The Captain’s Blog : Archive for the 'Fun' Category

Every so often we have an opportunity at the Corporate Alliance Jumpstart lunches to make a presentation about our company and what we do. This year as part of our presentation we made masks to hand out to all the attendees. On the back of the mask it says “Looking like someone else is tempting “especially when it’s Lance“ but a unique identity will save you frustration and build a better brand”. After presenting and talking about the mask we a had people fill out a card to enter a drawing as well as request more info from us if they wanted to. We also presented some of the work we’ve done for clients and told about the clients and what they do. The campaign has been a great success! We’ve recieve 40 plus leads of business interested in using our services. Plus it’s given us and everyone else a great opportunities to tease Lance, and you can’t pass that up!

Brandon Jeppson

Lets face it, the day to day work load doesn’t often allow for crazy exploration of ideas. If that’s true, how can you keep your thinking fresh and “outside the box”? Have you ever considered creating more work for yourself? Sounds a little crazy, I know, especially when so many things demand your time already. However, when you create your own project, with you as the client, it allows for trying strange things that the average client might not be to thrilled about. It also allows you to try things that might be dead ends that don’t solve the problem.

One of my coworkers that has a love for great music found a solution. Every so often he gives himself the homework assignment to create a new “mix tape”, a group of MP3s selected to form a cool custom album. He then designs a sweet cover that embodies the feel of the collected music. As an awesome plus, later some of these designs have provided solutions for challenges that come up in the day to day projects.

Expand your thinking and let something move you to create and explore new ideas. I know you like to be free from homework but maybe it’s time to give yourself a little.

Brandon Jeppson

Many businesses sell great services and when a business can make that service automated it’s like printing your own money. Henry Ford did it with the automobile and John Schefer is doing it with wedding invitations. However unlike Mr. Ford, Schefer offers his product in an array of colors and designs. There are wedding invitation designs for everyone’s taste. You start by selecting the template design you like the best. Then upload your photos. Next add text and music to create an animated experience for all of your guests. You can modify your invitation at your leisure and send it to anyone with an email address. Go to MyInvitationLink .com and try it out. Use it as your primary invitation or at the very least you’ll want to use it as a supplement.

Brandon Jeppson

Have you ever met one of those people that is just so pleasant you can’t help but love them? That is RaDene Hatfield. She is positive, honest and happy. RaDene knows what she is talking about and is very gracious for any help she receives. She values others’ input and is always interested in what they have to say. She has great taste in design. RaDene is open to new ideas. She has a good heart and a good since of humor. She has an energy about her that just makes everyone love to be around her! If you want to meet kindness, sincerity and courage to stand for the truth; meet RaDene Hatfield. She’s running for Utah State Senate this year and we’re sure you’ll agree she’ll do an amazing job.

Brandon Jeppson

Everyone one knows that networking is important. In fact, most of our clients have come by way of referral. The reason for so many of these referrals and relationships is because of a little company called Corporate Alliance—which really isn’t a “little” company anymore. This one little post about Corporate Alliance doesn’t even come close to doing justice to all they have done for Eli Kirk, but at least it is a start. Corporate Alliance and it’s staff are visionaries. They have managed to figure out what truly makes every business successful. And if that weren’t enough, they’ve gone and put it in a format anyone can easily digest and begin to implement for added success. Even more than this, the information is packaged very nicely, and to top it all off, it’s fun.

Now some people might say that Corporate Alliance is just a glorified business club or a chamber of commerce clone, but neither of these teaches you and helps you to build relationships like Corporate Alliance does. Corporate Alliance believes that relationships are such a key to success that their motto is “every opportunity has it’s root in a relationship”. To our delight, this has proven to be very true for all of us at Eli Kirk.

If you ever get a chance to attend a Jump Start, a monthly networking luncheon that Corporate Alliance holds, you will experience something that will put any “Ra Ra” session to shame because it will change the way you do business. Plus, Corporate Alliance looks so amazingly good doing it; no dorky cheers or smoke and lights, just slick presentations that make a lot sense and are surprisingly fun to be part of. If there was ever a magic potion or secret solution to jump start your business, Corporate Alliance is it.

Brandon Jeppson

This past Saturday Eli Kirk had Lagoon day and the whole office went to the amusement park. Several of the roller coaster rides were awesome and others were just lame, they weren’t what I expected. What made the difference? How they met my expectations. The mantra of my boss is “manage expectations”. Manage expectations? What a strange phrase. What does it mean? Well, it means exactly what is says.

A large portion of the excitement and pleasure we have is based on expectations. Think about it. Roller coasters are exciting because of what we expect right after the top of that initial big hill. TV shows and movies’ successes hinge on expectations, will Sandy find out that Greg her lover is really her long lost cousin. Much can be done to build expectations for what might happen. However, the difficulty in managing expectations lies not in the build up but in the delivery. Delivering on promises and going above and beyond to exceed expectations; these are the things that bring pleasure, and in the world of business leave costumers deeply pleased with your product or service.

When we manage expectations we are doing whatever it takes to let customers know that they will be taken care of and have a great experience with us no matter what happens. It might be a crazy ride, but it will be a good one.

Brandon Jeppson

Running, many people hate it. However a select few love it, and rave about the runners high that they get when running long distances! Those who love running know that a good running shoe is worth it’s weight in gold. We don’t do much running in our office, instead we do a lot of sitting. Like much of America we all sit in front of a computer screens for a good 8 hours a day, or more. You might call us distance sitters, although I’m pretty sure no one’s getting high from sitting. Recently two of our designers got some amazing chairs that are like a good shoe helping you jump higher and run faster. One of our designers swears that his new chair even designs for him with automatic drop shadows! Well whatever their powers may be the two Mirra Chairs by Herman Miller are amazingly comfortable and can be adjusted every which way. They seem to put the back and body at ease allowing the mind to focus on designing or world domination, whatever is on the schedule for the day.

Brandon Jeppson

Take a journey back to the good ole college days, ah the alma mater. You remember, anytime one of the sports teams brought the victory home it meant that any student or fan was entiled to tell even one how wonderful the school and it’s teams were. Anyone who supported the team in any small way was part of that victory and that gave them bragging rights. You may not be very familiar with bragging rights, but can I help it if my school was better than yours… Anyway it’s fun to boast about something cool that you’re connected to.

So in the spirit of boasting I want to announce an new category on our blog that you are sure to love, especially if you’re one of our clients, the category is called “Bragging Rights.” It’s a place where we can talk about our great clients, their successes and all the cool things they’re doing. Cause we’d like to think we’ve had a little part in their success, and that means we’ve got bragging rights!

Brandon Jeppson

An office full of programmers and designers stereotypically lends itself to a strict class of people… geeks and/or nerds. Guilty as charged. Said stereotypes often behave in equally stereotypical ways, with video gaming, high-tech gadget wielding and sugar-infused beverage downing as some of the preferred activities. Guilty, guilty and guilty.

However, unique to our little Eli Kirk office culture of nerds is a new little pastime that has begun to capture our fancy: foosball. Not but two weeks ago did this wonderful new distraction arrive, and life has begun to evolve in interesting little ways. Now, instead of all of us doing exactly what I’m doing now—strapping on headphones and tuning out the world—we have a new avenue through which we can channel our rampant ADD.

It’s great. We now have a way to settle conversational, creative or even political disputes fairly and “face each other as God intended. Sportsman-like.” It helps with creativity (at least it does mine), office cohesion and fosters a relaxed atmosphere. We highly recommend the Dynamo/Tornado Whirlwind as a worthwhile investment for any office culture. Now if I could just stop losing…