CreativeCATS Update: Tickets on Sale Now for Unlimited Beer Tasting!

Tickets went on sale TODAY for our September events!

#1 - 2nd Annual SUDS on the GREEN - September 13, 2008

If you missed this event last year because of the rains, don't miss it this year! This event is really 3-in-1 - A Professional Team Golf Trournament - where you are encouraged to be loud and proud and yell on your team - along with a CreativeCATS brewfest featuring Unlimited Beer Tasting - and then the evening will see a Concert in the Park featuring area bands. All of this takes place at Land Park Golf Course near downtown Sacramento.

So, get your tickets today for this amazing addition to the CreativeCATS line-up!

Tickets are only $20 PrePay and $25 at the gate.

www.SudsOnTheGreen.com

#2 - 4th Annual FAIR OAKS'toberfest - September 27, 2008

This event is our fastest growing and one of the most enjoyable of our brewer's festivals featuring Unlimited Beer Tasting in beautiful Fair Oaks Park at the Corner of Madison & Fair Oaks.

Tickets sell fast for this incredible event, so get your's early - only $25 prepay or $30 at the gate.

www.FairOaksBrewFest.com

AND SAVE THE DATE!

Our first Bay Area Event is coming in October! SUDS on the GREEN East Bay - October 18, 2008 in Fremont, CA.

Cheers!

Matson "Matsonian" Breakey

CreativeCATS Presents

P.S. Don't miss your chance to get live recordings of the Northern California Blues Festival... www.jasonhaxton.com/ncbf

Nor Cal Blues Fest - Corrections, Surveys & More!

Friends...

A quick correction... if you want to hear the most incredible recordings of the two day sensation known as the Northern California Blues Festival... and support two wonderful non-profit programs (Blues in the Schools and Through the Mind) at the same time... go to www.JasonHaxton.com/ncbf (the previous URL I supplied was incorrect.

So, stop what you are doing and check out www.JasonHaxton.com/ncbf today and support some good causes!

Also, we REALLY want your survey response, so goto www.matsonian.com/blues/index.html and click the SURVEY button to share your thoughts with us and help us develop an event better event for 2009 - our 10th Annual!

Cheers!

Matson "Matsonian" Breakey

CreativeCATS Presents

Blues, Beer & More: CreativeCATS Update: July 11, 2008

To All My Music & Beer Loving Friends!

I still can't believe that it has been three weeks since we completed the Northern California Blues Festival! For those of you who bared the heat, I am sure you would agree it was an incredible event and one for the record books.

There is still time to complete our online survey to let us know what you thought and what you would like to see next year: www.matsonian.com/ncbf/index.html and click on the survey button at the top of the page.

In this, the latest edition of the Creative Cats update, I want to share a few important items:

1. High Quality MP3s Still Available! Did you know that we recorded almost 80% of the Northern California Blues Festival? These HIGH QUALITY recordings are available for a limited time! So get yours today! To download a FREE sample of the quality of these great recordings, CLICK HERE. For a full listing of available recordings, go to www.jasonhaxtonproductions.com/ncbf

2. Suds on the Green – Sacramento! Yes, we at CreativeCATS are now working on the Second Annual Suds on the Green, a great event where you get to watch the National Golf League's Sacramento Tournament while enjoying UNLIMITED beer tasting all around the 9^th hole at William Land Golf Course! Coming September 13, 2008. www.SudsOnTheGreen.com Tickets Go On Sale July 15!

3. FAIR OAKS'toberfest! Next is the Fourth Annual Fair Oaks'toberfest, coming to Fair Oaks Park (yes, the same location as the Nor Cal Blues Fest) on September 27. As is usual for all our brewfests, UNLIMITED beer tasting is the key! This event has sold out since year one - so get your tickets early! As always - more friends, more beer, more good times! www.FairOaksBrewFest.com Tickets on sale, July 15!

