Evolution Magazine April 2013

Issue 3 |March 2013

E

volution M a g a z ine Business, Tech and More

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WAYS TO STRENGTHEN YOUR BRAND

SPRING INTO A NEW SEASON OF LEADERSHIP SUCCESS IN TABBOULEH A TASTE OF THE MEDITERRANEAN IN EASTON, PA

STYLE FROM WITHIN

7 SIMPLE RULES TO FOLLOW WHEN CREATING YOUR PERSONAL STYLE

TRAVEL:

Issue 03 | March 2013 $4.99

CARTAGENA, COLOMBIA

Business Trendsetters:

The Denim Project, Raleigh Denim and Grand Eastonian Suites Hotel E v o l v e

M e d i a

• Contact Management • E-Mail Marketing

• Video Conferencing • Web Page Builder

• Large File Sharing

Learn More!

Increase Sales Enhance Customer Service Create Dynamic Marketing Campaigns Communicate More Effectively Streamline Operations

Evolution Magazine Publisher Executive Director Managing Editor Assistant Editors Editorial Intern Public Relations Affiliate Partner Photographers

Graphic Designer Web Designer Evolution Contributors

DARNELL G DAVIS RAMY S MILLER PHILLIP HART RACHEL LEWITT LAUREN WHITE KRISTEN SCHULTZ EVA LOUIS RENEE WILBUR RAMY S MILLER WAYNE SALAT KATIE WHITE EVOLUTION TEAM EVOLUTION TEAM KAREN JETT LORI THOMAS-DICKERT SLYVIA BROWDER SKIP FREEMAN MARTĂ?N MELENDRO ERICK GOWINS ERIN MCGUIRK

Questions and feedback: PO Box 104, Stewartsville, NJ 08886 Phone: (347) 669 2EVO Email: info@EvoMag.co Online: www.EvoMag.co

Our partner organizations are vested businesses that are focused on building and improving the businesses in the Lehigh Valley and beyond. As partners, each will receive three inserts into the publication per year to showcase all that they are doing for businesses and business people within our communities. We encourage you to join these and other organizations to better your business opportunities. The members of these and other associate partners will receive a subscription to Evolution Magazine.

forward he or she begins to throw more resources towards it in hopes to MAKING it work. The end result is a frustrated staff and a financial loss.

Knowing when to hold or when to fold will do more than preserve sanity in the business environment, it will save money and allow growth simply because you are not paying attention to dead situations.

Stone #2- Consider Suggestions from Unlikely Sources…

Another trap leaders fall into is to assume they are the only ones within their organization or team with great ideas, while overlooking the wealth of information available from their employees. One of the worst things a business owner can do is to assume that their employees are incapable of making meaningful suggestions. Most problems that develop within your organization are experienced by those who are on the front line. These employees often see these issues with surprising clarity because they deal with them on a day to day basis.

Your team can be your greatest asset against problems and breakdowns. Listen to your employees and consider their insight. It could save you a lot of time and money.

Stone #3 - Understand Your Own Strengths and Weaknesses...

Publisher Darnell G Davis Evolve Media is growing rapidly and with great success comes great adversity. Over the past few months we have been working on “Team Development” and expanding our staff. The development of leadership skills are essential to the growth and health of any company and that includes yours.

April is the month to “Spring Ahead” your business, so I would like to leave you with four foundational stepping stones answering this fundimental question, “How would you describe the perfect leader?”

It is probable that you used words like control, insight, and poise in your description. So the next question I want to ask is: Do you think great leadership can be hindered by having these qualities? According to some leadership coaches, the answer is yes. So, in order to remain effective as a leader, it’s valuable for every leader to develop a repertoire of different leadership qualities.

Stone #1 - Knowing When to Hold Them.. And When to Fold Them...

Ascertaining when to fight or when to let go is very important in laying a foundation in effective leadership.

Often great people gain a position of influence but they fall into habit of micromanaging. The desire to control is a leader’s largest temptation and can bankrupt your company if not properly dealt with. Most control comes from fear: fear of the unknown and fear of the level of ability of those whom you lead; these fears will cripple your ability to make decisions that affect your business. For example, a business owner notices that a project is showing inherent weakness.

However, instead of cutting his or her losses and moving

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Evolution Magazine/ April, 2013

Talk to most leaders and they will gladly tell you they have weaknesses. But most of them cannot tell you what they are. Most leaders don’t know their weaknesses because most leadership positions encourage managers to consider the weaknesses of others more than their own personal shortcomings. Knowing your own strengths and weaknesses will allow you to build a team that will support you and fill in the gaps.

Stone #4- Place The Right People in the Right Positions...

Your team plays a major part (if not, the major part) in how effective you are as a leader. The hardest part is getting to the point where you are able and willing to place the right people into the key positions. As a business coach, I have seen companies with great business plans en route to failure because of failing to put the right people in the right place to carry out the plan. Getting to know your employees and your team is essential to becoming an effective leader.

Having someone who is a great organizer working a sales position while your current administrator is just not working out simply does not make sense. You will never know that you are making this mistake unless you know your team. By taking the time to identify the right people for key positions, you can improve your company’s performance and eliminate the unnecessary cost of training people who don’t last.

Sincerely,

CEO/ Evolve Media Group Inc. Publisher, Evolution Magazine

E

volve Media Group Inc.

Innovative marketing solutions that will transform your business.

www.EvolveMediaGroupInc.com

B u s i n e s s Tr e n d s e t t e r S p e c i a l

The Denim Project, Raleigh Denim and

Grand Eastonian Suites Hotel

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Evolution Magazine/ April, 2013

The Denim Project walked into The Denim Project on a miscellaneous Thursday last March. It was one week after their soft-opening, the dust was just settling, and, while understanding the difference between a $3,000 and a $30,000 car, I had no idea what (besides price) differentiated a $30 versus a $300 pair of jeans.

