And now for something a little different, y’all.

Kay Plantes asked me if I would be willing to post the following article because she felt it was “a story that needed telling”. I have to admit, it’s a pretty good account of how the power of vision can make all the difference to the tale of success. And, in an amazing display of serendipity, it also happens to fit neatly into our What I Learned From Limits groupwrite project this month! Way to go, Kay!

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Seeking: College-town of 20,000+ college students, with 10,000+ year-round residents, active nightlife and eclectic cultural tastes to locate a unique pizza restaurant

Ian Gurfield, an Amherst University college student, created this vision statement during an academic semester in Italy. Following a post-graduation cross-country trip through America’s college towns, he chose Madison, opening Frances Street Ian’s in the heart of UW’s nightlife.

Ten years later Gurfield owns multiple Madison businesses, his vision far more sophisticated, evolving due to his curiosity, willingness to experiment and tenacity. Admirably, he’s held “not knowing” until the right answers emerged.

Gurfield opened a second Ian’s on State Street to retain an ambitious business partner and capture traffic at Madison’s Capitol Square.  He discovered the challenges of multiple businesses and that a winning location is necessary but not sufficient.  By expanding the space to offer eat-in dining, Gurfield found success.  A restaurant on Chicago’s Clark Street also joined the mix.

Ian’s also grew synergistically using new products.  A local, organic frozen yogurt recently joined salads and brownies on the menus.  A staging kitchen will soon open on Willy Street, relieving stores of ingredient preparation. To speed financial payback, the kitchen will run a retail bakery modeled after Portland, Maine’s Standard Bakery.

Through all this, Gurfield struggled with Ian’s longer-term vision. Growth for the sake of growth wasn’t important, but retaining talent is, and that requires growth.  Furthermore, according to Gurfield, “Franchising wouldn’t work as we’d lose the local-owner-as-manager climate critical to creating Ian’s unique taste and experience.”

Ian’s recently completed 2020 Vision is a best-practice example of visioning for a number of reasons. The vision:

• Is specific and unique—not the generic statements so many leaders settle for.  For example, by 2020 Ian’s will have created 16 businesses, with at least 10 retail pizza restaurants, and in at least two geographic areas. A central entity, Ian’s Soul Central, will establish best practices across sites and offer marketing, financial and management services. An internal investment bank (open to employee investment) will fund expansion.
• Is inspiring—capturing what matters most (such as sustainability and good jobs) to the people who will transform reality into vision.
• Is strategic—setting a direction, not merely elusive goals. Gurfield’s vision work solved how Ian’s will grow while still retaining the individual identity and entrepreneurship vital to any one location’s success. Ian’s will be a federation of independently owned companies (at least two per city) that share knowledge and central services to help entrepreneurs overcome an otherwise lonely, challenging journey. Ian’s Soul Central will also convene a board of managing partners, each overseeing a city’s individual operator-owner companies, like State Street Ian’s Pizza that Lexy Frautschy now fully owns.
• Stretches from today. Ian’s hiring and training practices will be recognized nationally, for example.
• Yet, is rooted in the company’s DNA. Ian’s will always focus on exceptional ingredients, expertly prepared – “A business with pizzazz, not pizza” – and a rewarding environment for team players, all Gurfield core values.
• Clarifies what’s in and out. After completing the vision work, Gurfield learned that an associate’s father had unused organic farmland. Immediately he saw a fit, given Ian’s commitment to sustainable business practices and starting new businesses. Yet another federation member is born.

What does your vision statement say about your organization? If it reflects a “check the box, did that” activity, start again.  Defining your vision is at the heart of thinking and leading strategically.

Kay Plantes helps business leaders make better strategy decisions, faster. Her 20-year old firm, Plantes Company, LLC works with leaders to redefine their organization’s business model to secure higher profits and growth. The MIT-trained economist writes a weekly blog on business model innovation, http://www.plantescompany.com/blog and is author of Beyond Price: Differentiate Your Business in Ways that Really Matter (Greenleaf Bookgroup, 2009) http://www.beyondpricebook.com

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I have come to the conclusion my biggest limit is the 24 hour day. Or rather, how I think about the 24 hour day.

Let’s face it, we have all had days where 24 hours were just not enough!

- Work
- Exercise
- Family
- Relaxation
- Chores

… and somewhere in there we need time to eat and sleep too!

What have I learned from these limits?

