TheBetsy: No Job (dot) Com

Inquisix shut down this week.

That would be my job.

Gone.

I also have a confession:  I totally stole the title of this blog from my good friend Flames.

Amidst losing her lawyer gig during the brouhaha of Internet start-up failures of 2002, Flames sent out a very classy, “No Job Dot Com” email to all her friends and acquaintances informing of her (post-maternity leave) pink slip. She was on the fence about returning to work anyway, but her company’s demise forced the issue and now Flame is a very happy former- lawyer-cum-stay-at-home-mommy.

Hooray!

And then there’s TheBetsy. And Inquisix.

It was an idea before it’s time, Inquisix put  networkers together based on who they wanted to meet — rather than the “who do you know, that knows this person that plays squash with that person, who is the cousin of a person I’d really like to do business with…” We basically cut out the middlemen. We got traction early, but never the zenith needed to go past the start-up stage. The founders moved on, and this week Inquisix was officially closed.

As the Vice President of Marketing & Communications, I was also community manager, chief copywriter, blogger, brand, marketing, social media and PR consultant and strategist… oh, and I swept the floors as well. Hustling to help grow the user base, keep the fires burning and, hopefully, turn a profit. It was hard work and it was exciting. Start-ups always are.

For me, Inquisix was an especially good opportunity. Prior to joining the company, I had put my MBA-honed marketing strategist mind on hold to have children. Out of the workforce for any length of time is tough, but try finding a gig after being out for a couple of years, in a bad economy, and things get decidedly harder.  The arrangement was simple: they needed the help and I needed the stimulus and experience, and it was a great while it lasted. For this, I have truly grateful to Inquisix’s founders Michael Kreppein and Dave Dupre.

So now I write my No Job (dot) com letter. In retrospect, this experience has giving me some insight into myself.

This is what I know, thanks to Inquisix:

• Virtual Offices: I work great in this environment. Arm me with high-speed Internet/Skype/iChat/Twitter and I am a fully operational Death Star.
• Writing and communicating. Some say wordsmith, I say tell ‘em a story that they’d repeat, over and over. You’re reading this, so you probably have a fair idea how good I am.
• Though I pretty much knew this already, you can throw me in the deep end, I’ll be just fine. Social media was not in my marketing vocabulary when I started. Playing around with Twitter I saw the business implications and benefits immediately, now I speak it pretty fluently.
• Go with what works best — if it’s new let’s try it, if it works, let’s keep it. And keeping adding onto our knowledge base. There is no “done” in learning.
• I have the entrepreneurial mind-set : sure my title may be one thing, but if the job needs me to stretch and tap into another skill set let’s do it. It’s actually fun and really rewarding.
• “Good with people” doesn’t come close to describing my client management skills. I make happy customers jealous. If that makes sense.
• Multi-tasking is crap. Or that’s what you get when you multi-task. You pick.
• I’m ready to get back to work. At what yet, I don’t know. I’m interested in finding the right intersection of interesting challenge,  environment, locale and cash. Not necessarily in that order. Working remotely would trump a lot. Mostly because my children are still small, and I like to tuck them in to bed most nights and top their day off with a “story-story.”
• I’m open. Suggestions,  meetings. ideas. I love to talk ideas or opportunities and strategy. Better than a double espresso. And no jitters.  You want to talk to me. You know where to reach me.

To on to the next adventure, and if you have ideas on what that might be, I’d love to talk.

You know I like to talk.

Special Isn’t So Special Anymore.

Special really isn’t special anymore.

A few lifetimes ago, I worked at a start-up television network, UPN. It was a crazy time,  chock full of 12-16 hour days as be got close to launch, everyone desperate to deliver their promised piece and everything became a priority. But you know know what that means…

When everything is a priority, then nothing is a priority.

Same goes with special. When everything is tagged with a superlative, nothing is… well that super.

In this economy you have to deliver special, super and great, just to survive.

If you think you’ve got something special, guess again. So does everyone else. And their letting everyone know via TV, Radio, Print, POP, Inserts, Guerilla marketing and now Facebook, Twitter, and even Foursquare.

That’s a lot of noise. That’s a lot of “super.”

How do make your super stand-out?

Can you distill your super into the tangible?

Can you take the tangible and answer your customer question “How will this make my life better?”

