by Kirby Hasseman
“Hey! Let’s start a Brewery!” These are words that many have uttered over the years (often over a couple of beers). As it turns out, we are actually doing it. For the last couple of years, I have been working on (with 2 awesome partners) creating Hasseman Brewing in Coshocton, Ohio. We are super excited to get this project up and running…and it looks like we are close to making it happen! For the latest updates on that, you can check out the Hasseman Brewing blog here. So what does this have to do about marketing? As it turns out, a lot. One thing I have told people over the years is, “You can tell what I like by what I put my logo on.” Well I thought it might be helpful to see what we have started with (even before we open). It might give you a peak into what we are thinking…and will give a “shout out” to some of the great suppliers we are partnering with…so far. T-shirts: If you have visited nearly any microbrewery, you know they have t-shirts. We are working to create more…but for this first run we went this this soft t-shirt with our one color logo. We think you need a comfortable t-shirt if you want anyone to wear it…so this is a good start. Hats: We have several styles of hats we will feature when we open, and we will get more as we go. But the first two we bought were this Mesh backed Cap and this Heathered Navy one. These are two totally different styles…but we think they are cool! But we also wanted to have some choices, so we have this one too. Anxious to see what everyone likes! Bottle Opener Key Chain: Want a heavy duty key chain that also doubles as a bottle opener? Of course you do. We have that! 🙂 Glass Growler: You can’t start a brewery and not have Growlers, right? Don’t worry. We are on it. This is a great “to go” container for any brewery! Check that out here. Stainless Growler: But if you want to take it “up a notch” on the Growlers, you can go with this one. This is a very cool single walled stainless version. Still fun to take your Craft Beer on the go! And yes, this is the one featured in the picture above. Patio Umbrella: If you have a brewery, or really any outdoor venue where you want to market, these are really nice! You will want shade (and this works for that) but it’s also an awesome branding opportunity. Pens: We also have these fantastic pens that allow us to showcase our brand in full color. You might not think “pens” when you think “beer” but these are a great piece to help us get our name out there in the community! Coasters: But we need to keep the rings off of the tables right? Of course. That’s why we have these really cool full color drink coasters. These are a really low cost way to protect the investment! The fact is, there will be much more to come. As a matter of fact, I have asked my partners to help hold me back! But it’s been an amazing exercise…and one filled with personal growth. Here’s to more good things to come!
Want to keep up all the time? Make sure to join our VIP List! Our VIP’s get an email with the latest content…and other special offers as well. Oh, and if you are in sales and want our Sales Playbook, click here and sign up…we will send it over!
by Kirby Hasseman
“I just need to vent.” We have all heard those words from a friend or family member. As a matter of fact, most of us have said them on more than one occasion. I know I have. Sometimes life (or more accurately, the people in your life) can frustrate you to the point that you need to vent or you might explode. I get it. But you need to stop. Seriously. Complaining, especially the kind followed by no action to fix the problem, is an epidemic today. It seems like everyone today is a “keyboard activist.” They have opinions and complaints about everything while they are behind the keyboard. But in the real world, they do nothing about it. Here are 3 reasons why you don’t want to be “that person.” 1. The World Doesn’t Care: It’s not that the world is full of un-caring people. That’s not what I am saying. But each of us has our own burden to bear. Most of the time, we don’t need to carry yours too. This is especially true if your complaint is trivial (and often it is). 2. It Creates a Mental Pattern: The science behind this is simple. When you do things over and over, it creates a pathway in your brain. This makes is easier to repeat the behavior automatically. This is how habits are formed and how you become “excellent” at certain behaviors. This is why it’s important to be mindful of your patterns. It can become a habit. Do you really want to be the person who habitually complains? 3. Most Have It Worse: There is a term called “First World Problems.” It’s based on this simple concept. We complain about things that are comical when compared to the rest of the world. The fact is, most of our problems are barely that at all. I am reminded of a friend’s story about “worst jobs.” We all went around the table telling our story about the worst job we had had in our lives. All of us telling the story with great detail about something we had hated doing. Then we came to him. “I was in the military in the desert. We had Porta-Potties there and could not leave the ‘remains’ in country. So we had to dispose of them. This was done by adding diesel fuel to the mixture of feces and urine. But you could not just leave them to burn, otherwise it would settle. So for three weeks, I had to stir this mixture of diesel fuel, feces and urine in the desert (average temperature 126 degrees). I still remember that smell.” Wow. I am sure there are worse jobs than that. But I have not had one. So for today, I will not complain about mine.
