Happy (different) Thanksgiving!

Ruff family Thanksgiving celebration 2013 - last time my Mom was present - Bermuda Run Country Club

The entire world has changed since last Thanksgiving.  It seems a life-time ago when we were free, without worry, to gather with family and friends around the same table; and, share food from the same plates without having to worry about spreading the covid-19 virus.  Looking back and ahead, I cannot help to think about how differently we are celebrating Thanksgiving today (covid-19 style).

This past year has given us a lot to lament about and it is all justified.  Our feelings matter. 

• Missing gathering with friends and family, matters. 

• Missing life events, matters. 

• Missing watching our kids’ sports games, matters. 

• Missing entertainment, matters.

• Missing supporting family and friends face-to-face and in-person, matters. 

Ruff family Thanksgiving celebration 2013 - Mom, my siblings and me - Bermuda Run Country Club

While we have been doing a lot of “missing” lately, we have faith that things will start getting better; and, that our misses will be blips on our life journey.  We will recount the “covid-19 style” days and hope that our children will tell their children who will tell their children; and, 100 years later when another centennial pandemic hits (because history shows us that it will) our great-great grandchildren can talk about the time when their ancestors lived through this horrible world pandemic too. 

Ruff family Thanksgiving celebration 2013 - Mom & grandchildren - Bermuda Run Country Club

We are, indeed, living in a historical time that others will reference when the next pandemic hits.  So, while missing matters, it is how we respond to all of the missing parts of life that we are experiencing.  That matters too.

We take the spirit of Thanksgiving and recognize that it goes beyond sharing our love over a feast with family and friends.  It means taking that same essence of Thanksgiving and relying on it, even when we cannot see our family and friends.  It means being concerned for our family and friends enough that we skip this year’s huge Thanksgiving gathering.  We have been encouraged to make it a point, to gather with those that only live in our household.

Next year, when we are gathering with family and friends around the same table and sharing food from the same plates in a huge celebration, we will look back and remind ourselves, what a difference a Thanksgiving makes.  Happy (different) Thanksgiving and blessings for your family, friends and whoever you are able to share Thanksgiving with, this year!

Sonya Ruff Jarvis, is the Managing Member of Jarvis Consultants and the Founder of the eRetailer Summit and JC Event Group. An expert in her field, Sonya has been published in numerous retail industry b-to-b publications.  Sonya shares her experiences in her book series Mindful Minutes:  A Marketer’s Journey Through Business.  In addition, Sonya collaborated in publishing an anthology, Mentoring Moments:  14 Remarkable Women Share Their Breakthroughs to Success. Purchase Sonya’s books here.

Sonya has a M.B.A. in Marketing. She is married and has a daughter and they live in Trumbull, Connecticut.  

Follow Sonya on twitter at @jarvisconsult or @eretailersummit

Guest Blogger, Denola Burton: An excerpt from: If You Really Knew Me: The Life, The Lessons and the Legacy titled, "Instant Love!"

Credit Image: Adoption.com

November is National Adoption Month and in recognition of all of the birth mothers who have ever had to give a child up for adoption and to all the families who have adopted, I’d like to share our adoption story.  This is an excerpt from one of the chapters from my book, If You Really Knew Me:  The Life, The Lessons and The Legacy titled, “Instant Love!”. 

Credit Image: Denola Burton, Enhanced DNA

“Something” came over me!  I’m not sure what it was but out of the blue, I wanted to be a mother!  WHAT?  I was 42 years old!  What was I thinking? Why not 5 years earlier?  Or for that matter, 7 years earlier when Phil and I got married?  OMG!  What was I thinking?

I couldn’t get it out of my mind!  I thought about it.  I prayed about it.  And I listened to God!  God opened doors and confirmed that “it” was for me!  But, it wasn’t all about me and my wants.  It was also about my husband, my partner, my teammate, my soulmate.  He had to agree.  He had to want to be a father as badly as I wanted to be a mother.  I thought that would be a “hard sell” since Phil said from the very beginning of our relationship, that he did not have to be a father.  We had that conversation early in our marriage because I was 35 when we got married and I told him that if he wanted children, we needed to have them “right away”!

So, I was scared to have this conversation!  We talked about the pros and cons. 

Pros:  We really enjoyed our nieces and nephews and especially our youngest nephew who spent many weekends with us.  We were settled in our careers and were relatively stable financially.  We owned our own home and had space to grow.  We had so much to give on so many levels – emotionally, spiritually, physically and financially.  We were ready to love.

Cons:  We were “older” which would mean that there would be a generation between us (all our friends had kids earlier in life and by the time our child was in high school, theirs would be in college or even married).  We would need to adopt.  I was 42 years old by gosh and there wasn’t any way that I would be “birthin” any baby!  LOL! 

At the end of the day, we weighed the pros with the cons and OUR passion was so strong (once I talked to Phil, he very quickly wanted a family, too) and we began to inquire about the adoption process.

We met with the Children’s Bureau to get a better understanding of the adoption process.  We attended an all-day adoption preparation class.  We had decisions to make.  What kind of adoption did we want to pursue?  Infant vs older child?  Open or closed?  Local vs national vs international?  We completed a “home study” through the agency which was the process used to determine if we would be successful parents.  We were approved and we decided that we wanted a national search and we wanted an infant.  Still lot’s to do.  We reviewed a packet of birth mother’s from around the country.  We selected several that had a profile that would be acceptable to us (closed adoption where there is no contact after birth, healthy and we specifically requested a girl).  After the initial selection of birth mothers, we provided a profile to those birth mothers who then had the opportunity to “pick us back”.  The final decision was the birth mothers.  Over the next five months, we matched with three different birth mothers but once it was time for the baby to be placed with us, they changed their mind.  We were devastated!

August 1, 2000, we received a call from the agency.  That morning, a birth mother walked into a hospital in Houston and stated that she was in labor and wanted to talk with a social worker about adoption.  She had her baby that day.  She had a girl.  She saw our profile.  She wanted us!  The agency asked if we were interested.  What?  Were we interested?  That was OUR baby!  Of course, we were interested!  We waited the 24-hour period.  We got the call.  She was ours!  The papers were signed!  We could make our flight arrangements! 

The next day, we flew to Houston and picked up our daughter right from the adoption agency.  It was late at night and as we walked up to the agency door, all we saw was a little bundle with a head full of hair.  Our hearts were full and we shed so many tears of joy!  We completed paperwork and took her to the hotel.  After a short stay in Houston, we brought her home.

I look back on this experience and realize that God had a plan for all of our lives and that we were positioned in the place that we needed to be in to have the child that He wanted us to have. 

Credit Image: Denola Burton, Enhanced DNA

Four years later, we began the process to adopt for the second time.  We used the same process for this adoption where we went through the birth mother matching process.  We were matched quickly and since she lived in the same state, we actually met with the birth mother prior to being matched.  Since it was late in her pregnancy, we didn’t have long to wait.  We were invited to the hospital the day after the baby was born.  We went to the nursery and were instantly in love!  The birth mother signed the papers for the placement to be official and we went to meet with her before she was discharged from the hospital.   She had one final visit with the baby and then placed “Ciara” in our arms.  Here is what she told us:

“THIS CHILD will never go hungry!

THIS CHILD will never be on welfare!

THIS CHILD will never be homeless!

So, I give THIS CHILD to you out of love!”

What a love story!  This selfless, unconditional, sacrificial love is the love that I think of daily – every time I look at my girls! 

***************

 If you want to hear more about my adoption experiences in my Ted-type “Walk the Talk” speech that I gave on the title  “Letting Go”, click here.

Denola M. Burton is the Founder and CEO of Enhanced DNA:  Develop Nurture Achieve, LLC.  Through Enhanced DNA, Denola develops and nurtures individuals and organizations to achieve their Leadership, Communication and Performance goals and objectives.  Denola is also an author and publisher and created the Enhanced DNA Publishing Division of her company where they assist new and newer authors in publishing their books according to the Independent Book Publishing Association (IBPA) standards.  Denola retired from Eli Lilly and Company after 27 years where the majority of her career was focused on Employee Relations/Human Resources.  You can connect with Denola on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIN and Twitter at Enhanced DNA or on her websites at www.DevelopNurtureAchieve.com or www.EnhancedDNAPublishing.com.

October is breast cancer awareness month: My Breast Cancer Journey: Post III

Image Credit: Unknown

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month.  Throughout October, I have been sharing my breast cancer journey with you, through these posts.  As I said before, I believe that this experience had a tremendous effect on the woman I am today.

I was single, moving up in my career, owned an apartment in one of the best neighborhoods of New York City and thought I had it all, which included a great boyfriend.  Who knew that a breast cancer diagnosis would be around the corner and bring me to my knees?

