I am very grateful that you are here reading. There is nothing better than seeing your feedback and replies once the newsletter is published.

With every reply I see a different aspect of the subject I wrote on and more importantly I get to know you better.

Once I saw the newsletter sending the wrong content and having your email inbox receive multiple emails I was a bit worried. Your time is so valuable to me I did not want you to feel that I was sending spam to your inbox.

Once I read a few positive replies and others who asked me if everything was ok offering help I felt a bit more at ease.

Apologizing

One of the first things I did on this newsletter was apologize for last week’s mistakes. I really want you to understand you’re important to me (Have I written how important you are to me? Sorry when I make mistakes I over apologize).

I over apologize because I don’t like it when someone makes a mistake that impacts me and can’t find the guts to apologize.

Sending a message when you really mean it, makes a difference so we can overcome whatever obstacle we are faced with. Sometimes the biggest issue is not that you made a mistake. The problem might be your lack of response and accountability of what happened.

Most importantly there has to be a plan to move along in a healthy way for the parties involved.

Moving on

To move on I made sure this newsletter’s topic was on how I think others on the personal and business side should react when the make a mistake. I also made sure to do research and find a better way to have my blog publish my newsletter and not have last week’s issues all over again.

Making up for it

I want to make up for the mistake by doing two things:

1. Give you a Special Consulting Rate

I have been offering some coaching sessions and my standard hourly consulting rate is $125.

For VIP like you I will be offering a phone call (minimum 45 minutes) where we can discuss any idea or business topic you want my advice in the areas of technology, business, web development, or online communications for the special newsletter subscriber rate of $49 (limit of 10).

I will not offer this again for the rest of the year so if you are interested this offer it will be valid until Tuesday.

If you feel I can help anyone with this feel free to forward the email to him or her and have them mention you.

2. Showing you how I configured my WordPress post to publish to MailChimp

I will also point you towards Chris Lema’s Blog where he explains how to get your WordPress blog to publish to Mailchimp. I would have written down the steps I followed but he does such a better job explaining I thought it would be worth it.

How do you handle yourself when you make a big mistake? Any thoughts on how we can all grow from this opportunity. Hit Reply I am waiting on the other side for your email.

PS: Today is a special day for my friend, business partner, and artist extraordinaire. He publishes his 100th Daddyknows Cartoon over at Papaheroes. So if you can spare a few more minutes congratulate Rick by leaving a nice comment on something he does to share his experiences as a dad.