Are you answering this question in all their languages? Mediums? If your marketing segment speaks Social Media, are you trying to reach them only through radio?

Are you prepared to answer that question at all customer touch points? From first touch, sale, delivery, customer service and to the next purchase?

That IS super, only your customers will be the one saying it. Again and again.

LocalBetsy: Boston’s Perfect Brows, Flawless Makeup, Perfectly You

The confidence that comes when you know you look your best is pretty hard to beat.

So partly as a reward to myself for working so hard these past months, and partly because I really needed it, I scurried off to get new makeup and a cleaned up brow-line.

All this logic found me, per a friend’s recommendation, at Sarra and in the confident hands of owner Lauren Genatossio. Named after Lauren’s makeup- artist grandmother,  Sara (pronounced Sa-Ray) is an extension of her philosophy of beauty- an inviting environment where women have access to top products and advice. An experienced makeup artist, Lauren’s a  ”precision brow” guru, listed as Improper Bostonian’s Best of Boston 2009 “best eyebrow shaper.” Her credits include W, Glamour, Elle, Maroon Five, and Bruce Willis.

Needless to say, I felt more than pretty ok with letting her have a go at my eyebrows.

When I arrive, I see TheLiquidBetsy reader Sarah T., having her brows done- she told me she was hooked after her first experience and is now pretty much a regular.

2 1/2 hours later, I had perfect precision brows, gorgeous makeup (on my face and in my bag) and new-found knowledge on what works for me. What I liked about Lauren, was her focus on educating her clients and her practical approach. I learned where most make-up is made, how she selects her own skin care and make-up products and, best of all, how the hell to make it all look good on me. Not the “Joan Collins- Runway-OMG-I can’t do this by myself “way, but the “I’m busy- I need to look put together with the least amount of steps + the few nights I go out with the hubby” nice. I also left feeling I could replicate 9o% what she had done.

And for the ROI crowd, dollar for dollar, this was, without a doubt the best money I’ve spent for make-up. Ever.  The brow is included in the lesson, but also the promise that Lauren (and her team) would be happy to do refresher. At Sarra they don’t push what you don’t need- when making the appointment I was told to bring my old makeup and brushes. Lauren went through everything I owned and edited, throwing out what I didn’t need and telling me what to keep, often in lieu of her own product line. Not hard to see why she has such a devoted clientele.

But don’t take my word for it, see Lauren in action. On me.

An appointment with Lauren for a make-up lesson will cost you $180,  this includes the precision brow shaping  ($40 value,) with $100 going toward any makeup or product purchased during the visit. Not bad, considering any make-up worth a trip to Saks would cost you that within the first couple of items and/or parking, brow not included. My friend who originally suggested Sarra, loves the reasonable prices. After dropping her entire makeup bag- and breaking every single piece- in Las Vegas. She visted Sarra and for around $200 replaced everything she needed. But you should note things can be more, depending if you include skin care products, or need extras like special brushes.

And just for TheLiquidBetsy readers, Sarra is taking half-off your initial precision brow apt.- say “Betsy sent me” at the time you schedule your apt. and save $20.

Can you say “Book’em Dan-O?“

A precision brows last typically between 4-6 weeks. And men are also a part of Lauren’s clientele, so drag your boyfriends and husbands in, tell them they’ll get a more natural effect vs. waxing. (And you won’t be lying.)

Visit Lauren and her team at the Boston and Hingham locations.

Sarra- Boston
840 Summer Street
South Boston, MA 02127-1533
(617) 269-8999

Sarra- Hingham
104 North Street
Hingham, MA 02043-1842
(781) 749-5599

Or check out them out on Google Maps.

Detox Day 28 Olympic Gold Baby!

Bridget Jones’s Update of Clean Detox Day 28 or Day 15: BMI: 24.6 (+0.1) Back up. Activity Level: Still dizzy, first it was the back going out, and then now the dizziness. This stinks. Meditation: Did the sit in the chair exercise that Dr. Junger suggests. It works. Feel great. Brief Observations: Skin is great. Back to the way it was before the rashes came back. Hallelujah.

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Still dizzy. Somehow it’s worse in bed. Rolling over. It hasn’t been so bad during the day, occasionally. Just. Wish. It. Would. Go. Away. It’s crimpin’ my style. Not working out, and I was just getting back into working out. I will just have to wait this out. And that’s OK.

