Kathy Konst's Bee Newspaper Articles

Pick 3. Spend 50. Save your local economy.
In Lists, Signs & Speeches…Get to the Point!
Desperation…the Mother of Invention
Pork Does Not Spell Change
Say Good-bye to another slice of Americana
Exit Stage Left
The Battle Hymn of Construction
The Politics of Advertising
Why the Chamber is Good For Business
Good Customer Service No Mystery
A Little Activism Goes A Long Way!
First, Walk A Mile In My Shoes
Growth vs. No Growth.  That ISN'T the question!
It's Inevitable... So Plan For It.
Follow the Signs, Please!
Community: We're all in this together
Continue D'Tour
The Art of Being Pointless
Boards Are From Mars, Staff is From Venus
Extreme Makeover: Chamber Edition
Can You Hear Me Now…
Dreams: Vision vs. Reality
How being nosy can lead to a life of ZESTO!
Computers, Cookies & Spam…Oh My!
If we build it… they will come!
How prepared are you for a crisis?
How to Quell a Bad Day
Chamber Exec Seeks Wannabe-preneur
First Responders Spell Relief for the Panicked
Success Won't Come Overnight
It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas
Strategize to Succeed

In Lists, Signs & Speeches…Get to the Point!
By Kathy Konst

I’ve commented before about the need to take time for a pointless conversation.  It can create the best kind of brainstorming environment.  It also gives you time to distress and unclutter your brain from the stuff that makes you crazy on a daily basis.  The conversation simply evolves from a topic and you just talk.  Think of it as Jerry Seinfeld meets Mayberry.
But, of course, you won’t get anywhere in life by always chattering about nothing.  You have too many things to do, projects to oversee, missions to accomplish. That is why getting to the point is also important. 
Dilly-dallying, avoidance, or skirting the issue just delays you from getting your work done. If you keep a to-do list, you might never get to cross anything off of it if you don’t get around to actually doing the task.  And how frustrating is it to see your list grow day-by-day?
It eventually becomes so long and seemingly unmanageable that you can become paralyzed and willing to toss it all out.  Not a good idea.
Think of a child who avoids cleaning his room until one day stuff is pouring out the door, from under the bed and through the closet.  He is unable to piece it out to tackle the overwhelming project.
That is why keeping a list of everything to do and picking a fair number to check off each day will help keep you organized and feeling better while achieving small victories along the way.  Write the tasks in short, understandable phrases. You know what the tasks are.
And the same can be said for business signs.  You drive along & look at a beautiful, ornate sign on a building.  Sure it’s attractive, but it’s so stylized that you have no idea what it says.  As with lists, a sign should also get to the point.  Who are you?  What do you do?  Simple and clear.
A little more complicated may be your elevator speech.  That is the 30 second introduction you use when meeting people to say what you do. (It is the amount of time you would spend with someone in an elevator.)  The rule goes that if you can’t say what you do in 30 seconds, then your lack of focus will prevent you from accomplishing your work.
I have heard both good and bad elevator speeches.  The bad tend to be clever little ditties designed to raise your curiosity.  They are clever because they don’t actually tell you what they do.  Which forces you to ask questions, but only  if you care enough at that point to continue with the conversation.
Isn’t it better to devise a speech that clearly states what you do, why it is relevant to your customers and how you are the right person to hire? Prepare this speech so that you can make it in your sleep and are able to adjust it for different audiences.  It will certainly help you stand out from the others.
As with lists, having a clear business sign and an understandable purpose statement will get you to the point.  You can do the work that feeds your pocket book faster and easier, thereby allowing you time to enjoy those important ‘pointless conversations’ that feed your soul.
 

Desperation…the Mother of Invention
By Kathy Konst

Times are tough.  The tortured economy is crying for help and the Federal Stimulus bone seems to have been picked clean by the governments between the Feds and us.  So what’s a poor guy (or gal) to do? 
Well, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again now.  Get creative.  Go out on a limb.  If you’ve lost it all, or even a lot – what else is there to lose?  Invent something… or as the latest phrase says - reinvent yourself.
Bob Schweitzer saw an opportunity in Clarence, and opened an old-fashioned outdoor hot dog stand.  In a business where location is everything, he can go to where the action is:  construction workers, athletic fields, wherever he can get approval to be.
There are lots of folks like us who are leaping with both feet into uncharted waters hoping for the magic life raft that will save them financially. 
Hey, it’s been done before.
Think about some of your favorite time and energy savers.  How have they improved your life?  Just imagine having to button your pants every time you put them on or off.  Thank goodness for that savvy inventor of zippers.
Or try to remember what it was like when you got all comfy on your couch with an ice cream bowl balanced on your lap and you realized you forgot to change the TV Channel to “Gilligan’s Island.”  Drats!  Too bad there wasn’t a device to do that from the couch.
Ah… now we take the remote control for granted.
There are plenty of cool ‘new’ inventions that we rely on today – cell phones, microwaves, ovens, laptop computers.  But it’s some of the simple things that make our lives easier that we can try to emulate.  I don’t know about you, but I won’t be inventing some fancy transporter any time soon, but “white-out,” now that’s something I can aim for.
A good way to start would be to track your daily routine and remember the times you get frustrated about an action or process.
Joy Magnano hated the way her clothes slipped off their hangers.  So she invented hangers to prevent slippage.  Ron Popeil has come up with dozens of cooking contraptions to help us and sells them on infomercials.  I just love the meat flavor injector.
Once you’ve come up with your idea and research it, you may need the help of an attorney to get to the next step of patenting it or protecting it from being stolen.  But hey, it will be a small price to pay when you see all your future royalties roll in.
Sure… this may sound like a pie-in-the-sky dream, but others have dreamt it and eaten that pie.  Why shouldn’t you?
Now excuse me while I get back to my transporter contraption.
 

Pork Does Not Spell Change
By Kathy Konst

Mayor Cansdale and the Village of Lancaster trustees are to be commended for the bold move of reducing the size of their Board from 7 to 5.  It is a precedent that other governing bodies should strongly consider.
This is not the first time the Village of Lancaster has taken the lead in finding ways to reduce the cost of governing.  A decade ago they consolidated their water department with Erie County Water and merged the Village and Town Police Departments at a time when consolidation was first being heralded as the next best thing in government.
Though the ride was bumpy, ultimately it needed to happen in order to curb the escalating tax burden being placed on residents.  There is much more that can and should be done.
A study by the “Who Does What Commission,” made up of local business people and policy makers in the late 1990’s, came up with a variety of consolidation opportunities.  Unfortunately, not many of those ideas saw the light of day, outside of the Lancaster police merger.
Other recommendations coming from private-public partnerships include the Berger Commission’s decision to close hospitals.  Again, this controversial move is underscored by the desire to remove duplicative services and reduce costs.  The jury is still out on the success of these recommendations.
Just last year, the Suozzi Commission for Property Tax Relief was tasked with ways to reign in State spending.  Unfortunately again, there doesn’t seem to be the stomach for Legislators on the State level to hold down spending.
When businesses face hard times, they know that their bottom line depends on cutting expenses because revenues are down.
When families find themselves unemployed with investments gone and with unexpected expenses, they find ways to curb spending.
In the real world that most of us live in, there is no bail-out or hand-out. It is sink or swim.
Erie County took a step towards reality budgeting in 2005 by eliminating money to Legislators for discretionary spending.  Each Legislator had previously received $185,000 a year to disburse as they saw fit, without going through the vetting process required of most projects. Eliminating this pot of money was a good move towards building good faith with the public.
The same thing should happen at the state and federal levels of government.  Whether you call it member item money, earmarks or discretionary spending, it all comes down to…pork.  While many projects may be worthwhile, they don’t face the scrutiny deserved for public funding.  This money also serves as an unfair benefit to incumbent legislators who basically use it to solidify votes from groups receiving the benefit of their largess.
Eliminating these earmarks helps restore public trust.  A new process for selecting worthy projects should be established with transparency and accountability measures built in.
Our State and Federal officials should then take a page out of the Lancaster playbook and put a plan into action to save taxpayers money rather than sitting back and complaining about how others took away the pork they had promised us.
The money was never theirs….it was ours, and now it is gone.
 

Say Good-bye to another slice of Americana
By Kathy Konst

New Taxes on health insurance premiums, haircuts and taxi rides. 
Changes to Empire Zone eligibility. 
Cuts to local government funding. 
These are just a few of the proposals coming out of the Governor’s office.
New York State is facing a fiscal catastrophe like nothing we’ve ever experienced.  It makes the 2005 County crisis seem trivial.  Unfortunately, some of the quick fix ideas aimed at bringing fast cash will inevitably cause serious long term problems.
Families are already reeling from the increased cost of health insurance.  This added new tax might cause hundreds to go without.  Then what?  Will the State step in to cover the increase in emergency room costs?  Doesn’t it make more sense to help these families find less expensive ways to provide preventative health care?
The proposal that most exemplifies short-sightedness to me is the one allowing grocery stores to sell wine, while still prohibiting liquor stores from selling groceries, napkins, drink mixes, etc.  This past December a liquor store in the Rochester area was fined $10,000 for selling wine gift bags, yet grocery stores can sell beer, mixers and wine charms.
Governor Paterson’s proposal would allow 18,000 grocery stores in New York State to bypass all other restrictions imposed on liquor stores, giving chains, in particular,a strong purchasing advantage.  Liquor stores can’t form collective buying groups with other stores and must be owner-operated at all times – so that they also can’t form a chain.
I understand the Governor’s desire to close the State budget gap. $65 million in one-time fees from grocery and convenience stores will be collected over 2 years as a result of the new licensing.  But this quick cash infusion will only cost the State more in the long run due to unemployment, lost income tax, sales tax, and empty retail space.
It‘s estimated that if wine is sold in grocery stores, over 1,000 small businesses, including wine sellers, liquor stores and wineries, would be forced to close, thus adding 4,000-6,000 people to NYS unemployment rolls.
But beyond all the financial blows is the impact on the face of the community.  We have already lost most of our independent butchers, bakers and candlestick makers!  Are short term fixes really worth the loss of a way of life that we now look at with nostalgia?
I’ve worked, and often fought, daily to recapture a slice of Americana in our Central Business Districts. Small businesses try to set up shop but can’t compete against the big-box stores.  We failed to see how proposals such as the ones being pushed in Albany now contribute to the loss of these entrepreneurs.
I hope our State representatives take a long, hard look at the implications and repercussions of the proposed legislation. The quick cash they get may paint a rosy picture today, but when we end up with a landscape devoid of people living here – and paying taxes here, where will they get their cash tomorrow?
 

Exit Stage Left
By Kathy Konst

When the airlines are offering such fantastic weekend getaway deals, why on earth would anyone drive to Chicago, you might ask.

No, I’m not afraid of flying. I just needed the time to speak with my husband one-on-one, no phone, no interruptions, no 11:00 PM Law & Order put-me-to sleep episodes, in a child- back-to-school, weekend getaway.

Yes, my kind of town, Chicago is.

As the director of the Chamber, I’ve felt the pain of every struggling business in our community - sometimes over and over again. And this year, the problems seem more numerous than ever before. 

First, road construction knocked a walloping blow to the heart of the community. 

Second, the bad economy got worse. 

Third, people seem to be pointing fingers and fighting with each other more than usual.

The slow month of August and the great American Unplugged weekend aside, sometimes, you need to step back, take a deep breath and reevaluate, not just individual actions and decisions, but the whole picture.

Thus began my process of questioning. Was our work this past year effective? Did those construction and “Village Square” signs make a difference? Were all the meetings as productive as they could have been? Did the community outreach program accomplish its objectives? Did we assume responsibility for things best left up to local government?

Can you sense my frustration?

So, we’re driving through the expansiveness of the great Midwest, on our way to the city of my birth. The vast geography prompts me to ask myself, what is the big picture?

After 11 years in Buffalo, 6 years with the Chamber, what is the next step? Is it time to move on perhaps? Boy, these are big questions.

But, I’m sure these are the type of questions we all ask ourselves one time or another. Many people may feel stuck without the luxury of choice. For me, I’ve been fortunate to be able to reinvent my job regularly because of the inherent need for business to be innovative. 

The Chamber serves as a testing ground for new ideas and approaches. But even innovation has a shelf life.

We began this year at the Chamber with a member survey, asking businesses for their ideas. It began a free flow of suggestions and inquiries. The process then congealed into two specific committees, the existing Government Affairs Council, and the new Chamber CARE (Community Awareness Resources and Education) entity.