In 20 minutes, owners Rich Lepowsky and Sandy D'Imperio gave me a not-so-modest, cursory denim education, affirming my belief and preference in quality-driven as opposed to quantity-driven value systems. I then understood new metaphoric and literal meanings for what is true, raw, artisan denim: A slate roof for my legs, in which a high capital cost translates into unequivocal beauty and superior perfomance that lasts a lifetime.

I

The next 20 minutes the three of us talked business, normal life, all the usual of new acquaintances. Turns out they live in Jersey, somewhere between Easton and Manhattan. And while they both have businesses in the City, their dream had been to open a custom denim boutique. They visited Easton, fell in love with it, and decided to give it a go. Which fits very well with the social momentum of Easton-- indeed, the city is beginning to blossom with community integration, financial opportunity, and an economy of relationships I've not quite seen before. In Easton, there is a communal mindset and a social fabric that tells a similar story to what I've just heard from The Denim Project.

When all was said and done, I'd agreed to attend their grand oppening, a local ribbon cutting event, which I did a month later. After the initial outdoor ceremony, and everyone inside with undivided attention, Rich relayed much of the information he had told me previously.

Raleigh Demin The Denim Project sources premium American denim that is much different than fashion labels’ denim, which while investing heavily into avant-garde product design are often only of average, or even dubious, quality. In fact, the store's featured brand is the internationally acclaimed Raleigh Denim.

And Raleigh Denim's jeans begin with the legendary United States denim producer, Cone Denim Mills.

The Cone brothers started the company in 1891, and in 1905 began denim production in their fabled White Oak plant in Greensboro, North Carolina, named after a 200 year old white oak tree that was a nearby gathering place for travelers.

Production today occurs on the same vintage shuttle looms placed atop hardwood floors, which, because of the rythmic vibrations through the floor, is said also give additional unique qualities to their denim. Batches of the fabric are wrapped around a center axle (each denim roll is called a "bolt"), and shipped about 90 miles to Raleigh Denim's workshop, in Raleigh, NC.

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Likewise honoring traditional, high-quality methods, each bolt received from Cone Mills becomes one run of jeans, that is, one style, and each pair within the run will be individually numbered on a hand-stamped patch around the waist.

Furthermore, Raleigh Denim makes each pair of its jeans by hand; there is no automated processing from raw denim to finished product, including all processes of sewing, riveting, and even the particular craftsman's signature on the inside of a front pocket. At this point, Rich picked up an example pair, a Wilkes straigh-cut constructed from Cone Mills White Oak 12.75 ounce denim, and showed it was numbered 1/250. The crowd went wild, not just with the story, but also the store design, and hosting venue, the Grand Eastonian Suites Hotel.

Grand Eastonian Suites Hotel The Grand Eastonian Suites Hotel, located in downtown Easton, Pennsylvania, is the city's premier hotel and long-term stay venue. Originally called Hotel Easton, the historic building has hosted its fair share of olden day prestige, its parties being known as both elevated and decadent in years past. Pictures chronicling the events decorate walls and line hallways giving a visual walk through the past while proceeding through the hotel.

In the early 2000's the building was renovated into luxury condominiums and in 2008, although some condo owners stayed, the remaining units were opened to the public as a hotel. The bottom floor of the hotel hosts four units for commercial lease, all occupied with excellent clients. An article highlighting The Grand Eastonian as a travel and shopping destination will be featured in the next issue of Evolution Magazine.

[Editor's note: One of The Denim Project's grand opening attendees, having fallen in love with the abovementioned jeans but being strapped for cash, was offered the jeans on trade by the store owners. He worked the appropriate number of hours and retains his job (and the jeans) to this day. All photos were shot onsite at The Denim Project and the Grand Eastonian.]

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Evolution Magazine/ April, 2013

The Marketing Medium You Can't Miss Out On

By Amanda Gagnon

Does the term “content marketing” intimidate you? It shouldn't! You know about content marketing: you assemble information helpful to your clients and share it with them through brochures, newsletters, blogs, video, podcasts – your medium of choice.

Why would you bother to send these things to people in email when they're already following your other channels?

A few reasons: •

How often do you discover an impressive blog, but later, can't find it? Emails remind fans where they can find you.

This is all very valuable. But putting forth all the content in the world doesn't get you a dime if no one's looking at it.

That's where email comes in.

•

Twitter streams and Facebook news feeds fill up fast, pushing your post down and out of sight. Email makes sure your messages are seen.

Use Email to Send Out Your Content

•

Emails are easy to share.

Ask your subscribers to forward them, and you'll reach an entirely new audience.

•

Emails stick around. They're easy to pull up later to find that recipe, that coupon code, that phone number.

Customers then read, appreciate, share, and refer others to you for business.

When people stumble across your site, Facebook page or Twitter stream, invite them to join your email list.

If you use an email marketing service, your subscribers are managed for you.

Any time someone signs up, they’ll automatically get the emails you send out, and anyone who unsubscribes is automatically removed.

You can also choose professionally designed email templates to help your content stand out. You can easily: • • • • •

Insert a video Show off your podcasts Include excerpts from your blog posts with invitations to read more Mix in a free gift for your subscribers Feature your favorite tweets or facebook posts from customers as testimonials

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If you already blog, this is twice as easy.

Many email marketing services let you connect your blog feed to your email campaign. Each time you create a new post, it’s automatically duplicated as an email you can send.

Tell me Again how me More Business?

This

Gets

Creating high-quality, helpful content establishes your business as an authority in your field. Putting that content out through email increases your visibility, and adds depth to your relationship with customers and prospects.

Your authority will attract customers, and your visibility will enable those customers to find you.

And by consistently delivering valuable information (straight to the inbox via email), you'll earn your customers' respect and loyalty.

Twitter streams and Facebook news feeds fill up fast, pushing your post down and out of sight. Email makes sure your messages are seen.