As you know from my previous posts, I pulled out my breast cancer diary and these memories have stimulated the desire to share some of my story with you.  I have never been this open before, other than with my network of family and friends.  The pages of my diary back in 2000 are filled with prayer after prayer; and biblical reference after biblical reference; as well as examples of gratefulness after gratefulness.  It was hard, but with prayer, my bible and being grateful for each and every moment I was able to get through it, stronger, not only physically but through my relationship with Christ.

When I got to the other side – meaning after surgeries, chemotherapy, and radiation treatments; I decided that I wanted to work at getting my body back.  I was a runner prior to my cancer diagnosis and felt that having a goal would get me back in shape.  I decided that I wanted to run the 2001 NYC Marathon.  I signed up and didn’t get in - you may know how hard it is to get accepted to run the NYC Marathon.  Well, I appealed to them with my post-breast cancer goal, and they welcomed me to participate.  It was an amazing experience and I will save that journey for another blog post that I look forward to writing through the eyes of a breast cancer survivor.  But there is a diary entry that sums up my feeling of standing on the Staten Island Bridge waiting for the 2001 NYC Marathon to begin.  Here is one of my earliest entries that I would like to share with you.

Image Credit: Scott Jarvis

March 9, 2000 diary entry:

“My testimony … I believe that God has been preparing me for this season in my life.  Over the past six years, God has truly been working in my life to mature me in HIM.  I became a Christian at age 13 and over the next decade,  would grow very slowly and would only seek God when I was in need of something.  Like anyone, I was shocked when I was diagnosed with breast cancer.  After 12 hours of hearing the news, I called on God, my family, friends and my church family.  Prayer is awesome and God is Good.

I prayed and meditated on God’s word.  I can honestly tell you that God has been carrying me.  It’s been two months since my diagnosis and I don’t wonder how I got here because I now it’s through God’s grace.”

 And, I still feel the same way.

In awareness of breast cancer month, I shared my journey through my blog post I, blog post II and now this third and final blog post.  While it is not complete it does give you a snapshot of those early days of diagnosis and who I have become today.  Please be aware of breast cancer 365 days a year over the 12-month period and not just in October.  Take care of yourself both body and mind.  And always, be aware and celebrate the remarkable women in your lives – those that you have lost to this terrible disease and those who have survived. 

Sonya Ruff Jarvis, is the Managing Member of Jarvis Consultants and the Founder of the eRetailer Summit and JC Event Group. An expert in her field, Sonya has been published in numerous retail industry b-to-b publications.  Sonya shares her experiences in her book series Mindful Minutes:  A Marketer’s Journey Through Business.  In addition, Sonya collaborated in publishing an anthology, Mentoring Moments:  14 Remarkable Women Share Their Breakthroughs to Success. Purchase Sonya’s books here.

Sonya has a M.B.A. in Marketing. She is married and has a daughter and they live in Trumbull, Connecticut.  

Follow Sonya on twitter at @jarvisconsult or @eretailersummit

October is breast cancer awareness month: My Breast Cancer Journey: Post II

Image Credit: Meridian Hospitals

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month.  In my previous blog, Post I, I started sharing a little bit about my breast cancer journey.  It’s a glimpse into some dark days of my life, that by the grace of God, I was able to get to the other side.  Pulling out my “breast cancer journey” diary and reading through it has brought back so many memories.  Some good and some bad.  Breast cancer diagnoses and struggles affect more than the patient.  It affects families and friends too.

I have one sister and four brothers.  My sister and I weren’t very close growing up because she is five years my senior.  Now, as adults, we have become closer; and, she really evolved into one of my biggest cheerleaders and has always there for support; and, I hope that I reciprocate.

My sister’s best friend fought breast cancer for years and had appeared as though she had beat it.  She was going on her 6th year of surviving when I was diagnosed; a year later the disease overcame her and she died.  My prayer through those early days was that God wouldn’t take my sister’s best friend and me too.  I thought that would be too much for my sister to bear.

Here is one of my earliest entries that I would like to share with you, there is no date indicated but captured the period prior to my first surgery:

“My mother and sister came up during this time and it allowed us to bond with Christ being our central focus.  We read scripture and each prayed on the eve prior to the surgery to remove the tumor. I hold onto the thought this is only a trial to make me a better child of God; that I will not die from the disease but will survive and be able to draw others closer to God.”

I read that entry and remember the wonderful time that my Mom, sister and me fellowshipped, prayed and supported one another.  They both stopped their lives and came to New York City to be with me.  My mother stayed even longer.  I appreciated that network and knew that it helped me get through a difficult time.  For example, the friend I mentioned in the previous post that took me shopping at Costco also sent me flowers on my chemotherapy days.  (She is now the godmother of my daughter)! 

Since my family was far away, I was thankful for my friends.  They would bring lunch to my chemo treatments and sit with me while the medicine was being administered into my body.  Others would meet me at the end and make sure I got home and make dinner for me.  Others would call just to check on me.  I was thankful for their acts of kindness; and, grateful for their time.

In recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness month, I will continue to share my breast cancer journey in the next October blog post.  In the meantime, please start making it a habit (if you haven’t already) to self-examine your breasts at least every month.  Please encourage the women and men in your lives to do the same thing.  If you feel something, do something and don’t put it off.  See your doctor.  Early detection makes a huge difference. Be aware and celebrate the remarkable women in your lives – those that you have lost to this terrible disease and those who have survived. 

Sonya Ruff Jarvis, is the Managing Member of Jarvis Consultants and the Founder of the eRetailer Summit and JC Event Group. An expert in her field, Sonya has been published in numerous retail industry b-to-b publications.  Sonya shares her experiences in her book series Mindful Minutes:  A Marketer’s Journey Through Business.  In addition, Sonya collaborated in publishing an anthology, Mentoring Moments:  14 Remarkable Women Share Their Breakthroughs to Success. Purchase Sonya’s books here.

Sonya has a M.B.A. in Marketing. She is married and has a daughter and they live in Trumbull, Connecticut.  

Follow Sonya on twitter at @jarvisconsult or @eretailersummit

October is breast cancer awareness month: My Breast Cancer Journey: Post I

Credit Image: Essence Magazine

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month.  The entire month is devoted to increasing awareness of the disease and encouraging both women and men to be proactive in the awareness of breast cancer.  Breast cancer is personal to me.  Many who know me, know that I am a breast cancer survivor. But long before I was a breast cancer patient and then a survivor; breast cancer was personal to me. 

I always ran the annual Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 5k in New York City’s Central Park.  By running, I celebrated all who were affected by breast cancer.  The bright pink hats that I would see and, the signs on the backs of runners honoring loved ones whose lives were taken by the disease; as well as, those who survived.  Signs were held with personal sentiments for their Moms, Sisters, and Aunties (and let’s not forget that men are also affected by breast cancer).  I ran in those races for years. 

Then the year came when I ran in it and I wore the bright pink hat denoting “survivor”, and I was celebrated with gifts from sponsors; and, VIP tents with goodies because the Susan G. Komen foundation knew how to celebrate breast cancer survivors.  More importantly, whether running or walking, we saw each other’s fight in each other’s eyes and on our backs with signage.  We had gathered as a community, fighting together against something that was so much bigger than any one individual; or, for that matter even bigger than our communities/groups but together we were fighting back! 

There are so many emotions that stir up when reading the signs sadness, hope, definance and honor are just a few…

Now 20 years later, I look back at that time and am reminded of bright colors, energy, kindness and togetherness; and, yes a lot of pain and grief for all of us diagnosed and those of us lost to breast cancer.

I have a membership into a group that I did not apply for; but, I know the experience has helped to shape me into who I am today.   Because of this disease, I have had the opportunity to meet some beautiful souls; some, who are celebrating survivorship and others who we celebrate their remarkable lives with our memories.

I was diagnosed young.  It did not run in my family and genetic testing showed I was not pre-disposed to the breast cancer gene.  The cancer was suspected in December 1999 and confirmed in January 2000.  So, going in the 2000 New Year; I felt a little like the Prince song “Party like it’s 1999” because I wondered if this would be my last party?  The months would be hard to endure but I got through them.  I hadn’t looked at my “Breast Cancer Diary” since my last entry two decades ago, but I pulled it out and opened it to write this post and share a glimpse of my story during October Breast Cancer Awareness month.

My boyfriend at the time (who is now my husband), family, friends and my church family helped me through that dark year but prayer got me through those dark days.  Here is one of my earliest entries that I would like to share with you:

Monday, March 20, 2000

“Four days after my second chemo treatment, it hit me around 8:30 PM on Thursday.  I felt like I was hit by a mac truck.  On Friday, I conducted business from my bed; and, was able to do a conference call.  I had a good night’s sleep on Friday night and went to a women’s luncheon on Saturday at church. God gave me the strength and clarity of mind to go and give my testimony.  On Sunday, I went to the early church service and then went to Costco with my dear friend Gigi.  I came home and crashed.  Today was another day of faithfulness.”