Here are some of my preferred events this weekend:

Friday, July 11 – Sacramento's Free Concert in the Park – Richard March, Kate Gaffney, Agent Ribbons, The Juggs – www.DowntownSac.org

Saturday, July 12 – 19th Annual Placer SPCA Blues & BBQ - Koko Taylor & Her Blues Machine, Coco Montoya, Cole Fonseca & The Rattlers, Mr. December Band, Blues Farm, Equinox, Pinkie Varner and more (1:00), Gold Country Fairgrounds, Auburn
www.placerspca.org/events.htm

Sunday, July 13 – Sacramento Blues Society Show - Two Cool Blues - Leo Bootz & Southside Shuffle, Equinox (2:00), Zigato's Bar & Grill - Clarion Hotel, Sacramento. www.SacBlues.com

Matson "Matsonian" Breakey

CreativeCATS Presents

P.S. Read the blog about Through the Mind, the nonprofit that benefited from the Northern California Blues Festival at http://throughthemind.blogspot.com  

P.P.S. You can create events like we do with QuickPlanner Plus! the planning software for EVERYTHING. If you can dream it, you can plan it! www.QuickPlannerPlus.com

Northern California Blues Festival... another great community event!

Well my friends...

It is over... the 9th Annual Northern California Blues Festival is in the can. And if you missed it, I am sorry... it was an event that shall never be the same again.

The biggest risk we took this year was turning a one day event into two days. And if you are not familiar with event planning... two days means a whole new host of variables that need to be tackled. Questions like... if you build it WILL they come? Because you are not only creating a longer event, you need you attendees to pay more for more days. Will they? Well... the question was undeniably answered for us... they DID!

While Saturday's attendance during the day was less than last year due to the 105 degree weather, the attendance by Saturday evening to watch Elvin Bishop was easily at 2500+.

Sunday's attendance for Maria Muldaur and the rest of the first ever Sunday Line-up was incredible at 1500.

But there was more than just the attendance. This year we had 35 craft vendors, 9 food vendors, two beer stations, and for the first time ever... Margaritas from Tequila 374.

And then there were the cars... incredible hotrods brought together by the Capital City Cruisers... six trophies were handed out to the winners including the Best of Show (confession here... I don't have the name of the winner but I get it for you).

The line-up of music for Tuesday was truly special... from Equinox to Elvin Bishop, from the Delta Wires to Steve Foster, from Lee Bootz to Mighty Mike Schermer (he's shorter than I thought)... it was a one day line-up any festival would be proud of.

If you want to purchase EXCLUSIVE live MP3's of the festival you can get them at http://www.jasonhaxton.com/ncbf.

Sunday started out with a wonderful pancake breakfast sponsored by the Orangevale Grange. Very tasty! The proceeds from the breakfast benefitted their scholarship fund and they are excited about doing it again next year!

Then the Sunday line-up went along with great aplomb... Jeff Watson, Strictly for Kicks, Sacramento Blues Review, Mick Martin and his new Blues Rockers and the ever so talented Maria Muldaur.

Reminder --- EXCLUSIVE live MP3's of the festival @ http://www.jasonhaxton.com/ncbf.

;-)

Maria was very gracious and sat around for at least 30 minutes signing autographs. Then the crews came in and we had the complete park back to its pre-festival beauty by 11pm that night.

If you would like to be on our email list for the upcoming festivals that I am doing under the banner of CreativeCATS presents, please go to www.matsonian.com and enter you email in the box on the left. We use Constant Contact so you can be assured of no spam.

Keep it real my friend and we will see ya at the next event.

By the way... a blatant plug here... we plan all our events using QuickPlanner Plus which you can get for only $34.95 at www.QuickPlannerPlus.com it is truly the best planning software for creating quick administrative plans. I should know... I designed it! ;-)
----------------------

Matson "Matsonian" Breakey

SAVE THE DATE - UPCOMING EVENTS!!!!

SUDS ON THE GREEN - Sacramento
Like Golf? Love Beer? Don't Play... Just Drink!
September 13, 2008
William Land Park, Sacramento, CA
www.SudsOnTheGreen.com

FAIR OAKS'TOBERFEST
An Octoberfest for BrewFest Lovers, by BrewFest Lovers!
September 27, 2008
Fair Oaks Park, Fair Oaks, CA
www.fairoaksbrewfest.com

SUDS ON THE GREEN - East Bay
October 4, 2008
Fremont, CA
www.SudsOnTheGreen.com/eastbay

CHILI COOKOFF & MUSIC FESTIVAL
October 18, 2008
Old Sacramento, CA

Using QuickPlanner to Plan our Trip...

Okay, I admit that I should have done this earlier... but I am going to plan the next thirty days before my one month hike of the Pacific Crest Trail (matsonianpct.blogspot.com) using QuickPlanner Plus (http://www.quickplannerplus.com)

While this trip with my father has been over two years in the planning, this last month is the most critical.