Lack of time has meant I have had to learn …

- How to prioritize and find some work/life balance, and that clients should not come before my kid

- Productivity and time management (an ongoing struggle)

- Automation, and using software tools (I write about productivity and software here)

- Saying “No” is not rude but sensible and best for all parties

- Partnering more – having to realize I am not superman was hard but necessary!

- Creating products so do not have to sell my hours, more of me to go around

- Finding folks who are open and willing to support me, even if that means listening to me moan

This is an ongoing challenge for me so if you have any tips for how to squeeze more life out of a 24 hour day, I am all ears!
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This is a guest post and “What I Learned From Limits” entry from fellow Bubba, Chris Garrett. Chris writes over at Chris Garrett on New Media. Drop by and tell him “howdy”, won’t you?
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Today’s post is a two-fer.

By that I mean, it not only fits into this month’s What I Learned From Laughter groupwrite project, but it’s also a guest post over at Joyful Jubilant Learning, doevtailing nicely into Rosa’s theme this month (which happens to be, um, “9″)! I’m tellin’ ya; am I efficient, or what? (Don’t answer that!)

Anyhoo, you’ll have to follow the link to read it (it’s a very short post!), but I can tell you it’s… well, it’s a love story. And a kinda sad one at that. Yep; it’s all about the number 9 and… well, why not just pop on over and read it, won’t you? (Trust me; it’s a short read!)

So follow this link to: Ode to Number 9: A (Very) Short Love Story.

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In the meantime, if you’d like to join us for this month’s What I Learned From Laughter groupwrite project, well Bubba, get yourself over to the Middle Zone and read all about it! It’s open for entries until Sunday night, September 13.

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Howdy, y’all!

Hey, in case you dropped by for the kickoff to this month’s “What I Learned From…” groupwrite project, well, you came to the right place! I just, er, plumb forgot today was a holiday! (It’s Labor Day in the U.S.)

So I’ve moved the kickoff to tomorrow. Be sure to drop by tomorrow, same time, same place, ‘K?

Thanks, and a tip o’ the hat to ya for bein’ so understandin’, y’all! Have a great holiday!

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Photo: Oops! by ktpupp

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Hey, just a quick note to let you know I’m guest posting over at my very good friend Joanna Young’s place today: Confident Writing. So just follow the link to explore the wonders of literary prose I have for you today!

What’s it about, you ask? Well, lessee… the title is, “Bloom Where You Can“, and it’s about what I learned from a small bunch of flowers. So to speak.

Actually, it’s a “two birds with one stone” sortof post (hence the title and image). On the one hand, it happens to be my entry for this month’s “What I Learned From the Plant World” groupwrite project going on right here at the Middle Zone this week. In addition to that, it also dovetails nicely into Joanna’s theme this month: Possibilities.

What can I say? I’m an efficient fellow, don’cha know!

By the way, you’re invited to join both of us for our themes. Joanna will be exploring the possibilities theme all month, but the What I Learned From… groupwrite project (click here for details) ends this coming Sunday night. So, hop to it, y’all; time’s a-wastin’!

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Photo: Killing Two Birds With One Stone, by beast love

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[Note from the Proprietor: Today's post is from Avil Beckford, and is proof of the old proverb: Ask, and you shall receive. When I put out an invitation for guest posts, Avil, brave soul that she is, stepped right up to the plate!

Hey, I'm still open for more. The fact is, they not only come in handy when I'm too busy to write something new, but give your readers a chance to be seen by a new audience - a win-win! Hey, if you're interested in more exposure (Eek! Not that kind of exposure, silly!), then check out this post for details.]

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What I Learned About Listening From a CEO

I always prided myself in being an excellent listener. In fact, many people have complimented me on my listening skills. In meetings I would hear things that most people missed because they were all competing to take the stage. One day, six years ago, in January 2003, I learned that I could be a much better listener.

On that special day, I was visiting my friend Julie Conn Watt, a former CEO of Tech Data Canada, who was terminally ill, suffering from cancer of the adrenals. During that visit, which turned out to be the last time I saw her, I noticed that she focused on what I was saying. She hung on to my every word. At that moment, an amazing feeling wrapped itself around me like a warm blanket, and I felt like I was the most important person in Julia’s world at that point in time.

I didn’t say anything to her, but when I returned home from my visit, I accessed my mental filing cabinet to retrieve all files pertaining to Julia encounters, and I realized that every time I talked to her, she listened intently and focused on what I was saying.