In awareness of breast cancer month, I will continue to share my breast cancer journey in my upcoming October blog posts.  In the meantime, please don’t put off having your mammogram and for all of the young women reading this; your breast may be dense at this age.  In addition to having a mammogram please have an ultrasound.  Heading into surgery, the mammogram still didn’t show the cancer I had – only the ultrasound. 

Please celebrate the remarkable women in your lives – those that you have lost to this terrible disease and those who have survived.  Most importantly, celebrate you by being aware and taking the precautions necessary for healthy breasts and early detection.

Sonya Ruff Jarvis, is the Managing Member of Jarvis Consultants and the Founder of the eRetailer Summit and JC Event Group. An expert in her field, Sonya has been published in numerous retail industry b-to-b publications.  Sonya shares her experiences in her book series Mindful Minutes:  A Marketer’s Journey Through Business.  In addition, Sonya collaborated in publishing an anthology, Mentoring Moments:  14 Remarkable Women Share Their Breakthroughs to Success. Purchase Sonya’s books here.

Sonya has a M.B.A. in Marketing. She is married and has a daughter and they live in Trumbull, Connecticut.  

Follow Sonya on twitter at @jarvisconsult or @eretailersummit

These days, does anything go?

My daughter and dog photo bombed the webinar!

We are living in an age where words or phrases like “unprecedented”, “uncertain”, “the new normal”, “uncharted waters”, all are used to describe the state of our current living experience.  I am sure you can add some of your own words or phrases to this list.  The point is clear that our time right now is different for everyone; not just a certain demographic of the population or a region of our country or the world.  Generally, when there is an outbreak or something big happens, we are all accustomed to it affecting a certain demographic, a region or area; but not all of us and certainly not all at once.  Whether you are a parent with children still in need of an education, a working person, a care-taker or a person being cared for; this pandemic has us all on our heels.  Unprecedented, uncertain, new normal and uncharted waters, forces us to establish new ways of educating our children, working, taking care of loved ones or the response of those being cared for.

When we are doing these activities under new pressures these days, does anything go?

Certain activities or circumstances that we would have been previously horrified by nine months ago; or, at the very least would make a good family story, seems absolutely normal now.  We tend to take these new normal situations with stride. 

There are so many examples in my own life, but one in particular comes to mind that I would like to share, primarily because it resonates with so many of us.  I participated in a recent webinar hosted by HBS+Dealer.  Post-webinar, a colleague texted me and said how happy she was that she was able to see my daughter (and my dog) at one point behind me.  She was surprised to see how tall my daughter had become and exclaimed how much she is growing.  I had purposefully left the door to my office open to receive more light into the room for production reason.  For one nano-second my response was horror.  I was literally horrified that I appeared unprofessional; then, I thought about it.  During these pandemic days, anything goes, which includes opening up our lives for others to get a glimpse of, when we are working from home.  It’s acceptable and, yes, anything goes.

Parents working and being surprisingly disrupted by their children is not new.  For example, Huff Post ran a great post of 14 Times Kids Hilariously Interrupted the News back in 2017.  We laughed, and may have even been critical, then, but now, it is our new normal.  We accept that stuff like this is going to just happen. 

A colleague complained recently to me that she was on a zoom call with her boss and the boss’ kids were running around the house.  It sounded as though they were being very disruptive and the boss was just going with the flow.  I shared my recent webinar camera bomb story of my daughter and dog.  I expressed that we are all doing the best we can under the present circumstances.  We are forced to go with the flow because the pandemic gives us no other choice.  I encouraged her to be kind and gentle because right now, anything goes.

On the opposite side, another consultant shared with me that she interviewed a woman who was obviously in her car.  She said that in the past she would have marked that as a reason not to consider her for the position.  These days, when everyone is home the consultant said “I’m sure that was the only way she felt she could get peace and quiet”. 

Yes these times, covid-19 days, are unprecedented, uncertain, the new normal and uncharted waters. If you are like me, one thing you can be sure of, is that we are doing the best we can to keep it all together.  My advice for all of us, including me, is be kind, be gentle because these days, anything goes.

Sonya Ruff Jarvis, is the Managing Member of Jarvis Consultants and the Founder of the eRetailer Summit and JC Event Group. An expert in her field, Sonya has been published in numerous retail industry b-to-b publications.  Sonya shares her experiences in her book series Mindful Minutes:  A Marketer’s Journey Through Business.  In addition, Sonya collaborated in publishing an anthology, Mentoring Moments:  14 Remarkable Women Share Their Breakthroughs to Success. Purchase Sonya’s books here.

Sonya has a M.B.A. in Marketing. She is married and has a daughter and they live in Trumbull, Connecticut.  

Follow Sonya on twitter at @jarvisconsult or @eretailersummit

Guest Blogger, Joy E. Mason: Finding Purpose in Life Transitions

Every woman that I’ve talked to is going through some type of transition. It doesn’t matter if she’s a woman in college, early in her career, late in her career, a new mom, newly divorced, becoming a grandparent, losing a loved one, or becoming a caretaker. Women tend to share more and as we share, I discover a common theme - a sense of losing and needing to re-find life’s purpose.

Sometimes women ask me “what’s next” as they reflect upon and reevaluate previous notions of their life purpose. I often reply with an analogy to a trapeze artist who is gripping two rings with both hands high in the air, and as she swings across to reach for the next ring with her right hand she releases the ring in her left hand. She hasn’t quite grabbed the second ring but she has let go of the first ring, leaving her body suspended in the air not knowing for sure what’s next. A question for you.

What if this is all there is and your purpose does not require a “next”.

I posed this question to a friend and she thought this was an awful consideration. To the contrary, this question brought a sense of freedom and joy to me. Don’t get me wrong. I am 52 now and I have gone through many transitions. (I know there are many more to come.) Some have been fun and some have been rather painful. But I have learned that life is lived one day at a time, and actually one moment at a time.

So, while you are suspended in the air during your life transition, I encourage you to trust and know that you will emerge from each transition wiser, more grateful, and more centered. You can find peace in knowing this.

Joy E. Mason, Author, Motivator, Accountability Partner

Joy E. Mason retired from corporate life at the age of 50 and quickly leveraged her new chapter by writing a book describing her inspiring and courageous journey to find her purpose,. While her faith, her family, and her loving husband have been her foundation, a painful lawsuit and the discovery of a brain tumor which can cause blindness have also been a part of her journey. These highs and lows sparked Joy's renewed commitment to live a more purposeful life.

Joy is the CEO/Founder of Optimist Business Solutions and is the author of "Purpose: A Shift from Driving It to Embracing It", "Purposeshift Journal: Healing with Nature" and "The Optimist Workbook: 5 Steps to Sustainable Solutions for Women in Business".

Creating…

Credit Image: Bublish

Life is short. 

That’s not a cliché.  It’s a reality that gets clearer with each passing day (for me anyway). 

When you think about life, what do you dream about? Ultimately, what do you want to do with your days? How are you contributing to the world, your legacy and your life?  

Heavy questions?  You bet!  Questions that most of us, we claim we are too busy to stop, think about and search for, the answers.  And, before you know it, life has passed us by.  

The following experiences are great examples of passions, causes, good ole’ fun and dreams to consider as you strive to live your dream; and, find the passion that drives you forward. Hopefully, these encounters will challenge you to ask those heavy questions that, when answered, will lighten and give light to your life’s passion.

*********

A year ago, this excerpt from my first book, Mindful Minutes:  A Marketer’s Journey Through Business, was submitted to the weekly “Book Bubble” contest sponsored by Bublish, a complete book publishing and marketing solution for professional indie authors and publishers.  I am happy to say that this entry won the contest!  Yes, this was a year ago, but isn’t it just as relevant today?  Life is short! 

We started this year, like any other and quickly had to pivot – into and through a Pandemic.  Where are we now?  On the second half of 2020 – already!  Even through the challenges of a Pandemic, we are swiftly moving through the year.  When you look back on 2020, what will you be able to say you accomplished during these days of social distancing, COVID-19, masks and everything that came with it? 

How will you say that you contributed to the world, your legacy and your life?  Heavy questions?  You bet! The question is whether you are making an effort to answer them. Purchase Mindful Minutes: A Marketer’s Journey Through Business.

Sonya Ruff Jarvis, is the Managing Member of Jarvis Consultants and the Founder of the eRetailer Summit and JC Event Group. An expert in her field, Sonya has been published in numerous retail industry b-to-b publications.  Sonya shares her experiences in her book series Mindful Minutes:  A Marketer’s Journey Through Business.  In addition, Sonya collaborated in publishing an anthology, Mentoring Moments:  14 Remarkable Women Share Their Breakthroughs to Success. Purchase Sonya’s books here.