Both efforts are positive, pro-active approaches designed to vocalize business needs. The underlying premise is, what’s good for small business is good for the community. After all, we work, live and play here, and without the conveniences of nearby small businesses, we just wouldn’t be a complete community.

While in Chicago, I had the opportunity to witness many communities in all stages of development and redevelopment. The city is amazingly similar to Buffalo, only bigger. There were distinct differences too.

Of course, there was the beautifully developed waterfront (we’re still waiting), a remarkable air and water show that attracted over 200,000 people to the beach, numerous conventions (we stayed in the middle of a dance competition convention), and neighborhoods celebrating their ethnicity with weekend festivals.

What a wonderful setting for a fresh start. As we drove home, taking the northern route through Canada, we were invigorated with our new outlook and enjoyed discussing ways to implement our new plan.

We even felt compelled to apologize to Canadians in passing, for all the blame games during the electrical blackout. By the way, did we ever really find out who did what to whom?

Oh well, back to work…
 

The Battle Hymn of Construction
By Kathy Konst

So, it’s been a couple of months since construction season started this year. Driving down Broadway in the Village of Lancaster is amazing. One is reminded of a giant sandbox with the huge trucks systematically removing dirt to depths of several feet making it feel surreal – like something in science fiction.
Move on to Central and Broadway and you may think you are in downtown Baghdad – thankfully without the bombs. Craters spot the landscapes.

There are changes in utilities, sewer and water lines, and bridge work underway. Some buildings even look in perilous condition, standing on stilts.

As a pedestrian, you are up against some interesting obstacles trying to navigate the ever-changing terrain.
Things are also tough for the contractors, who try to appease business owners, drivers and residents at the same time. But businesses in the area face a double whammy from construction on Broadway and Central – especially when one or both roads close unexpectedly. Last Friday we even had the “pleasure” of a water stoppage for several hours. Restaurateurs were seen in near states of panic, considering the popularity of fish fry Friday.
Needless to say, things have been tough. In light of this, it is imperative to state that the livelihood of the Lancaster Central Business District depends on the generosity of this community. 

Rather than being driven away because of construction, I ask that you put yourself in its path in order to help these businesses that NEED YOUR HELP. There is plenty of parking on Clark Street between Central and School Streets, on Pleasant and Aurora, where the new Save-a-Lot grocery will open next week, and on Broadway and Central behind the New York Store.

Please, please, please drop by the many stores, offices and restaurants to offer your support. By the end of summer we can all appreciate the renovations together with a new look and “beat” for the heart of the Village.
In the meantime, here’s a poem I whipped up while walking through the Construction Zone. (Read it to the music of the Marine Hymn.)

From the lanes of Central Avenue
     To the shores of Como Lake
Our dilemma is to get you through
     Whatever it may take.

We will fight through dust and gravel
     And the giant potholes there
We are proud to be the liaisons
     Of the info that we share.

For the D.O.T. and Village
     It’s our mission to tell you
Where the biggest holes are waiting
     And why you cannot get through.

We will fight to send you e-mail
     And to Press Release the news
So you’ll know when it is clear to drive
     Or when to put on gym shoes.

You can see some progress slowly
     But it’s hard for all the stores.
Won’t you come support your neighbors
     Lest they need to close their doors.

We will fight to help them surface
     From the dust the best we can,
But we need to draft more shoppers
     So please help us – lend a hand.

All these businesses are open NOW
     When you need a thing or two
Whether products or for services
     Central Avenue’s for you.

So from now until September
     While in town or while away
The Chamber will get you the news
     Of each road work delay.

Construction updates are available in the Bee, on our Website at www.laccny.org, or by registering your e-mail address with us at KKonstCC@aol.com.
 

The Politics of Advertising
By Kathy Konst

Direct-mail. Full page ads in local papers. Billboards. Phone calls during dinner. Flyers stuffed in mailboxes.
Sounds like a major ad campaign for a trendy new product, right? Wrong. It's how politicians, citizens and special interest groups go about convincing constituents in targeted areas to support their causes or to vote their way. This method of lobbying has taken a lesson from the pages of Business Advertising 101, but with a twist. 
Just rewind to last week's school board elections. The numerous anonymous messages stuffed in our mailboxes (is that even legal?) and under our windshields were overwhelming. Who drafted those slingers? Were they well-meaning people trying to protect us from "bad things" or were they people trying to get us to vote their way without addressing their "real motives". 

The problem is that unlike businesses, which must follow truth in advertising laws and answer to consumer protection agencies, these special interest groups really answer to no one. So how do we, as concerned citizens, know what is truth and what is fiction? How do we know if the rhetoric is really about the subject at hand or how much is actually obstructionist material against a person or position on an issue?  But most importantly, why has the process of determining the truth become so very difficult?  It has become hard for the well-seasoned and politically savvy to separate facts from innuendo and misinformation, to say nothing about the average citizen.
As a marketing professional, I often must give up some creativity when crafting an advertising piece in order to comply with the legal requirements of the company I represent. The wording in the message must be exactly as the compliance department wants it in order to protect the manufacturer, the business owner and the consumer. 
So much for advertising pizzaz!

Issue-oriented materials now being circulated by advocacy groups do not follow these legal standards. Wow, and have they gotten creative. Inflated figures in budgets, exaggerated accounts of misdeeds, flagrant attacks and slanderous accusations against people are all running rampant. I happen to sit on a couple of Boards that try very hard to "do the right thing" for their membership. The constant attacks against people on some public boards make it hard to find qualified people to run for these offices. They also do nothing to resolve conflicts or to address the real problems. I also interact with hard working business people and residents who feel they are underrepresented in government or in organizations they belong to. They have in some instances created their own "special interest" committees.

The problem in each scenario is that the message that gets out may not be accurate, depending on who is crafting this message. For example, it is hard for those of us not intricately involved in a budget to understand the what's and why's of how it was drafted, or how a decision has been made on any single issue.
I applaud those who attend meetings regularly and study committee reports, budgets, and proposals. They actively search to find the truth. This is certainly a productive way of filtering fact from fiction - as long as it does not actually hinder the process of running the organization. For example, "watchdog" groups that cost taxpayers money in the long-run do not serve us well. Beyond that, it is imperative that we know about the people we elect to any office- be it a public or private position. As adults, we all have a "record of achievement." This record of our works should be the instrument used to measure our future potential. But those who would elect us should hear it from our lips. Not only in the form of an anonymous marketing piece written by others.
The ads, the flyers, the direct mailings are all just propaganda. If we automatically believe what is written about someone or some issue; if we don't take the time to discern the truth from these messages; then we run the risk of allowing the unknown few people who draft these messages to influence or even determine the fate of our communities, our school systems, our churches, etc.
Whichever side of the fence you are on, I have a simple recommendation: "Search for the truth in the advertising before making up your own mind!" 
 

Why the Chamber is Good for Business
By Kathy Konst

By the time you read this article, I will hopefully be off on a deserted island (alone with $1 million in hand, a yacht, a whole pizza and no other survivors to share it) even if it’s only in my head. Since my thoughts have been stuck on vacation as well, it‘s been hard to concentrate on insightful things to write about. Have you ever been in this predicament? This phenomenon has many names, "burnout" being just one of them. I think that is why vacations first came about: to help people escape from the everyday drudgery of work. So, I am gathering some "old" thoughts from my own past articles to discuss the importance of joining the Chamber of Commerce. September marks our annual membership drive, so it is a good time to reintroduce ourselves.
Work can be equated to labor, drudgery, toil, or other negatives. But to anyone who loves what they do, work can be a "labor of love" that keeps their minds challenged and their energy soaring. Many entrepreneurs and small business owners work for themselves precisely because it is the only way that they can make work - a labor of love. Recognizing that fact, it is especially important for communities to encourage and promote small business.
The Chamber of Commerce recognizes the unique talents and needs of the small business entrepreneur and works to encourage and promote that spirit of innovation and attention to detail. With that in mind, I want to quickly tell you what the Chamber of Commerce is all about and why membership in the Lancaster Area Chamber would be good for your business!
The Lancaster Area Chamber of Commerce works to create a positive business environment. The Chamber of Commerce proudly represents three communities, Lancaster, Depew and Elma, which offer a great place to locate your business, raise a family and reside in a "country-like" environment. We serve a membership of over 550 businesses and professionals, encompassing over 5600 member employees.
Chamber membership is open to any reputable business, corporation, partnership, or sole-proprietorship. Employees of the member business are also considered members and as such are entitled to many benefits which are outlined on the opposite Chamber Page.
The Chamber can be especially helpful to new business owners by offering helpful hints for marketing and promotions, as well as business development. Our experienced and capable Board of Directors and I are more than willing to mentor, counsel or make recommendations to anyone who needs assistance in their business.
A sampling of our involvement includes the following:
Monthly meetings that provide for networking, speakers, workshops and seminars on timely business and political topics. Member involvement is encouraged in our various committees.
We are preparing to award the winner of our Second Annual Scholarship known as GAIT, Grant for Adults in Transition. This grant was created to enable and assist adults facing economic or employment hardships in an effort to help them better themselves and thereby promote a healthier community.
A "Networking Breakfast" is held every Wednesday Morning at 8 a.m. at the Olive Tree Restaurant in Lancaster. Prospective members are always welcome. Please join us to find out more about how the Chamber can help your business grow. Some of the questions that we address on regular basis reflect the concerns of many Western New York residents:
What would our community be without business to support it?
How can the Chamber be a catalyst for new business development?
Can the Chamber work in concert with government and community leaders to attract new businesses to the area? To keep existing businesses from leaving?
What can the Chamber do as a voice for the business community to encourage lower taxes, reduced energy costs, and a revitalization of business districts?
There is so much more that is regularly included in our newsletter and in these articles. I hope you take the time to call me at 681-9755 or attend a Chamber function. The facing Chamber page is a good source for "What’s Happening" and for advertising. Please Join! I think you will find that membership in the Lancaster Area Chamber of Commerce is good for your business.
 

Good Customer Service No Mystery
By Kathy Konst

I just don't get it! You work hard, spend time and money to develop an idea in order put it into action in the form of a business. You do the market research to target your audience through advertising in just the right medium. You create a comfortable shopping atmosphere and even expand to the internet. But then you forget a key business rule - listen to your customers in order to build loyalty.
It is not just the old saying "the customer is always right" that matters. It is also important to treat your customers as if you really want them to patronize your establishment, use your services or buy your products. 
Perhaps you have forgotten how to appreciate your customers. Sometimes as owners and managers, you work in a vacuum and don't spend much time on the front-line actually dealing with the customer. You do yourself a disservice if you don't take the time to find out how your customers are being treated.
I spend a lot of time evaluating a variety of businesses and since I am also a customer of many of them I'd like to share some pointers for establishing long term relationships. 
Granted, it isn't always easy dealing with us. We can be nasty, demanding and opinionated. And we may not always be worth keeping as customers compared to the aggravation we cause. 
Yet we are the driving force behind your business success. Without us, what would be the point? 
You may also want to do things your own way, but the market and your customers may dictate otherwise. Prices might need to be lower because no one will pay what you are charging. Or perhaps you have to increase store hours to meet the needs of late working customers. The current trend might dictate expanding to include another age group. There are many factors that must be considered if you really want to be service oriented. A survey of your existing customers is always an easy way to start. Tie it to a contest or promotion and you will increase the survey return rate.
It is important to relay the importance of customer service to your employees as well. If your employees are rude - and that is the #1 customer complaint - then they are hurting your business. If they are inattentive, pushy or uninformed, then they could be sending your business to the competitors.
One way to determine if you are on track with customers is to use a "mystery shopper." Business author David Backinsell says that although mystery shopping has been around for a long time as a market research tool, its new role is as a business performance measurement tool. New-style mystery shopping can be used as part of the service quality process. 
If you are unsure of how your employees are treating your customers, or if you have been receiving complaints, take action and send in a mystery shopper. Have them evaluate your product quality, service and performance. 
If you are in the restaurant business, a mystery shopper can help you appraise your food, timing and wait staff. 
If you are a call or service center, they can make sample "problem" calls to evaluate the effectiveness and skill of your technicians.
If you provide a service, a mystery shopper can help measure the thoroughness of your consultants. 
Be sure to take the time to create a measurable tool that will give you clear answers. This means identifying the important features of the service delivery process - the roles of people, products, services, technology, facilities, etc. Don't forget to add yourself to the equation. As business owners, we are not infallible.
You may even want to go further and try to determine how you meet customer's expectations and how you compare to services and products from competitors.
Do not underestimate the value of the new Mystery Shopping tool. You may not always like what you hear and see, but if you are willing to accept it, learn from it, and use the information to improve your customer service, then your business could benefit tremendously. If you don't, then your customers could be the ones who dictate the future of your business for you. I, for one, would rather be in control of my own destiny.
As always, I simply offer you food for thought and I wish you business success!
 

