Bullseye! Letting talent do what they do best!

If you are an entrepreneur of any degree than more likely than not you like to just get it done and do everything yourself. This is especially true when you first start out before you have developed the ability to trust and include and build upon other individuals visions.

Somewhere along the way it is imperative for you to let go of total control and allow others in your inner circle to do what they do best. It's important to remember that we've all been given special talents in life and when we are using these talents the possibilities are endless and the sky is literally the limit. I have the perfect example for you. REAL life story that shows you exactly what I'm sharing with you.

We are hosting a Local Home Run Derby this year to raise money for breast cancer. Early on we had the idea of putting a giant bulls eye in the outfield and having the first batter to hit it getting a large gift certificate from the Kittery Trading Post: hence the bulls eye logo. Well undoubtedly we soon got caught up in organizing the details of the Derby and finding the sponsors to underwrite and getting people to show up through guerilla marketing campaigns...blah blah blah. The point of this story is that Sue and I put off making the actual bulls eye for the Derby. So Bill jumped in and said let me just handle it. Since our version of the bulls eye was going to be foam board with Sharpee Markers we agreed and let go of all control with no expectations and moved onto finishing up other details for the day.

Last night right before 11:oo pm, Bill sent me an image of the bulls eye he whipped up for the Derby in his garage. AMAZING and incredibly professional. The Kittery Trading Post is going to be proud and people are really going to want to try to hit it!! It had never entered my mind that it would be so professional and kick ass. It so much better than it would have been if Sue and I had said no we'll just figure it out and get it done.

Your business is your baby and I know how hard it is to let go and let someone else take care of it sometimes...but be open to others infusing your business with their incredible gifts and talents!

Instead of creating obstacles...Imagine the possibilities.

When you are creative you are brainstorming and letting ideas flood in and just exist on a piece of paper. Remember back in school when the teacher would set a plain white peace of paper in front of you and have you draw a circle in the middle? Next you would put something in that circle, anything really, the actually word doesn't matter as much as what that word inspires in your creative process.

Try it. I dare you. Take a plain white piece of copy paper out of the printer sitting next to you and draw a circle in the middle of the page. Inside the circle I want you to pick just one product or service you offer as a business and go ahead right it down. Own it and recognize it as something you are proud of. Let it be your finest accomplishment. So step two this is where it gets crazy and lets you just be like a young child again not worried about coloring in the lines.

Draw spider legs out from the center of the circle in each and every direction and don't feel as though they need to be even or balanced. Go flippin crazy with the lines and don't even let yourself think about whether or not you can come up with something for each of the lines. So now it's time to reflect. What product or service did you put in the middle of the page and where do you want to go with it? Do you want growth, stability, increase in production, a new ad campaign, brand loyalty, brand awareness, a new factory or storage facility...it really doesn't matter just pick something to focus on and pick up your pen again and starting writing as fast as the thoughts come flooding into your mind. Remember this is your dream and your choice as you would have your company and product line grow.

No holds bar! The more you let go of your preconceived notions of business the more you will get from this exercise. So take some time fill your paper, draw more silly lines, and then let your paper sit for a day or so and then pick it up and take a look. We'll all be waiting here at TRG Northeast to see what you came up with and the brilliant new strategy or product line that you would like to run with will be our newest mission and goal.

Thanks for stopping by and even if you don't come back to share I hope this exercise was helpful. Love your business and watch it grow!

Are you positioning your product in the very best light possible?

"South Berwick is not the biggest, most happening town. That is why I was happy to find Nature's Way Market in the small downtown area. This business is about 3 or 4 years old and is a great addition to the neighborhood. Not the most impressive natural grocery store I've been to, but they have the basics. A nice, organic produce section. Some prepared foods such as salads, quesadillas, and sushi. Some organic snack food and frozen food items. I was particularly impressed by the wine and beer section as they carry some great craft beers that you won't find at the nearby Cumberland Farms. The prices are steep and are about what I paid last year in NYC. But I suppose to bring those products to a small town is expensive. I plan on doing a lot of my grocery shopping here this summer despite the prices though." Erica C



With the internet opening up content and copy for everyone and their brother to post, position, and get out there how do you continue to manage to place your product and brand in the best light possible for the world to see? When I found the post for Nature's Way, in an instant, at first I was disappointed in her review but then I changed my perspective and realized she is telling people that even though it is more expensive and she has been to better markets she is happy she found it and going to shop there. Eric took the time to write a post and let the world know about the little gem she found in South Berwick, Maine. How invaluable is that to have a foot soldier doing your marketing for you as a volunteer?