QuickPlanner Plus came out of simplified strategic planning for my various business activities and my need for comprehensive marketing plans for my day job with The Community College Foundation (not there anymore... see matsonian.blogspot.com for my rant on that one).

I've used it successfully in planning the West Coast Brew Fest, the Northern California Blues Festival, Suds on the Green and the Fair Oaks'toberfest. I've used it to develop business plans, software launch plans, teaching plans, even weekend fun plans.

But now, with only a month before my father and I start on our trip at Mt McKinley and hike 300 miles to Echo Lake, I am going to maximize my planning process by using QPP to develop the step by step guide I need to get it all done - while also planning the Northern California Blues Festival June 21 & 22 (northerncaliforniabluesfest.com)

This afternoon, I am going for a nice bike ride and some tennis playing with my girlfriend, then I will come back and do the plan.

I will post the plan in the user's forum at QuickPlannerPlus.com, which for a limited time is free to all... take a look at let me know what you think.

Matson

About Time I did an Update

It has been far too long since I last types words into this blog. Primarily because I have been so busy with my day job at TechEd, that I've neglected many of my other passions including QuickPlanner Plus.

But today I had the opportunity to speak to an Intro to Business class at Sacramento City College.

I opened up with the basic questions of who in this class wants to start their own company and I got about four hands. Then I asked who in this class wants to go work for someone else, and I got about three hands. Out of a class of 14, that left several who didn't answer at all. So I asked a couple of them why they were in the class.

The answer? Its a requirement.

A requirement?

That's definitely not the right view to have about business 101. I don't care if you are going to be an entrepreneur, accountant, future executive, doctor, lawyer, burger flipper or wig maker, you had better understand the world of business.

So yeah... it had better be a requirement for everyone.

If you don't understand the world of business, you don't understand anything going on around you.

Okay this is starting to be less of a QuickPlanner blog and more of a Matsonian Rants so I guess I will have to post it there as well.

Business is business. Every organization in the world, every employee in the world, every group in the world operates on the basics of business and business operates on the basics of human organization.

And, here it is, human organization survives because of planning. And planning is the root to successful living.

So, if you don't understand business how can you understand life.

Join me in the mantra: Intro To Business for EVERYONE!

Win a Virtual Assistant for One Year!

After reading "The Four Hour Work Week" by Tim Ferris, I have been fascinated with the idea of having a Virtual Assistant. Someone to handle the minutia in my business life. Helping me to focus on the further development of QuickPlanner Plus and meeting the needs of our growing number of users.

If you, like me, have wondered what it would be like, now is your chance! Elance, a very reputable company that links freelancers with companies needing service, has a new contest. You can Win a Virtual Assistant for One Year! Here is the information from their website:

What If You Had a Virtual Assistant?

Do you have big plans for your business in 2008, but not all of the resources you want to make a big impact? Dream big, because you could win a Virtual Assistant for 2008!

Travel Plans, Data Entry, Word Processing, Transcription, Market Research, Event Planning, Presentations, Calendar Management, Online Marketing
How to Enter the Contest
Answer this question: How would you use a virtual assistant to grow your business or improve your personal life?
Send your answer—in video, written or audio form—to Elance via email or snail mail: 441 Logue Avenue, Suite 150, Mountain View, CA 94043. Written entries must be 500 words or less, and audio and visual entries must be one-minute or less. Entries must be received by January 25, 2008 11:59:59pm PST.
Remember, the contest is open to all registered Elance Members who have an Elance Account in good standing at the time of entry, so if you haven’t established an Account yet, establish one now—it's free!

PRIZES:

One Grand Prize Winner will receive Elance promotional credit redeemable for the purchase of $5,000 in services on Elance.
Three Runner-up Winners will each receive Elance promotional credit redeemable for the purchase of $500 in services on Elance.
Ten Honorable Mentions will receive a copy of best-selling business productivity book The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss.

The full information on this contest is available by CLICKING HERE.

The New Year’s Countdown -- The 5 Steps to Real New Year Resolution Planning

How do you write your resolutions? If you are like most, you grab a journal or pad of paper and make a list of key accomplishments or dreams to achieve in the coming year.
And, if you are like most, you forget most of them by the end of March, only to find the list in September and wonder why nothing got done.
But there is a better way!
How would you like to be able to create a New Years Resolution Plan – one that spells out exactly the steps necessary to actually achieve your new year’s goals or objectives?
The first step is to define what makes up an effective plan? When I developed QuickPlanner Plus, it was based on years of research into effective planning at all levels of life – personal and professional.
I found that the most effective plans, those that resulted in real accomplishment, held five key principles, or elements, each and every time.
If you follow these principles, you can develop something as simple as a News Year’s Resolution Plan or as intricate as a Strategic Business Plan.

