Break The Pattern

I attended a great event last week on using chess strategies in business.  It was presented by the Entrepreneurs’ Organization, New York Chapter, and held at the famous Marshall Chess Club.

Speaking were chess buff and business guru Bob Rice as well as international chess grandmaster Maurice Ashley.  Ashley showed us various chess positions and laid out strategies to enhance those positions, and then Rice would give us real-life business examples of how a company successfully employed those strategies in business.

One such strategy is called “Break The Pattern”.  Typically, chess players and people act in a natural progression.  Let’s call it 1, 2 and 3.  However, what if, we instead broke that pattern and moved in a different pattern such as 2, 1 and 3?

To illustrate the point from a chess perspective, Ashley showed us a chess board where the white player’s natural move would be to move one’s Knight so that it would be able to capture the opponent’s Rook and, then, exchange Queens.  In Chess, a Rook is a much higher valued piece placing the advantage in these series of moves with white.

However, Ashley shows how one simple change (albeit unorthodox) places the white player in a dramatically superior position.  He explains that instead of moving the Knight to take the Rook, white should use his or her Queens to take the Rook.  Now most players would not make this move because a Queen”s value is much higher than a Rooks.  However, Ashley shows how by making this move first, white is able to take black’s Queens thereafter and avoid losing its Knight.  Instead of being equal, white has a Knight advantage, a vastly improved position.  You can watch this series of moves on my 888 Red Light Facebook page.

Rice then explained how Groupon used this same “break the pattern” strategy to created a $6 billion business in two years.  Prior to Groupon, companies for years tried to crack the group-buying market losing millions of dollars in the process.  He explained that the model of accumulating buyers and, then, trying to get a bulk deal just didn’t work.  Groupon broke the pattern by first securing the steeply discounted deals from the sellers on the condition of getting an agreed minimum of buyers and, then, looking to locate the buyers.  Buyers assist in meeting the minimum by blasting their social networks.  This one simple move allowed Groupon to succeed where its more conventional predecessors were not able to do so.

As you think about improving and innovating in your business, see if the “break the pattern” strategy makes sense.

What “Best Workplace” Really Means

I have a few friends whose companies have won “best workplace” awards.  Most of these awards involve self-nomination and self-promotion.  Now I am sure the winners of these types of awards do indeed have great workplaces.  However, I recently had an experience which is a much better Litmus test of whether I am doing a good job in creating an “award-winning” work environment.

One of our most valued employees, Giselle, was offered a higher paying job with a national organization. She wasn’t looking for a new position but a cousin who worked there recommended her and she was pretty much offered the job without even an interview. When she approached us about the opportunity, we had mixed feelings. We valued her as employee and didn’t want to her to leave, but also were happy for her that she had a new opportunity which could improve her standard of living.

Hoping she would stay, we tried to make staying here as attractive as possible. Ultimately, she decided to leave and we wished her luck and have a farewell celebration.

After one day (yes, that’s right one day) she called us up. Not only did she miss her work “family” but she was bored. The new, higher paying job was not intellectually stimulating and the day moved for her in slow motion. I can only imagine how difficult it was for her to make that call. We encouraged her to give it a few more days. But, the very next day, she called again. She had made a mistake. She missed her co-workers and her responsibilities. She wanted back and really hoped we would re-hire her. The earnest emotion in her voice was palpable.

As you can imagine, this was an easy decision to make. Our work family missed her as much as she missed us. Even some clients were disappointed to hear about her departure.  So you can imagine how pleased I was to see her back at home just one week later.

I think she now has an even deeper sense of loyalty and commitment to our firm having experienced work life outside of 888 Red Light. When I hear about “best places or work” awards, I wonder how many of those places have employees who would return if it involved a pay cut and swallowing one’s pride. To me, that is what makes a great place to work!

Unorthodox But Excellent Business Advice

Two recent posts — “Up, Up And Away!” and “Having A Theme Is Fun And Re-Enforces Your Goals” discussed re-working my business. Therefore, when a friend game me “Rework”, I put it right on top of my pile of books to read.

It is written by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson.  Fried and Hansson’s company, 37Signals, develops software such as Basecamp, Highrise and Campfire.  These products are extremely profitable having generated millions and millions of dollars.

By page 9, I was hooked.  These guys espouse some truly un-orthodox business philosophies that all make sense.  For instance, it is almost a cliché that you learn from your mistakes.  However, in one section entitled “Learning From Your Mistakes Is Overrated”, Fried and Hansson ask “What do you really learn from mistakes?”  They convincingly suggest that you only learn what not to do but that a mistake doesn’t help you figure out what to do next.

In contrast, they argue that success is a much better learning mechanism.  Success allows you to know what works, gives you confidence to continue on your path and gives you experience to build upon it.

Another section entitled “Planning Is Guessing” debunks the importance of business plans and long-term planning.  They argue that such efforts are actually just guesses and virtually impossible to execute without making adjustments.  Further, they warn that rigidly sticking to your “guess”
discourages you from adapting to a better course of action, or taking advantage of opportunities which you didn’t original foresee.  They add that long-range planning is done early on when you do not have all pertinent information.  Over the course of a project, new and important information is
learned and being flexible allows you to better incorporate this information.  They don’t argue that business owners shouldn’t plan but rather that they shouldn’t obsess over it or write more than a few pages.

