By AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWS When Jacquelyn Clark found out she was pregnant with twins, her joy turned quickly to despair. Scans showed the girls were conjoined at the heart and liver. Their chances of surviving were slim. But on Wednesday, doctors at the University of Florida Health Shands Children’s […]
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By AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWS People are more likely to adopt heart-healthy behaviors when guided by the Internet, their cellphones or other devices, according to 23 years of research reviewed in Journal of the American Heart Association. “Both Internet-based and mobile-based programs can help people become more physically active, eat […]
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Once again we have elections and the useless self-serving rhetoric of politicians and small business. talk about Damn, elections are heating up again. All politicians claim to speak for “small business.” As if anybody could speak for small business, given that just about the only thing business owners have in common with each other is that we have nothing in common with each other. And all candidates promise to create jobs, or to bring them back to the U.S. from other countries.
Ask yourself: How does a president create jobs? How does a senator create jobs? How does congress create jobs? Think for a second about startups, entrepreneurship, and small business. Tax rates, safety rules, employee law, and of course health care affect existing small business, yes. But startup founders don’t look at tax rates and health care costs before starting – they look at the market, what they want to do, the team, the feasibility, and so forth.
So every politician claims to support small business. Have you ever heard one say no to that? Is it anything different from the American flag, apple pie, and motherhood? Damn!
And what does that mean? They pause just a second, and then go straight into how supporting small business means voting for them. Every candidate speaks for the supposed little guy. Right? And every candidate promises to create jobs.
What bugs me a lot about politics and small business, particularly around election time, is how many people claim to speak for small business when, in fact, really, nobody does. And the numbers they spout, along with the self righteousness of it all.
Business owners don’t fit into categories and generalizations. We are as unlike, one from the other, as any other random group of people pulled together for the common factor of owning a business. We don’t have the same opinions, and we don’t need or want the same things.
Think about what we have in common: jumping off the path, maybe, doing things differently, doing our own wheels instead of being cogs in bigger wheels. Does it make sense to assume we’re all in favor of one thing or the other? I don’t think so.
And politicians don’t create jobs. People create jobs.
(Image credit: The flag, apple pie, and motherhood. From Truback, Mindstorm, and Boris Ryaposov, respectively, on Shutterstock)
The post Truth: Politicians and Small Business appeared first on Planning, Startups, Stories.
You’ve done it. You’ve successfully launched your business and now you’re ready to metaphorically sing about it from the rooftops. You’ve listened to the internet gurus. You’ve read the statistics. You know if your business isn’t online, you’re leaving money on the table.
But then you see that tsunami on the horizon. It’s a massive wave filled with over 20 different social media platforms, hundreds of industry-specific blogs and blog directories, portfolio websites, forums, video collections, and more—a tsunami that grows larger every year.
The opportunity to market yourself online is as vast as it is intimidating. On average, internet users have 5.54 social media profiles. Over 2 million blogs are published every day. 12 new mobile accounts are added each second. There are more than 40 million small businesses on at least one (and often two) social media platforms. Trends are showing that these numbers are only going to increase in the future.
The internet is a noisy place. Are your ears ringing yet? Mine certainly were.
Rewind to spring of this year. I had just successfully launched a new business website, put together a killer business plan and worked out every conceivable kink in my services lineup. The pieces all fell into place. It was time to get the word out.
As my background is in web design, I decided that improving my website search engine optimization should be the first stop. In order to that, the web gurus recommended blogging to complement the website. So, I blogged.
Then the blogging masters recommended becoming active on social media to complement the blogging. So, social I became.
Then the social media leaders recommended video production to complement the social media. So, I produced videos.
Pretty soon I was forgetting the point of the whole exercise. It’s easy to get lured by “free publicity” and attempt to put your name into every nook and cranny of the web. But unless you have super powers, an army of minions with smartphones, or a dedicated marketing team, it’s probably not possible.
Still, you know that money is on the table. So, the trick isn’t to market more—the trick is to market smarter.
Follow these steps to find the perfect niches for you and your business. We’ll start with a short list, then a shorter list, and then bring it all together and make something happen.
You may have heard that there are about 24 hours in a day (I know, what a surprise). Most humans have to spend at least a few of those hours sleeping, eating, taking care of the cat, and making their livelihood. If you’re in my shoes with a new business on your hands, time is not in particular abundance.
Thus, learning a new skill may not be the most efficient use of your time. Instead, start investing in the skills you already have, and applying them to the world wide web.
Get your pen and paper ready.
In the visually oriented world of the internet, photography skills are a big bonus. Video production is even more so.
If you enjoy snapping pictures and showing them off, there are several platforms that cater to people like you. Check them out and see if they pull you. If so, add them to the list!