Amanda Gagnon writes about email marketing for AWeber, a leading email service provider for small-to-medium businesses. For more marketing tips, you can subscribe to AWeber's twiceweekly emails at http://bit.ly/aweberevolution.

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How to Succeed (on the Internet) Without Really Trying

By Stephen Johns

A great way to get customers to return to your business is to offer them rewards for doing so. For example, if you're in the business of selling eBooks, throw in a free eBook for every book your customers purchase. The feeling of getting something for nothing will bring them back, when in fact, you'll actually make more money in the long run.

Have testimonials on your website.

This is a crucial element of your website because it shows prospective customers that your product or service has been well-received by real people.

Moreover, testimonials make people more comfortable about spending their money on what you have to offer. However, it’s important to be honest; only use testimonials from those who have actually used your service or purchased your product.

If you are having a hard time selling certain products, tell people you will accept what they will offer you. You could organize an auction of your products or simply have people email you their price. This will help you get rid of what you cannot sell and people will remember the unique way you handled their business.

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Let consumers know you want to address their questions and concerns by stating so consistently. Consumers may have questions or suggestions in the back of their minds but aren’t sure of what is the best way to communicate. If you tell them you will be receptive to their queries, you may receive insightful feedback, and, at the very least, will help consumers feel like you value their contributions.

Understand the differences between a successful and an unsuccessful email campaign. The numbers involved with email marketing are in a different world than many other types of marketing.

Oftentimes, successful email campaigns do not translate to multiple digit percentage click-through rates, but rather single digit percentages. You have not failed because your email was marked as spam by a receiver. The email marketing game is very unique unto itself. Be sure to educate yourself on its nuances.

To promote your product efficiently, you should help your potential customers realize how much they need it. Expose their material and emotional problems, and explain how your

product can help them make their lives easier or happier. This is a very simple method, but it has been the core of the advertising industry for decades.

If you want to increase the number of visits to your site, offer something free.

People love to get something in return, so offer free e-books or discounts for logging on to your site. This will not only help traffic to your site, but will help to increase loyalty and credibility as well.

A good internet marketing tip is to try to up-sell your customers. If they are already buying something from your site, entice them with related products that go well with what they are purchasing. Make it easy for them to simply add it to their original order and you will see your sales rise.

Socialize! When posting new media, you want as many people to see and talk about it as possible. Post about it on social media sites and ask others to do the same. The more fresh eyes see your site, the better chances you have of people mentioning it, which ultimately will help place you higher on search lists.

Survey site visitors about what they'd like to see on the website.

This builds a relationship with your site visitors - they understand both that you care about what they want and that you can accommodate them. A survey can also give you feedback about a product or a service.

#GetToNetworking

When you are beginning, focus your efforts on just a few products so as to not overwhelm yourself or your customers. Get your feet wet with the products with which you are most familiar so you can learn what types of articles and promotions work the best for you, your products, and most importantly, your customers.

Make sure that your website has a high content-to-code ratio. A content-tocode ratio, also called signal-to-noise ratio, is the quantity of text in relation to the amount of HTML code on a web page. If your web pages have a high content-to-code ratio, it will be easier to optimize them through search engines.

If your business is engaged in advertising on- and off-line, make sure your marketing strategies in the two spheres complement one another. An internet marketing plan should work with and enhance your other efforts in print or other media.

Make sure your website points visitors towards your adverts in other media - and make sure your TV, radio, and print ads mention your website.

Coming Summer 2013

www.GetToNetworking.com

Submit your website to key directories.

A link from a directory will get you traffic and help your ranking. A directory is not the same as a search engine, it is Resources for every networker simply a listing of sites according to category. You can submit your site to the free Open Directory Project (www. dmoz.com). It can take some time for you to get listed; wait a few days and if you don't see your listing, resubmit.

Internet marketing may be a new industry, but it is one that has gained so much traction and influence that it may well supersede all other forms of marketing. This potential is greatly untapped for many businesses, but more are joining the world of internet marketing every day. By adopting the strategies presented in this article, you can become one of the many internet marketing successes.

Network, Build, Achie ve EvoMag.co/ April, 2013

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Who is my Audience?

Steps to Discovering Your

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By Naima H. Finn

Ideal Audience

Have you ever felt like you’re wasting your time writing articles that don’t appeal to your audience? Build exposure, increase credibility, and create value for yourself by writing articles your existing audience needs to read and share. Sounds reasonable, right? Use these tips to realize who your audience is and how you can easily extend your influence by expanding the people it reaches.

Top 7 Steps to Find Your Ideal Audience Who is Your Audience Already?

From family to customers, friends to clients, identify each division of your current audience.

Who do You Want?

Identify new divisions that you ideally want to add to your current audience.

Consider what obstacles prevent this ideal audience from deepening its involvement with your platform.

Examine their needs as a group and how your platform can help to address those needs.

Create Profiles.

Create a persona for each of your ideal audience divisions. Survey each division’s demographics, hobbies, professions, wants, troubles, knowledge, perceptions, and common goals, and identify which of these value(s) you are able to tailor best within each division.

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Find the Hard Truths Find out what attracts your current audience to your platform and why.

What’s holding your ideal audience back from your business? What makes your ideal audience different from your current audience? What opportunities is your ideal audience passing up by not knowing what you do? What opportunities are you giving up as a result?

problems, answers questions, and provides interesting topics that are being sought out by your audience.

Join Your Audience Research, network, and subscribe.

Gain a strong footing in your niche by understanding how others in your niche are engaging with those who follow them. Identify the buzz they create, what they write about, and how they engage with their audience (e.g., social networks, newsletters, tweets of recently published articles, etc.).

Knowledge is Power Knowing the above seven tips will help you strategically plan all aspects of your platform, not just article writing.

Consider who you are, how you create unique value for each segment of your audience, and what informative solutions you can offer for their benefit.

Engage, Engage, Engage!

