Knowing your target market: Planet Fitness

In the image based culture we live in it's easy to see why the gym and fitness industry is booming. Whether you work out in the garage of a trainer teaching crossfit or you go to one of those huge gyms with pools, spas and video game center, chances are at least familiar with the typical gym atmosphere.  You know what I'm talking about, the grunting giant guy by the weights staring in the mirror, the chick who wears nothing but a sports bra and short shorts and jogs on the treadmill for 2 hours.  Regardless you know that the gym experience for the average Joe is usually less than stellar.

Enter Planet Fitness.  Planet Fitness is a great example of a company identifying a market in desperate need of an outlet.  While there are plenty of gyms that aim to be "no pressure" gyms none have done so as successfully as Planet Fitness..  Planet Fitness has been running campaign ads for months now that make fun of the meatheads, the gym rats and the yoga chicks.  The idea being that not every person goes to the gym to gain 20lbs of muscle.  Instead Planet Fitness wants its members to know that they have a safe haven at their locations to just “keep in shape.”

Planet Fitness is a great example of a company identifying a market in desperate need of an outlet and filling it.  The gym has quickly spread its franchise from coast to coast with national success.  Seeing Planet Fitness’ success has definitely challenged me as an aspiring entrepreneur.  Just as Planet Fitness identified a target market and filled it I am really challenging myself to do the same.  While I may not have as broad reaching market such as the fitness world there is definitely still opportunity.  My job as founder is to identify these opportunities and find a way to fulfill them.  

Sometimes You Live Long Enough to See Yourself Become the Villain

This past week the one and only Jay Z dropped his latest studio album Magna Carta Holy Grail.  The album has been received with mixed views ranging from a scalding review via Chris Richards at The Washington Post to Steven Hyden's high praise over at Grantland.com.  I personally was carefully optimistic when I downloaded the album.  I've always been an avid Jay Z fan and although I agree he's a little over indulgent sometimes I still enjoy his music and his creative approach to hip hop.  

I've followed Jay Z for a while now with The Black Album being my first real introduction to HOV (later than most I know).  And I've passionately purchased everything he's put out since. I loved The Bluprint 3 and was even on board for Kingdom Come and his little stint with Kanye on Watch the Throne.  However, after searching through the latest album I just don't feel the same connection or passion coming from the music anymore. 

Jay...we get it, you make a ton of money and you're married to Beyonce can we talk about something else now?

But, I digress.  In the fast paced, emotionally jaded, technologically driven world we live in, Mr Carter found a way to do something different.  For that he has my respect.

Taking a look at the big picture however, one must ask if it's worth it in the end.  While you could argue that Jay Z has become a part of the machine that hip hop has fought so hard to avoid you also cannot argue that maybe this is just the next stage in hip hop's evolution.  For someone like me who is working towards building from the ground up I'm sure it's a great probleem to have; to give in or to stay real.  

Jay Z has done a fantastic job of looking at himself at a product, a brand if you will, and as the times have changed so has he.  Jay Z has determined that he wants the brand that is himself to move into a larger audience with a greater reach so that he may keep growing and evolving as a businessman.  While we as fans may have the golden days of Jay behind us there's a lot to look forward too and to learn from on the business end from Mr Carter.  

I for one know I will be watching. 

Negotiation and Deal Making Interview

For my blog I interviewed local business owner and custom home renovator James Franklin.  Franklin owns Coastal Custom Finishing LLC based out of Dr. Phillips.  The main source of income for Coastal Custom Finishes is the art of plastering and wall restoration in which James is one of the most sought after and reputable businessmen in the area.  Negotiation is a daily part of James’ job as he is constantly negotiating pricing, timelines and other various costs.  Due to the nature of James’ business there is no way to really provide set pricing as it changes from job to job.  Thus most pricing discussions result in a negotiation as the customer tries to lower the costs. 

The first item James and I discussed was separating the person from the problem.  James explained that sometime jobs change and you have to alter the price or expectations.  During these jobs you sometimes cross paths with your employer and tensions rise.  It is when this happens that you have to renegotiate these deals and emotions are high that problems can appear.  James highlighted that keeping a cool temper and letting the other person talk first worked well for him.  It allowed time for him to identify what the person really wanted and give him the opportunity to let tensions lower.

James and I also discussed how he uses objective criteria in his pricing and negotiation. Since each project changes from job to job, James does the best he can to provide a common price point to establish costs.  One way James reutilizes objective criteria is by giving the customer the average cost per foot in the current market.  James says it allows him to set a base price and then explain how his work is higher quality and thus will be more expensive.