1. What is your Vision?
Define this first.Your Vision is a broad description of what you would like to achieve. Effective planners start by defining this first. Most failures in planning have to do with defining a specific goal like how many pounds to lose without knowing what the long term vision is. In other words, if your goal is to lose weight, your vision might be something like “I see myself walking on the beach wearing that baby doll t-shirt I got from LucysDoodles.com.” This is a vision of your future. Or if you are trying to make more money, your vision might be “having enough income to pay off my debt, lease a new car, and take my girlfriend on a two week vacation in Buenos Aires.” Whatever your vision, it must be defined first. If not, your plan will be harder to align and will have a tendency to fail.
2. Define your Goals or Objectives:
After defining your vision, look for a numerical measurement of how to achieve your vision. In the case of paying off debt, what is the actual amount you will need to earn to do that – in total. If your debt is $50,000, and you current income is $45,000 per year. How much more do you need to earn to pay off debt? This is the type of numerical objective you must define. Goals or Objectives must be defined numerically – that way you can truly plan how to achieve it. It is ideal to have multiple objectives for your vision. Do not be shy on your numerical objectives. How much money? How many pounds lost? How much money saved for vacation?
3. Make your Plans:
This is probably the most familiar part of resolution planning for most. But the effective planner puts it to better use. Each of your objectives should have a plan. The plan is a clear description of what you want to do to achieve your objective. In the case of lose weight, if you defined your objective as, say, lose 20 pounds (or, in my case, 45 pounds!) then write a descriptive general plan on how to do that, i.e., “Start a regular exercise regimen using my current exercise equipment gathering dust in the garage. Use the book I bought last year and follow the steps to create an effective work out routine.”
4. Write a Program for Each Plan:
This is probably the single biggest missing part of any planning process. And, yet, without this step, most plans simply become nice words written on plain paper. Your program should be a step-by-step guide for accomplishing your plan. Using the above plan, your program may be something like:
a. Pull out the exercise equipment from garage and set up in bedroom.
b. Make sure exercise equipment is clean and safe before using.
c. Find the book on exercise bought last year.
d. Create a simple daily workout plan following recommendations of the book.
e. Implement the workout plan.
f. Review the workout plan regularly to ensure it matches current needs, modify as necessary.
The program is your main guide for success. You must follow each step of the program to achieve your objectives.
5. Refine your Strategic Life Plan:
Now look at the plan you have developed including the vision, the objectives, the plans, and the programs. Read it up and down and make sure each part aligns with the others. If your plan does not align, you will find yourself not being able to complete the programs. If this happens, just go back through the program as look to make sure you have written a realistic program. Ultimately, every plan ever made, to be successful, was modified along the way.

Real and achievable resolutions can be best defined as Effective Strategic Life Planning and we at QuickPlanner Plus resolve to continue developing more effective means to help you in all your strategic planning needs into 2008 and beyond.

Good planning!

Auld Lang Syne

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind ?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne ?

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

And surely ye’ll be your pint-stoup !
And surely I’ll be mine !
And we’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

We twa hae run about the braes,
And pou’d the gowans fine ;
But we’ve wander’d mony a weary fit,
Sin’ auld lang syne.

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

We twa hae paidl’d in the burn,
Frae morning sun till dine ;
But seas between us braid hae roar’d
Sin’ auld lang syne.

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

And there’s a hand, my trusty fiere !
And gies a hand o’ thine !
And we’ll tak a right gude-willie-waught,
For auld lang syne.

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

Robert Burns

Gibbs Technology - Cutting Edge Vehicle!

Friends,

In an era of amazing technological development, here is definitely a leader. Gibbs Technologies is an inspiration to entrepreneurs everywhere!



----------------------------------------
RUN YOUR CAR ON WATER INSTEAD OF GAS...
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The Dangers of Spyware and Adware

By popular demand, I am posting this article so you may better how to prevent and detect spyware or adware...

Tips on Understanding the Dangers of Spyware and Adware By Paul W Wilson

Money is the very crux of adware and spyware. These pose several problems and are a security risk.

