Jayme Soulati, Author at soulati.com

Is $Billion The New $Million?

11/20/2013 By Jayme Soulati

Everywhere I look, I see $1 billion tossed around like candy in a parade. No one uses $1 million for anything anymore; in fact, a million anything is paltry, peanuts, and unimpressive. It’s just so yesterday, right?

Case in point from these headlines and tidbits:

• Twitter IPO seeks $1.4 billion
• Starbucks fined $2.8 billion
• Crocs Market Cap $1.2 billion and seeking price tag of $1.5 billion in leveraged buyout
• Hershey net revenue $1.51 billion
• U.S. Postal Service Delivers loss of $5 billion
• J.P. Morgan and U.S. Reach $13 billion accord
• Iranian gas firm driven to bankruptcy with $4 billion debt
• Western Union moved $79 billion in cash transfers in 2012

Corporations are drowning in money and being fined or losing more. It’s astonishing how much currency is afloat; yet, economies, governments, and small business are struggling big time.

Money Is A Mindset

Hard to think your own company is successful when everyone around you is dealing in billions, right?

Here’s the very good news – those who are dealing with that kind of valuation, market cap, debt, fines, and whatever else are the ones taking the heat, in the spotlight, getting sued, being investigated, and answering to investors.

It’s heartening to know there’s safety in flying under the radar and not having billions of dollars get tossed around like (read what I said in the first sentence).

To answer my own question, I do indeed believe billion is the new million. We smaller fish, however, cannot forget that we’re the drivers of economies, too. We hire people, we buy services, we tick and tock, and generally are accessible to the kids out of school who need a mentor or somewhere to intern.

I’m pretty content knowing that in my book, a million still matters…as long as it’s a black million and not red.

How about you?

How Twitter IPO Changes Its Focus

11/18/2013 By Jayme Soulati

Few people understand what happens when a company goes public. We watched how Facebook maneuvered an ever increasingly heated spotlight, and now Twitter is undergoing the same.

In this piece Nov. 11, 2013 in Advertising Age, “Twitter’s task: Getting new users to understand it,” it seems the biggest issue Twitter has with new users is its complexity.

To follow this line of thinking, go back to the very first tweet you posted. Perhaps you need to go back to the very first time you logged in and saw a blank screen with some stranger popping up to say hi. Were you as nervous as I and almost backed out?

There are still people who don’t engage on Twitter because they believe the common misnomer that it’s a bunch of people talking about what they eat and where they go to the movies. We in the know, know better, right?

Because Twitter is now publicly traded (NYSE: TWTR) with a valuation of more than $20 billion and a 73 percent “stock pop” (says Ad Age) on day one of trading, it has to think differently about how to behave:

Attract more of the masses (a major hurdle)
Onboarding new users and making them feel comfy out of the gate
Reduce consumer churn – the rate that new users drop off in a short period of time
Increase advertising dollars for marketers who want proof the users are there to click through and make a buy

Take a look at Twitter’s number of users in the U.S., says Advertising Age:

Q1 2013 – 48 million monthly active users

Q2 2013 – 49 million monthly active users

Q3 2013 – 53 million monthly active users

Facebook has three times the scale. At the end of Q2 2013, it boasted 179 million monthly active users

It’s like comparing apples to oranges, however, because look at the skill and understanding a Twitter peep has to communicate. When you read tweets from accounts trying to sell, they’re awkward. Engagement and relationship building are the keys to earning followers; Facebook is about existing relationships among friends you already know. Not so Twitter.

It’s because of Twitter that I have a new network of true and real friends I’ve met IRL, spoken with on the phone, engaged with on Skype, and hired into my business. Not so Facebook.

There are so many ways Twitter can be used to enhance knowledge of the world.

When there is a natural disaster like the ones in New Orleans, Haiti, the Philippines, New Zealand, and elsewhere, Twitter comes alive with tweets around the world providing updates about the crises and how peeps can help. Not so Facebook.

The hashtag is finally coming into its own as a way to follow conversations; its now in use by Facebook AND Google+. We owe that to Twitter as the first channel to adopt hashtags; I think I first began hashtagging #RockHot in August 2010, and all the threads of tweets featuring that phrase I created are documented. Pretty cool.

I digress…

What I’m hoping doesn’t happen with Twitter as it has with Facebook is the social channel’s intense need to put advertisers first and revenue above service. We who have been around since the early days know quite well the quirky and secretive nature of Twitter with a tribe mentality.

It’s too bad Twitter will change itself to appeal to the masses who don’t and won’t get it (although I’ve heard from a lot of moms that the kids are hitting Twitter in droves and foregoing Facebook). Groups of young boys (about freshmen age in high school) are forming Twitter accounts and buying followers to gain immediate traction.