What I do want to talk about is the Winter Olympics. Most have watched the skating, skiing, but TheBetsy has been keeping her watchful eye on the commercials.

By far, the gold has to go to this gem by P&G:

It hits on all notes. It is poignant. It plays to our hearts, especially if we have kids. And, face it, if you’re buying P& G, and watching the Olympics, you’re at least an adult. And if it’s a weeknight viewer, you’re most likely a parent. They did a fantastic job fitting the ads to this particular market segment.

This commercial brings the human side of the equation. Not the athlete, not the brief 1:30 bio done by a CBS Sports commentators but the essence of the struggle, the dedication, the necessary sacrifice and support necessary to make it to the olympics, let alone medal in an event. Ever athlete is the kid that parent took to practice, watch during competition finger crossed, panic at every fall, pepped talked during every crises of confidence and rehabilitate after every injury. That mom’s look is truly worth a thousand words. Hopes, dreams, fears, stress. It’s a brilliantly crafted piece.

Links to Items Featured on TheLiquidBetsy:

My.CleanProgram.com

Alexander McQueen.

Alexander McQueen committed suicide yesterday, just days after his beloved mother passed away.

He was 40.

Fashion is art, and this mad genius was up there with both cut, style and presentation.

This UK’s Daily Mail article goes into the details of his life, but let’s take a moment to celebrate the man and his wonderful, arresting mischief.

DD 16: JD 2: Let it Snow (or Don’t)

courtesy of National Geographic Little Kids website

Bridget Jones’s Update of Day 16: BMI: 24.9 (-0.4) One word: WOOOT!  About damn time.  Meditation: I’ve managed to set aside 5 mins a day to really close my eyes/breathe/focus on each body part meditation exercise. Brief Observations: Ok back on day 2 of Dr. Junger’s challenge, and the headache is back. Dull, back of the head. Definitely makes me want to walk away from any further sugary spoonfuls of delight, that’s for sure.

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And they’re starting to called it Snow-meggedon.

Huge Blizzard. Anywhere from 8-14″.

Biblical… given the bro-ha-ha currently happening in New England.

Think Moses “Part the Red Sea” Old Testament style bro-ha-ha. Then enter the press. Not being a local, I’m inclined to listen to natives, they panic, I panic. We aren’t at Def-con 1, but based  on the breathless, twitchy local-news weather chica, I should be very concerned.

Some started calling it Snow-meggedon. Pack up the kids, batten down the hatches. Stock up, snuggle down.

Dear readers, Good news…

This isn’t my first rodeo.

I’ve seen what happens to the people of New England when faced with a snow storm.

Default mode in NE is panic when it comes to snow- be it a flake or deluge. Totally fueled by the media, your average hardy New Englander is relegated into something from Survivor.

Now, Washington DC is panicked. HELL YES, they should be, as they probably have one working plow for the 2-3 FEET that just hit the district. But RI and MASS? First rumor of snow has Aunt Em hip-checking Grannies at the market during a run on eggs, milk and bread.

Why? The Nor’easter of 1978. I blame all this craziness on one damn storm.

And to be totally fair, it was an epic storm.

It’s severity was unexpected. Raging for 33 straight hours, it had winds from 88 mph to 111 mph. At end it had dropped over 2 feet ( and in some areas 40″) of snow. Killed 100 people and left over 4,500 injured. It shut down Boston and RI, roads choked. People died in cars on highways, snow covering idling cars’ exhaust pipes, inducing carbon monoxide poisoning.

Blizzard of '78 burying cars in Boston

So we pay for the next 32 years, the first snowflake, sends most of MA and RI running off to tape windows, store up a week of supplies and make sure there’s full tanks of gas in both snow blower and car.

So I’ve got one week of food, movies up the ying-yang to watch with or without the kids, and enough home projects to last two or three epic storms.

But as I said this isn’t my first Rodeo.

I just have this feeling that there are going to be a lot of weather reporters eating crow on this storm.

Snow-magedon?

Probably more like Snowgate.

Mom 2.0- Defining a Moment

The Hub sent this to me, it was posted on Guy Kawasaki’s Holy Kaw site.

It does a beautiful job on a beautful (and beautifully hard) job.

Motherhood.

Spare Me

People try to spare their loved ones from pain. That’s why their loved ones. I do it. You do it.