Adware is a program that displays advertisements on the computer whether you want them or not. They are not just connected to particular websites or free software but are programmed to start up whenever your computer is switched on.

Programs like Eudora mail client display advertisements in lieu of charging registration fees for use of software. It helps developers recover program development costs. Kazaa the file sharing application comes bundled with at least three ad-ware programs. Two of them serve ads to the desktop while another redirects the user’s browser to a search engine with advertiser sponsored web results. Well known ones are: BroadcastPC; Comet Cursor; GeoWhere; Network Essentials, 123 Messenger, Direct Revenue, and so on.

Unfortunately, other guises of adware are spyware and malware.

Spyware is a program code that relays information about you and your work without your permission or knowledge. Some just “spy” on you conveying your Internet habits to marketing companies, while others are “thieves” they access credit card information as well as other sensitive files. In plain terms, it is malicious software that can intercept or take control of a computer’s operation without user knowledge or consent. Termed as “malware” the redefinition of spyware, the programs can:

• Steal personal information and the address book.
• Flood the browser with pop-ups.
• Spam the system.
• Slow down programs and connection.
• Hijack the browser and redirect the user to a “con” page.
• Uses the computer as a server to broadcast porn.
• Can cause a crash.

Spyware reaches a computer through innocent web pages, game demos, MP3 players, search tool bars, and other downloads like free software. It installs itself and leaves a mark on the windows registry. It can hog the computer resources such as memory and hard drive and cause a crash or lock up. Keystroke-logging spyware can steal passwords and credit card information for thieves.

To protect the files one has to:

• Use anti adware and spyware programs. Examples: Spybot, Search & destroy, Pest Patrol, and Lavasoft’s Adware.
• Keep windows as well as Internet explorer up-to-date by applying the latest security patches.
• Maintain the security level of the Internet Explorer at medium. Users must not lower the security level.
• Use firewalls and web proxies to block access to web sites known to carry spyware.
• Install layered protection.
• Update the antivirus program. An up-to-date program will stop spyware as well as Trojans.
• Install a startup monitor to protect your system.
• Never accept “free” as being free---check out free software and downloads, there will be a hidden surprise or catch.
• Never download software from warez sites. Pirated software is always distributed along with adware and spyware.
• Use Spy checker to determine if the download has spyware. This can be accessed from the free computer securities pages.

An anti-spyware coalition has been instituted by Microsoft, Earthlink, McAfee, and Hewlett-Packard. They are working towards anti-spyware legislation and putting protection systems in place. A survey shows that 87 percent of users know what spyware is and of this 40 percent through firsthand experience. Protect yourself and your work; keep your system free of adware and spyware.

Paul Wilson is a freelance writer for http://www.1888FreeOnlineGames.com

How to Choose Software for Your Company

I thought this was a excellent article about software for companies by Derek Both and I wanted to share it here, with you.

Because you need everything you can get your hands on to make your business a success, enterprise resourcing planning software may be helpful to you and your business. There is a type of software that you can use for almost everything; schedules, phone calls, purchase, invoice, shipping/receiving, employees, customer contact information, billing information and more.

You need to have easy access to all of this without downloading several programmes onto your computer which means that valuable space will not be taken up. Because the demand is different for every business your needs for a software may not be the same need of another. That is why you need to consider this software.

Because this software is great to provide all the above features you need software that will be personalised depending on your business. You don't want to waste your computer space on a program that you don't need. To make this software work for you, the business needs to be simplified and easy to maintain. When you use this software you can be sure that this software is right for you.

If you have more than one warehouse to control you may need to know the shipping, number of invoices, return stock, employees, trucks and other important features that make your job difficult when you need to call everyone and get the details.

How can enterprise resourcing planning software help your business? That is an easy question to answer. No one has the time to do all the personal details that it takes to keep track of everything. If we could find a system that could take care of that wouldn't it be more interesting to you to get the software and upgrade?

Enterprise resourcing planning software is one of the fewest software programmes that you can find to handle everything that you need. It would be nice if you had the time to sit around and call everyone in every different department and ask them about the information that you need to know about. That is why the software will do that for you. It doesn't make calls but it does work to duplicate all the information that is available.

Because enterprise resourcing planning software will work with any business, small or large you may want to go ahead and order it for all your business and home needs. There is no easier way to handle all your business information but thorough the enterprise resourcing planning software.

Out of the Banker's Mouth...