I was humbled, and decided that I could be a better listener. There is always room for improvement. I wrote Julia a letter telling her how I felt. I told her how much I appreciated having her in my life. And, most of all, I told her that I noticed how she focused on me when I was talking to her.

She replied in a beautiful note card that I will always cherish:

“Avil, I received your very lovely card yesterday. I will cherish it. It particularly means a lot to me that you feel I am really attending to you when we speak…”

Julia died on April 16, 2003. Not only did I learn to improve my listening skills from my encounters with Julia, but I also learned to seize the moment because we are all on borrowed time.

Avil Beckford is a writer, researcher and the published author of Tales of People Who Get It. She blogs at The Invisible Mentor, and there’s about a million ways to get in touch with her:

President, Ambeck Enterprise
Better Business Results Through Information, Ideas & Insight
Email: mailto:avil.beckford@ambeck.com
Website: http://www.ambeck.com
Blog: http://theinvisiblementor.com
Ambeck Edge: http://www.ambeck.com/newsletters/nl_200903.html
Avil’s Storefront http://stores.lulu.com/avilbeckford
Tales of People Who Get It http://www.lulu.com/content/718670
Journey to Getting It http://www.lulu.com/content/949823
Twitter http://www.twitter.com/avilbeckford

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[Note from the Proprietor: Today's post is (as you can plainly tell by the title) a guest post submitted by my friend Luke Gedeon, who blogs at Luke Gedeon. Although this week we're focusing on Mountaintop Experiences, this one is a mite time-sensitive (and marginally related to the topic anyway) so I'm posting it today.]

Thank you Robert for this guest post opportunity.

The theme of this month is What I Learned from the Mountaintop, and I will post on that soon. For today, I have something closer to a valley, but don’t worry. It has a happy ending.

Have you ever needed help really bad, and had nothing to give in return? No money. No girl scout cookies. Nothing!

Well… I did offer one person a bag of M&M’s. The gift was accepted but the results were well… a little less than I had hoped for.

I recently entered Caring for China, the non-profit I work for, in a group-writing project. Not the ordinary, just for fun project, either. The company sponsoring the project, Zemanta, is giving away several thousand dollars to the cause(s) that can get the most bloggers to participate. (Click here for more info.) It is still open until Saturday the 6th, if you are willing to help.

So of course I jumped at the opportunity! I sent out a mass email to friends and family, I posted about it on my blog and twitter, and even set up a twitter account for Caring for China and followed anybody who said anything about China in hopes that they would help.

Then I went back to work on two huge projects, and let the mini-mass-media do its work.

Silence.

So I tried again, this time individually contacting a few of the people I thought most likely to help.

That worked!

At least half of the people I contacted directly followed through. I am still hoping a few more will soon.

This guest-post opportunity also came about through direct communication.

So my big lesson for the month, what I learned from begging, is that personal contact is still essential, and that blog posts and tweets without the “at” sign do not count as personal contact. You still have to use people’s names and address them individually.

So how about you? Have you ever experienced the thrill of begging? Did you learn anything in the process?

[This blog post is part of Zemanta's Blogging For a Cause campaign to raise awareness and funds for worthy causes that bloggers care about.]

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[Further note from the proprietor: As mentioned above, this post is also part of this month's What I Learned From... groupwrite project. If you'd like to join us (and you're more than welcome!), just click on that cute little link and read all about it. You have until Sunday at midnight, June 7 to enter!]

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Last week I issued an invitation for y’all to write a guest post here at the Middle Zone. Several folks have stepped up to the call, and I hope you’ll consider it too.

Speakin’ of guest posts, I thought I’d give you a list of the various and sundry places around the Web where I’ve sneaked a post in unawares had the privilege to be a guest writer. In case you didn’t know about, or just flat missed ‘em, here they are, in no particular order:

Published Down Under at Pete Aldin’s Great Circle:

How I Won the War on That Stupid Pipe

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Published at Brad Shorr’s Word Sell, Inc.:

One Key to Successful Sales – and Life

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Published at the SOBCon Blog:

What I Learned By Eating Pizza From the Wrong End First

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Published at G.L. Hoffman’s What Would Dad Say:

Sometimes You Just Need a Little Help

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Published at Scrambled Toast, also the brainwarp brainfreeze brainchild of Brad Shorr, and featuring fellow conspirator George Angus, who writes over at Tumblemoose Writing Productions:

Double-Take

Something Missing?