Perhaps Twitter needs to look within among users who already prefer the channel over the others instead of trying at this late juncture to appeal to those who won’t get it to also thus appeal to marketers sinking advertising dollars into the channel.

Time will tell…

The Happy Friday Series: She Writes Right

11/15/2013 By Jayme Soulati

Erin Feldman of Write Right Words

Have you ever met Erin Feldman? Perhaps you’ll remember her Happy Friday Series in February about the joy she finds in Latin dancing, and I turned green with envy. I’m one of those people who won’t try something unless I can do it; which means I get hung up trying to be perfect at something I don’t even know how to do; sigh.

Erin is a blogger at Write Right, and she illustrates stories and badges with the cutest little cupie doll characters (and I know she has a name for them, but I have to go find it). At Write Right, Erin is the go to for all things grammar, punctuation and word choice.

I’m going to do something I should not, for Erin’s drawings are COPYRIGHTED. This is a copyrighted work, which means I do not have permission to use it; Erin, would you mind terribly if I put your gorgeously intricate drawing here so people can see your creativity? (P.S. I’m also trying to get you hired!)

I’ve enjoyed her renditions of corrections over the years, and you know what? She’s right. There isn’t a blog named as appropriately as hers, and you should check it out here and here.

When you dive in a bit deeper about Erin right here you’ll see she has the credentials to back up what the heck she’s talking about. I mean she went and got a Masters degree, too, not to mention she does graphic design.

In fact, I believe she’s for hire. Who wouldn’t want an excellent writer who can also design for your business?

Oh, and one last thing…Erin, thanks for all you do and how you contribute. There isn’t a community around the ‘sphere that hasn’t benefited from Erin’s ‘raderie and smarts, especially mine.

$2.8 Billion; Ponder That Starbucks

11/14/2013 By Jayme Soulati

English: Starbucks at West Coast Plaza, Singapore (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The boldest headline I’ve read in awhile shook my core.

Starbucks Fined $2.8 Billion

It’s yesterday’s news, literally; but its impact will be felt by you and me. If Starbucks doesn’t appeal the arbitrator’s judgment in its three-year battle against Kraft for trying to end a failed partnership, then the price of that $5 pumpkin spice latte will increase to $5.75.

You will pay for Starbuck’s business decision gone awry.

In the Wall Street Journal Nov. 13, 2013, the story includes a quote from a statement by Starbucks CFO Troy Alstead, “We believe Kraft did not deliver on its responsibilities to our brand under the agreement; the performance of the business suffered as a result.”

How can someone put a price tag on “performance of a brand?”

This figure is mindboggling.

With $2.8 billion dollars:

• The U.S. national debt could remove a sizeable chunk
• Every person in China would get about $2.50 (there’s something like 1 billion people in China)
• 28,000 college students could get $100,000 each to attend university
• The debt of cities like Chicago and Detroit could be wiped out
• And, on and on and on

With the current crises we’re seeing each day in the economies of the world, within P&L sheets of companies, in municipalities and how they’re run and function, in the debt acquired by young people interested in a better path after college, in the homes and families of everyone in the world, do you think that arbitrator could’ve required Starbucks to donate $1 billion to charitable causes in an endowment fund?

Further in the article, it states:

Starbucks declined to comment on a possible appeal, saying it is still reviewing the decision, but said it has adequate liquidity in the form of cash and available borrowing capacity to make the payment…

Blows your mind, doesn’t it? Starbucks posted $14.9 billion in revenue for fiscal year ending Sept. 29, and it reported $2.6 billion in cash and cash equivalents, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Starbucks Mission Statement

Perhaps the more mature I become in age and my professional standing within my profession, I have begun to view business from a lighter perspective.

The very center and core of a business contributes to its culture, its values, mission, and vision. Take a look at the Starbucks mission statement:

Our Starbucks Mission Statement

Our mission: to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time.
Here are the principles of how we live that every day:

Our Coffee
It has always been, and will always be, about quality. We’re passionate about ethically sourcing the finest coffee beans, roasting them with great care, and improving the lives of people who grow them. We care deeply about all of this; our work is never done.

Our Partners
We’re called partners, because it’s not just a job, it’s our passion. Together, we embrace diversity to create a place where each of us can be ourselves. We always treat each other with respect and dignity. And we hold each other to that standard.

Our Customers
When we are fully engaged, we connect with, laugh with, and uplift the lives of our customers – even if just for a few moments. Sure, it starts with the promise of a perfectly made beverage, but our work goes far beyond that. It’s really about human connection.