A Little Activism Goes A Long Way!
By Kathy Konst

A few weeks ago, there was a program on television about the 70's. It was a nostalgic stroll down memory lane that my 16 year old daughter and I took together. She believes she was born too late. The music, the clothes, the commitment that activists had to the issues of the day all seem exciting. In her opinion there is no psychedelic enthusiasm today. People seem complacent, comfortable in the status quo. So she has decided to shake things up on her own by getting involved. I can't say that I blame her. As much as I gasp at old 70s' pictures - the plaids, the hair, the sideburns - I can't help but sing along with every commercial for those old records - eh CD's! And yes, we were passionate about politics and war, about religious beliefs, about just about everything. There was black and white on issues. Today there are only shades of gray. People are afraid to commit to something that might actually peg them, for fear of reprisal or retribution.
Tomorrow I join my daughter and 15 of her classmates for the New York State Democratic Convention in Albany. They have formed a club called "Students for Democracy" and are jumping into the political process. The Republican convention is next on their agenda. They have lined up speakers and topics to address as concerned pre-voters. I admire their newfound activism and hope to learn from them. In a small way perhaps I already have. (She was my inspiration to run for public office.)
I still draw on my old "platform" to address the concerns of businesses and residents in the Chamber of Commerce. Just recently we spearheaded a letter-writing campaign to legislators requesting funding for 
redevelopment of the Central Business District (CBD) in Lancaster. We are holding public hearings with the NYS Department of Transportation to help inform and unite the business community that will be affected by the widening of Broadway through Depew and Lancaster. The first of such meetings drew 75 attendees.  And, our most inspiring victory was the repeal of the Gross Receipts Tax and reversal of the energy tax recently implemented by the State Department of Tax and Finance. This subject is far from closed, but with 
determination, we shall prevail.
If we could just harness the energy of these "hot button" issues and apply them more often as a group, then perhaps we could combat the inertia that may affect us as individuals. That is what is lacking for me at times. It is harder to be motivated as an individual than it once was. I am hoping to relearn this from my daughter. In the meantime these group activities through the Chamber will hopefully stir the old enthusiasm, in others from my generation. The results of the few "demonstrations of action" we've already 
performed are evident: 
* Lancaster will be receiving some funding for the CBD thanks to our massive letter-writing campaign and Senator Volker;
* Businesses on Broadway know that they will have a watchdog committee looking after their interests;
* Residents feel like there is someone out there concerned about their community, and who will take on issues like taxes and energy in the form of a watchdog.
So, bravo to my daughter and others of her generation who are creating their own sense of urgency and commitment to a better world. From politics to the environment, they are not satisfied with the decisions or 
lack of decisiveness of my generation. I can't say that I blame them. We can't decide on much - twin span or signature, new convention center or old, to move or not to move the Zoo. These are the questions. 
Perhaps with a little encouragement from these young adults, we can find the answers.
NOTE: Take a peek at what these young adults are doing in technology and with computers next Tuesday. The Chamber is hosting a Business After Hours at Depew High School, May 23rd from 5:30 PM - 7 PM. There will 
be refreshments and a tour. For information call the chamber: 681-9755.
 

First, Walk A Mile In My Shoes.
By Kathy Konst

Norma, Kathy W., and I are like three cogs in a wheel. We each turn in different directions allowing the Chamber to operate efficiently. Our jobs and purposes are different and we like it that way.
In fact, none of us really wants to do the other's job.  Kathy W. hates dealing with the social stuff.
Norma prefers not to work on databases.  I don’t like bookkeeping or answering the phone.  And
we all dread handling insurance.
This can be an issue sometimes when work overlaps, but most often it is just fine. We can even
bring in volunteers to help with extracurricular stuff.
Although different, to say that any one of the tasks we perform is more necessary or important than another would be wrong. Even if there were only one employee at the office, all the jobs we perform would need to be completed. It just wouldn’t be as fun doing them.
At a holiday party for the YMCA last week, I had a great time at a table with Lancaster teachers.  Socializing is actually a part of my job I really like, and being a former teacher myself, I could commiserate over holiday trials and tribulations at school.  The topic turned to attitudes about teachers – most often from those most far removed.
It seems that many people – relatives and friends included – still perceive teaching as a cushy job.  You know the sayings, “Job? Work?  You get 3 months of vacation and all the holidays.” Or the demeaning, “You deal with kids.  How hard can that be?”  Or my favorite, “You can host Christmas this year. You have more time because your sister has a REAL job.”
Well, here I go again with a lesson to all those critics.  Don’t talk till you’ve walked a mile in another person’s shoes.
Having had the pleasure of celebrating many holidays with 30 plus children (I was the official performance coordinator at my school), I can assure you that it is no easy task.
And as with any type of responsibility, hard IS as hard DOES.  There will always be slackers and underachievers, but for those who choose a profession, much of the enjoyment comes from doing a good job.  That means taking the extra step.
A teacher will take home papers to grade nightly, scour the paper and magazines for articles that enhance class topics, and use vacation time to create projects for the upcoming semester.  There is never a break because the job is always on your mind.
It took me years to get out of the teaching mode and I never really quit being an instructor.  I love it too much.  The same goes for people in other professions.
I see my husband devour the newspaper – not simply read it.  Each news article is a case that might come up. Each business article signifies a trend that could evolve. As an attorney, his clients could benefit from his knowledge on all these subjects.  So he is constantly working.
We often joke that we’d love a job where there is no thinking involved.  The kind we had in high school, where you get physically tired but have no real accountability for the success of the business.
But to say that a job at Burger King is a piece of cake or serves no purpose would be unfair.
I know that I could never be happy working on an assembly line or even going back to banking.  I cringe every time I see a guy standing hip deep in a trench. And the words swing-shift or midnights never even existed in my vocabulary. These jobs are no easier or harder than mine or that of your child’s teacher.  They are just different.
The stress and fulfillment may vary job to job, but if they weren’t necessary, they probably would not exist.
So, perhaps this holiday a generous and simple gift would be to say thank you to someone for doing the job they do. Event if on the inside you may be saying thank goodness, it’s not me.
Then try to refrain from judging another person’s occupation based on old clichés, especially if your feet have never been in their shoes.
I hope your holiday is healthy and happy and the New Year brings peace.
 

Growth vs. No Growth.  That ISN'T the question!
By Kathy Konst

February is always such an interesting month for Western New York.   The fresh part of winter is gone and spring is still too far away to appreciate.  So, we never quite know what to expect from the weather. Now add to that uncertainty the reminder of my recent trip to Tucson, Arizona where I visited my mom and dad.  The return makes February in Buffalo even harder to weather.
I always love traveling. Generally, I have conversations that turn to where I am from.  People are pretty uninhibited about showing their surprise that I’m from Buffalo. The “it’s so cold” response gets old pretty fast. And being the Chamber of Commerce emissary that I am, I feel it is my obligation to set the record straight. So, I go through the litany of great tourist attractions we all know, and then the little known jewels that we residents often forget.  (At the Chamber, we often suggest fun jaunts that take people to unusual places.)
When I share these places with the Southerners, their eyes perk up – especially if they are Northern transplants.  They suddenly remember our great summers, easy-to-get-to skiing, and quick trips across town.
After all, a burgeoning metropolis isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be.  The fast and furious, unplanned growth of the southwest cities strains a community, stretching its resources.  Thoroughfares built to hold a few hundred cars a day suddenly swell and clog with thousands of anxious travelers. To some extent, the winter influx of “snowbirds” causes this problem in southern resort towns, but more recently, people are simply packing up and moving there permanently.
These “growth” communities never prepared for this overwhelming growth.  Business is booming.  The service and tourist industry is flourishing, as is everything connected to it.
Yet, the related problems are stressing people and resources alike.
With the influx of people from California to the Southwest, the prices of homes, goods and services have catapulted to the outrageously high California standard, putting native Arizonans at a disadvantage – if not completely out of the market. 
Unfortunately, incomes don’t rise as quickly as the cost of living. 
There is almost no such thing as affordable housing in these growth towns, because the land has gotten so expensive. Yet, the average contractor in Tucson will build 200 new homes next year.  A large builder will easily build 500-1,000 new homes. 
These are amazing figures to those of us in the Northeast who are fighting a daily battle of population loss. But even here, we have population shifts that are impacting the suburbs.  I’ve written before about smart growth proposals and the need for planning.
After hearing residents and visitors in Tucson complain about traffic and long lines at everything from restaurants to movies to grocery stores, it became clear that the lack of planning allowed contractors to decide how the community would expand.
I remember the debate many years ago when attending the University of Arizona. There was a great schism between those who wanted to keep the Southwest pristine and those who saw Tucson as a megalopolis that would merge with Phoenix by the year 2000.
It was a pretty ugly debate in 1977. But it is far worse today. Unfortunately, the decision back then was to let fate take its course.
Well, 25 years later, there is no turning back.  Land that could have been purchased for cross-town highways is now developed. Traffic is restricted to overcrowded city streets and is now a nightmare. 
Builders and business entrepreneurs rather than municipal planners have created the new-home communities. Since there was no regional master plan in place, building and zoning regulations were imposed after subdivisions were already established.  The result is a mishmash of regulations hundreds of pages long.  Not surprisingly, the relationship between the business community and government is strained.  There is no trust or good will between them.
I attended a workshop sponsored by the Southern Arizona Home Builders Association and was taken aback at the level of animosity for local policy makers who had just passed a law requiring all new homes be built handicap accessible.  It will impose an average of $5,000 to the cost of a new home.  Of course, this will be borne by the purchaser. 
It is no wonder that things have become heated.
I came away with a perspective of possible problems and solutions that we could learn from right here at home.
The old saying of recreating the wheel is quite appropriate. So many other communities have experienced the problems we face today.
Some may have even come up with plans for growth that incorporate green space, commercial and residential development that accommodate the values of both pro-growth and antigrowth advocates. 
The point is that unless we put a plan in place that pre-maps expansion areas for developers and takes into consideration the need for an expanded infrastructure, we will undoubtedly continue to grow helter-skelter. 
Our suburbs are already experiencing the results of tangled traffic because of a previous lack of planning.  It is getting worse.
So, it is imperative that we come together as a community and set aside our differences to quickly adapt a smart growth plan. Ignoring or simply saying NO to growth is not a solution.  It merely allows growth to happen in a disorganized fashion that negatively impacts our resources.  No one wins.
 

It's Inevitable... So Plan For It.
By Kathy Konst

To all you small business owners, the last few weeks have been a roller coaster for me. I came down with something - I attribute to re-circulated airplane air - for a couple of days after my vacation. Then I got back to work just to get hit with a double whammy, the flu and an inner ear infection. Adults are just not supposed to get childhood illnesses. They knock you out like and cause a strain on your work load.
I am not used to being laid up for two whole weeks, so it was a real drag, especially since I had so much work to make up.
One lesson I learned in all this is that you need to allow yourself time to recuperate. I went back to work thinking I'd better get moving, only to find myself zonked out in bed again the next day. Not smart. It prolonged the agony.
After all, the work wasn't going anywhere and it wasn't as if magic elves would go and do the work for me.
Like many of you, I have unfortunately created a scenario where I am the only one in the office who can do certain jobs. So, if I am not there to do them, they don't get done. This can be a bad thing when others depend on the timeliness of their completion.
In my case, it is more a matter of setting more reasonable and realistic goals for myself. Perfectionism can be a rather unbearable trait at times, because you spend valuable extra time trying to make things perfect.
Well, after being cooped up for a week, I have come to a few realizations that will hopefully allow me to make some changes that will positively impact my life, at work and at home.
Let me share a few, since I think they may spark some common sentiments in you.
1)   Life outside doesn't stop just because you are not participating in it. It was amazing for me to feel so detached from everything, yet I was relieved to not care about what was happening with anyone else - anywhere. They didn't seem to need me either. Go figure.
2)   Just because you want it to happen, doesn't mean it will. This comes from my desire to complete a couple of tasks that actually took concentration - like writing this article which was due last week - just to find out that I couldn't remain clear-headed long enough to write.
3)   You need a back-up plan to ensure a smooth continuation of duties and activities. The mess on my desk bears witness to my lack of a good "sick-day" plan. It also makes apparent the need to delegate more responsibilities. Of course, that is a story and issue for another week, about time management in business.
4)   Your five senses are important, but it's true that one takes over when another is dulled. I haven't heard or seen anything clearly in over two weeks. I miss the senses of smell and taste, but I manage to get by. And although losing 10 pounds is great, I'd rather eat a pizza.
5)   Knowing that your business is in good hands can speed your recovery. I am fortunate that Kathy W. and Norma are calm, cool and tranquilized. The basic operation of the Chamber is never in jeopardy as long as they are around. Best of all, people really like them, as do I.
6)   Finally, plan for the unexpected. Stuff happens. Like a schoolteacher who has lessons prepared just in case she gets sick, a business (and home) should have a "continuation" plan in place.
It would have been easier for me if I'd had a couple of articles prepared for the Bee and a generic template for our newsletter.
At home, a plan might include preparing frozen dinners, or hiding a few towels for the day when laundry hasn't been done.
At work, it may be purchasing Business Continuation Insurance or designating a "go-to" person in the event you are not around.
Whatever your plan may be, it is better than having no plan at all. It can save a lot of hand wringing and headaches about what will happen when you aren't the least bit interested in thinking about it - sick time.
My new plan is to take some time when I'm feeling good, and somewhat less harried, to prepare for a day when I can't cope as well - a few news articles, a contingency plan for office staff, a couple of TV.. dinners a la Kathy, and some peace of mind. I know it will be worth the effort in the long run.
 

