MVP Experience

Sports Clips Haircuts is the new go-to barber shop for men and boys of all ages. This is a fun, unique, sports-themed business that offers quality hair cutting services. With already over 1,000 locations across the U.S. there is bound to be one near you and if not the company offers franchising opportunities for independent business owners.

A new location just opened up here in Edwardsville, Illinois and I must say I was very impressed with their exciting sports layout complete with big-screen, HD televisions. The environment was great, but the top-notch service really makes the difference. I received the MVP Experience starting with a detailed consultation with the lovely hair stylist before hand, discussing exactly the look I was going for. After this she gave me a precise haircut of my desire with light, comfortable conversation. After this she removed my excess hair with a hot-steam towel wrap, followed by a thorough shampoo and conditioner scalp massage, and topped it off with a neck and shoulder rub. This was more than just a haircut is was a relaxing, enjoyable experience that keeps in-mind what men and boy’s are looking for at the barber shop.

The Power of Now

The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment is a novel by Eckhart Tolle that has changed millions of lives since it has been published in the late 1990’s. Unlike most self help books that focus on changing a reader’s future, this book shows you how to unlock the power of now. This is a spiritual practice that has been used for thousands of years usually in the form of meditation, but once you start applying it to everyday life it can help you focus and appreciate the little things that many of us take for granted.

Eckhart Tolle shows when you stop focusing of the past and the future and start living in the moment you start to let go of your false ego. Reflecting over what we have done in our past and planning for our future is necessary but it is when we worry about our past or assume what will happen in our future that is detrimental to our point of view. When you stop judging yourself based on what you’ve done or what’s head and start focusing on the most important part of your life, which is right now then you will notice a change in yourself for the better. If you don’t believe me find out for yourself.

 

Best Buy: Brick-and-Mortar

In the past decade the online shopping market has taken the world economy by storm putting brick-and-mortar companies under pressure to stay competitive. Best Buy is an excellent example of a company that has stayed resilient throughout this trend showing the value of local retail stores. While Circuit City and individually owned electronic stores have fallen Best Buy in addition with Geek Squad has grown and innovated to provide competitive pricing, customer support, and convenient services. For those who pay attention to stocks Best Buy has not been stellar until 2013, now their shares continue to soar. This is a reflection  of their “Renew Blue Strategy” that has been implemented to control costs and improve the company’s operational structure. This is a positive direction for the company, but there are other benefits that shoppers should know about before deciding to buy their electronics online.

Online markets such as Amazon, Tiger’s direct, and Newegg are Best Buy’s largest competition, but many purchasers buy products that they are unsure about or unsatisfied with once they are shipped. This problem could of been avoided by having a short conversation  with a Best Buy associate. The employees are well-trained and can give insight, knowledge, hands-on-experience, and recommendations products that go much further than any online reviews. In addition to the employees prices of all of their competitors, including leading online retailers, can be matched in the store. Also within fifteen days of the purchase Best Buy will match sale prices and return or exchange products without a restocking fee. Customers need to consider the value brick and-mortar businesses like Best Buy offer before making any impulse purchases online.

http://www.istockanalyst.com/finance/story/6360474/best-buy-bby-is-near-term-market-enthusiasm-overdone#

Stumble Upon Your New Favorite App

There is an app for just about anything these days, but how do we decide which one’s are worthy enough to download? Many go with the ones that are featured and highest rated, but even then you must decide between the hundreds of recommendations. The most convincing force in what is downloaded is word of mouth, the applications being talked about the most by your friends, classmates, family, and coworkers are the ones you will most likely download. I have an app that I have personally become attached to for reading and entertainment is Stumble Upon. This application allows you to select from a list of interests including sports, news, art, fitness, humor, and many more in order to find the best articles, pictures, and videos customized to your liking. In many situations I find myself bored and would like to entertain myself but don’t know exactly what I want, so I let Stumble Upon find something for me.