Want to keep up all the time? Make sure to join our VIP List! Our VIP’s get an email with the latest content…and other special offers as well. Join here. Oh, and if you are in sales and want our Sales Playbook, click here and sign up…we will send it over!
by Kirby Hasseman
Last week I had the opportunity to drive to Lenoir, North Carolina to work with one of our newest Account Executives. Jim Duncan, who joined us just a few weeks ago, has been a longtime friend, and I am excited to have him aboard. As you might expect, we each had a list of things we most wanted to go over. I wanted to talk about some product training. Jim wanted to spend a great deal of time talking about our software. Together, we discussed the power what we do, and how we can help organizations. It was a great day. But one theme kept coming up over and over as the training day went on. We would cover a topic and go back and forth with questions. After I felt confident he understood the material I would say something like, “As you do this more and more, you will get comfortable. It’s about the repetition.” As the day wore on, I must have said that a dozen times. It’s like that in all areas of our life. If we want to get “good” at hitting a baseball, we have to spend lots of minutes in the batting cages. If we want to be “great” with the bat, we have to spend hours and hours. When we are teaching others to hit a ball, we know this. But sometimes when it comes to our professional lives, we lose sight of this. We think that if we are “good at talking to people” we will automatically be good at sales. Um…no. You still have to put in the work. The challenge, I think, with putting in the work as an adult, is we are hesitant to fail in front of others. Let’s face it, if we stumble on a sales call, we (by definition) are doing it in front someone else. In the batting cage, no one might see us whiff the ball. But the rules are the same. If you want to become a “sales champion” you have to put in the reps.
Want to keep up all the time? Make sure to join our VIP List! Our VIP’s get an email with the latest content…and other special offers as well. Join here. Oh, and if you are in sales and want our Sales Playbook, click here and sign up…we will send it over!
by Kirby Hasseman
As I write this I have a basement full of young ladies that will be on the local soccer team. Yesterday they had a long day of scrimmages and today they are sharing pizza and watching the video of the games in order to learn. I listen to the coaches going over lessons of strategy and positioning, and I know that today will make them better. They are bonding and laughing and questioning and learning. But it goes on outside of the spotlight. It’s not big. It’s not the sort of activity that ends up in the Under Armour commercial. But it’s the little things (like this one) that success is built upon. The same is true in sales and business (and the rest of life). We always celebrate the crowning achievement. We all want to get the kudos and the trophies and the recognition (and we should). But so much of success is built upon the days when you are just alone (or with our team)…getting better. They are built on the days when you make “one more sales call.” They are built on the times when you choose to read a book instead of watch a reality show. They are built on doing the work no one else sees. And it takes time. I don’t know if our girls soccer team will be great this year. And frankly, that’s not the point. What I do know is they are learning how to succeed. What they need to understand now, is that you have to do it every day. The same is true for building sales or content or a business. You can’t stop because it’s hard. You can’t quit because it’s inconvenient. It’s about doing the work that most people don’t see. Every day. Over time. And when you do, some day (years from now) someone will marvel at how you “came from nowhere” and are an “overnight success.” But you will know different.
Want to keep up all the time? Make sure to join our VIP List! Our VIP’s get an email with the latest content…and other special offers as well. Join here. Oh, and if you are in sales and want our Sales Playbook, click here and sign up…we will send it over!
by Kirby Hasseman
(Coshocton, OH) Coshocton based marketing firm and promotional products distributor Hasseman Marketing & Communications is excited to announce the acquisition of Paparazzi Promotional Marketing. Paparazzi Promotional Marketing, based in Southern California, was founded by Marty Hagerty in 2011 as a creative, design, and branding services promotional products distributor. Hasseman Marketing CEO, Kirby Hasseman said, “Marty has a great creative mind and has built a business with a great reputation. We are excited about partnering with him to make both teams even stronger.” Marty Hagerty says, “Hasseman Marketing is a thought leader in the industry and a leader in content marketing as well. I am so excited to partner with them to increase our footprint and serve an even larger client base.” The Hasseman Marketing team in Coshocton, Ohio will take over the logistical operations of the business and allow Marty Hagerty to focus on the creative side of growing our clients business. To get in touch with Marty you can call him at (949) 735-4034 or you can email him at [email protected]. Hasseman Marketing is located at 432 Main Street in Coshocton, Ohio. Hasseman Marketing is a full service marketing company that provide marketing campaigns that include promotional products, video production, social media, and graphic design. They can be found online at https://hassemanmarketing.com. In addition, you can follow them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/hassemanmarketing.
by Kirby Hasseman
For the last several years, I have set a goal to read enough to change me. Two years ago I read 50 books. Last year I read 31. This year I have set the goal to read 40 books. Why? Because “in 5 years you will be the same person, except for the people you meet and the books you read. Simply put, it helps me (and you) grow.
So what have I read so far this year? Let’s take a look…and I will include links so you can check them out yourself.
