ENTERTAINMENT: 5 Alternative Sports TV Content Sports Bars Should Show
Every sports bar worth its salt shows the mainstream games. Your loyal patrons and irregular guests expect that from every bar, so how do you stand out? One way is to show alternative or “off-beat” sports programming on some of your TVs. It positions your place as the sports expert in your neighborhood, opens your venue to a whole new slew of potential guests, and more.
DID YOU KNOWS…
‘Drink with Your Dog’ Training
Summit Dog Training and New Belgium Brewing in Fort Collins, CO have teamed up to teach dog owners to train their canine companions how to behave at brew-pubs. The project trains dogs skills such as laying still when a stranger (serve or patron) approaches, and remaining calm around loud noises & distractions. Not a bad idea, and one you can steal if you want your restaurant to be dog-friendly.
Don’t Use Airport USB Stations
How many of us have used the USB power charging stations at airports while waiting for our next flight? Probably most of us. However, we might be taking a great risk when we do. Cybercriminals can modify those connections to install malware on your phone or download your data without your knowledge. IBM Security compares it to finding a toothbrush on the side of the road and sticking it in your mouth. Gross.
Marketers Warm Up to the ‘Gram
Instagram is having its moment in the marketing limelight. A new study from Social Media Examiner found that nearly three-quarters of marketers they surveyed are working with Instagram, a 7-point increase from last year’s report. Snapchat and Twitter both saw a decrease in the share of marketers reporting use, with Twitter showing a 3-point dip and Snapchat dropping down 2 points, a significant dip for a platform that barely registered interest with marketers last year.
IT CAN HAPPEN TO ANYONE
Why it matters to you: How willing are you ready to fight to keep your restaurant alive?
Celebrity chefs are supposed to be better at this whole restaurant thing than the rest of us. Consequently, it’s even more shocking when they fail, which is exactly what happened to former Naked Chef star Jamie Oliver’s restaurants. All but three of Oliver’s 25 restaurants have entered administration (UK bankruptcy protection) and more than 1000 of his employers are now looking for work. The administrator pointed to serious issues with the casual dining segment as the cause of Oliver’s restaurant chain’s demise.
Who among us can’t empathize with the challenges experienced by Oliver and his restaurants? To Oliver’s credit, on two separate occasions he put in multiple millions of dollars of his own cash in an attempt to save the chain and find a buyer. That type of real-world commitment to your own business should prove that Oliver wasn’t disassociated from his own brand like some celebrity chef operators.
The constraints that caused Oliver’s group to close 22 restaurants are no different than the ones that each of you manage every day. The question is, how far would you go to save your restaurant from closure? Would you cash out your retirement or borrow money as Oliver had done previously? We certainly aren’t suggesting any specific course of action, but statistically a few of you are managing that dilemma right now. Whatever your choice, we hope you fight as hard to keep your restaurant open as you can without risking your own future.
[Source: NY Times]
DON’T TELL, DO ASK
Why it matters to you: Millennial that aspire to leadership should heed this advice.
The opportunity to advance is a key factor in the employment choices made by Millennials as they navigate their career paths. In fact, a recent study by the Hartford has found that 80% of them see themselves as leaders. Unfortunately for them, only a handful of them are in management roles. There is quite a bit of conjecture regarding whether this generation is delusional or entitled, but the reality is, they aren’t being honest about why they aren’t ascending as directly as their expectations would dictate. If you are managing folks in this position, then sharing this article that focuses on the skills they need to develop in order to achieve their aspirations is a good idea. Heck, if you are a Millennial yourself, then read it and see if there is any good advice you can glean. Of these, two stood out to us as particularly valuable.
The first encourages Millennial management candidates to be more curious. None of us know everything and asking questions is the fasted way to change that fact. Don’t tell, do ask is a perfect mantra. First, it proves you’re paying attention and willing to learn. It also makes you appear more interesting and you don’t have to do anything other than listen to prove it.
Our other favorite is don’t be so agreeable. In fact, challenging your boss, respectfully, proves you are engaged with and care about the business. Ironically, being less agreeable also points to an 18% advantage in salary, as this University of Notre Dame study found. Ultimately, every individual has different strengths and weaknesses, but generational culture is relevant. So, either address it as the mentor of a Millennial or as the one who wants to achieve the goal of leadership on their own terms. Either way, it’s a win for us all.
[Source: Forbes]