Part of the creation of QuickPlanner Plus came from the frustration with business planning not meeting the needs of the entrepreneur but the needs of the bankers. Well, this quote from the Head of Commercial & Business Banking, Ulster Bank, John McGrane, said:

The importance of entrepreneurs having a solid business plan cannot be underestimated. It must display a strategy for sustainable long-term growth, streamlined direction and most importantly must impress your bank manager.[emphasis added]

There it is, from the banker's mouth. I have been saying for years that business plans are good for those who need financing and they are designed by the bankers for the bankers. But a business plan that impresses the bankers, does not necessarily reflect the step by step progam you need as an entrepreneur.
I created QuickPlanner Plus as the easiest strategic business planning software on the market today because I used the system constantly and regularly to achieve success at my business or at my job. In those cases, I did not seek financing so I did not need a business plan, I simply needed a strategic step-by-step program. This is what QuickPlanner Plus is helping hundreds of entrepreneurs to accomplish. It truly is the key to business success. Sorry Mr. McGrane.

Plan for Profit in 2008 - Here’s an Easy 5 Step Method

This is a great blog I wanted to share with you by Kevin Stirtz the "Smart Marketing Guy" you can read more of his work by CLICKING HERE.

This time of year business owners, executives and consultants are (or should be) spending time looking ahead. We should be thinking what we want for our businesses in 2008.
But we all know many people fail to plan. There are as many reasons for this as there are (or used to be) hairs on my head. I used to think the biggest reason was time. Not anymore. I think the biggest reason people fail to plan is they’re not sure how.
Whatever you call it, strategic planning, business planning, year-end planning, it sounds important. It also sounds like a lot of work. It looms large as a big, complicated responsibility that a lot of people are not sure how to do.
So, to help you get started and have a successful planning session this year, here is an easy yet effective system you can use.
It’s focused on getting and keeping your customers. Some people might think this is too narrow. I think it’s perfect because if you’re focused on getting and keeping customers then everything else will fall into place. Your customers drive your business so they should also drive your planning.
1. Clarify your mission.
What does your business do for you (how does it make your life better)? What does it do for your customers (how does it help them get what they want)? What business are you in (product, service, industry or profession)? And finally, what are your measurable objectives for the next 12 months? (Revenue, net profit, growth?)
2. Identify your best market
Your best market is people who want what you do AND whom you can serve better than anyone else. It’s not enough to know who wants what you do. You need to focus on those you can serve best based on the resources and competitive advantages of your business. That enables you to serve them so well they come back and they tell others.
3. Create your message
How do you tell your market what you do for them? What can you say that they will want to listen to? Make it about them not you. Without a good clear message it will be much harder to attract enough customers to have a sustainable business.
4. Commit resources
Decide how much you will invest in helping your business meet the objective(s) in step #1. Measure this in time as well as money. Make it realistic but make it a stretch too. You don’t grow a business without making an investment.
5. Make it happen
Pick three ways you can deliver your message to your market based on the resources you’ve committed to investing. Then implement them religiously. Focus and concentrate your message on a group small enough so you can connect with them multiple times throughout the year. Track what you are doing and monitor the results. Build a process so you can see what actions (inputs) helps you achieve your objectives (outcomes).
Then follow Kevin’s Golden Rule: Do more of what works and less of what doesn't.

10 Rules for Writing Your Strategic Plan

Over the years, while perfecting my personal method of strategic planning, the method that became QuickPlanner Plus, I observed several rules that, when followed, achieved a better sense of success for me and those who followed them.

This information is excerpted from Bonus Report #1, which is available only to registered users QuickPlanner Plus.

But, in a truncated nutshell, I am sharing the first 5 of these rules here with you, today...

1. Define your Vision first. Yes, even for QuickPlanner Plus users, you must define your Vision
first. Not your objective or your mission or your strategy... no. What is your vision? When you close your eyes, or gaze up at the night starts, what do you see one year, two years, five years from now? When everything comes together for you, when your program is completed, what ideal world do you see?

This is your vision. Only when you have defined what you are wishing for, can you then define your objectives.

2. Objectives must be quantitative. Objectives must have quantitative values. It is great to say that you want to be the #1 Hot Dog Cart on 116th street, but that is not a true numerical
objective. So how do you define your objectives? Simple... just decide how MANY hot dogs you would have to sell to become the #1 Cart on 116th Street. That is your objective and it is much easier to measure and understand.

