“You meet new friends and meet old friends. Dancers learn new steps, and drummers learn new songs.” - Russell Steele

Hello Zennies! It is good to be back! I have been gone for many months, and I have much news to share with you today. The weather is warm, the sun is shining bright, the birds and the bees
are back...and it feels like a good day!

First, let's start with the biggest news. We now have offices in Louisville, Kentucky, and... Asheville, North Carolina! And along with our expansion will come many exciting new business opportunities and endeavors...and better ways to serve you! And coming soon...Zenovation 2.0...an extension of our existing brand, and big updates to our website. We'll be presenting new features, technology, information and options. One of the big updates will be a much improved blog. Stay tuned right here for new developments and information as it becomes available!

In other news, as I analyze the political and small business landscape, I see both opportunity and risk. I feel hesitant to move with the amount of volatility in the market right now. But in my heart, I know it is necessary to get our economy moving again. Both hiring and business seem to be picking up slowly, which helps my confidence...but with the increasing presence of governmental intervention in business, the stability is questionable, especially in the long-term. From the word coming out of Washington, I don't believe this administration is moving forward with the best intentions in respect to small businesses. But move, we must (as the little Jedi in my head keeps telling me)! So my advice to you is to keep your guard up, but continue to move. Learn
to manage and take educated risks, be flexible and adaptive to swift market changes in supply, demand, and legislation...and above all, keep a laser-eye focus on your customers. If you take care of them, then they'll take care of you. Good luck, and Godspeed. The fate of our nation now rests in the hands of small business owners and independent, free-thinking consumers like you and me. Unfortunately, while that statement may be a bit dramatic, it's not hyperbolic.

But enough gloom and doom. What we need now is inspiration, innovation, and motivation! I'm ready for action! And I have just the pill for that! This is YOUR rally call! Together, let's pump new blood into our nation, and take what's ours. All of ours. The best way we know how. The way our fathers did. And the way we will again. the way we will RIGHT NOW! Take a look at this video...then take action today. Move boldly and meticulously in the direction of your dreams. Have a great day, and we'll talk again very soon!

- Posted April 14, 2010

NOW is the Time!

- by Scott Zeller

We're approaching the end of summer now. August is over, and the kids have gone back to school. Football is back, and as I listen out my window, I can hear the cicadas in the trees, at times drowning out my ability to focus, taunting me that as September begins, I'm about to turn another year older. Another year is in the bag, and with that reminder, my thoughts turn to my legacy. When it's all said and done, what will I leave behind? What will I have done to make this world a little better going out, than it was when I came in? Personally, I could ponder and discuss these questions for days. But this is neither the time nor the place for that. I'm referring to professionally...to my career. What have I done? What will I do to make my mark?

I will argue that what I've done up to this point, and what I do ten years from now will not be as important as what I do right now. Today. And I will argue that the same applies to you, the small business owner. And to you, the entrepreneur. Our economy is down. But it's not out. In fact, we may be starting to get our second wind. As I closely watch the market, daily I'm getting signs that we are pulling out of this nose dive. And things have changed. Or have they?

On second glance, it appears that things have come full circle, much like everthing in nature. Gone are the days of wasteful consumers, big corporations, and lazy, careless spending. We have returned to our roots. To the very people that built this nation up in the first place. The small business owners. The entrepreneurs. To you, and to me. It's up to us now. Our hard work, and our relentless, passionate pursuit of our dreams and our goals will be what saves this economy. Not the government, or the big corporations. You and I. We have to move, and we have to move now.The momentum has shifted in our favor, and we must move more efficiently,and with more focus and purpose towards the pursuit of our goals. Because what we do today, not yesterday, and not ten years from now, will determine whether our future is filled with more of these same dark days, or a fresh new start.