Start engaging, commenting, and writing useful content that solves

Uncover Search Terms Use your 5 Traffic Search Terms to find out how your current audience is searching for you as well as how new audience members find you. Continue refining these terms to write new articles as you work to find and refine your audience.

Empower your efforts with these tips in order to deepen your current audience’s involvement, increase and diversify their participation, foster their loyalty, and open the door to new audiences.

How to Create Effective Content

By Jeanne Grunert Find

Your

Audience’s

Motivation

Whether it’s for articles, websites, or social media – writing effective content isn’t always easy. First, you must understand the dynamics of your audience and then meet their needs with benefit-oriented content.

Why? Your efforts to increase credibility, exposure, and traffic will fall short if readers don’t know how you can help them improve their bottom line.

Getting to the core of your readers’ needs can be difficult when you don’t know where to start.

That’s why my article, “Create Effective Web Page Content by Writing From the Benefits,” applies not only to web page content, but to articles as well. The article’s tips resonate with experts in a variety of niches and help them reach their business objectives.

Let’s explore a few poignant highlights from my article. Many companies write their website text as if they’re talking to themselves. This type of writing reads like a paean to the glories of the company or product. You can always

spot such writing by the number of times the company refers to itself, and how the text reads as if it is all about them … and not about you.

Writing from the benefit statements takes time and practice … you can hone your own writing skills and practice creating benefit statements.

Think from your audience’s perspective: Why are readers coming to you?

What needs are you fulfilling? What obstacle are you helping your readers overcome? If they are new to your platform, then it’s not because of your stellar brand. It’s because the reader is able to improve their bottom line using the information you’ve provided.

Understanding your audience’s motivation is the key to your success.

The sooner you practice your writing, the more valuable and effective your content will become (and work ten times better for you!). Try journaling to evaluate and re-evaluate your ideas and discover whether they will benefit your audience. Talk to your audience, both on and off your platform to find out what caught their attention and continues to motivate them. Use this information to refine your message and continue benefiting your audience.

My next strategy, “Create a List of Features and Benefits,” is excellent for developing effective, benefit-oriented content, and can serve as a template to prepare content with the reader in mind.

Coordinate features with motivating benefits: • •

Feature: What are you providing (e.g., products or tips)?

Benefit: What does the reader get out of it; why do they care or what is motivating them?

Do you agree with Jeanne’s perspective about how to approach providing and organizing your business’ content?

Have you tried the features/benefits strategy? Let us know – we’d love to hear from you! www.evomag.co

EvoMag.co/ April, 2013

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Three

Stre

By Karen Jett

Once you have clearly identified your brand (your vision, mission, values, and operating guidelines), what do you do with it? Well, if you place it on your shelf, or frame it and forget it, nothing is going to change. However, if you start to apply your brand in the following three ways, you will make your brand strong and irresistible.

Translate Your Brand to Behavior

What does your brand look like on a daily basis?

• How do you answer the phone?

• What is your voicemail message?

• How do you dress while on-the-job?

• How do you handle customer inquiries or complaints?

If you have employees, I recommend you create an opportunity to talk about your brand, one small piece at a time, every day. One company I know created an employee award program for employees to recognize other employees when they caught them doing something that truly represented the brand of the company. Another company has five minute stand-up meetings every morning and added a minute to the meeting to cover a brand element and ask for examples from staff members. What can you do?

Use Your Brand in Decision Making

One of the most important areas to utilize your brand is when making hiring decisions. It’s easier to identify skill sets than to discover if a potential employee is a good culture fit.

[Remember, your culture is defined by your vision, mission, and values – a subset of your brand.] Therefore, many interviewers just take their chances when hiring, which is very dangerous. One high performer who does not fit the culture can do more long-term damage to the company than an under-skilled person who is a perfect culture fit.

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As important as the hiring decision is, your brand should also be used to make decisions in the following areas: • Strategy • Marketing • Operations • Production • Human Resources • Administrative, etc.

You get the idea – use your brand for every decision you make in your business regardless of size, perceived importance or department. When all decisions are in alignment with your brand, it will grow stronger and be more attractive.

Review Your External Image

The image you project to the world consists of both the visual elements you use as well as the words you choose.

To strengthen your brand, both aspects must be consistent with each other and over time. Examples of elements of your image are as follows.

Words Visual • Website Copy • Logo • Flyers • Website • Blogs • Business cards • Website Address • Uniforms • Greeting (telephone or in person) • Flyers • Tagline • Color choices Recently I was working with the owner of gym I’ll call Nancy.

Nancy is a kick-butt kind of trainer who is known for pushing her clients further than they think they are capable. And they all love her for it. When she showed me her new business cards they were sea foam green and light blue and made me

Ways to

rengthen Your Brand

YIELD BETTER BUSINESS RESULTS

215.257.9432

Strategic ™ Plan-ting Workshops FORMING NOW

think of babies. Nancy never saw this until I pointed it out. My advice to her was to toss them and replace them with some kick-butt colors. Yes, it hurts to throw out brand new marketing materials. But it hurts even more to have something like your business cards confuse your customers and drive down sales.

Like Nancy, many small business owners are so attached to the elements of their image that it can be challenging to evaluate them objectively. So, a good practice is to ask others for their opinion. When talking to others about your brand image, I recommend you use a combination of both specific and open ended questions. For example, if someone were looking at your logo you could ask: • •

What does this logo tell you about my company?

Are the colors used consistent with a company that is kick-butt? [Simply substitute your brand element(s) for the phrase kick-butt.]

Consistent application of your brand is key. Consistency is what makes your brand memorable, commanding, and attractive to your ideal clients. What are you doing today to ensure your brand is consistently applied to all elements of your business?

In this one day, facilitated session you will create a customized strategic plan for your small business. This workshop will help you: • Improve productivity • Increase profitability • Gain more control For dates and locations of upcoming workshops, scan the code below or visit www.strategicplan-ting.com.