3. Share your objectives. Of any part of the plan, objectives are the easiest for others to relate to. Most companies see the mission statement or the vision as the catalyst for unity among the employees or the magic words that will create the "warm and fuzzy" among the VCs. But a mission statement cannot translate into dollars. Telling your employees that our goal is $50000 in sales in 3Q07 is much more motivational then just sharing the mission statement.

So share your objectives, early and often.

4. Keep the mission statement simple. Defining your mission statement is easy, if you followed rule number 1. What is a mission statement? It is a short term view of your vision. If you are a brand new company and your vision is "to be a global company with 20,000 employees serving 3,000,000 customers world-wide", your short term mission may be to "establish company
product and name as a reliable alternative to the competition with the best customer service".

See the difference? What is your purpose in the next 1, 3, 6, 12 month(s)? If your objectives are to sell 3000 widgets in 3 months. Then your mission may be "to guide customers through known and as yet unknown barriers to purchase widgets."

5. Keep it Simple Stupid! Yes, this rule works for strategic programs to. There is no need to pay
consultants hundreds of thousands of dollars to spend months and months to developing a short or long term plan. In reality, in this day and age of Fast Company
economics, plans must be living, breathing and flexible documents. Long term strategic planning is dead. Short term, simple visions, are what the future of planning is about.

By following these simple rules, your strategic plan will be well on its way to being a well defined plan for success.

Tim Ferriss and "The 4-Hour Work Week"

I wanted to take a moment and recognize the man who inspired me to create QuickPlanner Plus - Timothy Ferriss. His book, The 4-Hour Work Week (4HWW) was an interesting and eye-opening read.

Now, mind you, I am not the kind who is looking to live like the "new rich" and be able to travel the world and not worry about my companies, but I am intersted in creating automated income with online businesses so I can use my freed time to pursue my own personal passions which include the US Navy Reserve and Through the Mind, a non-profit I started that provides free mental health services to returning war veterans, helping veterans overcome Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

So 4HWW was inspiring for me. I have always been an entrepreneur and while I was programming web-pages in pure HTML in 1995 before I found any WYSIWIGs to use, I can honestly say that I have never been on the cutting edge of the web revolution.
Most of my graphic design clients simply wanted a website for the digital brochure aspect, not the Web 2.0 possibilities. And I have never had the time to really research the web and see what great opportunities there are out there now for creating a successful business.

4HWW changed all that. It was like being a vegetarian and then getting your first taste of a ribeye from Ruths Chris Steak House. Your first thought is WOW - where in the #%$&! have I been?

QuickPlanner Plus is my first product since reading 4HWW and I am very thankful for your support. Since then I am working on two other concepts, one that is a supplement and another that recently launched a trial run called NeighborHoodlems.com. A neighborhood-based clothing company. Not an original idea, but I am filling a gap not seen in the higher-end product markets.

BTW, I will be posting my plans as prepared by QuickPlanner Plus in the User's Only area of www.QuickPlannerPlus.com in a week or so.

¿Por qué no te callas? - "Shut Up" to Hugo Chavez from the King of Spain

Yes, this has nothing to do with QuickPlanner Plus, strategic planning or anything I am likely to write about here, or does it?

About 30 minutes ago I decided to add a "¿Por qué no te callas?" t-shirt to NeighborHoodlems.com just to capitalize on the interest behind the King of Spain's recent remarks to Hugo Chavez.

And, knowing that this is a quick money maker with short lifespan, I could either just dive into it, or I could use QuickPlanner Plus and do it right. I decided on the latter, of course.

The result? After 10 minutes with QuickPlanner I created a plan, began the implementation and created a basic design to start selling online. ¿Por qué no te callas? - with an image of the King of Spain!

"Business Plans Suck!" or "How I Succeeded and my Business Plan Collected Dust"

Okay... I said it. Business plans Suck. Yes, not exactly an articulate expression of my views, but a concise one.

But let me be more precise. Do you really need a business plan? The process of developing a business plan is one of the most tedious tasks I have ever had the displeasure of particpating in. In building my first business, Matson Breakey Associates, a social marketing consulting firm, I reached a crossroad where a business loan would have helped me to expand.

Now, up until then, I did not have a business plan. I had a strategic plan in place for marketing and growth, but by every definition it did not qualify as a business plan.

Of course, the bankers wanted a business plan. They wanted numbers, long term analysis, projections, market segment analysis, competition analysis, and on and on and on.

