Craig Hanson - July 2022

Craig Hanson - July 2022

July 2022

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These Two Summer Trips

Are Nothing But Memorable

Summer is one of the most popular times to go on vacation. It gives you a chance to spend time with your loved ones and create memories you will never forget. I have two vacations that stand out to me and always make me laugh when I think about them. One was when I was a kid in Boy Scouts and the other was a cruise I took with my wife. Every year when I was in Boy Scouts, we went camping. This was a time when we developed new skills and bonded with one another. One of the funniest memories I have was during my rookie year. All of the boys had different tasks and responsibilities while camping. For example, one morning, I was in charge of making breakfast for everyone. I decided to make oatmeal, which I thought would be pretty simple … if I read the instructions. I thought I had a handle on things, but instead of bringing water to a boil, pouring in the oats, and stirring it occasionally, I decided to dump everything in at once and let it set. When the oatmeal finished cooking, it came out really thick. One of my friends was with me, and he decided to put a spoon in the middle of the oatmeal and try to stir it. But the oatmeal was like cement — he couldn’t move the spoon from one side to the other. It just stayed right in the middle of the bowl. This turned into a total waste of breakfast, and I got razzed about it for quite a while — even to this day! I was awarded a medal for worst breakfast cooker. The medal had a spoon engraved in it and everything. I now know to read directions before I do anything because of this. Every time I think back on this memory, I can’t help but laugh. A few years ago, my wife and I took a cruise from Montreal, Canada, to Boston, Massachusetts. This was the first cruise we’ve ever been on, and it was very memorable. We took an airplane from Chicago to Montreal, and we lost one of our bags during the flight. This was the first time we packed for

a long trip, and we didn’t think about packing items needed during our travels in both bags.

At first, we were a little stressed out, but I told my wife this was all a part of the adventure, and as long as we had each other, we would have a great time — and we did! It’s hard not to have an amazing trip when I’m with her. Our bag finally got to us on our last day, but we didn’t even need it at that point. We were fine without it and made do with what we had or went out and bought it. To this day we laugh about our cruise and how much fun we had together, despite losing luggage.

The moral of both stories is that even if things don’t go your way, you can still have a great time. I look back at these memories, and they always make me chuckle and put a smile on my face. I wouldn’t change a thing about these two summer trips.

–Craig Hanson

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LET’S GET PERSONAL! The Importance of Personalized Marketing and Branding

will make them feel like they are part of a community and a brand that is more than just a business. What is personalized marketing? Have you ever gotten a promotional email that used your name in the beginning as a greeting? That’s personal marketing, or “self-marketing,” which uses strategies to promote your personal brand. It’s the ultimate form of target marketing that involves adjusting your strategies to reach your targeted audience. This is another way to help you create and build long-term customer relationships. How do you use personal marketing? You first want to understand your audience. Once you know your clientele, you can create a company voice that will engage your customers. You can write your customers in a conversational tone using contractions, shorter words, idioms, and slang. What interests your customers? What will they want to read about? Are there any promotions you know they will love? All of these insights can be used in your marketing strategy. When you combine personal branding and marketing, you create a recipe for success. You can use your brand within your marketing strategy to tie your services and experiences to your business. This will make your customers feel like they already know you and feel like your friends. So, never be afraid to get personal — it’s one of the keys to success.

Some people are afraid to be personal — but it’s the key to successful marketing and branding! By being personal with clients, you can form a relationship with them that can lead to better retention and more referrals. It will also show that you’re relatable and reliable. Here are some reasons why personal marketing and branding can benefit your business as well as tips you can use to form better and more meaningful relationships with your clients and customers. What is personal branding? Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, famously said, “Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.” Personal branding has a unique combination of skills and experiences that make you who you are. What makes you special and unique? Why should customers use your services rather than the competitors? By developing skills to personalize your brand, you allow your customers access to your life. How do you create a personal brand? If you have a website, blog, newsletter, or social media platform, you can use these resources to share stories about yourself and your life. Only get as personal as you want — it’s all up to you! Sharing personal stories creates incredible professional content. For example, you can discuss why you started your business and what experiences led you to take that particular career path. Or share a story that ties into one of your products or services. This form of branding personally ties you to what you offer to customers, which

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How Do You Play This Infinite Game? Business Is a Never-Ending Game