Night School: I know, this is fiction. But somehow, Jack Reacher novels always make me feel like more of a man! I love the novels of Lee Child, so this is often a fun distraction for me.
Deep Work: These rules for success in a distracted world are good reminders. The fact is, I think most of us understand that we get more done when we are focused. But Cal Newport fills the conjecture with studies and facts.
Get Smart: Brian Tracy covers the basics of success principles in this short book. There are not new ground breaking principles here, but awesome reminders about business truth.
Business For Punks: Truth be told, I really liked this one because it was about BrewDog (and I am starting a new brewery). That being said, I enjoyed their irreverent look at how to start a business.
The Fortune Cookie Principle: Often the most profound lessons are the simplest. We each need a compelling brand story to stand out in a crowded marketplace. Bernadette Jiwa teaches us to create one.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k: Sorry for the language, that’s the title. If you are offended by language, I think it goes without saying you should steer clear of this one. If you are not, however, I think this has real and lasting lessons is priorities, business and life. This was one of my favorites of the year (so far).
Delivering Marketing Joy: What? It’s my list! I re-released this new updated version of my book on how to do Promo right. I may be biased, but I think it’s worth a read! 🙂
Contagious: This one is high on my recommended list too. Jonah Berger explains why things catch on (or go viral) and how you can work to make your idea spread as well. This was a really good one.
SCRUM: This one was cool because the Hasseman Marketing team read it together. It’s a great book that explains how to get more done in less time…and I think it lives up to the title. I am anxious to continue to work with the team to implement some of the ideas here.
The Founder’s Mentality: This book is about the inevitable challenges that all business founders run into…and how to overcome them.
The First Two Rules of Leadership: This was one of those books that was a good reminder. You can be a leader and not be a jerk. I am trying. 🙂
Doing Good Better: I was really excited about this book. It was not what I thought it was going to be BUT it was still interesting. It took a very analytical view of doing good in the world. I didn’t agree with everything the author said, but it made me think!
Beautiful Outlaw: One of my team members challenged me to read more “spiritual” books this year because I told the team I wanted to be more intentional in that area of my life. Josh gave me this one and I really enjoyed it. This book talks about the playful personality of Jesus…not something discussed a lot. I have actually quoted it several times since I finished it.
UnShakeable: This book by Tony Robbins works to unlock the keys to financial freedom. I thought it was good. His book Money, Master the Game was not bad…but too long. This one was more consumable.
Headstrong: This one was tough. On the one hand, it was filled with interesting science and started strong. But by the end I felt like he was telling me I could not live in the 3 dimensional world and be healthy. Interesting…but not sure that I want to live my life this way.
Hustle: I really liked this one! This book was written and published in 7 days…to prove it could be done. But that being said, I was inspired by it and found it fun. It also may have provided me an idea for my next book!
Predictable Success: Written by Les McKeown and recommended by Roger Burnett, this was a good book for those starting or trying to grow a business. Les gives a name for the stages of business that we all can identify with.
Originals: This was a good book by Adam Grant. Not only does he make the point that original thinkers are those that change the world (duh), but he gives some great insights on how to keep innovating…no matter what.
Camino Island: If you are heading on vacation anytime soon, or just need a fun and easy read, this is a good one. John Grisham is a GREAT storyteller. I don’t always like the way he ends his books, but I liked this one a lot.
Flow: So I like the concept of this book, but it was a tough read for me. Very text book-like. The gist is that we all try to create a life to live on the beach and do nothing so we can be happy. Studies will tell you that is NOT how happy is done. We are most happy when we are in the middle of a challenge that we are excited about. Boom…
Order to Kill: I was a huge fan of the Mitch Rapp novels by Vince Flynn. When he passed away I was very disappointed. But Kyle Mills has picked up the ball nicely with this one. As a side note, the first book American Assassin is going to be a movie this fall.
5 Questions: This book was actually given to me by the author…on a plane. This short book unpacks the reasons that Faith makes sense. If you have questions about this in your life, check it out.
Radical Candor: This book is about working to be a better leader and a better boss…without being a jerk. The author is very honest about some of her struggles in this and that helps. She also makes the case of why good feedback is so important for everyone.
The ONE Thing: With all of the things we are trying to accomplish every day, The ONE thing reminds us we need to do the most important thing (and only that) first. The counter-intuitive idea is simple. If you want to do more…do less.
At the half way point in the year, that is my list so far. As always, please let me know if you have any books you think I need to read. I am open to it! And if you want a more detailed “review” of any book on the list, let me know.
Want to keep up all the time? Make sure to join our VIP List! Our VIP’s get an email with the latest content…and other special offers as well. Join here.