Follow the Signs, Please!
By Kathy Konst

Slow down! My mommy works here.  Please be careful of flag persons and road hazards.
 It’s construction season and Lancaster / Depew are the recipients of 1/6th of New York state’s annual road construction budget. What that means is nearly every major route in and out of our town will be impacted at some point in the next 2-3 years.
All this is great news for the future of the community, but it is a heavy burden form many businesses to bear in the meantime.
Local businesses that line Broadway, Transit, Central and Walden are especially inconvenienced as roads are dug up and loyal patrons try to find alternate routes to their destinations.  Some even choose different places to shop rather than face the potholes and dust.
Sound familiar?  Let me tell you that even I have considered driving around the construction. – thru the park , over the bridge, around the school, past a neighborhood, anything to avoid another flat tire! But I stopped myself. Why, you ask?
Because if I, the CEO of the Chamber of Commerce, avoids businesses in crisis, how can I ask the community to keep up the fight.
So, I decided to use another tactic.   I’d recruit help from an impacted business and unite to help all those in peril of losing patrons or even closing their doors forever.  With the backing of Dave Karb, store manager at Top’s D & L Plaza, the Chamber has designed and ordered attention grabbing “ENTER” signs for placement on construction cones to designate driveways along the impacted construction route. These signs will travel with the road crews as they move down Broadway.  Some businesses may opt to personalize our signs and add them to the driveway for the duration of the project. 
We hope that this will help patrons by making driveways more accessible and easier to discern. We also hope that it will accentuate the importance of supporting these distressed areas.
These businesses are counting on their hometown community to stand by them and help them survive through this rough period. We need to be there for them. They are part of the fabric of our community. If they unravel, we unravel.
So, I implore you, consider every route you travel, every purchase you make and every decision that might take you out of the town. 
Is there a way to keep the money you spend here locally?
 

Community: We're all in this together
By Kathy Konst

Sometimes it seems like it’s them against us.  The business patrons parking up and down the street disrupt the flow of traffic in the neighborhood. A neighbor complains about a storage tank at the business next door. The noise from a restaurant down the street keeps you awake. No matter who you are - business or resident- there are always two sides to the story.
The Chamber is often approached by property and business owners who have been denied a variance or have been cited for one code infraction or another.  Someone calls in a complaint and the enforcement officer feels obligated to write out a citation. 
As business owners trying to make ends meet, they may react with indignation. Why? Because, like most of us, they would rather be asked to handle the issue on a personal level instead of being cited on an official level.
In other instances, a person feels like some people get SPECIAL treatment, i.e. “Why does that person or business get   the building permit or variance… special dispensation… different privileges… when I can’t?" These issues are far too common.  The feelings of betrayal are gnawing.   And the impact on community relations is serious. My message: As a small community it is important to keep the lines of communication open between businesses, residents and officials who determine planning, zoning and quality of life issues.  
There are so many large scale problems that affect us and hamper the viability of business that dealing with minor infractions like parking, snow removal or clutter may simply be the straw that breaks the camel’s back - leading some owners to pick up their wares and leave the area. As a neighbor to such a business you might say - so what? or - good riddance! But if that became a prevalent attitude, what would happen to our community?
Without significant business interests, our tax base goes down and your taxes, up!   People leave the immediate community to shop.   Income levels drop. Unemployment climbs. The fabric of the community looks worn and nobody wins.  We need to work together for the common good of the community.  There is too much at stake not to. 
My suggestion: If you are in business, look at your property. Does it create a hazard?  An eyesore? A reason for complaint?  Be considerate of your neighbors and try to see yourself from their perspective.  Do you have to deal with the same issues in your home neighborhood?  If not, why should your businesses’ neighbors? If you are a resident in the area, be aware of the hardships that your neighboring business faces.  Rather than immediately taking the issue to officials, engage in a conversation with the owners or management. There may be a reasonable way to accomplish your objective without elevating the problem into a confrontation that has negative side-effects. It can’t hurt to at least try. The Chamber recognizes that not all situations can be handled amicably. As a result, we have established a Government Affairs Committee, comprised of local business leaders, to address issues that affect member businesses.
As part of the process, meetings can be scheduled with officials in our jurisdiction.  If you are a member interested in joining us as we create this dialogue, please call the Chamber Office for information at 681-9755.
It is our belief that by creating a united front, we can affect positive change for the community and show support for actions deemed necessary to encourage a positive business climate in our area.
After all, a community with no business is not a very good place to shop!
 

Continue detour
By Kathy Konst

Hallelujah! Road construction on Route 20 in Lancaster and Depew has stopped for the season.   While this is great news, I want to encourage people to continue driving the detour routes that include so many great businesses that you may have discovered during construction.
I’m sure that businesses affected by the work are thrilled that consumers will be able to access them more easily with both bridges open. I was so excited that I felt compelled to put my words into prose.  Your indulgence is appreciated.
 

The bridges are open
The traffic will flow
Smoothly and safely
Despite all the snow.

The signs have been taken
Away till next spring
When more road construction
And changes take wing.

But for now we will cherish
A view of the creek
As between Texas Barriers
Our passengers peek.

For the bridge is not only
A sight for sore eyes,
An historic appearance
And charm, it belies.

A pleasant reminder
That together we can
Accomplish miracles
With the right plan. 

As CATCO toiled,
The road work just flew
And our hopes were fulfilled
When the traffic came through.

We say a big thank you
To the State D.O.T.,
To CATCO and others
Whose roles were so key.

For accomplishing all
That once seemed so far,
A special congrats
To our leader, Dave Carr.

This Friday we’re cutting
The ribbon at 10,
With a remembrance of all
Of the history back when

The first bridge was built
In nineteen thirty-six
And a boy of just three,
Was part of the mix.

John Robinson, SR.,
of Lancaster fame,
cut the ribbon before
and will cut it again.

We’ll see history linking
The past with today
As we thank those before us
Who helped pave the way.

The new and the old
Together will be
Adding a moment
For new history.

Our towns are connected,
Lancaster, Depew -
Together again -
So drive straight on through.
 

The Art of Being Pointless
Kathy Konst 

During my workday, I am usually focused and outcome oriented.  Things can get hectic and tense and they never fit into a neat 9 to 5 package. 
That is why I take advantage of moments that some may consider being pointless.
I have learned to love my pointless moments. I seek out friends and situations in order to have pointless conversations. It drives my husband crazy, but those moments keep me sane.
So what is a pointless conversation?
A “pointless conversation” is when there is no plan or direction to the conversation.  There is “no point” when you must change the topic or find a purpose for the next sentence. What’s nice is that there is no pressure to continue or to stop. A pointless conversation just happens. It twists and turns at its own pace and in its own direction.  It allows you to come up with new ideas unexpectedly and without any judgment or condemnation. It could revolve around movies in one second, show-tunes the next, and end with a salute to biotechnology.
I suggest that pointless conversations were the precursors to “brainstorming.” Of course, some driven marketing consultant had to reinvent this idea in order to package it and sell it to people who can’t have a pointless conversation without being given specific directions on how to proceed. Regardless, it is a necessary part of my day and especially my weekend. Without this stress-free interchange, I feel overwhelmed and anxious about everything on my plate. 
Oddly, even taking quiet time to put together a THINGS TO-DO list doesn’t alleviate the pressure like a pointless conversation does. Ask anyone who frequents a coffee counter.  They are probably pointless banter aficionados. As a matter of fact, I think I first learned the attributes of this chatter during an early coffee counter exchange. Revelation!
For those of you who can’t understand how anyone can carry on a dialogue without purpose... For anyone who has never entered a discussion without the outcome clear in their mind…  For the control freak who must know what the point is… Let me say, relax and realize that we have decided to make a choice.
That choice is to go with the flow and to not over analyze things.
That is probably why I was a lousy politician. I didn’t feel the need to control everything.  I couldn’t stand questioning a person’s supposed motivation for their statements or actions. I rejected the idea that someone KNEW what I was thinking. And if you think you did – or do, I guarantee you are wrong. It is hard enough to be directed and focused on a job without having to figure out ulterior motives and strategies.
I think that I have converted quite a few friends to this type of thinking.
At least I assume they enjoy it when they join me in a pointless conversation. After all, I am not talking to myself. That would just be weird!
I traditionally have breakfast with a friend or two every weekend.
We just chitchat about stuff.  Sometimes it starts with an event that happened during the week, or something actually relevant.  But eventually it will lead to absolutely nothing important…as it should. Periodically my husband will join us and try to interject an agenda.
Holy cow…what is he thinking! That alone could ruin the flow of the day for me.  I have no problem making an appointment for a directed conversation…just don’t impose on the time reserved for pointlessness. As I explain it to him, I don’t interfere with his important morning planning time. He can’t make a “point” of mine. We all have our need for special time that allows us to function properly. When we don’t get it, the results could be hazardous. The Ancient Greeks were known to spend much of their day in leisure. Some of the biggest philosophies and business ideas of modern time resulted from this period of contemplation.  After all, where would we be today without Democracy, the Olympics, and YES, even the Greek diner.  You can thank the ancients for showing us how to achieve BIG results by thinking creatively during leisure moments.
So, if you are feeling wound up, overwrought, stressed out, or over-controlled, try a pointless moment.
I guarantee you that you will at the very least, NOT feel the burden of someone else judging your actions or evaluating you, and you may reap big rewards for yourself and your business.
If you need help in developing the skill of pointless conversation, feel free to e-mail me (KathyKonst@aol.com) and I can help you through the process – or lack of it.
 