“

The Strategic Plan-ting™ Workshop guided me to prioritize one big project – creating my website. What I didn’t foresee or expect was that completing that one project empowered me to leverage it and create additional marketing materials like postcards, post-it notes, and an advertisement in a business journal that sets my small business apart as being professionally run.

”

– Christina Talucci, CMT Consulting, LLC

Focus + Strategy = Excellence

Career Stalled?

Have New Career Opportunities Come to

YOU!

By Skip Freeman Do you feel as though your career has stalled, that it is virtually dead in the water, and has been for quite some time? Do you feel a lack of realistic hope for career improvement in the foreseeable future? Well, you’re certainly not alone. Tens of thousands of currently employed men and women feel exactly the same way! Why? Many feel “used and abused” by their current employer, i.e., they are doing the work of two (or more!) people because of layoffs, downsizings, etc., are unappreciated or at least underappreciated, treated with utter disrespect are constantly being reminded about how “lucky” they are to still have a job in the current job market, and are strongly advised to keep their heads down and their mouths shut, ad nauseum.

Employee raises (top company officials usually being the exceptions) in recent years have been either non-existent or borderline insulting, with no apparent end in sight. According to the Society for Human Resource Management, and based upon this year’s survey of nearly 1,500 large U. S. companies, the average pay raise for salaried employees in 2012 is 2.9%, up slightly

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from 2.4% in 2010 and 2.8% in 2011.

Pay increases for hourly workers are averaging only 2.7% this year.

Even raises for “high performers”— yes, the “walks on water” folks!— this year averaged out to only 4%!* If you currently find yourself in this situation—or even worse—with regard to your job, I’ve got news for you: It doesn’t have to be this way!

You don’t have to accept your career “fate.” You can have a constant flow of current and useful information about new, genuine career opportunities come directly to you—discreetly and without risking your current job. But, in order to take maximum advantage of this information, you must first ensure that you: Brand yourself as a professional who has both current and relevant experience for positions/career opportunities that interest you or that a hiring professional may contact you about.

Position yourself as a candidate who can clearly and unmistakably make a company money, save a company money, or both.

Create (and diligently maintain) a powerful profile on LinkedIn, one that has impact, as well as one that is designed to make it easy for headhunters like me (and, of course, hiring managers and Human Resources professionals) to contact you with career opportunities that may be appropriate for you to consider.

Sites that Can Make Job and Career Opportunities Come to YOU! These are four sites you should immediately investigate and consider including in your repertoire of sources of job/career opportunities news: • www.indeed.com – This is one of the easiest job sites on the Internet to navigate, as well as one of the most widely used by job seekers. To get started searching for job/career information, users provide the information for the “What” (job title, keywords, company name, etc.) and the “Where” (City, State, ZIP). Users can post a résumé and set up automatic alerts on desired career opportunities.

(Continued on pg 22 )

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Network, Build, Achieve

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Opportunities Continued: • www.googlealerts.com (offered in free and paid versions) – This site sends up-to-date, current, and relevant job information to users on a daily basis.

Currently, I have an alert set up for “LNG Tank Engineer,” and get frequent alerts on companies that are hiring such professionals. I use this information to network with the hiring companies, as well as with professionals who may be good potential job candidates for the openings. Likewise, a professional seeking new career opportunities, can use such information for job leads in his respective professional niche. Note: This site is not owned by Google.

• www.google.com/alerts – Similar to googlealerts, this site, which is owned

by Google, can keep a steady flow of current, relevant job/career information coming to one’s email inbox, either daily or on an “as-it-happens” basis.

• www.bizjournals.com/search - This site allows users to stay fully up-todate about across a broad spectrum of business circles. By knowing which companies are growing, learning about emerging products and markets, etc., users are able to more efficiently and effectively prospect for jobs and career opportunities. This site is useful to find people in relevant companies with whom to connect on LinkedIn. There is also information that may be useful to launch a powerful direct-mail campaign.

Take Control of Your Career, Your Professional Destiny Most people dread change, or at least most have some degree of fear about making a change, any change, in their lives. That’s understandable, but in today’s economic climate, that can also have devastating results when it comes to your job.

22 Evolution Magazine/ April, 2013

Make no mistake about it, a great deal of uncertainty remains in the economy in general, and in the job market in particular. Not only are salary increases lagging for the currently employed, opportunities for promotion have also dried up considerably in many companies. Today, many companies are—and have been for some time— running “lean and mean,” and many seem intent on maintaining that approach—indefinitely.

Budgets continue to be slashed, divisions, teams and offices are being reduced in size or eliminated altogether. “Pink slips” are still very much a real threat in today’s anemic business climate, regardless of employee tenure or past contributions.

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Evolving your Life

Variety is good, but it is not the spice of life-- contrast is. Hence, while many apply flowery imagery to the Spring, this month Evolution Magazine instead brings you a few provocations amidst the expected.

April, a month of contrast: From short to long days, departing from the wintery wind and rain and cold to arrive upon the explosive, inspirational vigor of Spring, we see changes all around us.

In this month’s issue, we have provided some tried and true, and we have spiked the pot. I invite you to decide which is which.

Cheers,

Phillip Hart Managing Editor Evolution Magazine

Off The

Cuff

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Address: 889 N. Graham St. Allentown, PA Phone: (484) 893-0583 Email: info@offthecufflv.com

www.offthecufflv.com 26 Evolution Magazine/ April, 2013

S

Rule # 2: Invest in a Watch (Not Digital).

When it comes to selecting a timepiece, treat the movment like buying a sports car. You need something that makes a powerful, yet elegant piece.

Perregeaux, Pieguet, Bell & Ross--you get the point.

Rule # 3: Wear Clothes That Fit. Priorities for your clothing, in descending order: Fit, construction, materials.