I'll conclude my series today on the best in branding by keeping in theme with our current discussion. American Express has created a fantastic new marketing campaign based around the idea that the small business owner will be the "hero" to save us all. They've created an entire website packed with content to support this idea. It provides a mountain-load of ideas, discussions, inspiration, and other resources for the entrepreneurs. I would encourage you all to take a few minutes to research the site, and decide whether there is any content that may be helpful to your specific situation. Go to http://www.openforum.com

And now we'll end with the video that summarizes it all. Today is the day. As entrepreneurs and small business owners, this is our moment. Call or email us right now, and let's get to work.

- Posted August 30, 2009

Is The Worst Over?

Today is August 1st, and I like the direction things are going now. I am hopeful that we have turned the corner, and after we endure possibly 6-9 more months of potential hardships, things are going to be a lot better. From everything that I'm reading, I expect the unemployment rate to drop, the dow to rise, and the consumer's confidence and money to once again flow freely. As I watch this spot from Grasshopper, I'm reminded that we, the small business owners and entrepreneurs, are going to be the ones that save our economy. The government is not going to do it. Once again, we'll don our superhero capes, dig our heels in, develop and share our innovative thoughts and ideas, take educated risks, and breathe life into the capitalist creature that we are responsible for building in the first place. And so, we must begin planning now. Time is critical, and the decisions you make now will determine your company's fate. Will it survive, or perish? In today's business, you need a strong network of experienced, educated decision makers that not only understand your unique business perspective, but more importantly, the customer's experience with your business. At Zenovation, we are ready to move when you are. Call or email us now, and together, we'll lead the charge to a stronger, healthier tomorrow for both your business, and the economy.

July 4, 2009

Happy Independence Day to everyone reading this. May you and your family have a safe and happy holiday. Please, at some point, I urge you to take a moment to reflect on what this day represents for our nation. Where we've been...and where we're going. While it is true that we have many problems and injustices in our country, we also have countless opportunites and freedoms available to us that no other nation can claim. And whether, in your own life, you feel blessed or cursed on this day...recognize that this nation, more than any other in the world, allows you to change...to rise up...to right the wrongs...and have a better tomorrow. I encourage you to declare this day as not just America's Independence Day, but your own as well. Starting today, and each day forward, take at least one single step towards becoming the person you want to be.

***

Now, down to business, and back to branding. In honor of Independence Day, I'd like to continue our discussion on the best, boldest branding efforts in the market today by discussing GM, General Motors. As we are all aware, GM, and the American auto industry as a whole, is living in its darkest days. Since 1908, GM has been an American institution...rooted in the very culture of American life. It represents the best and worst that America has to offer. The following two videos represent what GM has meant to our nation, and where it's going. Once a great company, it has now gone the way of Humpty Dumpty. It has fallen, but it's not dead. And I, for one, hope to see it rise again. After watching the new branding commercial (2nd video), I'm again inspired and hopeful that this bold, risky new move for GM will be the truth of what's to come. I consider myself an educated consumer, and I have had a lot of trouble buying American over the last few years. I've lost a lot of faith in the quality and integrity of the products produced, particularly in the auto industry. After watching GM's new commercial, I want to believe again. I want to buy American. I know it sounds a little fake, but speaking from my heart, I want to be optimistic...cast cynicism aside, and believe that GM will rise again...bigger and better than ever. And as an American, I can't wait. I'm excited and hopeful than by the time my son becomes a man, General Motors, Ford, and the American auto industry as a whole, will once again stand at the top, leading a new age, on the foundation of the quality, value, leadership and integrity that made them great in the first place.

July 3, 2009

Welcome to In the kNow, our news blog section of the website. We're kicking off this exciting new column with a feature on what I consider to be the best, boldest new branding efforts in the mainstream market today. First up is Apple. Apple has embraced the idea of being different...thinking different. It glorifies the outcasts. The misfits. And encourages us to not see these people as liabilities, but as assets to the world around them. It leads us to change our perspective, challenging us to be one of the weird ones...to "think outside the box." It's been Apple's mantra ever since I can remember. To be different. And this may just be their most moving, most powerful statement yet. It's inspiring, and it motivates me to never settle...to never accept normal. Not that I ever did anyway.