“Franking Up’ my Business Attire

The title is based on a commercial for Franks’ Red Hot. You have likely seen it, some hapless soul starts to eat a hotdog and the person standing next to him pushes the hot dog out of the bun and says, “You got to frank it up!” This means add Frank’s Red Hot sauce on it.  I laughed as I typed this, the commercial just makes me laugh.

Now to the real purpose of this post.  In January of each year, I decide to lose weight. My most recent annual goal has not been met, but I do not choose to lose weight.  Hope springs eternal each new year.  That does not stop me from trying.  One key point about losing weight I have always known: only you can decide.  No one can make you or decide for you.  You are responsible for your actions (by you I mean me).

My wife signed me up for Noom.  This is not an endorsement, but rather an observation on a tool, one of many available.

In the past, I got tired of logging what I ate and what I weighed.  Noom, and I am sure other apps, make it easy.  Plus, you can see an analysis of what you ate that day.

This makes me think about the choices I have every time I think or want to eat food.  That is the most valuable part of the app. Yes, I read something every day about tips/help on weight loss and I weigh in every day.  Noom does offers hints and encouragement, but to me the most important aspects of the app are the calorie counter and the analysis of the food I eat.

Why is this important to me? Well, I used to wear jeans and golf shirts to work. This was perfectly acceptable in the workplace.  For me, I only want to wear nicer clothes if I do not look and feel so big.  Since I have used Noom, I have lost weight, and I am wearing nicer clothes to work (slacks and button-down shirts).  I feel better in countless ways. Perhaps most importantly, I like to see me in nicer clothes.

You can talk to me all day about the health benefits of losing weight. I know every one of them.  It finally took an easy tool to force me to think about my choices at every meal; and my desire to wear my nicer clothes.  Go ahead and say it and I certainly admit it, I am vain.  But if that helps motivate me to lose weight, it cannot all be bad.

My New Gift – Gadget Overload

Gifts can be great.  Gadget gifts can be great and fun.  For example, my family recently bought me a new watch. I have not had a watch for several years; I usually use my phone. In hindsight, I missed not having a watch.  It is so much easier than trying to hide the fact you are looking at your phone. More on this later.

First, some background. My father enjoyed gadgets and James Bond movies.  He bought me a Casio calculator when I was in high school (see picture). It still works.  I was one of the first students in my school to have one.  As I grew older, he continued to buy me cool gadgets, like the watch that was also a calculator.  You could even play a game on it (see picture).  Now it is important to remember, that was back in the 70s or over 45 years ago. 

And now to today.  My family did not buy just any watch, but a James Bond watch!   You can see it here. It looks like an ordinary watch, but it is not. I can call people, read and send texts, read and send emails, access the internet, use it as a stopwatch, etc.  Just like James Bond!  Quiet, I hear the music queuing up now.

Of course, I cannot shoot anyone, blow up a building, stun an enemy, or other key Bond needs. So, it is not perfect.

Oh yeah, it also can track my steps, tell me how my sleep was, tell me my stress level, measure my blood oxygen, etc. My family tells me that is why they bought me the watch. No surprise.  I like it because it is the watch James Bond would have.

First, I need Q to show me how to use it. It is complex. Then, I need to buy an old Auston Martin and then a Walther PPK. It would be my first sports car and gun.  Again, Q would need to show me how the car works. My son can show me how the gun works.

As noted earlier, gifts are great as are gadget gifts. Dad, you would be pleased with this gadget gift.  As for my family, are you reading this?  I see a classic car and gun in my (likely) distant future.

Virginia Business

 Most states and metro areas do something like this.  I really enjoy the Virginia Business editions. These are all listed on the website under the tab “Reports” and includes novel ones like Best Places to Work, CEO Pay, Most Influential Virginians…you get the idea. The various lists are posted in the monthly magazine and usually highlight an industry.  The Excel download is at a cost.  The HTML format lists an abbreviated edition of the top firms.

https://www.virginiabusiness.com/lists/

My Favorite Business Rankings - Fast Company - IV

The World’s Most Innovative Companies – 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023

Most lists are formula bases.  You may see individuals, companies, states, ranked by value, profit, revenues, net worth, etc.  An example is the most innovative state as determined by the number of patents issued to individuals and firms in a state.  We all know the Forbes and Fortune lists.