Sonya has a M.B.A. in Marketing. She is married and has a daughter and they live in Trumbull, Connecticut.  

Follow Sonya on twitter at @jarvisconsult or @eretailersummit

What I am missing: COVID-19 Top 10 List

To say that the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted most of our daily lives and plans, is an understatement, at least from my point of view.  I confess that I started lamenting about all of the things I am missing due to the pandemic.

Here’s my top 10 list:

1. Being an engaged spectator at my daughter’s basketball games

Image Credit: Jarvis Consultants, LLC

2. Being involved with my daughter’s school

3. Going to and being active in church 

4. Family Reunion – ours happens every other year on the even years - not in 2020 :-(

Image Credit: Jarvis Consultants, LLC

5. March madness/Watching live sports on TV

6. Annual August family trip to Saratoga Raceway + summer family beach resort vacation

Image Credit: Jarvis Consultants, LLC

Image Credit: Jarvis Consultants, LLC

7. Getting ready and meeting up with my gal pals/Eating out

Image Credit: Jarvis Consultants, LLC

Image Credit: Jarvis Consultants, LLC

8. Massages

9. Freely taking my time and walking the aisles at brick & mortar retail and shopping

10. Going to the gym

I know that the activities and the traditions on the list might seem small.  I really believe that it is all of the small instances, annual traditions and self-care moments that create one’s lifetime.  I am thankful and grateful for what I have, but I do miss the things on my top 10 list.  They help to make me feel complete. During this disruptive time of the covid-19 virus, what are you missing?

Sonya Ruff Jarvis, is the Managing Member of Jarvis Consultants and the Founder of the eRetailer Summit and JC Event Group. An expert in her field, Sonya has been published in numerous retail industry b-to-b publications.  Sonya shares her experiences in her book series Mindful Minutes:  A Marketer’s Journey Through Business.  In addition, Sonya collaborated in publishing an anthology, Mentoring Moments:  14 Remarkable Women Share Their Breakthroughs to Success. To purchase Sonya’s books go to AMAZON.

Sonya has a M.B.A. in Marketing. She is married and has a daughter and they live in Trumbull, Connecticut.  

Follow Sonya on twitter at @jarvisconsult or @eretailersummit

When is enough, enough?

Image Credit: KindPNG

As a marketer, it excites me to get to know the personal preferences of customers and create personalized marketing plans; creating individual messaging that resonates with customers and produces a personal experience.  This is the ultimate goal behind personalized marketing.   When we optimize data analysis combined with digital technology we are able to track even the most mundane of consumer activities; and, gather pieces of behavior like a puzzle to compose profiles of our best target segments.  Understanding consumer behavior, identifying emerging trends and being able to offer solutions to any number of consumer challenges, is always positive.  

Until, enough is enough and it becomes annoying to the consumer and the ultimate goal backfires.  

I would argue, that while brands have good intentions, sometimes their personalization marketing tactics can damage the relationship.   When does personalization marketing become annoying? Since we are all individuals and unique, I believe the threshold of tolerance is different for each person; but, leveraging the same data analysis and digital technology, we should be able to figure out when enough is enough for different sub-segments of the target audience.

Here are my top 5 brands activities that can become annoying and determine that enough is enough for me:

1.       Texting

Texting to Take Action:  When you receive a text to take action, you take the action.  It can become annoying when the text received provides the wrong information. An example: I once received a text that my prescription was ready and to please pick it up. I drove to the store and the pharmacist didn’t have the prescription and was not aware I received a text. I provided the text and they said “oh”. 

2.       Online Browsing

Follow-up on the online browsing merchandise you chose not to buy:  You receive a reminder that targets digital ads that track your footprint online “reminding” you to purchase. Great idea, but there needs to be a limit. Otherwise, it just becomes annoying.

3.       e-Mail Marketing/Blog

Unsubscribe:  It is a wonderful tool that email marketing messages have an unsubscribe option.  But, finding the button is an adventure, and actually being able to unsubscribe is a huge challenge.  Double that sentiment when you are successful with the unsubscribe action, yet, you continue to receive emails/blogs even though you took the time to unsubscribe.

4.       Loyalty Rewards and Coupons

Access and Convenience:  These assets are only as good as your ability to access them with convenience.  I consistently frequent one store and they never have my rewards/discounts attached to my name/account; I then search for my email that I received with the discount (you can click a button and it automatically goes to your card, which I do); and, they scan the email. Very rarely does the “click button” work.  It is supposed to be easily accessible and convenient but often times rewards and coupons are inconvenient and not able to be redeemed.

5.      Alerts

Opt-in alerts:  These are wonderful and are always easy to opt-in.  I sign-up for them as needed.  But when I am ready to opt-out and Reply STOP, sometimes that does not work.  So, it can be frustrating that you cannot opt-out as easily as you opted-in.

All of the above are just a few cumulative experiences that are a direct reaction to personalization marketing that I have experienced. Do not get me wrong, there are many personalized marketing tactics that create and give the consumer creature comforts - all which help to build a loyal relationship.  I believe they far outweigh the negatives.  Delivering on your brand promises certainly creates brand loyalty.  Surely, personalization helps to maintain and grow that relationship, but when engaging in your development of these activities please stop and ask yourself, “when is enough, enough?”

Sonya Ruff Jarvis, is the Managing Member of Jarvis Consultants and the Founder of the eRetailer Summit and JC Event Group. An expert in her field, Sonya has been published in numerous retail industry b-to-b publications.  Sonya shares her experiences in her book series Mindful Minutes:  A Marketer’s Journey Through Business.  In addition, Sonya collaborated in publishing an anthology, Mentoring Moments:  14 Remarkable Women Share Their Breakthroughs to Success. To purchase Sonya’s books go to AMAZON.

Sonya has a M.B.A. in Marketing. She is married and has a daughter and they live in Trumbull, Connecticut.  

Follow Sonya on twitter at @jarvisconsult or @eretailersummit

Do you look in the mirror, first?

My dear mother, in all of her wisdom had a lot of sayings. Many of them I did not understand until much later in life. Now, her sayings pop into my head at relevant periods.  While she did not create many of these sayings, she certainly owned them when making a point with all of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  During our current world events and yes turbulent times, one saying in particular keeps sticking with me, “look in the mirror, first”.

That phrase is timeless and can be used for all generations and circumstances.  Recently I came across a post from Lolly Daskel who sums it up really well in her blog.  Ms. Daskel refers to the person who is willing to look in the mirror, first as a heart-based leader.  A heart-based leader is described as a leader “who leads from within and is willing to look at themselves in the mirror.”

It is so easy to talk about someone or something else, to be judgmental or critical and to play the blame game; but, honest self-reflection is a must. And, the only way we can do that, is to look in the mirror first before uttering one note of judgement, criticism or blame.  It is a hard thing to do, to really look at ourselves.  It is hard for me, anyway and believe me, I fall short many times.  But, the point is, that I try. 

When I try, ultimately it brings me humbly to my knees, because I do not always like the reflection.  Yet, I muster up the courage to stare within myself and know that self-reflection is good.  I know that I cannot grow unless I am willing to see the good, the bad and the ugly.  In the process, I am thankful for the good, adjust the bad and throw away the ugly stuff.  It is not that easy but rather a process.

When I look in the mirror, seeing my reflection, I ask:

• Am I being a good role model for my daughter all of the time?

• Am I emotionally supporting my husband, family and friends?

• Am I with words and actions consistently kind?

• Am I am supporting the weak and the vulnerable?

• Am I silent or willing to speak truth when it is uncomfortable?

• Am I willing to stand up for my values when it is hard?

• Am I responsible for my actions?

• Am I taking care of and loving myself?

All of these questions and more are relevant for me to stay true to who I am.  In my opinion, to be willing to look in the mirror is the first step.  The second step is being honest with the refection I see, making adjustments and trying to do better moving forward.  So, the next time you begin to talk negatively about someone or something, become judgmental or critical, or play the blame game, just stop.  Take a breath and exhale. Ask yourself meaningful questions and answer them honestly.  It will be the start of looking in the mirror, first.  Now, whose reflection do you see?

Sonya Ruff Jarvis, is the Managing Member of Jarvis Consultants and the Founder of the eRetailer Summit and JC Event Group. An expert in her field, Sonya has been published in numerous retail industry b-to-b publications.  Sonya shares her experiences in her book series Mindful Minutes:  A Marketer’s Journey Through Business.  In addition, Sonya collaborated in publishing an anthology, Mentoring Moments:  14 Remarkable Women Share Their Breakthroughs to Success. To purchase Sonya’s books go to AMAZON.

Sonya has a M.B.A. in Marketing. She is married and has a daughter and they live in Trumbull, Connecticut.  