Rule # 4: Dress for Success and Success Will Soon Fit. This rule applies to all who are on an adventure to success, those who are chasing their wild rabbit. If you have a goal to be someone of importance in the future, why not look like it now?

Why wait on your career to figure out for yourself you need a few excellent shirts, blazers, trousers, etc. Dress just better than your boss's boss, and know what is appropriate.

Rule # 5: Learn How to Wear a Suit.

Style From Within

By Erick Gowins When one thinks of style, what comes to mind?

For some it might be expensive name brands, for others the way one wears clothing. "Right now, could you think of 10 people whom you think are stylish?" and right now, I hope you are wondering what made those people stand out from amongst the crowd. How did they get into the spotlight?

To you who are curious and who want to bring more value to not just your wardrobe but to your lifestyle, here are 7 starting tips to guide you into becoming the stylish you in "you."

Before we go any further, understand this: Style is not bought--it is not hidden in books or talk shows--style IS, one just has to find it.

Rule # 1: Always Overdress, Never Underdress.

This is from the style guy himself, Glenn O’Brien, author of How To Be A Man. He stated that it’s better to go to an occasion overdressed than underdressed. Equire magazine recommends you show up on time and overdressed, then leave early-after all, you do have somewhere better to be, right? Be honest with yourself, it is only the worstdressed people who will say you look too good.

A suit is a man’s best friend. Dogs just fill the spot when you don’t have a great suit. A well tailored, well-constructed suit of fine fabric will make one walk taller, speak more confidently, and exert one's charisma more clearly than ever.

Wear your best suit often. It is an art, which like any skill, gets better with practice.

Rule # 6: Be Social.

When we were put on this earth it wasn’t to take an oath of silence. So why stay to yourself?

Get out and meet new people. Share your ideas with others, absorb others' ideas and be curious. Go to events or host your own and surround yourself with different groups. And wear your new, best, amazingly-tailored suit.

Rule # 7: Be Yourself.

The most important ingredient to style: Be yourself.

Standing out is all about finding the most unique way to be you. This is the pure definition of style and most people miss it. Don't fake it until you make it--be you, the best "you" you can be.

These are rules, suggestions really, which help develop one's inner style. I believe style comes from within. For personal favorites in my closet and how staying sharp can actually be affordable, email me at g3inusatw0rk@ gmail.com or follow me on twitter @g3inusatw0rk.

EvoMag.co/ April, 2013

27

Just Around the Corner One of my first college entry essays asked the question, “What is art?” As someone who is completely devoid of any artistic ability and inept in the world of artistic interpretation, I had no solid answer. “Art” is a seemingly insignificant three-letter word; but it is a word that can encompass nearly everything around us.

One block away from the square in downtown Easton, tucked into an alley, is Just Around The Corner. A fine arts and crafts gallery, Just Around The Corner embraces the concept that art can take many forms. In the manufactured, big box infused society we live in, this gallery makes finding that “oneof-a-kind” ideal an easy feat.

Art from nearly 200 American artists, 85 to 90 of which are from the greater Lehigh Valley area, lines the walls of an old converted warehouse on Bank Street. Just Around The Corner represents a wide variety of art — from giant textured paintings of jazz musicians to hot sauces and felted soaps. Each piece of art is handcrafted and unique. Hanging in the large storefront windows are ornate class orbs. Jewelry fills many of the shelves, each piece more exquisite than the last.

There are bracelets and vases made of repurposed zippers and earrings made from the glass of a burned down church.

“Look around, we have a whole shop full of things that no one really needs, but everybody wants,” says Diane Bower, the owner. “Art feeds your soul.”

In May 2006, Bower pursued her passion to open the doors of a small store on 2nd Street in Easton. After months of preparation and scouting local artists to showcase, her dream was finally realized. Tragically, five days after her grand opening, a neighboring business caught fire and more than half of her store’s art was lost.

Refusing to give up, Bower relocated to the Bank Street location and has been open ever since. Now, with the success of her gallery, she no longer has to search high and low for artists to fill the shop. Now, the artists come to her… from all across the country.

Just Around The Corner’s business model has grown to include a program called Artists In The Alley,which takes place every Saturday from May to October in the alley right

28 Evolution Magazine/ April, 2013

outside of the shop’s front door. This provides the artists from Bower’s shop the opportunity to display their art, meet and talk with their customers, and give them a glimpse into their creative process. “We want to teach people about the arts as well as sell the art,” says Bower. “It’s so important for children and adults to learn about and love the arts. And what better way than right from the artists themselves?”

In addition to Artists In The Alley, Just Around The Corner also partners with local businesses, such as Valença, a downtown restaurant. The art hanging on the walls of Valença came from Bower’s store and shows support for local artists.

Similarly, Weyerbacher Brewery, Colonial Pizza and Easton Salsa have all partnered with Just Around The Corner to host various events like Men’s Night of Shopping during the December holiday season.

Bower stresses that Just Around The Corner remains open in this economy due to community support for the store and for the local artists. She is grateful for the community’s involvement in and appreciation for the art that adorns her shop.

Success in Tabbouleh Walking into the Mediterranean Deli on Sullivan Trail is the closest many of us will get to an exotic vacation without stepping across the borderlines of Easton. Its walls are adorned with pictures of faraway cities on the sea, its shelves stacked high with pastries, colorful dried fruits, candies, and sauces imported from halfway across the globe.

The family who owns the store first opened the doors of a produce shop in 1997. With business slow initially, the family took to using the spices and produce directly from their own shelves to make fresh, homemade tabbouleh and other small dishes, inherent of the Mediterranean and of Lebanon, where they are from. The tabbouleh was an instant success and couldn’t be made fast enough to keep shelves well stocked.

In wake of their new success, they began a business model evolution – swapping out their produce refrigerators for an oven, kitchen ware, and a giant spit for cooking one of their specialties: shawurma, meat that is grilled on a rotating spit and shaved, often for sandwiches. Staying true to the produce store days, the Mediterranean Deli has continued to make its sandwiches, wraps, and salads with fresh ingredients.