Many websites will encourage you to develop a business plan as the first step in developing your business. But, if you are a creative type like me... that is the last thing you need to do.

Yes, I will say it again... developing a business plan is the last thing you need to do.

HOWEVER... developing a strategic plan is the FIRST thing you need to do!
What is the difference? A business plan can be defined as:

"A document prepared by a company's management, detailing the past, present, and future of the company, usually designed to attract capital investment."

Whereas a strategic plan can be defined as:

"Planning that represents what must be done by the company in order to achieve its long-term objectives and goals."

In my experience, after going through the tedious effort of creating a business plan and even a truncated one, and after the banker or investor had reviewed it, the plan immediately began collecting dust on the shelf and my previously created strategic plan was my tool for success.

So, once again, if you don't plan on going to a banker or looking for financing, don't bother with the business plan, just create your strategic plan.
Now, those of you who ARE going for financing... it can be very difficult to go from idea to business plan... use the strategic planning process as your intermediate step.

Good Planning!

Successful Release of QuickPlanner Plus Strategic Planning!

Friends,

Here is our latest press release for QuickPlanner Plus! The initial success is very exciting!

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QuickPlanner Plus Debuts with a Roar!
Simple Planning Wizard for Creative Types Finds Quick Following

Sacramento, CA -- QuickPlanner Plus, an extreme example of old-school wizard-based software, found its foothold today in the ever growing independent commercial and shareware software industry proving that the right combination of simplicity and pricing is appealing to the right consumer base.

"We are targeting the creative individual," says "I've found over the years that creative individuals are fabulous at having the idea, but not so good at the planning or implementation."

That's where QuickPlanner Plus comes in. According to the website, www.QuickPlannerPlus.com, the software guides the user through four easy steps in the planning process:

QuickPlanner Plus educates you in layman's terms about the planning process.
QuickPlanner Plus asks a series of questions to help you make decisions about each stage of the process.
Once you've finished all stages, QuickPlanner Plus kicks out your first draft of your new strategic, business, or other plan.
Successful implementation of your great plan.
And its not just for strategic planning. The software is so simple, you can literally plan anything with it. Your business, baby shower, gallery opening, hiking trip, family BBQ, study plan, career plan, and the list goes on and on.

And by simple, we mean simple. The software has no intuitiveness, so it requires you to skip through fields that are not being used to get to ones that are being used. "Our first goal," says Matson, "was to get this product out and make sure there is a need for it." Now that they have proven the need, the software will be receiving a full makeover with more intuitive functions. "Current users will always get free upgrades."

The website also has a very helpful users area, since the software just launched the forum is sparsely populated, but that is expected to change.

"We want the QuickPlanning Plus experience to be a shared one," says Matson, "so we created a forum where QPP users can upload their planning templates and share them with other users." While they don't expect proprietary business plans to be uploaded, they do expect other, more interesting plans to be placed. In fact, Matson promises that they will be posting the strategic plan that was created to launch QuickPlanner Plus, just so others could see how its done.

Initial estimates for downloads is "high" according to Matson. "We can't disclose actual numbers, but our sales are at least double what we expected and that is without having any affiliates in place."

With the establishment of hundreds of affiliates over the next couple weeks, QuickPlanner Plus should continue to roar.

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Aligning Strategic Plans Goals & Objectives

Tonight I was surfing the web and ran across www.MarketingProfs.com - a great resource. While perusing the site I of course focused in on Strategic Planning and found this post by tvmokoena:

I am currently dealing with a strategic planning in our organisation! My questiion is ? how can i ensure that our strategy is align with our organisational objectives and goals for organisational success.

I took a moment to respond with the following:

A good strategy starts with the definition of the objectives, then the definition of the mission. But do not mistake your departments objectives with those of your company. In a good strategic plan, the vision and the desired end product may be more representative of your company's objectives and goals. That is why you need to align it up and down and up again when you are writing it. This is the techniques used by the QuickPlanner Plus system at www.quickplannerplus.com.

It brought to attention a good point. When you are creating a strategic plan for your area of responsibility, you need to ensure that the defined objectives are YOUR defined objectives. You mission statement may be shared with the big bosses, but the objectives are YOUR objectives. PERIOD. As you use the QuickPlanning Plus methodology you will see how easy it is to align your plan up and down and up again to make sure your plan is fully refined and fully executionable.