Another one of my favorites is entitled “Why Grow?”.  Here the authors discuss how many companies are infatuated with growth.  They counter, however, that growth is over-rated, is often done to boost egos and that being small is a great destination.  They point out that small companies are more agile, and can grow quickly if needed.  In contrast, large companies can’t adapt as quickly and face problems if they have to downsize.  They urge you not to make assumption about how big you should be.  Grow slow and see what feels right.  Indeed, Fried and Hansson practice what they preach
keeping 37Signals to around 16 employees.

These are just a few of the pearls of wisdom in Rework.  Having read scores of business books which contain many of the same concepts, I can tell you that this one is well worth the time.

Unpaid Parking Ticket? If So, Watch Out!!!

Strapped for cash, New York City will be stepping up dramatically its efforts to get traffic scofflaws to pay over $680 million in unpaid parking fines.  These aggressive tactics include:

• Car and asset seizures
• Suspension of registrations
• Use of collection agencies

Anyone with 5 or more unpaid parking tickets with 12 months will get their registrations suspended.  Previously, the City would prevent motorists with $350 or more in unpaid parking tickets from renewing registrations when they expired.  Driving with a suspended registration is misdemeanor (VTL 512) making the City’s new tactic more severe.

 

Long Island’s Most Dangerous Intersections

In the wake of three catastrophic accidents involving motorists driving the wrong way on a one-way roadway, Newsday readers and a driver advocate group identified 7 confusing and intersections which are prone for drivers to drive the wrong way on a one-way road.

Below is the list:

1. Lakeview Rd./Marcus Ave. & Northern State Parkway

A driver on Lakeville Road who wants to go east on the Northern State Parkway must get on Marcus Avenue, heading east. To get on the Northern State, the driver must make a left across traffic to get on the parkway’s entrance ramp, which is adjacent to an exit ramp from the Northern State. There is a stop light on Marcus Avenue, but the ramp ways are close together.

2. New Hyde Park Road and Northern State Parkway

A driver headed north on New Hyde Park Road who wants to go west on the Northern State must make a left across traffic onto the entrance ramp, which runs adjacent to an exit ramp from the Northern State.

3. Roslyn Road and the LIE South Service Road

Drivers leaving a gas station located at the southeast corner of this intersection or drivers going north on Roslyn Road sometimes make a left and go west into oncoming traffic on the South Service Road, which is eastbound.

4. Old Country Road and Wantagh Parkway

A driver headed east on Old Country Road who wants to go south on the Wantagh Parkway has to make a left across traffic to get on the parkway’s entrance ramp, which is adjacent to an exit ramp from the Wantagh.

5. Hempstead Turnpike and Wantagh Parkway

A driver headed east on Hempstead Turnpike who wants to go south on the Wantagh Parkway must take Bellmore Road to get to the parkway’s entrance ramp. That ramp’s entry is just beyond the parkway’s exit ramp, and both are at a bend in Bellmore Road where there is a nearby stop sign. A confused driver could go right at the stop sign and head into traffic on Bellmore Road, which could cause the driver to turn into the parkway’s exit ramp.

6. Round Swamp Road and Northern State Parkway

A driver on Round Swamp Road who wants to go east on the Northern State must navigate exit and entrance ramps that are adjacent to one another, with lanes separated only by double yellow lines.

7. Connetquot Avenue and Sunrise Highway

A driver headed south on Connetquot Avenue who wants to go east on Sunrise Highway must make a left across traffic onto the highway’s entrance ramp, which is adjacent to an exit ramp from the Sunrise.

Having A Theme Is Fun & Re-Enforces Your Goals

I recently attended a business presentation on goal setting and execution. It was given by Patrick Thean of Gazelles.com.  A great tip Patrick shared was to break the year up into quarters and have one overriding goal for each quarter. He further recommended to create a theme for the quarter which matches your goal.

You may recall that a recently wrote a post titled “Up, Up And Away!” where I discuss our recent initiative to upgrade our technology.  Our goal for this quarter is to integrate the new systems by the end of this year and our them is “Into the clouds”.

I therefore went out of my way to locate balloons shaped like clouds. After searching online, I settled on balloons which said “I love cloud” and wrote by hand “computing”. I bought three of them and put them out in our office.

The balloons are supposed to be visual reminders of our quarterly goal and provide a fun way to remind our team of the importance of this initiative.

What is your goal for the quarter and can you make a fun theme around it?

A Cost-Less Way To Make Your Business Remarkable

Question:  How does an ordinary diner get people to line up to pay $20 for a hamburger?   Actually, I should add how does a diner do this without costing themselves any additional monies?

Well, Ellen’s Stardust Diner located at 1650 Broadway in Manhattan has figured it out.  They get diners to line up and pay exorbitant fees for ordinary diner food by offering something of value which costs them nothing.  Indeed, not only does it cost them nothing but they actually have the people which provide the extra value lining up themselves to provide it.