Follow Sonya on twitter at @jarvisconsult or @eretailersummit

Guest Blogger, Denola Burton: Are You Stuck? 5 Steps to Getting Unstuck in Your Business While Quarantined

For the past several weeks of the quarantine, I have been STUCK!  I haven’t been able to “get it together”!  Last night when I was thinking about this stagnation, I decided to do something about it.  I know that there are things that I can do for my small business that can propel me forward when Covid-19 is a thing of the past so I began to make a list.  Then I categorized those things and began to put a strategy in place and specific action steps in order to get me and my business “unstuck”!  Here are my 5 Steps to Getting Unstuck in My Business and I thought I would share them with you in case you need some ideas for getting unstuck in your business too.

1. Personal Development

This is the day and age of e-learning, online learning, Facebook Lives, etc. and NOW is the perfect time to take advantage of some of the FREE offerings that can benefit you and your business.  My suggestion is to start by making a list of all the areas of your business that you could benefit from knowing more or doing more.  You can do a search to find training that can help you grow in that area. 

Recently, I would have attended the “Independent Book Publishing Association – IBPA sunny L.A.  But I can still continue my education on publishing – online.  I already started my list of FREE online courses and webinars on publishing and will commit to completing at least one per week (if not more). 

During this time of change, we can continue to grow. 

2. Spring Cleaning

Yes, we often think of Spring as a time to spruce up our house.  Well, this is a perfect time to spruce up your business.  Here are some suggestions of what may need some Spring Cleaning in your business:

Your technology:  When was the last time that you cleaned your electronic files?  I did a small amount of cleaning on “National Clean Your Computer Day” but didn’t nearly scratch the surface of what needed to be done.  My suggestion is to add intentional time to your calendar – whether it is an hour a day or an hour a week to do some electronic file cleaning.  This can include organizing your desktop, sorting/deleting old files or pictures, cleaning your Spam folder, etc. 

Your office and hard copy files:  Whether you have a dedicated office space or a spot on the table, you probably have files and paperwork that need to be organized.  When your office is organized, you just feel better about working and getting things done.  By the way, if you don’t have a dedicated office space, see if you can carve out a space that is just for you and your business – in these times of “working from home”, you will be more committed to working if you have a place specifically for work.

3. Create New Content

This is a perfect time to be creative.  Schedule a “staff meeting” with yourself, get a white board (or a clean piece of paper) and begin to brainstorm what you can do to be ready for your clients when we are ready to get “back to normal”.  Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to follow-up with your clients or find new clients with a new portfolio of offerings?  Be ready for the potential business that can come your way.

4. Organize Finances/Expense Tracking

UGH!  Unless you are an accountant, you probably don’t enjoy finances.  Well, this is the perfect time to get your finances in order.  One of the things that I found out after starting my own business was that I was truly lacking in this department.  I did get Intuit Quickbooks to help with expense tracking and that has helped me TREMENDOUSLY!  But, I still keep electronic (and some paper files) that need to be organized.  I plan to use this time getting my paper files converted to electronic files and going through my Quickbooks files to ensure that my categories are correct and ready to use for future business transactions.

5. Give Back

This may be the most important action we can take during this time where so many are being impacted.  Find a “cause” and give back to the community.  It doesn’t always have to be financial, it can be with your time or talents.  Remember some of those FREE webinars and training that we mentioned before?  Maybe you have some talent that you can share with others.  You can provide relevant content through social media, your website or through your email groups.  This is also a great way to keep your Brand alive and well, too.  I believe that this step will be the most beneficial to your overall health and well-being while you are quarantined. 

So, I am not just writing this advice for you guys, I’m writing it for myself.  Today is the first day to make a difference in our lives and our businesses.  I pray that this advice will help you get unstuck and better prepare you to make that difference.  Let’s get started!

Denola Burton is the Founder and CEO of Enhanced DNA: Develop Nurture Achieve, LLC.

Through Enhanced DNA, Denola develops and nurtures individuals and organizations to achieve their Leadership, Communication and Performance goals and objectives.  Denola is also an author and publisher and created the Enhanced DNA Publishing Division of her company where they assist new and newer authors in publishing their books according to the Independent Book Publishing Association (IBPA) standards.  Denola retired from Eli Lilly and Company after 27 years where the majority of her career was focused on Employee Relations/Human Resources.  You can connect with Denola on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIN and Twitter at Enhanced DNA Develop Nurture Achieve or on her website at www.DevelopNurtureAchieve.com or www.EnhancedDNAPublishing.com

Guest Blogger, Aisha Cargile: Recruitment Marketing: 4 Steps to Finding the Right Candidates

Whether you are a for profit or a non-profit, finding the right people and getting them into the right roles directly impacts how well your organization runs. This is especially important for smaller organizations where the contribution of each team member has a greater impact on organizational outcomes.

There are four steps to appealing to the right audience and attracting the perfect fit for your team:

1. Craft Your Opportunity

2. Find Your Audience

3. Make “Apply Now” Easy

4. Be Responsive

Step 1: Craft Your Opportunity

We have a lot more shoved in our faces today than ever before. As a result we look for the main point to quickly tell us if what we’re reading is relevant to us and whether we want to continue. So when crafting your opportunity you want to make sure the key pieces your audience is looking for are clearly displayed. 

I’m sure it’s no surprise that the top 3 things looked for in a job ad are compensation, qualifications and job description. This was the case prior to COVID-19, and is likely to be the case after COVID. However, taking COVID into consideration, safety and the ability to work remotely are also some of the top keywords being looked for right now. 

When crafting your opportunity in our current environment, if the position is remote this is one of the first things you want to tell people. There are some amazing candidates out there who are only looking for remote work and if you can provide that flexibility then make that clear up front. 

The job description should be provided next. You want to tell people about the job. The description, more than the list of qualifications, helps readers decide whether, or not, they can do the job. It also helps them determine if they want to do the job. When it comes to fit, desire to do the job is as important as ability. 

In the job description, include 3-5 of the most common activities of the role. Is the person leading team meetings? Will they be expected to check and respond to social media engagements or run reports and analyze the data? Provide an idea of what the ideal candidate needs to be absolutely comfortable with doing consistently. If you have room without getting too wordy, include things that show company culture and set the tone. Such as, promotes a culture of inclusion, fosters team pride, encourages professional development, helps clients love our products.

Next provide your list of requirements. First start with a list of all of the things you want your new hire to have. Then rank them in order of priority. The top items on that list are your requirements. The rest are nice to have and should be labeled as such. When you include the nice to haves in your requirements list you are telling excellent candidates that you don’t want them. By separating the two, you ensure that your candidates understand your priorities and whether they can do the job satisfactorily. You also let them know what skills they will need to learn quickly but don’t necessarily need to have mastered on day one. 

There is some debate as to whether you should include compensation in your ad. This is something that candidates would prefer, because it helps them rule out the jobs that don’t pay enough. However, there is more to compensation than salary. If your monetary compensation is competitive, provide a range. Starting at what you would prefer to pay and extending to the high end of what you would be comfortable paying a new team member. If the monetary compensation is not competitive but other benefits like skills training, flexible hours, paid time off, health, vision, dental, on-site child care or a gym membership make up for it, then don’t include the specific numbers, but do include that compensation is competitive and be prepared to discuss compensation as a package and not just as a salary during the interview.

Step 2: Find Your Audience

Now that you have the key parts for your message you have to get it in front of the correct audience. Typically, small businesses and non-profits don’t have hundreds of dollars to pay for jobs advertisements. Frequently, word of mouth is the best way to find your candidates. So you want to look to your website, social media and free services to post your job ad. 

Your website should have the full job description with the method(s) for applying. This is the best place to provide all information about your organization and should provide clear links to allow potential candidates to get to know more about you, who you are, what you do and why they should care.

With anything social media, place is important. If you are hiring, LinkedIn should be the first place you post your job ad. And yes, your business or non-profit should have a LinkedIn business page. You can simply create a “we’re hiring” post on the company page, include an image and a link to your website. You do not need to pay for a LinkedIn job ad. Facebook, Twitter and instagram are also good places to put your information though we would suggest simplifying your message, tailoring it to the platform and pointing interested candidates to your website for the full jobs ad. 

For Instagram and Twitter, focus on an eye catching image such as the one at https://www.instagram.com/p/CA5Jx5IH2of/ which is bright, cheerful and clearly shows they are hiring. Facebook is going to be a great place to spread the word. Encourage others to either share the post with your job ad or tag any potential candidates they may know.

There are job boards that will post or promote your open position for free. Indeed, Glassdoor and even Google for Jobs will allow you to post your job opening for free, though in Google’s case you need both a website and a little technical savvy.