All I have to do to be entertained is to open the app and hit the stumble button until I find something that catches my interest. I have found some of the best workout tips, stunning pictures, motivating quotes, hilarious videos, and informative articles using Stumble Upon. By giving the pages you find a thumbs up or thumbs down the app can learn what you like best, so it will provide links based on what people with similar interests have liked. By basing the selection of what they are providing you from your customized interests, you are getting personalized recommendations from people like yourself, so it is almost impossible for you to not find something that will make you laugh, smile or think within a couple of minutes. Also by connecting your favorite social media sites you can share what you find with your friends using the touch of a button. This app is genius and I have not gone a day without using it. Try it out and let me know what you think.

http://www.stumbleupon.com

3 Steps to Living a Healthier Lifestyle

Spring is here and the majority of individuals are looking to get in shape for the summer. There are billions of ways to exercise, diet, and live a healthier lifestyle, so how does one start? To lose weight, gain muscle, increase energy, and improve mood does not require harsh supplements, expensive equipment, or even a great deal of time. 3 simple changes of your daily activities can make a world of difference in becoming a happier, healthier person.

1) Go to bed earlier and wake up earlier. Having a healthy and consistent sleep pattern prepares the body for accomplishing more during the day. Eating breakfast or stretching in the morning can also boost metabolism resulting in more energy and more weight loss.

2) Eat smaller, more frequent, and nourishing meals throughout the day. Prepare ahead by setting a day once a week for grocery shopping keeping the selection new and fresh. Buy foods that will benefit your body, which does not require a strict diet. Simply adding more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats then taking out sweets, frozen foods, soda, and fast food can do wonders for your body and overall health.

3) Exercise at least 3 times a week. Does not matter what level of exercise you are performing as long as you are moving around, you are making progress. Whether it’s walking, running, weight training, yoga, swimming, biking, dancing, or playing sports these activities will make you feel better and look better. With little to no cost in money or time there is no excuse for not taking the time to be active. Buying new athletic shoes, going with friends, or listening to music can definitely help with motivation.

These are 3 simple, yet powerful steps to not only get into shape, but to become more productive and feel better. I have provided some links that I have found to help generate ideas for implementing these steps.

http://tribesports.com/infographics/get-from-fat-to-fit/

http://sleepyti.me/

my.menshealth.com/exclusive-content/100-best-fitness-tips

Receipt Relations

Think how many times you have crumpled up a receipt after a purchase , for it never to be seen again. For most this happens quite often, but nest time you might want to take a second look at the bottom because businesses are willing to offer discounts and prizes for customers willing to take a survey. These online surveys allow companies to hear first hand how they can improve their customer service to fit the needs of consumers. Some receipts also promote their online presence by offering discounts to those who are willing to subscribe with an email or social media website.

Either way businesses benefit from staying in contact with their customers and they are willing to offer  incentives to do so. Best Buy for example offers a $5,000 shopping spree to three winners after a drawing that happens every three months. Many who enter will still not win, so this is not as much of a motivator as those that offer a discount on their next visit. These little notifications can make a big difference not only from the responses but from bringing back customers by continuing to offer incentives via e-mail, website, or text message. At a time when competition is tough, having an online presence can make the difference in their influence to bring back customers. Public Relations as well as Marketing departments are finding new ways to reach their audience. The good thing is shoppers also have an opportunity to be rewarded for their opinions, involvement, and loyalty. Both businesses and customers alike can benefit by taking a closer look at what their receipts can do.

 

Love Against the Odds

In light of the recent holiday of love I am dedicating this post to my amazing girlfriend, Ashley Ostermann. We are not the typical couple, so I would like to share our unique story. It was the weekend of Halloween last year when me and a couple of my friends were making a stop to Shop N’ Save to pick up some drinks. On our way towards the building a car full of girls drives by, and one of them recognized my friend Dylan, so they stopped to talk. I recognized a girl in the backseat named Gaby that I had met my freshman year of College, and she introduced me to her friend Ashley, visiting from San Diego, California. I was intrigued by this because I had an absolute blast when I had visited there to see my friend Tommy, who moved there when I was in middle school. There group was headed to a party so we went our separate ways,  but that night I specifically remember when my friend was talking about his girlfriend that I wished that I could have a girl to call my own.

A couple nights later I had received a Facebook notification of a friend request from Ashley, I recognized her right away and accepted the invitation, and shortly after she messaged me. After introducing each other again, she had explained that Gaby was with her boyfriend and she was bored. Having my room cleaned and no homework to do I felt confident enough to invite her over to watch a movie if she wanted. She said that sounded nice, came over, and right off the bat we talked very comfortably. We got to know each other very well as we talked all night, going through three movies, and made an amazing connection with each other.