This is one of the ways that I was able to grow the story around The Little Hat Company so quickly. I capitalized on the testimonials, photos, comments, and postings that I found on the internet and took at the store locations and helped spread the efforts of our team of foot soldiers. Everyone likes a honest balanced testimonial and it goes a lot further than a banner ad or a randomly placed ad in a newspaper. Don't get me wrong both have their merits and importance when it comes to building your brand, just how much impact would they have collectively if you implemented a targeted strategy that used both to their full potential?

TRG Northeast knows about creative strategy and planning and taking all aspects of media into account when building a successful campaign for your brand and product placement. We work with companies of all shapes and sizes and budgets of any capacity. It's what we do and more importantly it's what we love to do. The great thing is that TRG Northeast has the backbone of TRG supporting its launch along with my 20 years of experience in the industry including relationships and contacts and did I tell you my boss, Tyler is really cute? So not so important but it helps!

I'm laughing out loud loving my job right now!!

Business is a Circus. TRG is your Ringmaster.

Tyler sent me an image today for TRG that had been done awhile ago and although I didn't think it was very good or that it even came close to representing TRG and the value it brings to its clients in brand development and positioning it sparked something in me that has pushed me off tracks for the entire day.

On my agenda today was writing one proposal, two press releases, the creation of two new facebook pages and also when I can find time, finalizing the logistics for the local home run derby benefiting breast cancer research happening this Sunday. Then Tyler emailed me the old file of a graphic that he wanted to know if I "likey". Ok so I'm in new waters with a new company and never really have known how to tread lightly. My gut said how awful rudimentary, elementary and saying nothing of the mad skill that TRG possesses in its team or capabilities. I kept looking at the damn bear and then literally fireworks went off. "we wrestle bears" kept spinning in my mind, what does that mean, who wrestles bears, who would want to wrestle bears and then it all came flooding in an instant. Business is a Circus. TRG is your Ringmaster.

Circus Bears, Ringmasters, girls in short tutus walking tightropes, Clowns trying to close the deal and make everyone happy, Angry mobs trying to push their way into a sold out circus, vendors wanting to sell their wares to the audience, live music trying to be heard above the roar of the crowds...don't you see - Business is a Circus. TRG is your Ringmaster.

Tyler and Jen are here to keep everyone on track and in focus. We're fun we like to have a good time and think out of the box - hey we live out of the box, and in fact quoting my brother we don't even know where the box is anymore. Still when building a business and bringing a circus to town you need to stay focused and make sure you keep the train on the tracks even when it becomes a wild ride and you are speeding down the mountain at a 100 miles an hour and the twist and turns are making you queasy and shrilling with excitement you need the conductor, ringmaster there to make sure you stay on the tracks and everyone gets their tickets worth at the circus.

Ok so I'm a little zany and full of wild ideas. But when you are trying to build your brand and position it effectively in an already crowded market who is going to make you stand out? The guy in the three piece suit or the zany marketing girl who thinks out of the box and has a history of getting things done?

Is anyone really doing business in the boardroom anymore?

Is anyone really doing business in the boardroom?


I'm only asking because it seems for the past ten years I have been able to juggle a family, work from home, and vacation and get things done. I work this way so I can spend a lot of time with my children and have the benefit of being home to get things done in between all the day to day business grind. My last "real" job in technology had office space and conference rooms but we spent most of our time on the road or talking with co-workers/bosses in breakfast or lunch meetings. A lot of the time we would go grab a coffee to discuss the really important things.