I think this one is far more complex.  Innovation may truly be in the eye of the beholder. It is a fluid and moving definition. Innovation can change radically by industry and/or individual. The automotive industry (driver less cars) and Elon Musk come immediately to mind.

Of all the rankings, Fast Company’s innovative firms is one of the more fun to read. First, all are innovative according to Fast Company and their judgements (next paragraph). And company size; revenues, longevity, etc. are not really relevant.

The question is are you innovative.  For 2020 Fast Company staff determined innovative by:

“This year (2020), Fast Company’s editors and writers sought out groundbreaking businesses across 44 sectors, including every region of the world. We also judged nominations received through our application process. We assess each company on a combination of innovation and impact, with a focus on what it’s accomplished in the past year. The 434 organizations we honor here lead their fields and are transforming the world.”

Enjoy all four rankings and note the vast differences in the top 50. I see very few parallels. You may find more.  I think you will enjoy the one-line description of why each firm was selected. 

https://www.fastcompany.com/most-innovative-companies/2020

https://www.fastcompany.com/90603436/the-worlds-most-innovative-companies-2021

 

https://www.fastcompany.com/most-innovative-companies/2022

https://www.fastcompany.com/most-innovative-companies/list

My Favorite Business Rankings – III - Forbes Next 1000

 This is a recent one.  Unlike almost all other rankings that use somewhat static data to rank companies, Forbes uses a combination to identify the future entrepreneurs. For example, most rankings take a combination of current revenues, profitability, etc. to determine the ranking.  By using the most recent historical data points, most rankings look at the most recent calendar year.

The Forbes Next 1000 looks at that type of data, but also asks about biographical, awards, and if student debt influenced your decision to start a business.  The magazine seeks to find the next generation of entrepreneurs by identifying current sole proprietors, self-funded ventures, and pre-revenue startups all with under $10 million in revenues.  A rather novel approach.

This is one of the most unique and fun rankings to read.  The winners are diverse in every sense of the word.  Since this is running all year, every season we get to read about the additional 250 firms.  The articles run over one year.

Finally, note the judges.  Just like the past editions, the judges are a varied group of individuals. 

 

Link to list:  https://www.forbes.com/next1000/

My Favorite Business Rankings – II - Forbes 400

Everyone has heard of the Forbes 400.  It is the ranking of the richest Americans.  This is more of a fun list. It is also very informative. An example, if you look at new wealth and how it was created, you might get an indication of a growth industry. You also get a great idea about family money.

The methodology is sound.  The brief on every individual is interesting and tells you several key facts about the person. Detailed profiles are definitely worth the read. The “did you know” is almost always interesting. The one category I immediately access is “Source of Wealth.” 

A couple of items on each profile I find difficult.  The first one is the self-made score. I think is a very hard judgement. The second one and more difficult than the first is the philanthropy score.  That just seems rude to me to have anyone pass judgement on an individual’s charitable donations. 

It is a fun one to read. Of course, I periodically read an entry and think “why didn’t I think of that”.

 

Link:  https://www.forbes.com/forbes-400/#34e4c567e2ff

My Favorite Business Rankings – I - INC 5000

This is a similar article I posted over one year ago. I decided to repost it since I am kicking off a new series.  So much of what we see today is rankings. I think it took off with David Letterman’s Top Ten List…(I hope people remember this).

Frankly, I get sick of reading all of them.  Often I will read the methodology first. Sometimes you know after reading it that the ranking is utterly useless.  However, over this one and the next few posts I highlight my favorite rankings and why. 

First up is the INC 5000. This ranking is billed as the definitive list of the fastest growing private companies in the US. 

It is a fascinating list to sort through. Thanks to great sort options you can actually find clusters of private fast growth companies.  You can sort by state and industry too. The write-up on each firm is very helpful and a link to the company is also listed. You can search past rankings to 2015.

One unique point.  You may think INC scours the US looking for these firms.  Not really, it is decided by application.  Hence, each firm must apply through INC for inclusion in the annual ranking.

Four more reasons I really like this one. Some the names are priceless.  Second, individual stories are very well done. Third, good data on privately held firms.  

And finally, the summary above the rankings is very helpful. The summary is whatever you chose to cut and dice the list by.  For example, if I do a search by Virginia firms, I find that the median growth is 152 percent, total revenues exceed $18.4 billion, 33,611 jobs were added, 22 are new, and 224 of the firms have been on the list before.

Link:  https://www.inc.com/inc5000