The last item James and I discussed was when customers play dirty tricks.  James commented that being in the blue-collar business presents a separate set of problems in the area of dirty tricks.  A healthy BATNA is also key to have in most job situations to help prevent any dirty tricks.  A great example James had recently was when a customer threatened to have James kicked off a job site because he was not moving “fast enough.” To prevent this dirty trick James pulled out his BATNA and stated that if they took him off the job they would miss out on the best quality and would set back the next painter.

I am very thankful for James sitting down with me and giving me the chance to pick his brain.   James had some great examples of being a great, principled negotiator.  The real world examples were great for helping show me how I want to be able to negotiate whenever I enter the workforce.

GOOGLE: Taking Over the World and Looking Good Doing It

            Normally in my posts I talk about fashion, competitors, logos or other things that pertain to the backpack industry.  This week though I’d like to take a break and talk a little bit about a brand I greatly admire.  As the title of this blog suggests that brand is the ever-growing powerhouse that is Google.

This past week was the Google I/O Keynote meeting.  The 180min presentation covered everything from new technology like Google Glass to the redesign of Google+ to the new Google Maps rollout.  I’ve looked at a few recaps of the meeting from Mashable.com , Time.com, and Wired.com.  These recaps take a look at Google from different perspectives and all generally commenting on the summit being generally uneventful.  However, Lance Ulanoff takes a separate approach from Time and Wired to discuss the Google summit.  Ulanoff talks about the slow takeover of Google and how the company is slowly infiltrating every aspect of its consumers’ lives.

I found this recap most interesting because I thought it shed a lot of light on what Google as a brand is doing.  The company is making minor edits to Google+, Google Maps and its Android devices enough so that we become more accustomed with their programs than others that are available without knowing it.  Google has more resources than its competitors, it has more platforms and tools and it has the foresight to flex these muscles.  It seems that instead of flat out competing with Facebook, iPhone, iPads, Yahoo Maps etc… Google is completely content with making small edits and changes and slowly bleeding their competitors’ dry.

For instance if you use Gmail you most likely have Google+.  As Google+ continues to grow, change and evolve consumers using other platforms such as Google maps or Gmail will find their activity slowly becoming more integrated with the social media platform.  Eventually then it is only a matter of time before they switch over to Google+ completely.  Google is on a quest for world domination, there’s no doubt about it, and as the summit shows they’ve got the know how and the power to do it.  

Cover Letters: Business' Silent Killer

Cover Letters…The name itself strikes fear into the hearts of applicants everywhere. Currently a wonderful job opportunity has opened up for me and I found myself having to produce one to apply.  Cover letters are tricky; unlike resumes they are wordier and provide a great opportunity for candidates to display some of their personality.  I did some research on what defines a good cover letter and came across a great article by comphealth.com.  

In the article certain habits are highlighted, habits such as staying on track, being memorable and getting to the point.  comphealth.com has its successful tips broken down into 10 easy steps. The article challenged me to take my cover letter much more serious.  Thus, I have taken the time to produce a nice one-page cover letter that I have attached below.  I would love to get any feedback from the readers on what I could do to improve, alter, eliminate etc…  

To Whom It May Concern:

My name is CJ Britton and I am interested in the Agency Marketing Manager position that is currently open with (name omitted). I discovered the job on your website and believe it would be a perfect fit with my skillset.

I was initially introduced (unknowingly) to (name omitted) through the Atlanta Braves “spring cleaning” above the line campaign.  After seeing the billboards around town I did some research and found that (name omitted) was the company behind the promotion.  I love the simplicity of the campaign and really respect what the company did for such a high profile client.

As for me my background lies in marketing both traditional and non-traditional.  I currently possess 5+ years of marketing experience holding various positions from a sports department, to a couple blogs, college brand rep to Red Bull Field Marketing Specialist. During my time with Red Bull I directed a team of 14 in Southwest Chicago and hired, trained and managed the team from scratch.  My main goals as Field Marketing Specialist were to oversee a consumer-facing team in the collegiate universe, captaining projects by comprehensively aligning resources with marketing objectives to maximize visibility and ensure bottom-line growth in my market.

While in Chicago I was a key manager on international projects such as Red Bull Flugtag, Red Bull Thre3style and Red Bull Back to School campaigns.  I was also responsible for individually spearheading local projects such as Red Bull Sharpshooters, Red Bull Chariot Race, Red Bull Play and Destroy and more.  I also assisted in building strategy for the @redbullCHI social media accounts and helping reach 8000+ followers.

I thank you in advance for your consideration and time.  I would love the opportunity to talk with you more about the position, my qualifications, its expectations and how I could be a great asset to your team.  I look forward to your response and will be sure to reach back out by end of week if I do not hear anything.

Cheers,

And that’s it! Let me know what you guys think of the cover letter and any edits I can do to make it better.

CJ