Sometimes we just spare them because they’re not ready. Like little children. So when my 6 year-old twins hear Mommy and Daddy discussing the recent events of Tiger Woods caddish ass-like behavior- I spared them.

And used it to my own advantage.

Me: “Remember it’s always worse to lie?”

Our kids get 1 1/2 x the punishment for lying about something they did wrong- my husband & I feel you need to take responsibility.

Got that Tiger? Taking personal responsibility.

Them: “Yes Mommy.” (in unison, very cute and endearing with twins… )

Here is the teaching moment.

Me: “Well Tiger Woods lied. It was wrong and he’s in trouble. He disappointed a lot of people, especially his wife and family.”

And now the obvious next question… which I wasn’t thinking about- I blame it not on having coffee and being really freakin’ tired this morning but it was totally my own doing.

Smarty pants son: “Why? What did Tiger do.”

Oh crap.

Me: “He kissed another girl. Not his wife. When you’re married, you simply don’t kiss anyone else…”

And that, folks, is how I spared my kids.

They don’t know what sex is,  nor what commitment and fidelity are, women who sleep with married men, the ego and hubris of pro-athletes, “lawyering up,” prenuptials or morality clauses.

Nor do I want them.

I was also recently spared by my parents. A call by my mom yesterday letting me know my father just had a pace-maker put in. First I’d heard of it. Now my father is being treated for skin cancer. Chemo, radiation, leukine treatments and surgery et al. and he’s doing great.

Now I’m in Boston and my folks are in Southern California. I know they didn’t want me to worry. I should have know something was up- Dad recently had an episode where he landed in the ICU because his heart rate was elevated. (I also found out about that because I happen to call him while he was there. So precedent was set.)

But the pace maker? Totally out of left field. Mostly because I assumed I was informed. I was in the know.

But that, was the not what I needed. I didn’t need the sparing. Because now I will worry. Of what they are not telling me.

I don’t like surprises. My mantra is “Plan for the worst, hope for the best.”  So, of course I now am planning for the worst. Past experiences have made me very, very wary of  being spared. Mostly because it either means someone doesn’t want me hurt or they are really sparing themselves dealing with the aftermath of whatever they’re sparing me from. All in all, I don’t like being spared. I’ll take direct, brutal honesty over sparing my feelings. Any day. So upon hearing my Dad had his pace-maker in, and was recovering nicely, I got off the phone.

And promptly broke. My restraint was gone. Logic gave way to the illogical and emotional.

What if Dad dies and I’m in Boston? Could I or would I ever forgive myself by not being there?  If I did go, could I even make it if I had to? What do I get from the act of saying good-bye? The questions come fast and furious. Cerebrally I know it’s ridiculous. Dad is ok.

But what if he’s not?

I ask God to please Spare Me that.

Sugar Coated & Yummy (Ear) Candy

"Drop Me a Lime"- Acid Green and all mine.

One day I had my bluetooth earpiece.

The next… it was gone.

It was black. Sleek. Sexy. Just like every other black bluetooth earpiece in existence. Hard to find in the bottom of a bag, it was tiny, and indistinguishable from everybody else’s. I probably left it on a Boston T car, … or was when I had drinks at the Four Seasons? At the Common’s playground with Katie and Suri? Perhaps when Baby Lug snatch it from my blond tresses? Or was it buried in the dark recesses of my car?  All a safe bet. I’m a busy, busy girl. But at the end of the day, still no earpiece.

I live for my bluetooth. Or more like it, without it my life is decidedly harder and more painful to pull off.

So what was a fabulous TheBetsy to do?

One word. Color.

Enter The Jawbone Prime JBT02 Bluetooth Headset .

Specifically the Ear Candy Edition, in the fetching “Drop Me a Lime.”

Just like the photo above. Distinctive. Better yet, (for me) easier to spot. Harder to lose. Plus it comes with the famous Jawbone “Noise Assassin.”  (ohhhhh yeah baybeee,  I didn’t know what that was but I knew I had to get me some Noise Assassin!)

At around $129 it’s not cheap. But neither is losing one more damn mobile headset. You see, TheBetsy is both Thrifty AND Fabulous.

Here is a nice close up of one called “Frankly Scarlet Red:”

So I order. I get. The most incredible package. Ever.

You know how Apple does great design? My first impression of my new Jawbone is great packaging. I am delighted before I’ve even tried the headset.