Boards are from Mars.  Staff is from Venus.
By Kathy Konst

My articles always show an attempt to make a point that ties into business…so see if you can follow and detect the subtle nuance herein.)  In the book, Men are from Mars.  Women are from Venus., author Dr. John Gray cites the distinct difference in communication styles between the sexes.
So, why did it take so long for someone to state it in a way we could all (some of us) finally understand?  It seems so obvious….. NOW. With a few changes in our communication behavior, everything should go swimmingly on the man / woman front from now on, right?
Just let us girls go on about ouò problems. But boys, don’t try to fix them or offer solutions.  We just like to ‘vent’ sometimes. And women, stop piling the directions and orders on your men. They’ll just shut down and then where will you be? Don’t be offended. Just accept it. Of course, there are lots of great examples to choose from, which led me to the realization that this peculiarity in communication relates to more than just the sexes.
If you apply Dr. Gray’s reasoning to other roles and circumstances, you may be surprised to see many similarities. Just look at how people in management (hint: business point developing now) sometimes struggle with their employees, and vice-versa. Perhaps if they were required to address their different modes of communication in the beginning, then negotiations and work relations would improve.
For example, the foreman tells the boss that he’s having difficulty completing a project with his crew.  What he really wants is another worker and some extra time to complete the job. The boss starts offering ‘creative’ ways to fix the problem. She tells him to change a gadget here and a widget there, etc. “I don’t think so……” thinks the foreman. Another place you see this breakdown in communication is between corporate boards and company management. It really doesn’t matter how large the company is either. Oddly, even if you have a ‘day job’ as an employee elsewhere, once you are in the role of director, you tend to listen exclusively with a director’s ears. In a meeting, the CEO states that profits are down, productivity is diminished, and staff morale is slipping fast. Translation: Employees are unhappy with their work environment and they feel unappreciated.
One director says, “We’ll hire an ad agency, start a new sales campaign, and work longer hours by adding overtime.”   Wrong answer to the wrong question. The right question by the Board would have been, “Mr. CEO, how do you propose we address this problem?" Then the discussion would begin – finding a joint solution. Let’s look at another scenario: the council of a congregation and spiritual leader at any place of worship. Do the roles we take on in those places make us act differently?
Can we really put ourselves in the role of a priest, rabbi or guru when he or she asks the council for something to help his or her flock?
Unless we are really specific (which we mostly are NOT), there is room for misinterpretation.
The council may respond with a new car to allow the spiritual leader to visit the sick more often, when in fact what is really needed is a part-time assistant to help keep track of appointments.
So, what’s the big deal, you might ask.  Simply correct the council and restate your problem in the form of a direct request.“Yeah sure……simplicity breath!” in the words of Johnny Carson.How often do you actually experience this in real life?
In these examples, there is often a status barrier where if you are on a subordinate level, you are already uncomfortable.
And if you are on the superior level, you may assume you already know the answers and aren’t in need of further explanation.This just reinforces the notion that what seems obvious (i.e. say what you mean) is only clear as mud.
If it were easy, then men and women, management and staff, superintendent and board, president and citizen, etcetera, etcetera, would always understand each other perfectly.
And John Gray would never have created such a phenomenon by suggesting that men and women come from different planets.
I don’t offer you any simple solutions to the other models either. I just propose that in reading the book you substitute the words men and women with the roles that best fit your own circumstance.Be prepared to switch roles to match different scenarios in your life.
Then let me know how it worked out for you.  Perhaps we can even create our own phenomenon - or language!
 

Extreme Makeover: Chamber Edition
By Kathy Konst
 
I just love watching all those home decorating and improvement shows:  Trading Spaces, While You Were Out, Clean Sweep, and the new Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.
The episode last Sunday was not only fun to watch in light of the major house transformation, it was also touching because it was being done for the family of a serviceman in Iraq.
The ‘piece de resistance’ was when the design crew brought in the soldier dad (straight from combat) disguised as a worker. The mom and kids went crazy, while everyone else, including me, was overcome with emotion. Yes, I am a sap.My friend Michelle, a waitress at the Olive Tree, has been without her husband who is serving overseas, for over a year. Two weeks ago, she and her 2 little girls received an unexpected visit from dad, the first since his deployment.
The separation has been very hard on all of them. Just a glimpse of the emotion of the family on TV tells you the depth of loss for the family. I could only imagine the joy and sadness Michelle felt, as she shared the things her family experienced during the brief visit.  It was nice seeing her face light up as she talked about the girls sharing lunch at school with their father and going on a much needed mini-vacation together.
It broke my heart to hear about the tears they shed when the visit came to an end.
The TV show had a happy ending in the beautiful house that was created for a deserving family. But the house was just the façade to what should be a home.  A home is incomplete with a member of the family missing.
A perfect home makeover for families across America would be the return of their loved ones from armed service.
Then the “extreme” work can begin at home for all of us, by:·        rebuilding our economy so that there will be good jobs for returning Americans, those who have been unemployed for so long,
·        retrieving the jobs that have been sent overseas;
·        reinventing our education system so that we don’t lag behind evolving countries which have benefited from our lapses in innovation;·        reconstructing our city infrastructures so that they are safe and healthy for our citizens;
·        respecting and valuing the contributions of our senior citizens so that we learn from their history;
·        redeveloping brownfields and waste-lands rather than letting them blight our neighborhoods; and finally by
·        recreating communities while looking at them with fresh eyes.
That is what my original purpose was, in writing this article, but I felt compelled to tie it to the emotional aspects of service to our country.
I have a vision for a partnership that would give the Seneca Nation a landmark casino and the community, a restored gem.
It is not a new idea.  People have been talking about restoring the Central Terminal for some time.  I always thought it was the best location.  But was it ever presented it to the Seneca’s in a way that would benefit them and showcase their investment to the rest of the country and even the world, rather than focusing on what is in it for Buffalo or Erie County?After all, it is Seneca money that would be used to bring the concept to life. 
Everyone else, it seems, has other personal interests….  Perhaps that is why the Seneca’s have not bought into other locations.A vision that puts the Seneca’s investment at the forefront is what is appropriate.So why the Central Terminal?  Because the location can be a microcosm of the world, with easy travel and even rail access. The land surrounding the terminal could be developed as a new Vegas of the Northeast. It would be a tribute for the Seneca Nation.
Other casino sites around the country try to re-invent a world landmark from scratch.
Imagine the glittering Central Terminal as the Taj Mahal. Then envision sites around the casino like hotels, restaurants, shopping centers, all with themes that depict other world landmarks: the Eiffel Tower, Tower of Pisa, the Sphinx, etc.  These would be extended opportunities for the local community to establish businesses on the fringes of the casino.
Why not? All it takes is a little imagination, convincing the right people, and lots of money!
I would be happy to put together a proposal and a team of visionaries to present it to the Seneca Nation.  I bet you would get plenty of interest. 
It is a location that doesn’t negatively impact traffic or environmental aesthetics like in other areas, and it would be a boost to the surrounding neighborhood.   But most importantly, it would be a good thing for the Seneca's.Sure it would be an EXTREME Makeover, but what do we have to lose?
And it would be a world class place to host a celebration for our soldiers when they return HOME!
 

Can You Hear Me Now…
By Kathy Konst
 
Communication…or lack thereof has been on my mind. From confusing information on a flier, to baffling phone calls, to clever logos that are undecipherable, getting the point across isn’t always easy.In our quest for expediency, we may exclude vital information.  “Oops!  I forgot to include the date…time…location.”Worse yet, we follow up with a change for an appointment by e-mail or answering machine assuming that the other person received the message.  However, not everyone checks his or her emails and messages regularly.  The appointment can become one-sided which, I guess, defeats the purpose of meeting.That’s the problem.  We make assumptions and you know the old adage,  ”When you assume, you make an ASS out of U and ME.”With so many modes of communication, the opportunity for error is endless, prompting this subject for my article. Perhaps these seem familiar to you as well:1) A friend and I saw each other at a meeting on Tuesday. Later, she emailed me to see if we could meet for shopping on Saturday along with another friend.  I emailed back, asking that she call me Saturday to set up the meeting time and place.  When I didn’t hear from her by noon, I ‘assumed’ she couldn’t meet. Then later in the afternoon upon checking my email, there was her message setting up the time…too late. Of course, when I tried to call her, the line was busy with kids on the computer. There went our “worse” laid plans. We both should have stuck to the phone.2) I send weekly emails for the Chamber, announcing member events and specials. Apparently, my AOL internet service creates havoc for users of some other internet service providers.  Use of clever symbols, colors and graphics may show up as strange characters on other computers.  Fortunately, a friend copied and pasted the results of one such email and sent it back to me. I now know the changes I need to employ in order to be clearer. So much for creativity when it doesn’t cross the internet!3)  I can’t tell you how many times I drove up and down a street looking for a particular business this week. It was supposed to be on the north side between Avenues ‘A’ and ‘B’. Finally, I parked the car and walked, carefully inspecting all the signs in the windows. Lo and behold, there it was, plain as the cutesy, squiggly letters on the sign.  Too bad I couldn’t read it.This is such a huge lesson to business owners. If you need to get a focus group to evaluate your logo before adopting it, then do so. You can’t blame others for not finding you when they simply can’t read the name on your sign.I learned this the hard way at the Chamber.  After seeing blurry replicas of our logo in ads, it was time to simplify.  The new logo has had positive feedback from our focus group and is easier to copy.
4) It sometimes seems that no matter how many times you review something, you can miss an obvious mistake. That is why another editor is needed to examine your materials.  In my case, it may take two or three editors to do this since Chamber publications are comprised of ads, articles, and headlines that require a discerning eye. One person may pick up a grammatical error, while another sees an incorrect phone number and another finds a layout problem.
Add time to your work schedule to make sure you can edit a project before going to print.  It could save you the cost of a reprint in the event there is an error.
Finally, when you finally have had enough; when your heart is no longer in the job;  when your creative juices have stopped flowing;  it may be time to pass the torch to someone else, especially when you can no longer accept constructive criticism.
If there is no one at your business or in your organization to take over, then consider outsourcing.  It could put a new perspective on your communications and add value that will probably outweigh the cost. But most importantly, clarity of your message should prevail.
Overall, the best lesson in achieving clear communication may not be with a new technology, but in old-fashioned simplicity.
Follow the old rules of journalism and provide the 5 W’s in your messages: Who, What, When, Where and Why. If you need to include the HOW – spell it out simply and clearly.  Then review the information for errors.  Or, as in my case, press send, and then pray that it is received in one piece.
 

Dreams:  Vision vs. Reality
By Kathy Konst
 
So, you’ve finally achieved your life’s dream of owning a business.  AHHHH…the rewards, the glamour, the …full days and …long, never-ending nights.What’s that you say? The thrill is gone? There are problems that you didn’t anticipate. Your neighbor is complaining about the noise coming from your shop. 
You’ve exhausted your list of potential clients.While envisioning a dream may be easy, following one is not. That is why organizations such as the Lancaster Area Chamber of Commerce (LACC) exist – to help you realize your dream.Say your family and friends are averting their eyes, or leave the room rapidly as you discuss your newest cleaning invention. Perhaps they are finally tapped out or just adequately clean by now.  It may be time to reach beyond the confines of your comfort zone… to new people and venues.We can help you make fresh connections by expanding your network.  Think of it as a spider adding layers to its web. The Chamber provides opportunities for you to meet new people as customers, vendors and potential lead generators. At meetings, seminars, and social events - they are there for the same reason you are – to create business.  You may not even notice that you are “working” because you are also having fun.But at work, the fun has now turned to stress.  Your neck is crooked, your back is stooped, your feet are swollen, and your fingers numb and raw. 
Well, we are not doctors or psychologists, but we do have a vast referral network that can provide you with qualified people to address your health and well-being. Moreover, being part of the network yourself will put your name in front of others as well.
Now for your technical problems, whether they are with noise issues or with tweaking that new invention you have, we can even help you there too.  As partners with NASA (yes that NASA) we offer our members a service of the Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program (SATOP). It’s one great benefit where you can count on someone else to lend you a hand. Just ask Joel LePore, a former trucker and part-time inventor. LePore tinkered with an idea that he hoped would help keep trucks on the road and over time, his experimentation led to the creation of the “VibPro” Vibration Resistant Electrical Terminal.In most businesses, time is money, but in the trucking industry this saying is especially true.  In LePore’s experience, battery failure and wire chafing often were the cause of delays on the road.  “When I was a trucker, the wiring would frequently short out due to intense engine vibrations and eventually the battery wouldn’t take a re-charge,” explained LePore. LePore thought that if he could develop a stronger terminal able to endure continual vibration, he could sell the device to the trucking industry. Fortunately, he learned about SATOP when he attended a meeting with his Chamber of Commerce. He filled out a request for technical assistance and SATOP paired him with Mike Costen, a NASA sponsored scientist, who provided engineering support services to commercial industry and government agencies. Costen slightly modified the original design and provided the CAD drawings and detailed analysis.  “We were able to confirm that the original design was viable – in fact, the VibPro can handle over 100 g’s of acceleration and still have an infinite life,” noted Costen.LePore now has a provisional patent on the VibPro and the prototypes he built and installed have so far operated flawlessly. “As an inventor”, he said, “I don’t have the resources to conduct all the research and testing Costen did, so it was a blessing.  I’m now one of SATOP’s biggest supporters.”Thanks to the “good vibes” he received from SATOP and Costen, LePore is ready to take the next step – manufacturing and selling his innovative VibPro vibration resistant wire terminal. “The sky’s the limit from here,” he said.SATOP is a FREE service through the LACC, designed to provide engineering assistance and speed the transfer of space technology to the private sector. By giving free technological assistance to small businesses, SATOP helps them solve their challenges and increase their chances of succeeding.
Several LACC business members have already submitted their Requests for Technical Assistance.  Your business also can receive up to 40 hours of free technical assistance through the SATOP program. It has helped companies with machine design, process engineering, materials selection and many other technical issues and the Lancaster Area Chamber of Commerce is your connection to SATOP (www.SATOPNY.com). 
Contact us for more information if you, like Joel LePore, have a technical problem to be solved or desire another way to enhance your business, no matter how big or small.  Remember, we at the LACC are here to help you realize your dream!
 