Breads, pastries, baklava, and spinach pies are baked fresh every day. Marinated mozzarella and homemade hummus line the shelves of the refrigerator. Imported from the Mediterranean coast are chocolates, candies, tahini sauces, juices, and a collection of fresh-pressed olive oils.

Quick to help you wade through the sea of foreign foods with hard-to-pronounce names are members of the Mediterranean Deli staff who encourage you to experience new foods and take a bite out of the Mediterranean culture.

And for those with less adventurous palettes, the staff will also provide traditional, Western-style sandwiches and salads.

Forks Mediterranean Deli of Easton, PA

Contrast in Change, Contrast in Progression

Cartagena, Colombia Story told by Martín Melendro I’ve been to Cartagena twice. When I was a child, I did the touristy stuff. There’s plenty of that online.

Last time I went, it was with my twin brother and two American friends. My goal that time, however, was to show them another side of the city. The one that suffers the benefits of the one I already knew.

I stayed at the same hostel my parents stayed at when they met studying marine biology. This place had the best deal in Cartagena, especially for backpackers and young “gringos” (gringo is anyone that remotely looks American or European, my brother and I included). Food in the Caribbean is plentiful, and equally so on the beach.

We stayed there our first night before heading to our final destination, Barú. In

30 inMagazine/ January, 2012

Cartagena, we were one highway away from decently looking and relatively empty beaches. Not bad compared to the crowded and dirty city.

That night, one of my American friends and I went to my friend’s penthouse in the nicer neighborhood, which thrives with condos and 5-star hotels. We shared the privileged 270 degree view of the oldest city in Colombia from a jacuzzi with friends and alcohol, a relaxing moment after the 14 hour long ride from Bogotá, driving way above the speed limit.

The next day we left in the morning, heading towards Playa Blanca in Barú, a small Island west of Cartagena. A small ferry took us to the island, and from there we traveled along a recently paved road all the way inland to the only hotel on the island, a 5-star Decameron resort.

After that, a dirt road that ended on the beach took us to the other end of that

batch of sand in the Caribbean, to the most beautiful beach I’ve ever been to: Playa Blanca, the white beach.

A short walk welcomed us to a land yet not conquered by the proverbial “white man,” but already suffering from his giant steps. The few tourists that made it to the beach during the day were already leaving.

It was ours to enjoy. I made friends with a black local, a tall, thirty-something year old Afro-Colombian. Since we arrived, he took care of us as if we were his own children, bestowing us with fresh water, food, a place to make our tent, cigarettes, beers, etc. After watching the most striking of sunsets, the water slowly cooled down as the sky opened up. Unfortunately, the 5-star resort on the other side of the island was so lit up that there was a good deal of light pollution. However, Playa Blanca’s treasure lies not within the sky, but under its reflection in the seawater.

The next day in Playa Blanca, Wilfredo, our host, took us snorkeling before the sunrise (I remember finding and catching two octopuses in the coral reef ), and we went to check out the fishermen afterwards.

He helped us chose the fish we wanted for lunch and prepared it in front of us (if I remember correctly one red snapper was enough for two of us). The whole dish was delicious, and included coconut rice, fried plantains (my favorite), and coconut juice.

At night, when I went into the sea, a beautiful bioluminescent shadow surrounded my every underwater movement. Like in the movie “Life of Pi,” the ocean opened up a university of possibilities hard to find these days.

When we departed after two more nights of the most relaxed holidays, I offered Wilfrido a ride back to Cartagena, where he lives with his wife, daughter, and son.

Before heading to his house, in one of the poor neighborhoods behind the ancient wall that divides those who have from those who don’t, we stopped by his friend’s house. He took us there so that we could have a hot shower – this house was the only one with electricity in the neighborhood. It happened to be the dealer’s house, which despite being far away from any paved road, was not only the sole house in the neighborhood with electricity, but also with a television, fridge, and hot water.

It also was perhaps the most “red” house miles around, but there was no way around.

inMagazine/ January, 2012

31

the day was to fill the radar’s box with bills. If that’s the way the cops act, very little can be expected from the few men and women who actually run things and share the profits.

We were offered beers and showers, and my brother, who was aware of the danger, and had seen the guns, swiftly thanked the big guy sitting with three attractive girls around him in the middle of the extravagant living room. We left, my American friends having left some money behind, and I later found out that they had paid for some unscrupulous materials that they had enjoyed while I was showering.

I met Wilfrido’s wife and children, hard working people who struggle every day.

The kids and wife had no idea their dad and husband had anything to do with the drug business, even though he was always able to pay the bills on time. Their house is small and dark, yet something gives it a fresh air. Wilfrido, like many Colombians, has been driven to the drug business, one way or another, because of pure need.

He can’t compete with the monopoly of Decameron, and since backpackers’ tourism isn’t the most lucrative business, he has turned to drugs, despite working two jobs. His original community, Santa Ana, one of two towns in Barú, has been quickly corrupted and is regarded as a place with no future. So despite his connection with the sea and sand, he thinks he may end up living in Cartagena forever, one of the most unequal cities in Colombia.

Since this trip, Wilfrido and I remain in contact, and have some plans to help him stay in Baru, upgrading his touristic services. We’re in the process of getting capital, and we hope to work together to better the community.

However, had I stayed at the penthouse, as was originally planned, I’d never seen the changes or disparities or the bioluminescence I never knew existed.

32 Evolution Magazine/ April, 2013

Cartagena, a UNESCO patrimony of humanity, is reminiscent of Old Spanish imperialism, the largest port of entry of African slaves back in the days, and is still a very racist city. There are several exclusive bars in town where local blacks are not allowed. Cartagena is also the Carribean’s capital for drug and sex tourism, both perhaps the most dangerous threats to a touristic place.