A little story… when I was in Japan, I was told, upon seeing a insanely intricately designed sushi and sashimi platter, “we eat with our eyes first.”  Well, in that vein the Jawbone Ear Candy packaging was nothing short of a feast. I’d recommend buying it just for that if you have anything do with consumer products (for research purposes of course.) That box was a layer upon layer of joyful cool and intuitive unfolding. Brilliant marketing tactic, and something Jawbone (and Apple) just plain get.

Then the instructions. Whoa. This baby does a lot. This is what I know for sure:

• Custom Fit- with 2 styles and 6 different sizes of earbuds, plus 2 ear loops I knew I had a really good chance of a solid fit.
• Sleek design- must say, sweet design. As the Jawbone people say, “If it’s not beautiful, it doesn’t belong on your face.” I wouldn’t say it’s like a piece of jewelry you’re going to want to wear all the time, but it is a much more stylish alternative to plain black.
• Functionality- besides on/off you can redial last number called, initiate voice dial, change volume during a call, reject & answer calls and of course the deadly-sounding NoiseAssassin.

TheBetsy Sums It All Up:

I’ve already lost it. Not just once… but twice.

And found… twice.

The last time a friend found it on the floor. At a restaurant we just had lunch at. And KNEW it was mine. In that respect it’s worth every penny (vs. buying two more.)  So distinctive, the green has proven easy to find, even in the bottom of a black handbag. Worth even a few compliments. Don’t get me wrong, this Jawbone is still not an “fashion accessory” per se.

As for all the functionality, and even the Noise Assassin, frankly I really don’t use it all or even appreciate it. For me, a headset with one-touch answer & disconnect and crisp clear audio, makes me giddy happy. Which the Jawbone Prime JBT02 Bluetooth Headset Ear Candy does beautifully. The only issue I’ve had is in the fit. To be entirely honest this may be due to the fact I really busy: I have small kids, tend to carry a lot of crap, and I move around a lot. Thus I opted to have both the ear bud and the ear loop for extra security. So if I have any issues it’s usually a combo of some grabby kid or  caught hair (I have a lot) and sunglasses.

Cut to the chase sister, is it worth the coin?

Only you can decide. Have you lost your mobile headset? Or just not into basic black and like the idea of fantastical colors like “Lilac You Mean it”  or “‘Yello!”?  Do you really work your headset… I mean do you make Ari Gold look like he’s still in the mailroom? Then yes, you ‘d probably love it.

Personally I feel guilty not using all the features but thankful that I didn’t have to buy a new headset again. So given a do-over, I’d totally buy it again.

An Argument for the Questionable

I love Questionable TV and Media in all forms.

If I’m stressed, toss me an US Weekly and I’m happy. Working on marketing strategy? Gossip Girl please.

It’s in the genes.

My grandfather, a doctor and well-known diagnostician, used to have a subscription to MAD magazine. Imagine this picture: one patrician and very reserved gentleman gleefully huddling with his  5 year old grand-daughter over Alfred E. Newman. “What, Me Worry?” It’s one of my favorites.

The everday of work requires the yin of idea parsing, sythesizing, creating– one need the yang of the questionable. It resets the brain. Calibrates it. It’s also a catalyst for inspiration.

I’m not saying Questionable is the only show in town. Some people work out, play golf, travel, shop (hence the name “retail therapy”)- I do some of these in moderation. Quick aside:  I’ve been known to play hide n’seek with the kids in the neighborhood and hit the batting cages (the latter is really key if you’ve hit freaky freak levels of stress. Innocent baseballs you get to hit the hell out of.)

But offer an alternative of the Questionable, especially when a quick hit is needed. And with a DVR, the Internet, and a newsstand,  questionable is readily available: Perez Hilton, Pimp My Ride, US Weekly, ATM, Oprah, Cat Fancy (just kidding,) MTV’s True Life, Mad Magazine, VH1′s Celebrity Rehab, HGTV, Iron Chef America, Star Magazine, The New York Observer, Rock of Love, Crazy Days and Nights, O Magazine, Rescue Me, Nip/Tuck, BSG and so on and so on- depending on my whim.

So spill it. What’s  in your Questionable playbook? (but totally PG please)

And if you don’t do Questionable. Embrace it. Whatever that might be.