When Good Words Go Bad

When the Conversation Turns Ugly

Yes, But is it Art?

Name That Thing!

New Contest: It’s a Sign!

Sure, But Would You Wear the T-Shirt?

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Published at Joanna Young’s Confident Writing:

Standing Tall in Your Community

Three Keys to Powerful Writing

Two Simple Steps to Writing With Authenticity

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Published at Rosa Say’s et. al. Joyful Jubilant Learning:

How to Learn Something From Anything

What Do You See?

The L8, Gr8 Number 8

Just Hangin’ Around

A Hill o’ Beans

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Published at Liz Strauss’ Successful Blog:

Choose the Ending

Try One More Time

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Published at Vicky Hennigan’s Remarkable Parents:

Easy, Fast & Free Photo Editing

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Finally, there was this 3-part series that actually appeared in 3 different places:

Dead Ends, Part 1, published right here at Middle Zone Musings

Dead Ends, Part 2, published at Scrambled Toast

Dead Ends, Part 3, published at Confident Writing

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Whew! I had no idea it was that many! But this was a good exercise for me, anyway. Now I know where I’ve been…

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Have you ever thought to yourself, “Gee, I’d sure love to write a guest post for Middle Zone Musings”? If so, then you’re playin’ my song! (If, on the other hand, you’re thinkin’ to yourself, “Now why in tarnation would I want to do that?” then read on…)

The fact is, whether you’re a newbie or an old hand, guest posting is a great way to gain exposure (Eek! Not that kind of exposure, silly!), spread your wings, and introduce yourself to new folks. And getting to know each other is, after all, the heart and soul of social media, right?

There’s a First Time for Everything

I remember my first guest post like it was yesterday…

‘Way back when I was just a newbie, wet-behind-the-ears blogger (almost 3 years ago now – practically pre-historic times in blog years), I simply wrote about this and that; y’know, mainly just learnin’ the ropes. I found plenty of other blogs to read, began to get to know a few folks, and even started leaving comments here and there. It was a heady time – bein’ “out there” like that!

Hey, it wasn’t without its rewards. After about six months or so, I managed to pick up a grand total of about, um, 5 readers (starkly testified by that little Feedburner chiclet over there in the sidebar). Man, was I tearin’ it up, or what? Still, I have to admit to wonderin’ now and then if “this blog stuff” was worth it or not

Then one day, a fine upstanding member of my vast army of, er, fan asked me to write a guest post. Really? Me? Man, I’m tellin’ ya, it was like… well, it was like the sun rising on a cloudless morning, fresh drops of dew on a bright yellow daffodil, that morning bowl of Rice Crispies when you first pour milk over ‘em and they start to Snap, Crackle, and, y’know, Pop!

As a matter of fact, it was my Down Under friend Pete Aldin, who asked me to participate in his group writing project and submit a guest post. So I threw caution to the winds and wrote How I Won the War on That Stupid Pipe.

Actually, it was kinda fun to think, just like that, my pointless bletherings pithy prose would be seen by an entirely new group of folks. I’m tellin’ ya; I was inspired!

The Forum is OPEN!

OK, like I said up top, I’m lookin’ for folks who would like to write a post for the Middle Zone. If you’d like to be a guest writer here (or at least think you would), then I’d like to hear from you.

What do I have to do, you ask? Hey, glad you asked!

Since all we do here is tell stories “about lessons learned from life”, then all you have to do is tell a story about something you learned from… well, pretty much anything. You get to choose the topic. You can be serious or silly, prolific or pithy, ridiculous or rambunctious; it’s up to you. Also, length is not an issue, long or short.

And, although I’ll naturally screen ‘em (hey, I’m not a complete whack job), there’s pretty much only two rules here: 1) keep it rated G (ultimately, it’s determined by yours truly), and 2) be nice. As for editing, I’ll try to keep it to a minimum, and will only do it in a way that makes you look better. Promise.

If you’re interested, then let me know by sending me an email. (And if we don’t know each other yet, then by all means, introduce yourself! I promise I won’t bite. Very hard.)

Guest Posts So Far

The truth is, as much as I enjoy posting elsewhere, I truly enjoy having folks guest post here at the Middle Zone! (And it’s nice to have the occasional day off.) If you’d like to join ‘em, you’ll be in some fine company, I’ll tell ya!