Chapter 5: Building a Culture of Trust A healthy work culture is based on trust. If your workers sense a lack of trust, that affects efficiency, since no one will feel comfortable voicing their concerns or mistakes. Ford Motor Company is a perfect example. Before 2006, the now-former CEO would reprimand and penalize workers who brought him bad

HAVE A Laugh Chapter 2: Essential Practices Sinek explains the strategies you need to play the infinite game. These skills include developing a “just cause,” creating trusting teams, studying your rivals, preparing for flexibility, and showing courage to lead. He follows up with examples of companies that embody all five of these principles: Victorinox, the creator of the Swiss Army knife, Bill Gates and Microsoft, and the GPS company Garmin. business is an infinite game — you don’t want to create something to “win” (finite); you want to build a foundation that will remain for future generations (infinite). “The Infinite Game” by Simon Sinek is among the greatest motivational books you can get your hands on. He gives readers an inside scoop on the importance of adopting an “infinite mindset” while “playing the game” of business. Let’s look at some of the chapters that can help you and your business. Chapter 1: Business Isn’t a Finite Game The first chapter discusses why running a business isn’t a finite game. It focuses on how profit and income aren’t the only ways to measure success. Profit means nothing if you’re unable to survive current and future difficulties. This is why

information. This caused an unhealthy work environment and led to lower productivity. Sinek offers tips on how to create a culture where your employees are comfortable and confident. “The Infinite Game” teaches you that business is an endless game where you have to overcome many challenges. Successful businesses play the infinite game, constantly improving the business to become better. Sinek provides tips, solutions, and examples of how your business can thrive while playing the game. To get your hands on “The Infinite Game,” visit your local bookstore or online retailer.

NOT JUST A LANGUAGE TOOL

THE HISTORY BEHIND THE REAL ROSETTA STONE

Before we had Rosetta Stone, the language- learning software, scholars were confounded by the original Rosetta Stone: a slab of granite from Ancient Egypt inscribed with mysterious symbols. The slab was discovered in 1799 by a group of French army engineers near the Egyptian town of Rosetta. The British

claimed the stone after winning the French Revolutionary Wars and relocated it to the British Museum in London, where they strengthened the floors to support its incredible weight. Various scientists studied the artifact with no success, until it was ultimately deciphered by French linguist Jean-Francois Champollion. The stone was covered in a combination of hieroglyphics, ancient Greek, and Demotic. It spelled out a decree issued in 196 B.C. by Egypt’s ruler at the time, Ptolemy V, and a group of Egyptian clergy members. Because of his discovery, Champollion was named the founding father of Egyptology. You can still visit the stone at the British Museum in London, where it’s been displayed for 220 years!

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It Makes Me Laugh to This Day

This Is the Recipe for Success

Don’t Rely on Profit to Measure Success

What Exactly Is the Rosetta Stone?

4.

Meet One of the Youngest Self-Made Billionaires

ADVOCATING FOR WOMEN AROUND THE WORLD

MEET WHITNEY WOLFE HERD

was also her boyfriend) sexually harassed her. Wolfe Herd then sued Tinder over these allegations, but Tinder denied any wrongdoing. Eventually, both parties settled. This experience pushed Wolfe Herd to challenge dating norms, and she wanted to inspire women to take their power back. Although Bumble is known for allowing women to message their matches first, this only scratches the surface of Wolfe Herd’s branding and marketing strategy. The app has grown beyond just dating — now, you can network professionally and find new platonic friendships. Wolfe Herd is focusing more on creating a brand that fosters a safe place for women to network — she wants it to be a women’s social platform. Today, Wolfe Herd is pushing Bumble into cultures and countries where women don’t traditionally have a voice. Although this may seem risky, she says, “We need to go where we’re needed the most.” She is also using her platform to advocate for legislation outlawing domestic and international digital sexual harassment. Wolfe Herd wants women to take control, and she will stop at nothing until she reaches her goals.

Dating apps are very popular with the younger generation, and one app has taken the world by storm. Bumble Inc. was

created in 2014 by Whitney Wolfe Herd and is an online dating platform where women get to message their matches first. Just two hours after Bumble launched, its stock price soared, making her a billionaire. She is now one of the top female CEOs in tech and the founder of one of the largest dating apps in the world. Wolfe Herd’s experience with toxic and abusive relationships and misogyny within the tech industry inspired her to create

Bumble. She was the co-founder of Tinder in 2021, another dating app, but she soon left the company after an executive (who

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