- April 2, 2018 -

You've witnessed (or been part of) this scene before...

Mom or dad is at the mall or the grocery store with Johnny in tow... and Johnny starts acting up. He wants something and has been told "No."

He tries again. "No." Again..."Sorry, no."

So Johnny throws a fit to try and wear his parent down. He's smart...and has learned the art of manipulation at a young age.

Most of the time, mom or dad are able to nip the whole thing in the bud...Johnny knows it's futile to press their luck and life goes on.

But it's those times when mom [...]

- March 29, 2018 -

A few years ago, I quit buying those pre-packaged prepared meals sold at Giant Eagle.

Made packing a lunch easy. And they were pretty darn tasty...

...but after a few months, my slacks started to not fit so well lol

Turns out they're packed with salt (which is probably why they tasted so good.)

So I switched to eating fish during the week and meat on the weekend...and dropped 20 lbs like that!

I guess the fancy term people who read stuff like Goop call this is "eating clean."

Whatever...I call it middle-aged spread diet 🙂

I actually think the secret to my [...]

- March 28, 2018 -

That first cuppa coffee in the morning...

Kind of eases you into semi-consciousness.

Mid-way through the second cup...

You start to feel energy flowing through your veins.

And by the time you drain that cup, you're ready to kick a** and take names!

Nothing like a good strong cup of American joe...

Oh but there is!

If you've ever had a cup of Turkish coffee, you know exactly what I'm talkin' about 🙂

Growing up, anyone who came for Sunday dinner at our house knew.

When coffee was served after the table was cleared, they were either in for a treat or a shock...

"Turkish coffee" [...]

- March 27, 2018 -

It's "that" time of year again!

April 15th is about two weeks away...every entrepreneur's favorite day of the year lol

And for a guy who had to take Accounting 101 three times to pass, filing taxes are about as fun as a poison ivy rash!

And that's what I have Frank, my CPA for. He's been doing my taxes for 25 years.

So when the news last December was all about either Bitcoin or the new Tax Bill, I did two things:

1) Called Frank ranting. Frank listened (most likely he just put the phone down to save his eardrums) and [...]

- March 26, 2018 -

I've made a decision...

Time to start trumpet lessons again.

I'm a big believer in figuring out and then focusing on doing that ONE thing that will act as the lead domino, setting everything else in motion.

Once we got Barron Marketing dialed in and processes in place, I started Barron Properties...missed the hustle of dealing with customers face to face and getting out from behind a computer.

Now that systems are being put in place to start scaling that business, it's time to work on myself LOL

For years, I started every morning playing the trumpet...

+ the warm up to [...]

- March 23, 2018 -

When I owned my mortgage company, the biggest thorn in my side was the real estate broker.

And now that I buy and sell investment properties...the biggest thorn in my side is still the real estate broker lol

And before you react (because I know I'll piss somebody off who is a real estate broker or whose spouse or child or father or aunt myrtle is)...hear me out, please.

We're both after commissions and fees so the relationship is naturally gonna to lean toward being competitive.

Both want a sale to happen...and IF one of us leads with "What's in [...]

- March 22, 2018 -

Launching an online business is light years from where it was a decade ago...thanks to technology.

The current recipe du jour goes something like this:

+ Start with a spanking new fancy computer.

+ Mix in Infusionsoft.

+ Toss in a handful of LeadPages.

+ Add a dash of ScheduleOnce for appointments.

+ And a splash of Stripe to take money.

And by golly, you're a funnel expert! You've now got a 24-7 cash machine working while you sleep, right?

Well, herein lies the rub...

Yep...that's the dirty little secret that nobody tells you when [...]

- March 21, 2018 -

With pushing 60, my definition of "old" keep changing.

I really like hanging around old(er) people.

+ They know how to have a real conversation...they just get right to the meat of the matter. No messing around with pleasantries. lol

+ They're opinionated...they've earned the stripes to call a spade a spade.

+ They're wise...if someone has gone through 70+ years and still has a sense of humor, I want to talk to that person!

+ Their filters aren't what they used to be...heck, they have no filters! 🙂

...and that suits my contrarian nature so I'll be a darn good old [...]

- March 20, 2018 -

Which is most important to nail when creating or revamping your brand?

A) Your company name.

B) Your logo.

C) Your tagline.

[Eeeert] If you named any of the above.

Sorry for the trick question 🙂

But several times a week I see people posting questions in Facebook groups asking for input on which logo people like better...

Or requests for creative company names or catchy taglines.

And it's interesting when you sit back and just observe...

Logo picks seem to be split pretty evenly. And potential name or tagline suggestions are all over the place.

So what does that tell you?

It's all personal...

- March 19, 2018 -

Remember the ads for Nivea "Bio-Slim Complex"...the body lotion that claimed that with regular use, it would reduce body size? That sure would be "easier" than good old diet and exercise!

Well, Nivea chose to settle to avoid a lawsuit and stopped making the product.

And this one...Splenda got sued by Equal, another alternative sugar competitor because Spenda claimed that it was “Made from sugar so it tastes just like sugar.”

Equal claimed that Splenda was leading customers to believe that its product was healthier than other sugars substitutes. Splenda had to change its marketing slogan and advertising campaign [...]