Here’s a list of who’s posted here at the Zone to date:

Confessions of a PDF Addict, by Chris Garrett

What I Learned From Balloon Animals, by Karen Swim

My Slapstick Moment on the Slopes, by Brad Shorr

Obstacles in Your Path, by Joanna Young

Editorial Wisdom, by Liz Strauss

Just When They Think You’re Smart, by Brad Shorr

The Year I Learned There Really is a Santa Claus, by J. Sewell Perkins

What I Learned From Kevin Eikenberry, by Kevin Eikenberry

Why not throw caution to the winds and join ‘em? I’m waiting to hear from ya!

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Image: Keyboard – blur, by striatic

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When this showed up in my inbox from fellow Bubba and Internet extraordinaire Chris Garrett (yep; the co-author with Darren Rowse of Problogger: Secrets to Blogging Your Way to a Six-figure Income), hey, it was a blessing indeed!

Chris reveals a little about himself while contributing a practical tip for those of you who love to download free stuff. (No need to raise your hand; we’re all guilty of this one, I bet.)

A tip o’ the hat to ya, Chris, for being brave and coming clean!

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Confessions of a PDF Addict

My name is Chris Garrett and I am a PDF addict.

OK, there are probably worse addictions, but I really need to own up to this one. You see, I am addicted to downloading free ebooks and whitepapers from web sites, which is not that bad on its own. The problem is I don’t read them!

Rather than helping my productivity, these books, whitepapers and reports are actually causing a problem in that I flit from one free gift to another with an endless list of stuff I need to get around to. That is while ignoring all the paid stuff I have sitting around gathering dust.

I once met a lady who was addicted to downloading and cutting out coupons and vouchers but never used them. She said it was the thrill of finding them that excited her, it didn’t matter if they got used. I think I started to become like that.

There is so much educational material out there, so many great resources, that no sooner have I downloaded something that seems interesting, I have found another equally compelling freebie and I am downloading that. I never sit down and consume these things, they just clutter up my hard disk, and so I never actually learn anything from them.

I worry I am becoming the “MTV generation” that we were warned about – attention span of a gold fish … ooh! shiny!

So I have come up with a solution, and luckily it does not require 12 steps.

1. Only download anything that will absolutely definitely help with a current challenge
2. If it does not match the criteria of #1 then bookmark it (I bet you never go back to it)
3. Most free reports come with a stream of emails – if you don’t get value from the first two then unsubscribe
4. Read the PDF immediately – no delays
5. Implement what you learn as soon as you learn it – if you do not implement you are likely to forget any lessons gained

With this new system I am much more productive and actually making use of all the glorious free stuff that I come across – try it yourself!

Chris Garrett blogs at http://chrisg.com and ironically also writes for Cogniview, a leader in PDF conversion tools.

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By the way, if YOU’D like to write a guest post for the Middle Zone, talk to me! Remember, as it says up there on the label, “it’s about lessons learned from life”.

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[Note from the Proprietor - This is a pointer to my entry for this month's What I Learned From... groupwrite project - which happens to be published as a guest post somewhere else this time. The topic this month is Community, and you're invited to join us! Just click on that link for details.]

Hey, this post marks a first for me in that it’s a kindof two birds with one stone sorta thing. Or maybe three. Guess it depends on how you look at it.

• Over at Confident Writing, Joanna Young’s theme for the next month or so is on the subject of Community. Naturally, it’s something to which I wanted to contribute a thought or two.
• Joanna also happens to be conducting a writing seminar in Sardinia (a small island off the coast of Italy), so she put out a call for guest posts to fill in while she was gone.
• Finally, in an amazingly serendipitous twist worthy of the Middle Zone, Community also happens to be the topic of our current What I Learned From… groupwrite project.

OK; got it? Three powerful reasons to write about Community, right?

Suddenly it hit me (sound of dull thud); what could better than meeting all three needs with one single post! Why, that would be finer than a frog’s hair; am I right? Man, am I a genius or what? (Don’t answer that!)

Anyhoo – my post is titled “Standing Tall in Your Community“, where I reveal a little-known fact about myself and share a technique that helped me get out of my own shell ‘way back when. You’ll find it over at Joanna Young’s site, Confident Writing – drop on by and say Howdy!

Don’t worry ’bout a thing, folks; I’ll still be here when you get back. Hey, I’ll even leave the light on for ya!

