Jan's Swag

My friend Susan is cool. She makes cools stuff. Best of all, she gives cool stuff to me. This is worthy of celebration and, obviously, comment since I’m motivated to write about it.

Being the fortunate recipient of unique designer gifts has made me consider the importance of giving cool stuff to people. Sadly, I lack the ability to create one-of-a-kind handbags, lavish beaded bracelets, or stylin’ cowls that make a fashion statement while eradicating the winter chill from necks bereft of a turtleneck sweater.

But my friend’s largesse raises the question of what are the rest of us doing? Are we giving cool stuff? What does that really mean? And how is it relevant as we encounter the necessity to earn a living? Rarely at a loss for words (ask anyone who knows me), I believe that my good fortune in having a gifted (and generous) friend reveals something important that the rest of us can use in the quest to be remarkable.

The sharing of the cool thing is just as important as the cool thing . You can be the creator of cool stuff (yeah, I know, I’m overusing the word). Or, you can be the conduit for sharing this useful, genuine, worthy-of-comment thing, idea, insight or information. It’s the selfless sharing of something that is meaningful to people. Even an intensely personal declaration like “I love my kitty”, can create a connection. Especially if it’s attached to a bigger idea (rescue kitties) or a diverting video clip of stupid cat stuff that makes people smile. But beware of sharing that forgets about the recipient. In some circles that’s called ‘blurting’, and it’s almost always boring.

Personal relevance equals remarkable. People talk (if you’re really good) they rave about you, your product, your service or your cause. Why? Because it’s relevant to their experience. And if you’ve done something remarkable, like salvage a customer service problem gone horribly wrong, that’s cool. And people will share their experience because, well, it’s remarkable. The opposite also applies, so serve up some cool and save yourself a lot of grief.

Appreciation is a pay back that pays off. When someone gives you something cool (a referral, an insight, or the name of a good facialist) appreciation is the way you pay it back. Then your sincere appreciation (this has to be communicated not just thought inside your head) inspires you to engage in a cycle of sharing and exchanging. And, one step at a time, this is how relationships are built. Let’s not forget, you can also pay it forward and be proactive about sharing your appreciation. Reciprocity isn’t a given, and you sure won’t get it if that’s why you’re doing it.

I appreciate my friend and creative co-conspirator Susan Bachman. Yeah, she makes cool stuff and better yet, she gives cool stuff to me. Best of all, she gets me and I get her. And, on occasion, I get her handbags at Banana Republic. They’re not handmade, but they are cool, and they’re given with sincere appreciation.

What about you? Are you or your company creating, sharing and showing appreciation for cool stuff? I’m talking about the world of ideas and information too, not just swag or lumpy objects large and small. If you are, I’ll say it one more time. That’s cool. And it’s worth talking about.

“I’m an anarchist and an introvert.” 

This is not what you’d expect from a successful businessperson.  But that’s exactly how Ari Weinzweig, partner and co-founder of Zingerman’s Delicatessan described himself during our podcast.  Except for the introvert part, I can relate to the underlying sense of not having any business being in business.  But Ari and co-founder Paul Saginaw have created a successful community of food-related businesses (ZCoB) that completely upend the idea of business as usual.

There are plenty of reasons why Inc. Magazine named Zingerman’s the coolest small company in America.  After all, Ari and Paul succeeded in building an empire without giving up what made it great in the first place. 

Like all of our podcasts, my conversation with Ari and Paul, focused on the practical ways that they put creative thinking to work.  While there is much to consider in their uncommon sense, here’s my take on the top three reasons why no business being in business is good business for them.

Pragmatic Visionaries:  They started small but their vision was always big.  Driven by their taste buds to bring the perfect corned beef sandwich to America’s mid-section (geographically speaking) they were practical about building a viable business that was also a vehicle for something more.  Like an elasticized waistband (which you need when eating at Zingerman’s because it’s SO good), the deli expanded outward; becoming a bake house, a creamery, an online store, a management training consultancy and more.  The bottom line was an indicator not an end.  They were practical and yet never lost touch with a greater sense of purpose.

Inclusive and Connected:  Long before the clamor for transparency and authenticity in all things, Ari and Paul were living it.  From the get-go they were as committed to their employees and the community as they were to their customers.  Wonder how do they do it?

They share financial goals and performance with employees.  In fact, they have training sessions so that everyone from cooks to counter staff and coffee house baristas, can read a balance sheet and grasp what’s going on.

They train their people.  With a variety of three and five-step guidelines, Zingers (my word for Zingrman’s staff) live the goal of great customer experience.  It’s a very smart use of structure as the source of freedom.  Zing leaders allow people to excel as their authentic selves within the Zingerman’s culture.

They provide a living wage.  Ari and Paul may have started the deli because of a passion for corned beef.  But from the beginning their vision included paying people a wage that would support a life, an education, a mortgage, and an opportunity to advance.  Their philosophy in action has strengthened and enriched the Ann Arbor community every bit as much as their many charitable programs.

Zingy!  Really Truly Remarkable:  Zingerman’s is a deli plus a community of other food-related businesses.  But they’re also in the business of retail theatre.  (This applies to the online store too).  The customer experience is a heady mix of yeasty, cheesy, meaty aromas with a congenial crush of people noshing, shopping, learning about hand-crafted, insanely delicious food.  Their in-store graphics are great too: a little quirky, slyly funny and with just enough feeling of home made to keep it real.  (The online store extends the brand with the same graphic style adding high quality content that will keep a foodie up long past bedtime).

When your name (Zingerman’s) becomes an adjective (Zingy) that describes the experience you deliver, you’re definitely doing something right.  In fact, you can learn face-to-face from Ari and Paul and their management consultancy team by signing up for a ZingTrain session.  So don’t worry if you feel like you don’t have any business being in business.  You may be destined for something great that simply isn’t business as usual.