Step 3: Make “Apply Now” Easy

Everything above is important, but if you get a candidate to the point where they are ready to apply and you’ve made it complicated, then you have wasted your time and theirs because odds are you’ve lost them. Make applying for your position easy. Allow them to email you their resume and a cover letter, if you require one. If you require an actual application, make it simple to access and use and no more than a page or two.  

Step 4: Be Responsive

No one likes to be kept waiting. Especially, when trying to make life altering decisions, like whether to take a job or not. When you receive an application or query, acknowledge the submission. Preferably within 24 hours. It can be a simple, “thank you for your submission, we will follow up with you soon”. If possible, provide next steps or set expectations for when they will hear from you next. 

One thing to remember in all of this is that you are offering an opportunity, but you are also gaining the time and skill of a valued new team member. The opportunity needs to be appealing to them beyond the paycheck, otherwise, you’re likely to lose them to a bigger paycheck as soon as one comes along. You want someone who shares your goals for the company, the team and for their own professional development. That is someone who’s a perfect fit for your team and someone who is likely to do their best work to make your shared vision a reality.

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Aisha Cargile, Co-Founder, McCord and Cargile Marketing Resources

Aisha Cargile is a trainer, author and co-founder of McCord and Cargile Marketing Resources, an Indianapolis-based marketing agency specializing in You-centric marketing and marketing education for small businesses, solo-preneurs and non-profits. Aisha is an educator at heart. She believes that knowledge is to be shared and lives by the saying "give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.

She has volunteered with a variety of professional and charitable organizations, including, Maddie Smiles: Random Acts of Kindness a community-based organization that focuses on improving the mindset and outlook of local populations through acts of kindness designed to inspire positivity and improve community relations. She has also sat on the board of directors for the Project Management Institute Central Indiana Chapter as VP Marketing.

Who do you trust to deliver your stuff?

The word trust was brought up at least six times during a conversation with Laura Heller, Forbes Contributor and David Weiss, Partner of McMillan Doolittle, during the 2019 Home Improvement eRetailer Summit held in Chicago as they discussed global retail trends.

David Weiss and Laura Heller, eRetailer Summit 2019

Trust is defined as a firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something. In the context of their conversation, it is now relevant to bring up our current state of challenges with the COVID-19 pandemic.  The conversation focused on insights that we currently see in “action” which have been accelerated by the pandemic.

One such thought about trust in retail is that we are now relying more than ever on digital assets just to get through the day; and, we are forced to trust that our doubts of using digital sources will not be realized.  Forced is the operative word here because it took a pandemic to help accelerate the adoption of digital assets.  During the conversation, Laura Heller even went further to state that “optimized digital assets are trusted more than copy/text.”  We see that playing out more now than ever.

The conversation was focused on how delivery-side solutions like Instacart are becoming the norm.  Interesting, that we have fast forwarded less than six months since this discussion was held at the eRetailer Summit and the adoption of digital assets has accelerated because that is the best choice for consumers to get what they need; and, remain safe from a public health standpoint.

A recent post from Kris Holt, a Forbes Contributor, states that Instacart has a 450% increase from December 2019 to April 2020; and, one-third of shoppers are buying their groceries online.  Due to the corona virus outbreak, Instacart made $10 million in net profit in April alone when in the previous years it posted net losses. 

While online retail, specifically groceries has seen an enormous uptick in growth, I would suspect that the experience has increased the trust among consumers that it can be easy, convenient and safe from a privacy standpoint.  Retail delivery solutions had to unexpectedly step-up and supply an immediate high-demand from consumers sheltered in place.  Whether it was standard shipping, one-day delivery, curbside pick-up or just pick-up in store, retailers are currently being challenged everyday like never before.  For retailers this is a time period to build trust from consumers that they can count on you during the worst of times.

While no one could have expected our current situation with COVID-19, Laura Heller’s forecast was right on point!  When asked last year at the Home Improvement eRetailer Summit to sum up what she believed retailers should focus on when winning over consumers, she chose the word TRUST.

Celebrating 5 years, March 7-9, 2021 Aloft Chicago Downtown River North, Chicago, IL

Insights and predictions are shared from retail thought leaders at the Home Improvement eRetailer Summit celebrating its 5th year March 7-9, 2021 at the Aloft Chicago Downtown River North, Chicago IL.  It is an invitation only face-to-face event that focuses on home improvement ecommerce through networking, education, and one-to-one meetings.  To request your invitation, please contact us. 

Sonya Ruff Jarvis, is the Managing Member of Jarvis Consultants and the Founder of the eRetailer Summit and JC Event Group. An expert in her field, Sonya has been published in numerous retail industry b-to-b publications.  Sonya shares her experiences in her book series Mindful Minutes:  A Marketer’s Journey Through Business.  In addition, Sonya collaborated in publishing an anthology, Mentoring Moments:  14 Remarkable Women Share Their Breakthroughs to Success. To purchase Sonya’s books go to AMAZON.

Sonya has a M.B.A. in Marketing. She is married and has a daughter and they live in Trumbull, Connecticut.  

Follow Sonya on twitter at @jarvisconsult or @eretailersummit

Thank you nurses, doctors and first responders!

In celebration of #NursesDay2020 yesterday and #NursesWeek2020 week this post is dedicated to all of the nurses, doctors and first responders.  My niece, Keli is a hospice nurse at a Veterans hospital and I have always admired her for the profession she chose.  Nurses, doctors and first responders are special people that can do the work that many of us just cannot tackle.  I am speaking for myself.  For me, it is just too hard, too haunting and too sad.  For them, based on conversations that I have had with my niece, it is fulfilling and a privilege.  So, thank you nurses, doctors and first responders for your everyday service.

Thank you, Keli!

We see you!  Most importantly, we want you to know that it does not take a global pandemic or major disaster for the world to see you.  We know that you are everyday heroes who continue to soar during the worst situations.  You are always consistent and reliable.  Whether it is a disaster or a pandemic, healthcare professionals and first responders continue to run toward the danger lending their expertise, skills and empathy.  They continue to rise to the challenge and I know many of us have been expressing our awe of them.  We are thankful for them! 

Their ability to serve is amazing.  Their strength to do the job, even with all of the sacrifices they have to make, is unwavering.  Yes, there are other fields like this too including the military and law enforcement to name a few who equally put their lives in danger and make tremendous sacrifices for something bigger than themselves; bigger than ourselves.  With the COVID-19 pause, we are celebrating the nurses, doctors and first responders and highlighting their sacrifices during this time.

As we continue to learn more and read personalized stories we are all affected in one way or another. Companies, brands and individuals are donating their time and resources to help healthcare workers.  Like you, I am grateful for all of the companies that are investing resources to help support these workers.  In case you have not had the chance to learn about some of the amazing contributions made by these brands, here are a few:

Nike is donating $5.5 million worth of products including sneakers, socks, and T-shirts to healthcare workers in the US and Europe

Free shoes, Starbucks and more: These brands are giving back to nurses, health care workers

50+ Companies Doing Good & Giving Back Amid COVID-19

Publix is buying milk and produce that farmers would’ve been forced to dump and donating it to food banks

In addition, there are a number of manufacturers in the home and home improvement industry that are giving back; and, I am proud to know them and thank them for their contribution when our country (and the world) is in a time of need.  Here are just a few:

Jacobs & Thompson Inc. to supply face shields to Federal Government

JK Adams: Personal Protective Equipment and COVID-19 Response

DuPont Mobilizes Covid-19 Response Efforts

There are so many more great companies and individuals giving money, time and developing creative programs that are helping healthcare providers and first responders during this time.  #NursesDay2020 and #NursesWeek2020 could not have come at a better time to celebrate these front line workers.  We see you!  Thank you nurses, doctors and first responders!

Sonya Ruff Jarvis, is the Managing Member of Jarvis Consultants and the Founder of the eRetailer Summit and JC Event Group. An expert in her field, Sonya has been published in numerous retail industry b-to-b publications.  Sonya shares her experiences in her book series Mindful Minutes:  A Marketer’s Journey Through Business.  In addition, Sonya collaborated in publishing an anthology, Mentoring Moments:  14 Remarkable Women Share Their Breakthroughs to Success. To purchase Sonya’s books go to AMAZON.

Sonya has a M.B.A. in Marketing. She is married and has a daughter and they live in Trumbull, Connecticut.  

Follow Sonya on twitter at @jarvisconsult or @eretailersummit.

How are you doing?

I have been reaching out to and receiving communications from people that I don’t connect with on a regular basis. The focus of that communication has been basic during this unprecedented time which is “how are you doing”?  It’s such a loaded question and in so many ways, even though not meant to be, rhetorical. 

Image: Newport Beach Pier

For those of us who have not been infected by the corona virus, we’re just grateful and feel as though we can’t really complain that it’s hard to find toilet paper to buy.  For those who have been infected or have lost a loved one due to the virus, there are literally no words.  While the advancement of technology has helped us adapt a little easier, it has still been a difficult time for most people. 