To sum up the next three months; we have spent about a month visiting each other, have face-timed about everyday apart, met each others friends and families, and are now planning on living together next fall, both going to the Southern Illinois University of Edwardsville. Our situation is truly a case of fate, we are head over heels in love and have so many similarities in our interests, beliefs, values, and goals that allow us to be so perfect together. I could not be more thankful that Ashley was brought into my life and I am excited to see what our future brings.

The Blurring Line Between Public Relations and Marketing

Taking both a public relations, marketing course this semester I have noticed how much these areas of business have become interrelated in recent years. The main reason being the involvement of social media and content marketing that have become necessary for businesses to be competitive. In today’s society, media buzz can make or break an industry, which is why risk management is one of the biggest responsibilities of a PR professional now, but a company must consistently be in contact with their customer’s on the web.

As I learned in my Marketing course we are currently in the Relationship Era of marketing, where businesses must keep long-term, valued relationships with both their customers and partner’s. This directly relates to the main purpose of public relations, and marketing plans are being designed to not only stay in contact with their customer but asking for their opinion. Many companies want to hear from their customers, but some have found success in letting the public make the decision such as Lay’s potato chips using their “Do Us A Flavor” contest where people were allowed to go online to create and name their own flavor of chips. With the abundance of instant information available online, whether it’s social media, blogs, or reviews it is completely necessary that businesses have a say in the conversation. This has brought forward a huge role for PR professionals to work with the marketers, and even the advertisers of their company to put forth the most ideal messages for the public.

 

Sydney the Dragon

 

This post is a dedication to my bearded dragon named Sydney that I got one year ago for my birthday. He was about 3 months old when I got him from a local Pets Mart and about the size of one my fingers as seen in the picture above. I have always loved animals and have previously owned a hamster, as well as four dogs, but never anything like Sydney.

My interest in bearded dragons started when I went into Pets Mart looking for a fish and ended up spending about 20 minutes observing the little reptiles while getting more information from an expert. I was instantly obsessed and did hours of research making sure that this was the pet for me. I learned beardies are indigenous to Australia (which is how I came up with the name Sydney)  and have only become popular within the last ten years after being bred into all sorts of different colorful, tame, and fun pets. Properly taking care of a bearded bearded is definitely a major responsibility and a little bit of an investment, but completely worth it for anyone looking for a friendly reptile.  I have provided a link that covers all the information that is necessary to know before making the decision to get your very own beardie as well as pictures of my favorite little buddy Sydney.

http://helpforyourpet.com/bearded-dragon-care-guide/

Bose SIE2i Sport Headphones: “Engineered for Excersise”

If you are looking for a pair of excellent sounding ear buds that will power you through your workouts, look no further. Bose has just recently released their sport headphones that are perfectly described through their trademarked slogan “engineered for exercise.” The philosphy of the Bose Company is based on creating a sound that is as close to a live sound as possible by dedicating a great deal of research into their products. These headphones were made to satisfy every aspect of what makes a good pair of sport headphones.

As a Best Buy employee for over a year, a frequent gym goer, and a music listener that is passionate about sound quality, I put a lot of thought into my purchase of these headphones and could not be happier with my choice.  I was looking for a pair of headphones to wear during my workouts that sound great, sweat-resistant, would not get in my way, or fall out of my ears. The Bose SIE2i delivers crisp, clear highs and powerful, deep lows, with comfortable “StayHear” eartips that come in three sizes. They are available in two sporty colors either lime green or  bright orange, that comes with a matching armband and built in Mic-control made for the iPhone or iPod. This worked out perfectly considering I have lime green running shoes as well as an iPhone for the armband designed by Reebok that is both comfortable and functional by keeping my workouts uninterrupted.

These headphones were truly created to hold up against all challenges that headphones face during exercise while providing accurate sound performance. At $150 these headphones are not for everyone, but I recommend them to anyone who is an athlete or exercises on a regular basis. They are definitely worth the value considering the quality, included armband, and sweat-resistant build that will last longer and sound much better than your typical pair of headphones. So far I have no complaints with my purchase and they really make a difference in my performance at my gym. I look forward to exercising because I feel motivated when I get to listen to my favorite playlists the way they are meant to be heard without having to worry about them falling out or carrying my phone around.

http://www.bose.com/controller?url=/shop_online/headphones/sport_headphones/index.jsp