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If one eats pizza from the round end first instead of the pointy end, could it mark the end of life as we know it? That’s the Question Of The Ages: Is there, in fact, a “wrong” way to eat pizza?

The reason the question comes up at all is because of a little-known incident that happened at last year’s SOBCon08.

Now, if we can color you intrigued by the above introduction – well, you’ll have to pop on over to the SOBCon blog to read the story. All ya gotta do is follow this handy link.

Don’t worry; I’ll still be here when ya come back!

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Photo: Blogging Buddies, by Joanna Young

Yours Truly, Joanna Young & Brad Shorr @ SOBCon08

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For today’s adventure you’ll have to take a little side trip to Scrambled Toast, the brainchild (or is it brain warp?) of fellow wordsmith Brad Shorr of Word Sell fame and fortune. Well, at least fame, anyway.

You’re familiar with the fact that culture, language, or even whether you’re a PC or a Mac can affect the way you perceive the world around us. Well, this time I contemplate how something as simple as one’s specific location can dramatically alter how we perceive a message.

Drop on by and join me, won’t you?

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The other day my buddy GL Hoffman sent me an email inviting me to be a guest over at his site, What Would Dad Say. It just so happened I was right in the middle of writing yet another Sidewalk Series post, and coincidentally enough it just happened to fit right in with the general theme over there.

Naturally, I jumped at the chance to escape the box for a bit.

What’s it about, you ask? Well, it’s about this tree…

Oh, and I give you 5 things I learned about job hunting in today’s world. (Along with a story, of course. What would I do if I couldn’t tell stories? I’m tellin’ ya; my head would probably explode!)

Hey, why not jump on over the GL’s place and take a look? And don’t forget to say “Howdy!”

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Photo: Need a Little Help, by Robert Hruzek

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Note from the Proprietor: In case you’re wondering what it’s all about, well, we’re smack in the middle of BLOGAPALOOZA! Hey, you’re welcome to join in the fun if you like! All ya gotta do is click that cute little link and read all about it!]

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Guest post by Brett Duncan who writes over at Marketing In Progress

January: “Don’t Drink Piss” Setting the scene for a year of economic bailouts and stimulation, this tried and true advice has been ringing in my ears for a year+ now.

February: In the Groove Great advice from a dear friend on the conditions in place when we really feel happiness.

March: Making Connections vs. Making Impressions In our fast world of tweets and pokes and networking and social media, it’s important to distinguish if we’re making connections or making impressions. There’s a big difference.

April: 5 Traits that Separate Good Salesmen from Bad Whether you’re in sales or not, we all deal with sales people. And we all know what we like and what we don’t. Why aren’t these traits more common in the sales folks we deal with every day?

May: World Domination and Your Business After playing quite a bit of Risk over a summer vacation, I came away with 19 vital lessons learned from playing Risk that easily applies to business strategy.

June: Enjoying the Process We can all pick things to do where we enjoy the end result. But real joy comes from when we do something that we actually enjoy the journey of getting to that end result.

July: Pen Marketing Can Be Fun After stumbling across this fun website for Tul pens, I actually managed to get myself a free set. You’ve got to check out the graphological analysis.

August: I Have a Crush on LinkedIn After one experience with LinkedIn asking for referrals, I walked away a huge fan.

September: Polarizing As the presidential elections rolled along, we marketers got some great fodder for thought. One of the main lessons is that only audacious, polarizing actions get attention.

October: Weathering the Storm As the economy plummets, the overall spirit of “weathering the storm” is becoming the popular chant. Maybe it’s not such a good idea.

November: A Privilege As easy as it is to look at taking care of your customer as a task, a duty, a job, whatever; think how things would change if you saw it as a privilege.

December: You’re Disgusting In the spirit of change and New Year’s Resolutions, here’s my challenge: figure out what it is that disgusts you about your life, and go change it.

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Brett Duncan is the sole writer of MarketingInProgress.com, a blog trying to make sense of the blur that is today’s marketing landscape. A born-and-bread Kentuckian who now lives in Dallas, Brett enjoys helping small businesses use the tools available to them today to get the word out about what they do.

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[Further note from the Proprietor: Hey, if you're interested in having your own "best of 2008" posts highlighted right here at the Middle Zone, then by all means, click on this link: (BLOGAPALOOZA: What I Learned From 2008) and read all about it! BLOGAPALOOZA will be open for entries from now until Sunday, January 25.]

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