• Viewing a live stream of a funeral, is not the same as being there for comfort and closure.

• Attending Google classroom, is not the same as teacher-to-student eye contact for understanding.

• Working from home gets the job done, but it doesn’t allow impromptu brainstorming with colleagues.

• Ordering your groceries online takes away from the experience of picking out that just right piece of fruit.

Don’t get me wrong, I am thankful for technology and believe that COVID-19 virus has disrupted us in such a way that it will force us to push technology further and at a faster pace. 

To me, the beautiful surprise during this is the inspiring creativity that has been evident.

• Nearly every industry making meaningful charitable contributions.

• Brands coming up with ways to service their customers even though their doors are closed.

• Communities working together to help each other recognize milestones that cannot be celebrated the traditional way.

We have been giving ourselves high marks for our advancements but essentially COVID-19 showed us that we need to do some catching up.  The status quo is not good enough anymore.  This global pandemic and shelter-in-place has given all of us something we never had before which is time.  Time to accelerate our usage of digital services, time to be more creative and time to reach out and ask people who we know “how are you doing?”.

Sonya Ruff Jarvis, is the Managing Member of Jarvis Consultants and the Founder of the eRetailer Summit and JC Event Group. An expert in her field, Sonya has been published in numerous retail industry b-to-b publications.  Sonya shares her experiences in her book series Mindful Minutes:  A Marketer’s Journey Through Business.  In addition, Sonya collaborated in publishing an anthology, Mentoring Moments:  14 Remarkable Women Share Their Breakthroughs to Success. To purchase Sonya’s books go to AMAZON.

Sonya has a M.B.A. in Marketing. She is married and has a daughter and they live in Trumbull, Connecticut.  

Follow Sonya on twitter at @jarvisconsult or @eretailersummit.

Guest Blogger, Denola Burton: Everyone is not like you!

Everyone is not like you!  That's right.  Even identical twins have differences - especially in behaviors.  Ever wonder what your behaviors say about your individual or team leadership, communication or overall performance?  Through Enhanced DNA:  Develop Nurture and Achieve, we use the DISC Behavioral Assessment to help individuals and teams understand what their behaviors mean and how to improve their leadership DNA, communication DNA and performance DNA.  The DISC assessment will help you learn how to adjust your behaviors and appreciate the behavioral styles of others.  

So, what is DISC?  The DISC model of behavior was first identified by psychologist William  Marston in his book, “Emotions of Normal People” where he describes his theory that behaviors can be categorized into types or styles.  The four DISC behavior styles were originally identified as Dominance, Inducement, Submission and Compliance.  Marston believed that if you understood your primary behavioral styles, you would be able to better manage your experiences and relationships with others.

Over the decades since the original model was discovered, several assessments using Marsten’s theories were developed.  Some consider the DISC assessment as a Personality assessment, others view it as a Behavioral assessment.  Our view is that “Personality is who we are while behavior is what we do”, and therefore, we believe that the DISC is assessing behaviors and not your personality.  

Today’s modern DISC is essentially a four quadrant model which measures the degree of dominance, interaction, stability and cautiousness.  The DISC is used most frequently to help teams work more effectively with each other by having individuals answer questions about a series of behavior-related statements to understand not only their own behavioral style but the styles of others.  

Let’s look at each component of DISC: 

D – Decisive

Do you have anything in common with Darth Vader from “Star Wars”, Buzz Lightyear from “Toy Story”, or Kent Brockman from “The Simpsons”? 

People with the “D” Behavioral style tends to be direct and decisive. They generally exhibit behaviors that are dominant, they have high self confidence, are risk-takers and are strong problem solvers. They also prefer to lead rather than follow and tend to focus on results. Does this sound like you?  If this sounds like you, you might have a High D Behavioral Style!

I – Interactive

Do you have anything in common with Hans Solo from “Star Wars”, Woody from “Toy Story”, or Homer from “The Simpsons”? If you do, you might have a High I Behavioral Style!

People with the “I” Behavioral style tend to be interactive and very social. They generally exhibit behaviors that are talkative, optimistic, inspiring, and are very fun to be around. They tend to keep conversations fun and are often the life of the party. Does this sound like you? If this sounds like you, you might have a High I Behavioral Style!

S – Stability

Do you have anything in common with Luke Skywalker from “Star Wars”, Rex the Dinosaur from “Toy Story”, or Marge from “The Simpsons”? If you do, you might have a High S Behavioral Style!

People with the “S” Behavioral style tend to be stable, loyal, reliable and really good listeners. They generally exhibit behaviors that are steady and sometimes submissive. They tend to avoid confrontation and are great mediators. They tend to be steady, pace themselves and are very patient.  If this sounds like you, you might have a High S Behavioral Style!

C – Cautious

Do you have anything in common with C3P0 from “Star Wars”, Mrs. Potato Head from “Toy Story”, or Lisa from “The Simpsons”? If you do, you might have a High C Behavioral Style!

People with the “C” Behavioral style tend to be focused on compliance and rules. They generally exhibit behaviors that are organized and structured and are often analytical. They tend to work well with a schedule, prefer to work alone and are often quiet and reserved. Does this sound like you?  If this sounds like you, you might have a High C Behavioral Style!

Want to see what a DISC assessment is like? Want to see what a DISC assessment is like?  Contact us for your FREE assessment in March.

Denola Burton is the Founder and CEO of Enhanced DNA:  Develop Nurture Achieve, LLC.  Through Enhanced DNA, Denola develops and nurtures individuals and organizations to achieve their Leadership, Communication and Performance goals and objectives.  Denola is also an author and publisher and created the Enhanced DNA Publishing Division of her company where they assist new and newer authors in publishing their books according to the Independent Book Publishing Association (IBPA) standards.  Denola retired from Eli Lilly and Company after 27 years where the majority of her career was focused on Employee Relations/Human Resources.  You can connect with Denola on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIN and Twitter at Enhanced DNA Develop Nurture Achieve or on her website at www.DevelopNurtureAchieve.com or www.EnhancedDNAPublishing.com

How are small businesses facing the COVID-19 outbreak?

To say that the COVID-19 outbreak is causing disruption is a huge understatement.  If you are a small business owner and/or operate a small industry event like I do, then multiply the disruption by a gazillion.  These are clearly uncertain times and while I know it is always best to approach uncharted territory with calmness, as the owner of a small business and the organizer of a small industry event, my initial reaction was FEAR…

• Fear that the spread of the disease would get worse before it gets better.

• Fear that someone in my circle of family and friends would be infected.

• Fear that our communities and schools would have a long road ahead to get back to “normal”

  And, yes, fear that my small business and the event industry would be changed for the foreseeable future. 

Credit Image: Jarvis Consultants, LLC - local grocery store - No Toliet Paper!

Credit Image: Jarvis Consultants, LLC - local grocery store - No White Vinegar!

Credit Image: Jarvis Consultants, LLC - local grocery store - No Bread!

Every grocery store trip reminds me that I am not the only one afraid as the shelves of toilet paper, bread, dairy products and frozen foods are empty.  This fear has gripped each and every individual and has changed how we live our daily lives.

Thankfully,  I have overcome my fear.  The following bible scripture popped into my head and was comforting:

The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8 (NIV)

It reminded me that after 9/11 shattered our lives and the event world, we were resilient because we were attacked and we fought back and we showed our resolve.  Americans knew the best way to heal was to honor those that lost their lives, we pledged never to forget them and to continue to lead the world in all aspects including the economy.

The biggest tactic to fight the spreading of COVID-19 in our communities is to limit gatherings and to distance ourselves from others.  The disease cannot travel far.  What does that mean and how does that impact our everyday lives?

It means our kids cannot go to school.  Citizens cannot shop, go to the movies, go out to eat, go to parks, and more.  Many of us are quarantined.  Hunkering down in one’s home and isolating one’s family is hard because we are a social country.  We like to go out and about, and be around in our communities.  We support local establishments whether they are restaurants, shops or local hardware stores.  Along with restaurants, retail stores, hotels and airlines, the event industry too, has been hit hard.  There are many in the event management world who are wide-eyed and working ferociously to try to manage their events.

Events that are current on the calendar have all been cancelled or postponed and many companies are trying to reschedule for the venue’s open dates for later in the year.  Other events have altogether cancelled their 2020 events or postponed to 2021.  What about the events scheduled for Q4?  What does the COVID-19 disruption look like then?  Who knows?  Many are giving their best guess and projections based on previous models of other countries who faced COVID-19 prior to us. Atlantic had a recent article “How the Pandemic Will End” that touches on what to expect in the coming months.