Our Stores
When our customers feel this sense of belonging, our stores become a haven, a break from the worries outside, a place where you can meet with friends. It’s about enjoyment at the speed of life – sometimes slow and savored, sometimes faster. Always full of humanity.

Our Neighborhood
Every store is part of a community, and we take our responsibility to be good neighbors seriously. We want to be invited in wherever we do business. We can be a force for positive action – bringing together our partners, customers, and the community to contribute every day. Now we see that our responsibility – and our potential for good – is even larger. The world is looking to Starbucks to set the new standard, yet again. We will lead.

Our Shareholders
We know that as we deliver in each of these areas, we enjoy the kind of success that rewards our shareholders. We are fully accountable to get each of these elements right so that Starbucks – and everyone it touches – can endure and thrive.

Reaction to Starbucks Mission Statement

I read this three times; I’m seeking what’s missing from what I did see:

• Starbucks will be in the lead to set new standards (yet again), and it will be a good neighbor.
• Coffee is its business, period. And it is committed to coffee.
• Partnerships and customers are treated with respect; yet, again, it’s about work.

Nowhere in this mission do I see a commitment to giving back to nurture a community beyond being a good neighbor with its stores and to uplift the customer, which I know it does extremely well. The mission statement says it sees the potential for good, and it will be a leader (again) to set the standard for that.

Feelings from Mission Statements

I don’t know about you, but what is your reaction to the words in Starbucks’ Mission Statement? Does it leave you with a warm and fuzzy feeling about this global corporation interested in nurturing, giving back, contributing and helping solve the problems of the communities in which its stores reside?
Do you get a teensy bit of arrogance from some of the word choices that fail, IMHO, to move me.

Let’s ponder this — $2.8 billion.

Kraft and Mondelez will split that. In fact, the two corporations are already sharing, in yesterday’s article, how they will spend that money. Mondelez International will buy back shares, while Kraft indicated the “arbitration’s outcome will not have material financial impact on Kraft.”

Who is responsible, accountable and interested in where the world needs to go to become a better place for our children?

Is money or love the answer? When you stand in line at your neighborhood Starbucks to spend $5 on a fat-filled dreamy drink, ponder $2.8 billion; that’s all.

What Is Vocal Fry And Your Professionalism

11/13/2013 By Jayme Soulati

The pitch, tone, inflection, decibel, and timbre of your vocal chords when they deliver your personal sound become richer with age. When you speak with a six-year-old, her voice is like a flute with soprano qualities. It’s so high, no adult can mimic it.

Even pre-teens have that kid-like quality to their voice that denotes youth, and it’s precious just before they reach puberty.

For young women, especially, the quality of their voices and how they elect to deliver the syllables of inflection in a professional setting can often be their downfall.

There have been many different coming from teens and 20-somethings. Most notable is the Valley Girl delivery popular in the ‘80s and still evident in this decade. Today, there’s something called where the end of a sentence is twanged with a vibrato of the vocal chord to hang on to a syllable longer than usual. The Kardashians are notorious for this.

For an example of what I’m talking about, hit this video monologue by and you’ll see a variety of sounds resonating from this woman as she imitates a range of sound delivery.

Young Professionals

Have you ever listened to your own voice via recording? I encourage you to record your voice on your iPhone and listen to it. Or, make a video and interview someone as you stand behind the camera. Listen to how you sound when you’re in a professional interview.

One of my fave (hilarious) videos with Gini Dietrich, of SpinSucks fame, in has me guffawing and inflecting strangely all over the place not to mention the too-fast speaking, but I had tons of fun laughing through the three minutes. I knew I was inflecting for laughs, and it was purposeful. Would you be able to switch it up yourself?

Listen To Your Voice

When you are cold pitching someone as you look for a job or try to snare earned media, think about how your voice comes across on the phone. It’s your asset, and you should regard it as such. There’s a maturity consideration for voice intonation via the phone.

It’s imperative you lower the timbre of your voice as much as you can and never inflect up at the end of a sentence as this becomes a question where there is none. If your delivery is nasally, and Americans are notorious for speaking through their nose, it sounds like you’re in a tunnel or you have a cold.

Your voice needs to signify confidence and positive self-esteem, and how you elect to impress someone on the other end of a phone line depends a lot on your delivery (and of course what you say).

If you have a nervous giggle or speak too fast, you can easily adjust these habits. If you have serious inflection or timber issues perhaps you may want to consider a voice coach to help you adjust your tone to be more professional versus not yet seasoned.

Not all young people come across as light and airy on the phone, and when I encounter them I know immediately they have a command of professional delivery with a firm hand shake.

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