So what do they do?  At Ellen’s would-be actors and actresses sing Broadway tunes for the patrons while serving milk shakes and fries.  For the one-time cost of an AV system, the owners of Ellen’s have transformed the diner experience to a fun, “you got to check it out” restaurant.  Of course, creating this concept in the heart of the theater district is a perfect fit as targets  theater-goers (i.e., lovers of show tunes and music).

On the other side of the equation, the waiters and waitresses are eager for this gig because it allows them to sing “on Broadway”, practice their craft and perhaps be found.  Indeed, many former staff at Ellen’s have made it to the Great White Way.  It therefore costs Ellen’s nothing to create a unique experience for which diners are willing to pay a premium.

As you work on you business, try and figure out what you can offer for little or no costs which transforms your business into a remarkable, wait-on-line type of business.

NYC Police Department Caught Imposing Traffic Ticket Quotas

A police memo published by the Daily News shows unequivocal evidence that the New York City Police Department uses traffic ticket quotas.  This memo was reportedly posted in the roll call room of the 77th precinct and advised officers how many traffic tickets and the type required.

Interestingly, cell phones tickets and seat belt tickets were, by far, the largest portion of the quota.  Neither of these tickets carry points and present a much lower safety hazard than, for example, disobeying a red light or speeding.

This is not the first time that the NYPD has been caught imposing quotes.  Earlier this year, a whistleblower cop recorded a supervisor in the 81st Precinct vowing to go after officers who don’t make at least one arrest a month.

State law prohibits police from using quotas – or setting a target number for arrests or summonses during a specific time frame.  The practice is illegal because it places pressure on police officers to issue traffic tickets (even when a violation may not have occurred) and removes their discretion.  The NYPD has denied this practice for years despite evidence to the contrary.

Lights, Camera, Action: Bus Lane Cameras Up & Shooting

On November 9, I wrote a post entitled NYC Bus Lane Cameras Coming discussing how the MTA was going to install surveillance cameras on NYC bus lanes, record license plates of cars that illegally cross into them, and issue tickets to violators.  These tickets will be a whopping $115 (much more than the $50 fine for tickets issued by red light cameras).

Well these cameras are now installed and will be operational this week on the East Side of Manhattan.  Bus lanes on First and Second Avenue will be the first to be enforced with cameras.  You can bet that many more bus lane cameras will be coming soon.

Motorists are allowed to use a bus lane only for permitted right turns and expeditious passenger pick ups or drop offs.

A bus lane camera ticket is like a parking ticket (i.e., no points and no driving record consequences).  If a police officer issues a bus lane ticket, it also carries no points but will appear on your driver ‘s license (occasionally, police officers issue these tickets under VTL 1110a – disobey a traffic control device – which carries 2 points).

Suffolk County Red Light Camera Program

The Suffolk County Red Light Safety Program involves the installation of red light cameras  in Suffolk County at up to 50 intersections. This page lists the locations of some of the red light cameras in Suffolk County.

A red light camera takes photographs of motorists who disobey red lights and then sends them a ticket in the mail and assesses a $50 fine (plus $4 processing fee for credit card payments).  Points are NOT assessed for these infractions and they are NOT reported to auto insurance companies.

The registered owner is responsible for paying the ticket and, if remains unpaid, a default conviction and a $25 late fee will be imposed.  Eventually, the owner’s registration can be placed on hold for non-payment.

Intersection                           Town           Direction

27N @ CR112 Johnson Ave     Bohemia           SB
27N @ CR112 Johnson Ave     Bohemia           WB
27N @ CR112 Johnson Ave     Bohemia           NB
27N @ CR112 Johnson Ave     Bohemia           EB
28 NSR @ Rt112                    E Patchogue      SB
27 NSR @ Rt 112                   E Patchogue      WB
LIE NSR @ Wheeler Road       Hauppauge        SB
LIE NSR @ Wheeler Road       Hauppauge        WB
454 @ Motor Parkway            Islandia             NB
454 @ Motor Parkway            Islandia             SB
454 @ Motor Parkway            Islandia             EB
454 @ Motor Parkway            Islandia             WB
454 @ Suffolk Ave                 Islandia             NB
454 @ Suffolk Ave                 Islandia             SB
LIE NSR @ Motor Parkway      Lakeland           SB
LIE NSR @ Motor Parkway      Lakeland           WB
LIE NSR @ Old Nichols Road   Lakeland           SB
LIE NSR @ Old Nichols Road   Lakeland           WB
LIE NSR @ Ocean Ave            Lakeland           SB
LIE NSR @ Ocean Ave            Lakeland           WB
LIE SSR @ Ocean Ave            Lakeland           NB
LIE SSR @ Ocean Ave            Lakeland           EB
LIE NSR @ Ronkonkoma Ave  Ronkonkoma      SB
LIE NSR @ Ronkonkoma Ave  Ronkonkoma      WB

LIE NSR @ Commack Road    Commack           SB
Rt 25 @ Pidgeon Hill              S Huntington      EB
Rt 25 @ Pidgeon Hill              S Huntington      WB

Please email me at mjweiss@888redlight.com if you know of other locations.