Event Force recently wrote a blog on 3/11/20 entitled What Event Planners Need to Know About Coronavirus and suggested 9 Recommendations for Managing Coronavirus Impact on your Event, that is definitely worth the read.  It provides some concrete thought provoking suggestions and questions to consider for ways to succeed in this everchanging environment.  

If you read my blogs or articles, you may recall that I have written about FEAR in the past.  And, while my initial reaction of the COVID-19 disruption was FEAR.  I know that FEAR stands for a FALSE, EVALUATION and ASSESSMENT of REALITY.  We need to face our fears, show our resolve and together we will get through this COVID-19 disruption and emerge even better! 

Please practice social distancing, stay safe and healthy.

Sonya Ruff Jarvis, is the Managing Member of Jarvis Consultants and the Founder of the eRetailer Summit and JC Event Group. An expert in her field, Sonya has been published in numerous retail industry b-to-b publications.  Sonya shares her experiences in her book series Mindful Minutes:  A Marketer’s Journey Through Business.  In addition, Sonya collaborated in publishing an anthology, Mentoring Moments:  14 Remarkable Women Share Their Breakthroughs to Success. To purchase Sonya’s books go to AMAZON.

Sonya has a M.B.A. in Marketing. She is married and has a daughter and they live in Trumbull, Connecticut.  

Follow Sonya on twitter at @jarvisconsult or @eretailersummit.

Buy on Amazon, Return to Kohl’s

Image credit: Jarvis Consultants, LLC

When Amazon and Kohl’s initially announced their partnership, I was surprised.  I did not see the immediate benefit to Kohl’s.   This partnership offered Amazon customers a convenient option to return purchases to Kohl’s.  I could easily tick off reasons why this arrangement would work for Amazon.  The most important being that Kohl’s could offer brick and mortar stores as an option for Amazon customers.  What about Kohl’s?  What was in it for them? Increased foot traffic would be the immediate upside with driving Amazon customers into the stores to make their returns.  How big would the true RETURN be for Kohl’s versus the investment of processing Amazon’s returns?

Tonya Garcia reported on this for MarketWatch and wrote: “For Kohl’s, the benefits to joining with Amazon are clear. This deal drives foot traffic through Kohl’s doors. And if those shoppers, now with a little more cash in their wallets, see something they like after they drop off their package, Kohl’s gets to ring up the sale.”  More importantly, I learned from this article that Kohl’s sells some 200 products of Amazon’s in their stores.  Did you know that?  You can read, Ms. Garcia’s article “This is what Amazon gets out of its relationship with Kohl’s” here.

I totally agree with Ms. Garcia’s assessment; and, as I started doing some research it showed that the RETURN partnership could amount to something big for this mid-tier discount retailer considering that they have more than 1,000 stores in the U.S.  Plus, there are more than 100 million Americans who are Amazon Prime members (including me).  The sheer number of Amazon Prime members shows the ordering power of Amazon shoppers.

I buy stuff on Amazon and I return stuff to Amazon for a variety of reasons. Over the past four months I needed to make two Amazon returns and I decided to do it via Kohl’s to experience the process.

Here’s my Amazon return experience via Kohl’s:

The very first time, I made the return it was super easy.  Unfortunately, for convenience sake, Kohl’s is a little farther than my local UPS store.  It is also worth noting here that the process is virtually the same whether returning to Kohl’s or a UPS store.  As a customer, you do not have to print anything out or package anything up.  The customer making the return, merely shows the barcode on your smartphone to be scanned.  So, it is essentially the same at Kohl’s except you receive a Kohl’s savings coupon of 25% off which was not beneficial the first time.  I walked in, back to customer service, returned the merchandise, a Kohl’s associate scanned my bar code and I walked back out of the store.

Image Credit: Jarvis Consultants, LLC

The second time, which was more recent, returning an Amazon purchase at Kohl’s was almost identical; except, the product I was returning was damaged upon receipt.  There was an extra step in the return process, not for me but for the associate processing the return.  Still it was super easy.  This time, I received my 25% coupon and thought, “let me try it”.  I needed placemats for my kitchen table.  I took the extra time, selected place mats and used my coupon. 

I do not know what the additional projected foot traffic would amount to or what the conversion rate is for consumers returning Amazon purchases, but it could be huge.  Taking a conservative glimpse and applying straight math to the projection (versus a complex and more accurate algebra calculation); using myself as an example, after my coupon I spent roughly $11.  Amazon delivers a gazillion packages a day; if even one person returns a purchase to each Kohl’s store; and uses the 25% coupon; spending on average $11 that is:

$11.00 purchase X 1,100 stores = $12,100 gross sales  X 364 days (they are open on Thanksgiving but not Christmas day).

That equals more than $4 million in incremental sales a year.  I know it is rudimentary math application, but you get what I am saying.

After walking through the exercise and doing some research, I am no longer surprised.  The Amazon and Kohl’s partnership makes sense to me; but, in the future I plan on taking my returns to the UPS store -  it is easier, a shorter drive and I do not end up spending more money!

Sonya Ruff Jarvis, is the Managing Member of Jarvis Consultants and the Founder of the eRetailer Summit and JC Event Group. An expert in her field, Sonya has been published in numerous retail industry b-to-b publications.  Sonya shares her experiences in her book series Mindful Minutes:  A Marketer’s Journey Through Business.  In addition, Sonya collaborated in publishing an anthology, Mentoring Moments:  14 Remarkable Women Share Their Breakthroughs to Success. To purchase Sonya’s books go to AMAZON.

Sonya has a M.B.A. in Marketing. She is married and has a daughter and they live in Trumbull, Connecticut.  

Follow Sonya on twitter at @jarvisconsult or @eretailersummit.

When was the last time you went to your local mall?

We have lived in our community for the past 15 years.  Moving up to Connecticut from Manhattan gave us access to more shopping malls; and, we were happy that our new home was situated closely to two of them.  Recently, a new mall opened just 15 miles south of us and it got me thinking about our local mall and its transformation over the past several years.  I could always run to the mall and pick up something quick that I needed for a business trip, the house or a gift for a birthday party.  Years ago, there were stores like Ann Taylor, Talbot’s, J. Crew, Banana Republic, Gymboree, and GAP.  I do not have any quantifiable data to support this but when TARGET moved into the mall as an anchor store things started to slowly change.  As the big brand store names started moving out; generic (and mostly discounted) store names started opening at the mall. 

There was a shopping experience shift but I did not notice it when it (literally) happened.  As I look back, this was (I believe) the beginning of the transformation of our mall.  It became evident, that the upper level of the mall was geared toward higher ticket brand experiences.  The lower level was more discount shopping-type stores.  Interesting…

Was this a long-term strategy that had been planned by the mall operators/owners?  Or, were big brands just fleeing the mall and the vacancies were replaced with those willing to pay?

Judith Magyar wrote an article about the mall experience and I agree with her assessment, she writes: “Some malls are dying, and others are thriving. What’s the difference? The ones that are dying are those that never moved beyond the opportunity to shop, eat and watch movies. Those that are thriving are the ones that see themselves as an evolution of the community center, a third place to spend time after place number one, home, and place number two, work.”

My sentiments exactly.  Recently, I went to the new mall that opened 15 miles south of my home, the experience was totally different.  It was not necessarily that it was just shiny, bright and new but it had stores that one would have to drive a long way to shop like Nordstrom’s, Bloomingdale’s and yes J. Crew and other brand stores that moved out of my local mall that I enjoy shopping.  Plus, they are new up and coming unique brands like UNTUCKit. They also brought entertainment value to the experience with Pinstripes the restaurant with bowling & bocce; along with outdoor space for concerts and more at the mall.

Pinstripes

The SONO Collection (mall)

I still run to my local mall every once now and then and it is primarily to have lunch at the Cheesecake Factory or to take my daughter to Bath & Body Works. Or, I am forced to go to the Apple Store for a Genius appointment because something is wrong with one of  our Apple devices.  The last time, I was at the mall I saw a store front with “7 Eleven Coming Soon.”  It left me scratching my head.  Transformation must happen to stay relevant and retail is no different but the evolution has to be thoughtful and strategic; and, as a local resident I can say that the 15 mile drive south (passing my local mall) is worth it because they will have the shopping experience that I crave.

Sonya Ruff Jarvis, is the Managing Member of Jarvis Consultants and the Founder of the eRetailer Summit and JC Event Group. An expert in her field, Sonya has been published in numerous retail industry b-to-b publications.  Sonya shares her experiences in her book series Mindful Minutes:  A Marketer’s Journey Through Business.  In addition, Sonya collaborated in publishing an anthology, Mentoring Moments:  14 Remarkable Women Share Their Breakthroughs to Success. To purchase Sonya’s books go to AMAZON.

Sonya has a M.B.A. in Marketing. She is married and has a daughter and they live in Trumbull, Connecticut.  

Follow Sonya on twitter at @jarvisconsult or @eretailersummit.