How being nosy can lead to a life of ZESTO!
By Kathy Konst

I hope you don’t think I’m a busy body when I ask seemingly incessant questions about your business.I’m really not nosy.  I am actually interested in how and why you do the things you do.Call me a closet entrepreneur.
Closet, because other than my advertising and marketing consulting, I’ve never actually launched my own enterprise from scratch.  I’ve helped others do it. I’ve taken over both floundering and successful businesses and run them.  I’ve even compiled files full of ideas for new ventures.So, I ask the questions to add to my log of ‘business success’ pros and cons.And in so doing, I’ve accumulated a cache of useful resources for others with whom I interact.In most cases, people don’t mind my prying, especially since I can often grab into that “accumulated solution log” and find a tried and true solution to their dilemma.In some ways, I have become a turn-around specialist.  Okay, so I’m no Lee Iacocca, but I’m also a few years and several corporate experiences shy of when he saved Chrysler.The point is that experience, networking, asking questions, and most important - listening, can allow any of us to become resources to others as well as ourselves.
Solving a problem may be as simple as having someone else restate it for us; or put it into a different context so that we may gain another perspective.
When no one is available, I will sometimes read a statement aloud in order to hear my own words rather than merely think them.
Part of the fun of talking with other business owners is also sharing their excitement about a new endeavor.  It is like living vicariously through them.
For instance, someday I hope to own my own café or restaurant. But until that time, I have plenty of friends who allow me to share their restaurant life.
I get to design menus, invent recipes, create ads, and even help cater and clean-up.
In return for all this on-the-job training, I can help them by sharing my knowledge of marketing and advertising.
Some of the unique marketing ideas and advertising opportunities have even translated into Chamber promotions.
The introduction of ZESTO (think GUSTO), a chamber / community events e-mail service, resulted from one member’s desire to promote their chicken bar b’que to our audience.  Now ZESTO allows chamber businesses, churches and schools to share upcoming events and special promotions.  This weekly bulletin reaches over 450 businesses in our targeted e-mailing.Additional e-mails have advertised special events, such as Easter brunches, Mother’s Day sales and Spring Cleaning of our businesses’ particular products and services.Now, a new promotion about to be unveiled for consumer use will feature e-coupons to the same-targeted audience.  Businesses will be able to purchase coupon space at a very nominal cost. Coupons can then be viewed, clipped and redeemed.  How simple! Yet so effective, especially for tracking purposes.
Another change resulting from all of my questions to businesses owners is the Chamber newsletter. We will go to a quarterly magazine format in order to include more in-depth articles by experts in and out of our own Chamber Membership.
Our regular financial, marketing and legal columns have been a big hit with members because of their direct and simple style and specific nature. The new quarterly magazine will feature more of these articles as well as information about cooperative purchasing programs, etc.  Our popular color advertising mailers will then be produced during the months between the magazine to allow for more exposure for businesses in the form of flier inserts.
It’s always fun to see an idea take off and become appreciated and used by others.I guess that is my goal in asking all those questions. Getting ideas and sharing them.
Hey maybe….just maybe, what I do could be called a business after all.If you have an idea what kind of business that is, please give me a ring!
 

Computers, Cookies & Spam…Oh My!
By Kathy Konst

[Authors Note: If you aren’t a computer geek like me, you can substitute a sewing machine, table saw, oven, etc. to get the same feeling.]

My laptop computer crashed, TWICE, last week.
Those of you who depend on this miracle of modern technology will understand my utter frustration.
Even though I had a full back-up of my data and a Ghost of my full system, I still had to go about reformatting the hard drives and reinstalling all my sundry programs.  And those are quite a few.
Then you have to understand that many of the programs had to be updated, which means going to the company websites to download their program “fixes.”
Well, the first time I did this was Tuesday after the “American” internet service I use froze for the 10th time. Any number of issues could have caused this: a computer virus, website cookies, spam email, you name it.
I decided I was at the point of no return. Too much time was being wasted rebooting.  I had too many projects waiting to be completed and too little patience to go through another installation.  So, I hand copied all the names of my programs and important files to make sure I didn’t forget anything, and then spent the whole day reformatting and installing.
It was actually pretty delightful anticipating a smooth running machine. Everything was proceeding hunky-dory. I once again worked on the ChamberFest Poster, the next Zesto email and the June Bulletin.
Wednesday morning dawned with the computer purring as I started it.  The new updates button popped up citing some security patches from Windows. All seemed well with the world, until…. I downloaded and started installing Windows Service Patch 2. The darn thing stalled midstream.
Panic again overwhelmed me.  What should I do? Reboot and see if the system recovered itself?  Pray for a miracle?
Well, I did both, but……THE SYSTEM CRASHED.
It must be a sign from God testing my patience and belief system.
Of course, this happened just before our Chamber luncheon with Eliot Spitzer.  Was I a bit preoccupied, you might ask? 
YEAAAHH? But hopefully no one noticed my glazed eyes and somewhat fixed countenance.
Off I rushed back to the office after the luncheon.  (Which turned out great, I might add.)
The reformatting began, again, and though it was easier putting everything in this time, except that blasted Service Pack 2, I ran into a new set of problems.  My favorite program, Pagemaker, hit a snafu whenever I tried to create a PDF file. It kept telling me there was no postscript driver, which is not true ‘cause I installed it… many times.
Poor Rick Baldwin, our computer wizard, got more calls from me that day than any one should ever get.  Now I am pretty computer savvy – at least in my own mind – so I can follow directions, but even Rick was stumped by this printer error.
[NOTE: Please call me ASAP if you know how to fix this.]
My husband always tells me that I try to do too many things at once which is the root of many of my problems. Multitasking may be okay when balancing cleaning, laundry and cooking, but somehow not when it applies to using several computer programs at once. Apparently the speed with which I go from program to program is also an issue.
But, I am convinced it is a memory problem - not quite enough to handle all my applications at the same time.
So, 2 days and 200 error messages later, on Sunday I ran to the store for more RAM memory. And after installing it, the computer seems to be running better.  My programs – except for the printer error – are not freezing up. But unfortunately, my “American” internet service messed up again and needs to be reinstalled. Yes, I know, get another service. But… I really like this one…when it works.
For those of you who are scratching your heads wondering why I don’t just get a desktop computer, I answer like this:  I would still have to reinstall all my junk – including the 875 fonts I use. Those are what may really be the crux of my problems…not the computer
But, it is still something I will consider once I get everything running again.
In the meantime, I am just happy to be using a ballpoint pen to write this article while sitting in a totally non-techno restaurant with a pot of jasmine tea.
I think I need a retro break from computing, cookies and spam.
Unfortunately, I am so behind on the work I didn’t do last week that I am determined to be back at my keyboard by noon.
C’est la vie!
 

If we build it… they will come!
By Kathy Konst

(Sometimes I revisit old articles to see how relevant they are today.  I wanted to share this article from April 2001 with you again.  Time hasn't changed much of anything.  Let me know what you think.)

      Imagine, a waterfront teeming with activity - shopping, dining, entertainment - perhaps under a retractable bubble dome to protect against the winter winds, yet allow for summer breezes.   Now extend the movement right to the center of downtown where scores of people stroll and enjoy the evening amid the sights and sounds of Buffalo's newest showplace - a regional venue attracting people from far and wide.
      This is just what I experienced when visiting two communities similar to Buffalo - cities where the once vibrant waterfronts were floundering and the adjacent metro area had deteriorated to poverty-like conditions.
      The often cited city of Baltimore has transformed its waterfront into a cultural Mecca.  A world renowned aquarium graces the center of development and is surrounded by boardwalks lined with boutiques, cafes and upscale restaurants.  Just beyond all the tourist trappings lie mosaic neighborhoods that maintain the traditions of old Baltimore.  No wonder so many other cities look to Baltimore when exploring their own redevelopment.
      Further south, in the city of West Palm Beach, Florida, a virtual metamorphosis has occurred.  The center of this city once looked like a war zone. Entire city blocks of tenements were leveled to combat the drugs and crime that plagued the area.  A vision materialized, in part due to an innovative and progressive new mayor.
      Now, in place of the debris, stands a huge outdoor mall that manages to exude old world charm, yet provides upscale shopping, dining, and entertainment, complete with dancing water fountains, in a downtown open-air environment.  
      An adjacent three-story parking ramp allows for free secured parking.  This incentive alone makes visiting "City Place" attractive to tourists with children in tow as well as residents concerned about safety or quick shopping access.
      It's amazing how a simple thing like free parking can help resuscitate a shopping district.  Take note Buffalo.
      A further extension to this shopping extravaganza lays just a few "trolley-ride" blocks away.  In the heart of downtown, every evening, the streets are cordoned off and a transformation takes place as the night life takes over. Restaurants become outdoor cafes and stores open their doors wide.  
      Then once a week, in a center square dedicated to visionary Mayor Nancy Graham, a stage looms over a crowd of thousands and live music fills the air. Food vendors line the perimeter selling foods from around the world:  Jamaican, African, Greek, Italian...  Beer tents, pop, and ice cream stands dot the plaza.  Again, dancing water fountains tickle your fancy. It is an experience similar to the Taste of Lancaster or Canal Fest in Tonawanda, yet on a weekly basis.
      So what has allowed places like Baltimore and West Palm Beach to turn the corner towards renaissance?
      · Vision  
      · Drive  
      · Persistence
      Three factors that turned dreams into reality.  
      What also happened was a meeting of minds.  Government, private investors, and community activists joined forces to address old conflicts and to brainstorm new solutions.  
      Do we have the vision in our communities to direct us toward our Renaissance?

We need only look at the actions of the past to determine the real accomplishments of our leaders.
      What is truth, and what is illusion, or simply rhetoric?
      Are the actions of some of our representatives tailored to obstructionism rather than positive action?  Or are they merely pandering to a public looking for anything that will give them hope?
      Are they rife with ulterior motives?
      We can't keep re-electing people who use their positions merely to preserve their power and glory, yet ignore the purpose for which they were elected.
      We can't afford to squander away more time and resources on vague ideas or grandiose schemes with no substance behind them.
      We need vision, drive, persistence… and the right leaders determined to bring the right people and resources together to make the dream reality.
      We can certainly find mentors in other successful communities to help guide us and formulate our plans.  It isn't necessary to recreate the wheel?  We can learn from others who have succeeded.  
      If we build it, they will come!
 

How prepared are you for a crisis?
By Kathy Konst

A myriad of images assault us in the media as we try to enjoy the waning days of summer: hurricane ravaged cities that once teemed with life; solitary figures weeping with memories of loved ones lost in 9/11; soldiers far from home struggling in an unfamiliar culture away from their families.

It is hard to pull away from these harsh realities to enjoy a moment of excitement as the Bills win their season opener.

It is hard to participate in the political process that determines how we manage our lives and finances here at home, when we think of others’ hardships.

It is hard to go about our daily business when we consider those who have no business at all to consider.  But at least WE can.

Life usually just “happens” with no real effort or thought given to how we get up or where we should go each day.  We follow a routine that allows us to be creative or innovative or different on the edges of our routine.

That is a good thing.  I’d hate to have to think too hard about which way I turn out of my driveway each morning. I like to save myt energy for higher levels of thought at work.

As we have seen in the crises that have affected our nation of late, there has been a scarcity of higher level thought.  Processes have broken down. Perhaps it was too hard for some people and agencies to get out of their routine in order to address an impending disaster.  Then, they appeared to have frozen after the fact.  This highlighted the need for well-thought out and up-to-date emergency plans.

But rather than complain or criticize, I think this is a time to seize an opportunity. We can’t understand the ramifications of these disasters without accepting the need to prepare differently for the eventual future disaster.

Things went wrong with preparedness in New Orleans.

No one expected our children to still be dying in Iraq in the Fall of 2005.

Certainly we didn’t imagine elected representatives in Erie County would create a catastrophe that will take years to fix.

It seems that the plans that put us in the path of failure for all these calamities were partly flawed because of their rigid nature. As times or circumstances changed, the plans and people working them did not.

The paradigm didn’t alter and the people involved became complacent or too comfortable in their routines.

You know what I mean.  It happens to us at home and in our businesses.

“Oh! We’ve always prepared like this.”

“I can’t put money into prevention when I have to live for today.”

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Well, what happens when it does break and you can’t fix it?  We need to consider that new methods, technologies, or an ounce of preventive maintenance might have prevented the breakage or diverted the crisis.

We can no longer afford to be complacent.  Too much is at stake, as we have already seen by the loss of lives, homes and businesses around the world.