The gap between the rich and the poor is expanding. Having 70% of its population under the poverty line, Cartagena is also one the most expensive real estate areas in Latin America (a square meter next to Gabriel García Marquez’s house was selling for $500 more than 10 years ago).

The Gini coefficient, a measurement of inequality, has increased from 0.38% to 1995 to 2011, a 10% increase in 15 years.

Cartagena’s problem is, as in many other cities in Colombia, of public resource administration. Not more than six families control politics in the city, and corruption is blatantly accepted in our culture in general. Ironically, in that same trip, a police officer asked me for a bribe so I could avoid the traffic ticket I got for driving 4 times the speed limit.

He joked about it saying that the goal of

When thinking about Cartagena’s future, I am no expert, having not been there for two years and having never lived there. In my opinion, Colombia in general needs to take long term plans to reduce social inequality very seriously (we are the third most unequal country in the world). Cartagena is perhaps the best place where public administrators could experiment by creating social integration programs, where business, government, tourists, and locals work together in order to improve public spaces and the overall quality of life.

I know of a project organized by the founder of the Colegio del Cuerpo (School of the Body), a world-famous dance school that has a program in a school in Barú that aims to open very different opportunities to local kids. This founder aims to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor in Cartagena by building a sustainable park with an enormous cultural center in the middle of the city’s main area of development, which happens to fall between the richest and poorest neighborhoods of Cartagena.

I think this type of project, where art and culture force fellow human beings with apparent differences created by politics and economics to interact and share, is the only way in which cities like Cartagena can start growing an identity strong enough to one day assume their democratic nature which is far from being realized. Meanwhile, tourists, who are the main motor of the city, are still responsible for the way and speed with which the city develops.

Culture Open until May 25, a contrast of culture in Florence: the master of surrealism, Salvador Dalí, represented within the birthplace of the Renaissance, Florence. The odd combination is perhaps perfect for displaying some of the artist’s lesser-known pieces, which include furniture and sculpture, as well as illustrations embodying sensual themes from Dante and other classical, regional poets. Over 100 works display Daíl’s consistent exploration of religion and mythology, some specifically depicting scenes dealing with time or fantasy. The venue, Palazzo Medici Riccardi, is located Via Camillo Cavour 1, and is open daily from 9:00-19:00. www.thedaliuniverse.com

Humor Hi, my name is Erin and I talk a lot. I am never at a loss for words. I talk so much, I can talk about talking. I can write about talking. That’s not nearly as annoying as having to listen to me go on and on. In print, you can get away from me anytime. You can just look away from the page. Go ahead, try it. Also, it’s not that I talk a lot, either, it’s just that I have a lot to say.

Recently I was at the Lafayette Bar, talking to Tunsai and he said, “You should come this Saturday to Jazz Night.

We have Frank DiBussolo...” and I said, “Cool!” in my vague way that is a clear indication that I have no idea what is going on. Tunsai is a very observant man.

He politely asked , “Do you know who Frank DiBossolo is?” “Nope”. Then very politely, “Do you know anything about jazz, Erin?” “Not really...” He nodded his head, thought and said, “That’s okay.” So, now, suddenly, a few weeks after that conversion, I find myself introduced to Mr. DiBussolo at a St. Patrick’s Day party.

“So you sing?” “Yes!” “You wanna sing a song?” “I... would love to, that’d be great!”

“Great, so we’ll go back in, sing a song.”

I felt it would have been disrespectful to decline the invitation (A.k.a. twist my arm). Fortunately, I wasn’t really nervous, in a living room of people I had never met. That kind of thing does not bother me in the least. So little, that I didn’t even break from my conversation to think about what I wanted to sing.

“Yeah... I’ll think of that later. Right now, I’m busy talking until I see Frank give me a cue to join him at the piano.”

Irish Gift of Gab

So, the moment arrives; I was speechless.

Loud, Irish and for the first time ever, at a loss for words! Quite a contrast.

Stumped, I was. The actor’s nightmare playing out in stark, sober wakefulness.

In spite of two hour set lists while doing dishes, I could not think of a song. Until “Paper Moon” popped into my empty head. Then everything was fine.

The Irish have survived with the gift of gab, from all the kissing of the Blarney Stone to the shore of Bally Blather. The Irish have been known to talk someone to death and it has saved the lives of many. I can just see my ancestors, facing an outnumbering clan of angry Vikings centuries ago, “Me name’s Michael Patrick McBludgeoning and we’re going to completely annihilate you, of course. But first, we it’s proper to tell you the story of me Great, Great Grandmother, Margaret Mary Mc Bludgeoning and the hard life she endured on this shore, raising fortynine children single handedly.” An hour later, half the enemy’s men die from the story itself, some are so impressed, they switch sides and join the Irish, and the rest were killed and made into rafts.

Impressive. All the double-confirming gets exhausting, it does.

My poor friends and family, who have had to endure the burdening, bludgeoning of the modern-day McGuirk are the ones that suffer most. I’m so sorry, everyone. I’m working on it, I am, I do.

Sometimes, these days, I just want to listen. The other day, I forgot to hang up the phone and heard the lady come on. “If you’d like to make a call, please hang up and try your call again. Please hang up now.” I stayed on, just listening, until, “You pathetic, lonely creature, do you really have nothing more important to do?” The worst sentence I hear every day is, “To listen to your message, press 2,” because I always do. If you get a message from me that’s short and to the point, it’s probably my third take.

And the end of the page is here again, and they should really make it bigger, they should. So, I’m going to work more on my CCS; Chatty-Cathy Syndrome. In the meantime, here’s hoping you had a Happy St. Patty’s and seeing you next time, it is, I will.

Erin McGuirk is a humor columnist and performer for Noumenon Theatre Company, a non-profit organization in Easton, PA.

EvoMag.co/ April, 2013

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Kelly Freuler 503 625-1324 www.kellyfreuler.nerium.com

34 Evolution Magazine/ April, 2013

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