So now that I've been back in the swing of corporate America for a whole whopping three weeks, I'm finding it refreshing at how much I get done working from home. A week ago I was away on a lake in New Hampshire without wifi and was able to get a proposal out via my smart phone and keep in touch with contacts and boss via facebook on my blackberry. Believe me it was not ideal but we were able to make things happen. Home now I am finding myself at my computer more than I was working in an office on Congress Street in Portsmouth but still able to balance my time with the girls and making sure Aaron has rides to where he needs.

So what about the rest of you? Are you chained to an office or a desk from 9-5? Do you have flexibility in your schedule? Are you happy? What if we are more productive making our own schedules and with the invention of the Internet and Wifi we are able to be virtually anywhere at anytime and be in communication in an instant. I LOVE it, most people think its horrible. So here I am typing a blog for TRG - northeast at 12:30 in the morning while the parent company is in bed in South Carolina and feeling thankful that I can be with my girls just a little bit longer as they grow up.

Tyler and I worked together on a project today (Sunday) remotely - he is down South and I'm up here in the North but we were able to make it happen. I described the shoot I needed down to the location and his wardrobe and also the basic gist of the script. He then made it happen. He produced the video down in South Carolina in a place that might be able to pass for New England, did the editing and voice overs from home and uploaded to You Tube. Seriously, could it be any cooler to do business?

Here's a glimpse of how we come up with our best creatives:


















Check out the rest of the company - TRG!

Branding is Positioning! There is a place for everybody and everything!

IE...The pickle story brought to you courtesy of Mr. Hood, my junior high history teacher. Our Holland Opus.

So it's a big world out there with a lot of people and even more consumers. People are doing, buying, and creating every day and whether you like it or not they need things. People need services, consumable products, amenities, luxuries, and even junk. People are addicted to the process of buying and having.

You are a business or craftsman. You need to create a revenue stream to not only support yourself but your family, employees and yes government. (shhhh-I didn't type that)

I'm here to say that it is vitally important for you to be aware that your branding is all about positioning. You need to know your target market, where they live, breathe, eat, sleep, and where they like to walk their dog. If you know these things than you are well onto your way of maximizing your product, its distribution, and your success. Why pickles you ask? Well many years of gratitude to one very special Craig T. Hood from Chesterfield Central School who has provided a lifeboat of lessons for one very zany marketing girl. He just doesn't know it.

So sit back, breathe deep, and feel the power of the pickle story. It is a business gift from me to you. I hope you will internalize it and take it with you along your journey as I have in mine.

The Pickle Story
by Craig T. Hood (retold by Jennifer Houghton TRG - northeast)


There once was a very smart business man with a whole lot of cucumbers. This man had a mission in life and that was to make money and realize the American dream. He was born in poverty but had been given the gift of wit and intelligence and more importantly than anything else he had been given drive and desire.

So this humble man with a lot of cucumbers had an idea he was going to build a pickle factory and make his own dreams come true. Here's to a very short story with a very good ending. The man became a very successful pickle factory with a very a very successful life and a very happy marriage. And why? Because the very smart business man knew that branding was positioning and this is his secret.

He took his cucumbers and divided them into groups:

Healthy strong cucumbers - no blemishes, dimples, or bruises
Almost perfect cucumbers - a few blemishes here and there but essentially good
Middle of the road cucumbers - chunks missing, dark spots
Wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole cucumbers - the cucumbers on the bottom of the barrel
with mold starting to grow

Next he created and positioned four product lines from these four groups of cucumbers:

1. Amazing WHOLE pickles
2. Fabulous pickle SPEARS
3. Crunchy Zesty pickle CHIPS
4. Sinfully Delicious RELISH


Need I say more? This blog post was inspired and brought to you by TRG -northeast
through Mr. Craig T. Hood, teacher and life mentor. Stay tuned for more great stories to help you build your business.

Can you really do it all by yourself? It felt pretty cozy under my mentor's wing this evening!