It costs too much in money and resources.

It costs too much in time and physical effort.

It costs too much in human life and dignity.

But, as with so many things, the choices for change are most often our own.

If my business is floundering, it is first my responsibility to educated myself and to try to determine what the cause or causes may be. These are just a few questions that I might find answers to:

Have I advertised?

Am I delivering the right message in the right media and at the right times?

Have I targeted the right audience?

Is my product line relevant or has the market changed?

What are my competitors doing that I may have missed?

Do I have a disaster preparedness plan in place for my business?

In my personal life, am I an active citizen? Does my family volunteer or contribute to worthy causes?

Do I participate in the political process, or just complain about it?

Are my children taught to be responsible citizens?

We all move together experiencing these crises that affect us around the world.  How can we not?  The media images continue to inundate our thoughts and prayers. Our pocketbooks feel the effects of storms, wars and politics.  Our businesses suffer the same. Our families cling to any semblance of normalcy.

However, we also learn that we can’t accept complacency in the same old routines or paradigms.  We must be able to adjust and renovate in order to be prepared for whatever the future might bring.

Our safety and stability depends on it.

How to Quell a Bad Day
By Kathy Konst

Do you ever have one of those days?  You know, the kind of day where you say, “UGH… can I just crawl back under the covers?” There may be a particular reason for the way you feel, or no reason at all.

Well, I believe there are a few things you can do to make you feel better. And somehow, businesses could capitalize on these solutions.

1) Comfort Foods. They are called that for a reason, you know. Yes, popping a luscious, fresh, hot, glazed cinnamon bun into your mouth melts your cares away, at least for a few moments. 

Or how about some country fried steak with sausage gravy, buttery grits and biscuits?  This heart stopper is also a heart warmer. 

And don’t forget about those all-time American favorites:  meatloaf with mashed potatoes, grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup, and good ole mac and cheese.  To top off the recuperative feeling, you can throw in some chocolate – any kind will do.

So, what can a restaurant do to help us out and help themselves? Advertise these yummy stress reducers on the menu or outdoor sign.  “Reduce Stress Here. Comfort Food Served.”  It may be a simple idea, but most successful ideas usually are.

2) The $16,000,000 Question. Recently, a friend who is a business coach had me do an exercise he uses with clients. It’s called the 16 million dollar question.  He asked me to get a blank piece of paper and write across the top of it, “If I had $16 million in the bank.” Next, I was told to draw a big line down the middle of the page and write “Things I Would Change” in the left column and “Things I Would Keep the Same” in the right column. He challenged me to take two weeks and really think about the answers with my husband. When we did, the results were incredible!

For the things I personally would change, I thought of how cool it would be to have a full-time professional chef who does the shopping, cooking, and cleaning.  It would allow us to actually spend more time at home…. which I rarely do anymore. Imagine how fun mealtime with the family would be if one of the chef’s from “Iron Chef America” was cooking our meals every night! Actually I would be very happy with “Hazel” from the 60’s TV show. I also would like to take more vacations and travel to places I have never visited, like Rochester and Batavia. (There was plenty more, but these were the biggies.)

My biggest breakthrough came from the other side of the form – Those Things I Would Keep the Same.  By the time I was finished, this side of the page ended up being almost 3 times as long as the other side. I was finally getting the point of the exercise.  My marriage, daughter, health, home, family traditions – all these things make up who I am, and I wouldn’t change that. For me, the clarity was about appreciation and desire. Appreciating the things I have;  not taking them for granted; and keeping focused on my desire to grow.

I think we sometimes get too caught up in the day-to-day grind and forget why we are beating ourselves up in the first place. So my challenge to you is to get yourself a blank piece of paper and go through this exercise yourself, or with your spouse / significant other.  You’ve got two weeks….

Now, how can your retail business capitalize on this list-making idea? Think creatively.  Perhaps you could sell fanciful notepads for jotting down your lists.  Then display a picture of coffee grinds saying, “The day-to-day grind got you down?”

Or, set up a table for customers with a variety of gift ideas specifically aimed at reducing stress: chocolate, bubble bath and lotion, stress balls, massage tools.  The ideas are limitless once you put your thinking cap on.  Have fun with it!

3) Go on a Visualization Holiday. Okay.  It’s a little lame, but Arnold did it in the movie Total Recall.  Your vision may not be as realistic, but visualization is considered a great way to pursue your dreams.

So, close your eyes and imagine yourself on a beach surrounded by cabana boys fanning you and feeding you grapes.

Not your kind of dream?  How about lazing on a hammock strung between two huge pine trees with the sun peaking through the tall branches?  The gentle sound of running water floats from the creek at your side.  Ahhhhhh!

I can see the ad in the paper, “Take the vacation of your dreams. It’s all in your mind… or is it?” Again, follow up with a display of travel books and magazines, romance novels, historic non-fiction, posters, or food and specialty cooking items.  Adopt the concept to meet your customer needs.

Now, take a few moments to shut off the whirl of activity in your head.  Refocus and think of things that give you comfort.  Take a moment and jot them down.  Put the list in a prominent place. Somewhere you can turn to it when the going gets tough.

If you own a business, examine ways you can translate these ideas into promotions of products or services you sell or ways that might benefit your employees.  Again, it may be a simple exercise, but one worth repeating.

Now, I’m imagining you are having a comfortable day!

Chamber Exec Seeks Wannabe-preneur
By Kathy Konst

OK, you read a lot of ideas in this column.  Now, I’m putting my money (and advice) where my mouth is.

Let’s see. I probably have files on 20 or more businesses that I am interested in starting someday. Some files are more complete than others – including everything from menus for my café to logos, newspaper ads and jingles.

I have actually helped several friends start or expand their own businesses over the years.  One reason I love working for the Chamber of Commerce so much is that I can live vicariously through our member’s businesses. Some of them even allow me to advise them.

Now, lest you think I am just being nosey, you should know that I do have a background in marketing and advertising and have been involved in numerous successful enterprises.

So what’s my latest venture?

I want to help someone else get started in a retail shop in the Central Business District (CBD) of the Village of Lancaster, and I’ll even come on as a limited partner to show I am serious. So, who wants to start a business?

There are three reasons for this specific request:

First, I believe that the Central Business District is ripe for success and needs a more diverse mix of retail businesses to attract new shoppers.

Second, the area can be marketed as a destination where individual businesses benefit from discount group advertising at a better rate, and

Finally, I may be altruistic.  I want to see the CBD flourish so that we can expand to other traffic arteries.

There are a few business types that I am looking for:  women’s clothes – vintage or new; specialty gifts or collectibles; fashion accessories; children’s attire / toys; candy & soda fountain / coffee & dessert bar. Or, submit your own idea – it could be a winning concept.

This type of addition to the mix we have now will make the CBD more of a stop and shop destination, rather than a quick come and go.

Add the many events that take place here during the year, and you have ample opportunities for success – if you are willing to work hard to make it happen.

Success is not just about location – although it is an important factor to locating your business. Typically you will pay extra for those prime locations. In addition to a good location, you need to address curb appeal or how the business catches or loses your eye as you drive or walk by.

What you name your business is equally important.  Does it identify your product or service? You may want to name your place after your cat, Whiskers, but will that help you sell donuts?

Furthermore, when you create your logo, make sure it is readable.  If drivers can’t tell what your sign says, you have lost potential customers.  Squiggly letters are fine for cartoons, but not for business signs.

Next, be ready to address business hours and your need to stick to them. If it says on your door that you will be open from 9 to 5, then you had better be willing to be there. Inconsistency in times of operation, product or service may have ramifications down the line that could jeopardize the health of your business.

This leads me to your product. Doing your homework will help you find the best prices for the products you sell and help you decide your mark-up in comparison to other similar shops. If you haven’t done your homework, you aren’t ready to set up shop.

Finally, be ready to spend time training your employees – and yourself – in providing exceptional customer service.

I can’t tell you the number of times we get complaints at the Chamber about businesses that provide shabby, indifferent or even rude service.

If you excel in service from the beginning, it sets you apart from the competition.  Ask your customers for their wish lists for your business. This buy-in will build loyalty and bring customer referrals too.

There is more, but this gets the ball rolling for my purposes.

So, are you a wannabe-preneur? Someone who has always wanted to be in business but never had the confidence, encouragement, money, time, etc.

Maybe this is the chance that you have been waiting for. If you are serious, independent, have some money to speculate with, are a hard worker, personable and willing to go through an extensive interview – then stop by the office for a preliminary application.

We can talk and perhaps it will lead to a special opportunity.

Playing back the video in my mind, I am reminded of those new VW commercials where people are in this car just carrying on a conversation, when - KABOOM.  You see them standing alongside the car wondering what had just happened.

Father’s Day started out nicely enough.  After a decent night’s sleep, I got ready to meet my friend, Shorty, for breakfast.  I drove to his house and we took his car to the Harris Hill Diner for my favorite belly-bulging, rib-sticking country fried steak.  My friend, Debi, owns this terrific little diner that serves up homemade treats like stuffed French toast and apple-walnut pancakes.

Hey, I don’t go out on Sundays for the diet fare.  I leave that to hectic weekdays.  Thank you very much.

So, after indulging in good food and conversation, off we went back home.  Being the political junkies that we are, the Kevin Hardwick show was on the radio.  As we traveled south down Central Avenue, we chatted about the possible fireworks between Hardwick’s guests, Satish Mohan and Bill Kindel.  Oh goodie!  There was sure to be a lively debate.

Waiting to turn left at the intersection of Central & Brady, I was commenting on the talk show, when I was suddenly propelled forward with such force that the words stuck in my throat. 

I may have screamed, but all I heard was a guttural croak.  All I felt was my head snapping forward and back with such force that my hair clip disintegrated.

I don’t even remember the sound, although witnesses said there was a loud bang that sent people running out to the street, from their Sunday reverie.

I slowly moved all my extremities to make sure I was intact and looked to my left to see how Shorty was.  He was literally lying with his head in the back seat.  His seat had broken from the impact.  I was relieved to not see blood anywhere and there didn’t seem to be any broken bones. Thank God we were both strapped in.  I believe the seat belts are the only thing that kept us from flying out the windshield.  So many people have been less fortunate.

Within seconds neighbors streamed over to see how we were and to let us know that the authorities had been called.  We were told to stay put.  Considering we were both somewhat stunned, I don’t think the idea of exiting the car even came to us.  Although, looking back, it might have been a good idea in the event the gas tank had been punctured.

As the police, fire trucks and EMT’s showed up, we were ushered out of the car and able to assess the damage.  There was no longer a trunk or back window left to this 4-door, mid-sized sedan.  We were so lucky that it had been a rear-end accident considering the force of the impact.  A hit anywhere else could have been much more damaging to us, the occupants.

I can’t say enough about the immediate attention from the first responders.   They were cautious, caring and professional.  They assessed the situation and acted quickly and appropriately.
Did we need to go to the hospital?  Would we like a ride somewhere?  Could they help us collect belongings from the car?

Meanwhile, I was feeling badly about wrecking everyone’s peace and quiet on this Father’s Day.  There were several of the police officers, firemen and EMT’s who I know personally, that must have left their families to rush out this morning.

My other concern was for the young man who had hit us.  Was he okay?  He must have been shaken up as well.  Thankfully there were no immediate signs of trauma to him either.  We were truly blessed.

Today, I am a little sore and moving kind of slow.  My driving is more hesitant, cautious.  Are all those cars aiming at me or is my imagination just out of control?

This was not the first or worst accident I have been in, but it certainly made its own statement.  I immediately called my husband, who is visiting our daughter out west, assuring him that I was fine.  I called my daughter, mom and dad in Arizona, just to hear their voices. Then I picked up my father-in-law and took him for a chicken barbeque at the Millgrove Fire Department.  It seemed fitting to support those noble volunteers who help us when we are unable to help ourselves. 

So, the day ended in the usual way.  I attended a community event, visited a couple of Chamber businesses and went to the office to finish up some work.  The whole thing seems sort of surreal right now.

But, next time you see that VW commercial, you might think about how it could happen to you and what a definitive moment it would be.  Then count your blessings.  And, oh yeah, be careful out there.
 

Success Won’t Come Overnight
By Kathy Konst

 Sally Murphy (not her real name) has invested her life savings in a new business.  She chose a location, signed a lease, hired a few employees, and stocked her store with goods.  Now, she’s open for business.  One problem:  No customers.  What’s the problem? 

Unfortunately, this scenario is repeated hundreds of times every day across the country.  Successful retailers don’t usually become successful overnight.  It takes time.  It takes research.  It takes money.

