happykatie :: katie rocks out the interwebs

The Overtime Show: Brands, E-commerce and Vegas

We had another fun week at the BusinessMaker's Overtime Show!  Esther and I divided and conquered the business world with 2 great guests:  Kelsey Ruger (aka:  The Moleskin) and Jay Steinfeld (aka:  BlindsComCEO). 

Segment 1:  OT Business Week in Review

Kelsey and I kick off our giggle session discussion by looking at the recently released Business Week's Top 100 Brands - this is the part where I show off my mathematical GENIUS ("uhmmm... they use lots of numbers and stuff") and say the word "awesome" a lot.  Then we move on to a psychological study that had some interesting results on the effect that money has on peoples' perception of physical pain and the sadistic nature of said studies <grin>.  From there we tackle some e-commerce innovation with a "CEOs say the darndest things" quote from eBay CEO John Donahoe.   

Segment 2:  The BusinessMaker's Breakdown

Fresh from her trip to Las Vegas for the gigantor Shop.org expo, Esther gives us the lowdown on what's what in the E-commerce world today.  Teaming up with her fearless CEO (and Dad!) Jay Steinfeld, the two dive into what it takes to run a successful business and share 'golden nuggets' of wisdom.    

Segment 3:  OT Special Features

Getting back to brands, Kelsey and I throw around a few brands that quite simply rock our worlds every day - Target, Apple and a variety of brands that play nice to consumers on the go, whether through iPhone apps or well designed sites for cell phone users.  We also geek out on the importance of good design, even in everyday tools like doors and coffee mugs - referencing a great book listed on some major MBA reading lists called The Design of Everyday Things.  Esther closes us out with an engaging look at what to expect from Las Vegas on a business trip - the good, bad and funny. 

The Overtime Show is on Twitter now!!!  Follow us at:  www.twitter.com/overtimeshow.  Connect with us elsewhere online too:  read, listen, absorb at www.thebusinessmakers.com and subscribe to the RSS feed.  Write hilarious comments and send us ideas on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/thebusinessmakers

The Overtime Show: Tom DeLay, Hit Apple Songs and Geico Money Eyeballs

I haven't written much about this yet, but am so excited about its progress that it's time, baby :)  I am now co-hosting a weekly radio show called The BusinessMaker's Overtime Show with delightful PR and business all star Esther Steinfeld of Blinds.com.

We have aired 5 episodes so far (check out Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3 and Episode 4) and are having a blast.  Esther is fantastic and our sound genius producer dude John brings the funk every week.  Kelsey, one of my all-time favorite peeps, is a major creative and tech force behind it all -- and Russ Capper and John Beddow offer us up inspiration and opportunity after opportunity to make it all work!!

Basically, the show is a weekly look at the business world and the brains, ideas and creativity that helps it run.  Esther and I can get pretty cheeky and like to talk about the trends that capture our eyes and dish on the good, the bad and the awesome that we find in Entrepreneur-Land.

Segment 1:  OT Business Week in Review

Esther and I celebrate the demise of the Cash for Clunkers program (FINALLY!!) and chat on foxtrotting former Congressman Tom DeLay joining the cast of “Dancing with the Stars”.  Feeling nostalgic for James Bond secret Swiss bank accounts?  Too bad -- UBS has trouble brewing up around the bend.  Then learn about our Hero of the Week: Jon Nordmark, CEO of eBags who turned his online retail business around through creative diversification after 9/11 affected the travel industry.

Segment 2:  The BusinessMaker's Breakdown

Love this interview with Esther and actor/entrepreneur Michael Allosso who gives powerfully motivating presentations to companies and engages his clients by creating custom content based on their lives, loves and quirks.

Segment 3:  OT Special Features

This is a fun segment this week, we dive into crazies suing Facebook over privacy issues (wait, what?  other people can see things I write on the Internet!?!?) and our favorite songs that have been made famous or have been re-discovered through the magic of commercial advertising.  My favorites:

• Feist - 1,2,3,4 (Apple)
• Apples in Stereo - Go! (Target)
• Of Montreal - Wraith Pinned to the Mist and Other Games (Outback - although I die a little inside because they re-worked the song to be about Outback.  Sigh.)
• Rokysopp - Remind Me (Geico)

Want more, need more?  Visit our site at www.thebusinessmakers.com and subscribe to the RSS feed.  Are you a Facebook junkie?  Fan us on there, join in the awesomeness:  www.facebook.com/thebusinessmakers

I'd love to hear your feedback on the show - suggestions, tips, ideas?  Are you a small business owner that would like to be featured?  Drop me a line, we want to talk to you.