The marshmallow path to success

Life is short, eat dessert first.

Have you heard that quote before? I love it. It's a great reminder for all of us to concentrate on the good stuff in life. But how does that apply to business? I'm glad you asked.

My new, edible addiction is Mallow Bits by Kraft. Have you tried them? They're hard, little marshmallows--the same texture of the ones you find in hot chocolate mix and sugary cereals. I have to admit, I like to pull those marshmallows out of the cocoa envelope before I make it so I can gobble down the crunchy goodness. When I leave them in the mix, I always wish there were more. Someone at Kraft must know I'm not the only one, because they've produced a large jar comprised of nothing but these yummy, white nuggets. They put the good stuff all together in one, new product. Can you do the same?

What service or product do you offer that you could repackage or market more prominently? Do you have a b-list product? Or maybe a service that doesn't get very much dedicated promotion? Do you have something that people really like that you could upgrade from supporting player status to superstar? Is there a Mallow Bits on your menu of services or line of products?

Listen to what your customers and clients like. Can you give them more of it?

When opportunity knocks are you playing Angry Birds?

Great ideas are born every day; many by very ordinary people. How many times has opportunity come pounding on your front door only to be ignored because you were playing video games, watching Family Guy, or sleeping in?

Two years ago I bought a retractable leash for my pooch. When I used it, I felt as though I didn’t have as firm of a grasp on my dog as I did with an old-fashioned nylon leash. So, I rigged up a secondary handle with a plastic bungee keychain that held the hard casing more firmly to my wrist so if I accidentally let go of the handle my dog wouldn’t escape. Aren’t I smart?

Well, I’ve been using my little invention for years now and it's been very handy. Enter, Capability: Mom and her blog entry about a new attachment for retractable leashes. She sponsored a contest to give away the Freehand Safety Strap and yours truly was the lucky winner.

Well, guess what? The attachment works very similarly to the one I concocted years ago. Granted, the end result isn’t as primitive as mine and is adjustable (you can also undo the buckle to attach your dog to another object such as a park bench). However, the concept is the same as my crude prototype; connecting the hard casing to wrist of the dog walker. Just like the contraption I jerry rigged years ago, the accessory gives a second layer of protection while using a retractable leash.

The inventor obviously saw the same flaw with the retractable leash that I did. The difference? He designed the accessory, manufactured it, and now has it on the market! And I was watching an episode of The Simpsons. D’oh!

So, this lesson from The School of Hard Knocks comes at my expense. However, there is still hope for me—and you! Rest assured, the next time I find some way to improve a product, I’m not just going to keep the idea to myself. Lesson learned.

So, my friends, learn from my mistake. Open your eyes! Listen! Innovate! But, most importantly, execute! Act! Do! Create! Take that extra step in life. Don’t let your million dollar idea become someone else’s fortune. Take action! That’s what separates the ordinary from the extraordinary, is it not?

Is your business a one trick pony?

As I was shopping this week, I saw this display of Kraft Trick or Cheesy. It's the usual mac and cheese, except the pasta shapes are Halloween-themed pumpkins, ghosts, and bats. This is the first time the company has offered a Halloween pasta--and that got me thinking.

Is there something you or I, as a business or a brand, can do to tweek our offerings? Is a new revenue source right at our finger tips if we slightly alter what we do or how we do it?

Going back to our example of the Kraft Macaroni and Cheese product line, it's really just orange carbs. Pretty darn basic. But the brand continues to come up with new offerings that are modestly different than its staple product. Easy Mac (individual and microwaveable mac n' cheese), Macaroni and Cheese's TV and movie-themed pasta (e.g. Toy Story), Macaroni and Cheese Crackers (which I loved, but were discontinued), the new Cheddar Explosion with extra cheese sauce, and Homestyle Deluxe Macaroni and Cheese that launched this year in three new flavors. Now, this isn't a fluff piece for Kraft. I simply use these as examples to get us thinking. 

So, again, I ask, "Is there something you can do to slightly change the product or service you're bringing to the marketplace?" Consider these questions:

• Can you expand your core product?
• Are you able to offer specialized services?
• Can you attract a new audience or demographic?
• Will a new color, new shape, new size, or other variation broaden your appeal?
• What are the additional ways you can improve life for your customers or clients?
• Can a different approach add new excitement to your standard offerings?
• Do you or your company evolve with the ever changing marketplace?
• Are you showing customers and clients that they can't live without you? 

I know this is just a modest start to a long list of questions, but you can see where I'm going. Are you, or your company, truly seizing every opportunity to grow, succeed, and prosper? Can you bring more to the game, provide more value, and, in doing so, be better? Or, are you going light on the cheese sauce?