Time helps build and brand a name and reputation.

Research helps determine the best location, market to be in, and products to sell.

Money helps capitalize the business till it starts turning a profit and allows for expansion or franchising when the time comes for it.

Businesses like McDonald’s, Tim Horton’s, Mobil, Holiday Inn, and Target thoroughly investigate a community before they expand to them.  They analyze the political climate.  Will there be opposition to their building?  Does their business fit the profile of the neighborhood or vice versa?  Are they entering on the upside of population growth or is there the possibility of a decline looming? Key indicators are used to determine the viability of doing business in a specific location.

On the other hand many smaller retailers don’t do the homework required to prevent failure, let alone guarantee success.

With a dream in mind, they may simply grab their limited pocketbook and pick a spot based on a hunch, proximity to home, or a friend’s opinion and start with a wing and a prayer.
Months later when their dream dulls a bit – or even turns into a nightmare – there is the tendency to start the blame game.  They deflect failure to the bad economy, lack of a good workforce, no support from the community, etc. Somehow, the fact that they didn’t prepare a detailed business plan and raise adequate capital in advance for advertising, emergencies and other business essentials, just doesn’t come up.  

And don’t forget the realtors’ mantra:  location, location, location.  That rustic little shop between the spa and insurance agency might not have been the best place for a bait and tackle shop, especially when the closest fishing hole is over 20 miles away.  Did they bother to do a focus group of fishermen to see how they make their purchases?  Did they do a traffic count or evaluate whether people would stop when the speed limit is 55 mph, or on a street with no easy-access parking?

This may be an exaggerated example, but if you take smaller examples and multiply them, you get an idea of the many possible ways a business could start out on the wrong track.

You don’t have to give up on a dream simply because that quaint little shop doesn’t fit the best business model.  Keep looking and give yourself the opportunity to be more successful by finding the right location with an aesthetically pleasing building.  Then concentrate on the other business tools that will help you attract customers, provide great service and increase your bottom line.

Contact your Chamber of Commerce for referrals to agencies that provide business assistance from first concept to the final execution.  Then once you are on the ground running, you can meet with other business owners to expand your network of customers and mentors.

If you’ve already made your business a success, why not share that great experience by helping others in their effort to succeed?

If you are struggling and need some advice, reach out and ask for assistance.  You may be surprised how much there is available and how willing people are to help you.

You may have even made a few mistakes that put you on shaky ground, but don’t despair.  You don’t have to throw in the towel.  With a few tweaks, a couple of changes to the way you do business, or even a move to a different spot, you could turn the corner and put yourself on the right course to success.
 

It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas
By Kathy Konst

It’s been a good week in Lancaster.  After overcoming “arborgeddon” in October, November brings some welcome relief.  The holidays are upon us and even though we might cringe at the Christmas decorations being blatantly sold so early, they do get me a bit more excited about winter. 

Last Saturday, we held the 34th Annual Christmas Walk on Central Avenue in downtown Lancaster.  Note that the name has not changed in 34 years, even through an era of political and religious correctness.  Go figure that many other retailers are now going back to using the word Christmas in their greetings.  I’ve always believed it made more sense to include other holidays rather than to exclude the holiday that a majority of Americans celebrate.

So, Saturday was a huge success and a great start to our holiday season.  Thanks to the ingenuity of Tom Kazmierczak, director of the Lancaster Opera House, the Central Business District has been transformed to circa 1940’s Christmasville.

What fun it was to see all the families peering into store windows to witness the beautiful old AM&A’s window displays and the newly created Winter Wonderland scenes.  I personally want to thank Tom, Linda Costa and all those who made this possible.  It is a huge promotion for our community.

A flurry of visitors braved the rain and attended craft shows, Breakfast with Santa, hay  rides, and open houses at businesses and churches in the village.

Chamber members Laura Lee Pautler and Judy Little at Relaxation Station served up chair massages along with hot chocolate and brownies.  Mrs. Santa Claus greeted guests at the Kringle Koffee Kafe and Gift Shop where shoppers can still buy ornaments and memorabilia while sipping on hot cocoa.

At the Chamber office, Program Coordinator Linda Stapleton and our bevy of energetic volunteers welcomed guests with cookies and cider and Snowman Poop and Magic Reindeer food for the kiddies.  Visitors were asked to sign Christmas cards for special delivery to our troops.  Army National Guard Sgt. Christopher Parks brought a Humvee (High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle is a military motor vehicle) for people to see up close and offered us a welcome reminder of the true meaning of Veteran’s Day.  Thanks to all who signed our cards and took a yellow ribbon.  The activity certainly made my usual Saturday at the office much more enjoyable.

Now with the Christmas Walk over, I look forward to Christmasville creating all kinds of opportunities for our local businesses to expand or jazz up their usual offerings.

From now till January 7th, while the windows displays are up, there are so many neat partnerships that can be created and ideas explored.  If you are not a business in the Central Business District, why not pick one that you can sponsor and join in some collaborative advertising?

With thousands, yes thousands, of people walking up and down the street looking in the windows, you could find a new audience for your product or service.

Think that it wouldn’t work for your fireplace sales or chimney cleaning service? You might be pleasantly convinced otherwise.  Why not put your sign up next to a display with Santa popping out the chimney that says, “Sooty Santa?  Keep him clean with Joe’s Chimney Sweeping.”  Offer a savings for mentioning the display.

What? You say you are a veterinarian in Depew and don’t see the point?   There are plenty of pet characters displayed in these windows.  Hey, maybe you can partner with the new Uptown Doggie Day Care on Central Avenue to come up with something truly clever.  Give yourself a few moments to think and I am sure it will come to you.

If you need help, give us a ring at the Chamber and we can brainstorm together.  Our big window is still open, so we can even try to create our own business scene.  And as always, members are welcome to display fliers in the office.

So, if you are strolling along the Avenue, taking in the sights and sounds, don’t forget to stop into the Chamber to see what’s ups around town and around the region.  We are always happy to have visitors and hope that you will enjoy the village frivolity as much as I do.
 

Strategize to Succeed
by Kathy Konst

Happy New Year!  I have a great resolution that may help you jump start your business in 2008.  Let’s put a “Strategic Plan” in place.

If you haven’t created a strategic plan for this year, it isn’t too late.  Strategic planning is where you gather your employees to “brainstorm” for the purpose of defining who you are as a business and what your “mission” should be.  Here I will outline a tried and true method that I have used many times in dealing with small, medium and very large groups.

You should get an impartial “facilitator” to moderate. The key to success is allowing a free flow of ideas from everyone involved.  If your business is small - you and a few of employees - then it will just require some self-discipline in order to set aside the time required to concentrate on your goals. 

It is now time to determine or reinforce your vision for success.  Regardless of whether you are a small business, a large manufacturer, a school, church, or non-profit organization, you should have a mission and vision for the success of your group.  Sometimes this vision is lost in your day-to-day activities. Often, it is so broad, that a less general, more focussed vision is needed to achieve a sense of success and advancement. 

If you have more people that you’d like involved in the planning process, then some advance notice and organization might be necessary to set times and locations for each of the 4 sessions.  There are also a few tools you will need to make the process flow smoothly.

I recommend a comfortable meeting space where everyone can view a blank wall or chart board.  Each person should be given a 3”x5” pad of sticky notes and a medium point marker.

In order to give everyone a fair chance to be involved, speaking aloud is replaced with writing ideas out.  This way quiet or timid members of the group can and will be heard.  It is up to the facilitator to ensure this and a clear explanation of each step before the session begins.

The Vision:  Session 1

The participants jot down a phrase or two per note, stating with what their vision of success for the business or organization is. Try to limit these to 4 or 5 ideas per person.  Examples might be:

• increased traffic,
• increased sales revenue,
• better customer service, etc.
• No ideas are rejected.  This brainstorming allows for everyone’s input.
•             Once all the ideas are written, the facilitator gathers the notes and sticks them on the wall.  The group is now asked, to look for and discuss common ideas.  Similar ideas are placed together creating a list of ideas that are the common vision of the group.  You should come up with 4-5 key ideas per session.  Remember to save all the sticky notes and transpose the statements for future reference.
• The next step addresses the nay-sayers and worry-warts.
• The Obstacles: Session 2
• Participants now have an opportunity to jot down obstacles that might prevent the organization or business from achieving any part of their newly-created Vision. This is the time for pessimists to “get it out of their system.”  Since it is a group process, no one can come back later and say they didn’t have a voice.  Examples might include:
• lack of funds,
• inadequate equipment,
• limited staff or time, etc.

Again, all written ideas are accepted by the facilitator, who repeats the process of grouping similar ideas on the wall at the direction of the group.  Remember to save the notes for use at the next session.

The Solutions:  Session 3

All the brain power that created a vision and everything that could get in the way of achieving it, can now figure out how to solve these problems.  Pull out those sticky notes and address each key obstacle in the same way you created your vision. 

You will be pleased by the creative and positive approach to addressing negative comments and seemingly insurmountable obstacles.  Before the enthusiasm wanes, jump into the following session.

ACTION:  Session 4

The facilitator repeats the Vision, Obstacles, and Solutions, preferably listed on a chart board for everyone to see easily.  At this point, clear steps are needed to cement the plan of action.  Participants will list their suggestions on how to proceed and in what order.  The facilitator now allows for discussion on how to create an action list and time line.

With these in place, specific “jobs” or “committees” can be identified.  Volunteers or employees with special skills or interests can be assigned appropriately.

Determine how often there should be follow-up meetings or reports given.  Re-examine your vision after 6-months to see if you are on track.  Repeat all or parts of the strategic planning process as needed through-out the year. 

            We live and work in a fluid society, so there should always be room for change and adaptation in the way we do business. After all, rules written in stone are pretty hard to update! 

            I hope you have success charting your plan for 2008.  If you would like help in implementing a strategic planning session, feel free to call me at the Chamber Office:  681-9755.

P.S.  Don’t forget to attend our 2008 Awards Banquet at Ripa’s on January 29.  Just call the office for details.

Pick 3. Spend 50. Save your local economy.

Or, You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.

By Kathy Konst

You’re on your way to get ice cream with the kiddos.  Everyone is tucked into their seats and the weather is perfect to enjoy a triple scoop mint-ting-a-ling sundae.  Yummy!

But wait. What’s this?  No cars. No bikes. No people in line.  Did they run out of hot fudge? Was there a bomb scare? No…it just can’t be.  They‘re closed… for good!

Is this story recognizable to you? Have any of your favorite places closed recently – just when you finally decided to visit?  I know in my Chamber experience we’ve had to say good-bye to several businesses because of the economy, heavy-handed regulations, illness, or bankruptcies.

The story is more common with each bailout.

The sad part is that these are your neighbors,  friends and businesses.  With every independent business that closes, the community loses character, tax revenue, and a part of its history.

Who can remember the Crystal Beach Days banner strung across West Main Street when over 50 stores lined the block?  The advent of malls, department stores and franchises sent consumers scurrying to out-of-town destinations.  And now the competition is on the web.   So, before we can try to bring that local shopping experience back, we first have to protect the brick and mortar businesses that we’d hate to lose.

There is a terrific campaign called The 3/50 Project, which the Chamber is championing, that teaches you how to save the economy just three stores at a time.  By patronizing three local brick and mortar businesses you don’t want to see disappear and spending only $50 a month on them or 3 others, we can save the local business landscape.

“It’s all about funneling revenue back to local business,” says founder of The 3/50 Project, Cinda   Baxter  “The folks that pour money into the community via commercial property taxes, payroll taxes, sales tax, and salaries - not to mention all the good will by way of volunteering time, sponsoring sports teams, workshops, book signings, etc.”

Here are 3 simple concepts that drive the campaign to help save our economy:

1. Think about which three independently owned businesses you’d miss most if they were gone. Stop in and say hello. Pick up a little something that will make someone smile. Your contribution is what keeps those businesses around.
2. If just half the employed U.S. population spent $50 each month at independently owned businesses, their purchases would generate more than $42.6 billion in revenue. How’s that for a bailout?
3. For every $100 spent in independently owned stores, $68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll, and their expenditures.  But, if you spend that at a national chain, only $43 stays here.   Spend it online and the return is even less.

The number of people it takes to start this trend is one...just you! Remember, in the words of Joni Mitchell, you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.

# # #

Lancaster Area Chamber of Commerce
P.O. Box 284 - 41 Central Avenue
Lancaster, NY  14086
E-mail:  info@laccny.org
Phone: (716) 681-9755 - Fax:  (716) 684-3385