How did this happen?

Shortly before I left employment with a national radio broadcast company, where I was selling national advertising on stations and programs across the country and previously was a sales manager for a local Pittsburgh station, I began to notice kids walking around with white earphones connected to some kind of pod.  I thought:  "The latest fad for kids .... adults will still listen to radio.  Heck, every car in America has a radio."

After I left this national radio broadcast company, the company stock dropped 90%.  Along the way, I found out those white earphones were attached to something called an "iPod".  Strike one.

When I received my first text message, from a friend of mine who recently created an Apple app that attracted 1.2 Million users in less than 2 months, I didn't even know how to open it.  I actually didn't even care to open my first received text.  I thought:  "This won't catch on - I can talk way faster than I can type on those little buttons.  Another fad for kids."

Wrong again.  Strike two.  According to Guy Vaynerchuk, in his book The Thank You Economy:

"Though girls ages fourteen to seventeen can still out-text anyone, averaging about a hundred texts per day compared to boys of the same age, who text about thirty times per day, texting isn't just for kids anymore.  As of May 2010, 72 percent of the adult population were texting, at a rate of about ten texts per day.  What do you think the number will look like by 2013?" 

Look around you.  People of all ages are walking around (and driving around) with their heads down, thumbs flying.  They are texting, for sure, but many on smart phones are communicating with friends through Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and other social media of which you've never even heard.  In their homes they are doing the same on computers and iPads, regardless of age.

I am a trusted advisor of a friend of mine who owns a luxury retail business.  He had his most successful year in 2010, which exceeded his most successful year ever in 2009.  Think about the implications of having your best two years in this economy, while other luxury retailers closed their doors.  Most definitely the blessing of God.  Yet, in 2010, I was telling him, "Even the big companies are still trying to figure out how to make social media work for them.  Forget about wasting time there.  We'll get on board when someone else figures it out and we can copy them."  

Strike three.  If you own a small business, it's time to figure out how to communicate with all those people who have their heads down, thumbs flying.  My friend's business success before we got on board with social media only makes me excited about his future success.

Old Dogs + New Tricks = $ Bling $

Thanks for sharing 131 seconds of your day,
Smitty