We all know that one of the reasons tourists flock to Portsmouth throughout the year is to take a trip back in time to rediscover their roots in Strawberry Banke. It was actually settled in 1623 as this jolly gent so proudly attest to but do we know why it was named so? One of the lessons that my dad taught me in life is that its best to keep it simple. The settlers named it Strawberry Banke aptly for the wild strawberries that grew up the banks. Go figure. Well actually I'm sure you already did.

I've had a feeling about myself ever since I can remember. I had a feeling that one day I am going to accomplish something big that will make a difference. It's like an eternal flame inside of me that keeps the lights on "when no one appears to be home." If I let myself think about it too much my mind has a wonderful time of making up ways in which I'll reach this goal and more times than not these ideas tend to send me off track. I've been pushing towards something unimaginable my whole life and it always feels as though its right around the corner and before I know it I will be breaking through to my destiny. It is this energy that compels me to be up all night writing, or spinning an idea for a client, or trying to figure out who I can connect a friend with in order to help them out of a tight situation in life.

The problem is when I loose focus and let my mind spin in a thousand directions I've pretty much scattered myself so thin that I loose the ability to do great in one area. Instead I find pretty average results in a number of different projects. Don't believe me? Just come take a look at my perennial beds and my laundry room. Last month I was feeling especially scattered, not knowing which direction I would be taking in life. So I did something I rarely do, I picked up the phone and called a woman who I consider to be a semi-god in business. I am inspired by her to the degree that I purposefully keep distance so she won't think I'm a stalker. Weeks went by and no word from the demi-god and I had honestly forgoten that I had called her. Then without expectation there was a message on my blackberry and it was her!! WOW - I thought "oh shit" I picked up the phone without really thinking about it now I have to be serious and know why I want to speak with her.

It took me a week to feel as though the time was right and when I did finally put the call in I had a surge of energy and I knew it was meant to be. She answered the phone and I emotionally threw up everything that I have been dealing with in life and then told her about the incredible new business opportunity that has literally fallen from the sky into my lap and then I finally ended my long winded monologue with I need your help. I need a mentor.

This was a huge step for me. I grew up in a family where it was our daily task to prove that there wasn't anything that we couldn't do and never ever ask for help especially from someone outside of the family. My mentor as I now love to call her asked me when I could meet her and within a few short hours I was sitting in front of her once again spilling everything. Honest truth with tons of emotion, tears and laughter mixed in. She got me and I could tell that she was listening and reworking the information I was giving her. It felt safe and it felt good. I ended up staying three hours and we were joined by her husband who is a man of great strength, intelligence and ability and then I took my turn listening to all that they had to say. It felt nothing short of amazing to receive the feedback that yes I am on the right track and yes I am doing what I need to be doing and most importantly the piece of information I value the most is....Keep it simple. Be who you are and be it better than anyone else can! We are giving talents and abilities for a reason. It is not to bridle them or mask them in order to make another comfortable nor are these talents basis for one to boast. These unique talents that we are each given are for us to create something good in our own little pockets of the globe.

My little pocket of the world is the Seacoast and New England. I am a Yankee girl thru and thru and it is my job to do what I do best right here in this corner of the world making sure that I am giving what I have to give and receiving what I need to receive. So can we really do it all by ourselves? Are we meant to live, work, and breathe from a vacuum not connecting with others or sharing experiences or knowledge? Wouldn't life be much simpler and less messy if we listened to those that have already been there done that? I'm not saying that we try to avoid important life lessons, I'm really just implying that if we listen to those placed in front of us and know from our guts that they are speaking the truth it might just do a lot towards shrinking our learning curve so we may surpass our own highest expectations of life and get some really good things done for not just ourselves but those around us that might need an extended hand.

I sat in front of my mentor and her husband this evening and my mind was spinning. How could I take the information they were giving me and apply it immediately to my new life? How did I become so fortunate to be able to be in the present moment with them both and enjoy learning all that they had been through? Life is not easy for anyone regardless of how much is in your bank account but one thing it can be is beautiful. When you have the opportunity to reach out and grab an offered hand TAKE it and remember to return the favor one day. Oh what a wonderful place this will be and I can only imagine the many people will be flocking to spend time on the Seacoast.