While text does not grab attention as quickly as images, developing your writing skill will help in nearly every other digital marketing strategy you ever use.
Do you enjoy writing emails to friends, keeping a journal, or scribbling ideas in a hundred different notebooks? The following routes may be more to your liking.
If you’re on social media, you’re a step ahead. You likely already have a sense for what kind of posts gets more likes, more shares, and more impact.
Create a business page or account and reach out to your current followers. You’re already on your way to building an audience!
Do you enjoy flipping around the internet? What about design? Maybe you’re more of a technical person and would like to try some code. Perhaps it’s time to build, or at least commission your own website.
Websites need near constant updates and renewals. If you already have a website, start there. Make sure everything works as it’s supposed to. Use a gorgeous design. Use every online speed and mobile test you can find. Climb up the search engine results.
Your new business needs a lot of care and attention. There simply isn’t enough time to learn every skill. Go with what you love and you’ll find inspiration instead of frustration.
At this point, your list should have a few ways to apply your current skills to the digital world. But don’t get too attached to them yet: Elimination Round Two starts now.
I confess: I am a raging foodie. I love exploring new restaurants and trying the weirdest, most ridiculous dishes on the menu. I photograph like a mad woman, then proceed to post them on Pinterest as fast as my phone will connect to the Wi-Fi. I’ve got a decent following and I’m pretty savvy with those bulletin boards.
But I have never met a prospective client there. That’s okay. I still love Pinterest. However, it is not where my marketing resources go. There isn’t much point in becoming a LinkedIn superstar or blogging master if the people you are trying to reach won’t find you there.
You’ve decided what you like to do and where you like to do it. Now take another look at your list. Put yourself in the shoes of your customer.
If you’re interested in learning more about customer targeting, check out these resources:
What is the demographic information of your current (or ideal) clients? Are you offering goods and services to businesses? What kind? What industry are you in? What industry are you targeting?
At this step, a little research goes a long way. If you do it well, you’ll find your list from step one drastically decreased.
Congratulations! The planning part is over. Now you get to buckle down and actually do something (I did promise we’d get here, didn’t I?).
You now have one, maybe two targeted areas of the internet. It’s time to devote all your resources to these areas. Learn everything you can about them. Discover those that are already doing well there and study how they’re doing it. I like to call this the “sponge” stage. Soak up all you can.
Remember you’re sticking to just one area. Don’t let yourself be lured elsewhere, or that tsunami will start growing again.
Become a blogging ninja. Dominate the twitter feeds. Lead your industry forums by the nose. Crush the Google search competition with your superior website.
Not only will your prior abilities help you reach the top faster, but you’ll connect with the audience you want to be reaching. Your personal voice will show through your communications. In turn, this helps your business gain a sense of humanity. You’ll make authentic connections with other humans. Those humans will spread the word to yet more humans. Not computers. Not robots. Not spammers.
You don’t need me to tell you resources for small businesses and startups are not infinite. We have to carefully decide where to focus our energies. We know that marketing, and especially marketing online, is paramount to a business’s success. But there are so many options; it can be confusing and overwhelming.
Don’t let it be. Take a breath. Build on what you know. Learn from your audience. Become the expert in your chosen niche.
Digital marketing shouldn’t overwhelm your passions. It should inspire them.
When it comes to a themed family vacation, you have a good number of exciting options to choose from–there’s bound to be one your whole family will enjoy. Theme parks are more varied than ever, with many more to choose from than just a decade or two ago. Family themed resorts offer activities and amenities for all age groups; the same can be found on many different cruise ship vacations. Picking the best themed vacation for your family is often simply a matter of figuring out what activities each of your family members enjoy doing the most while on one of these trips.
This famous Florida vacation destination has a wide variety of theme parks, each centred around movie or TV-based themes, fabled story places, or the kids’ favorite animated characters. Walt Disney World and its associated resorts are among the most popular in the world. Consider going during the holiday seasons: Easter, Christmas or New Years. With extra celebrations and parades planned, these are some of the most fun times.
Photo: http://ift.tt/JVAs0F
Each Disney resort has a different theme, each centred around a place, an era, or a topic. Some favourites include the Caribbean Beach Resort, the Grand Floridian Resort, and the All-Star Sports Resort. Another popular family resort destination is the Atlantis One Water Park Resort in the Bahamas.
Photo: www.kuoni.co.uk
This one’s theme is centred around the lost city of Atlantis, and it features Splash Academy for younger kids as well as Entourage, a youth program for pre-teens and teens. A recent new location called Atlantis The Palm has opened up in Dubai, and it features a giant themed maze as well as more complementary supervised activities for kids of all ages.
Many different cruise lines feature themed vacation activities for kids, including swim and surf lessons, sports activities, movies, creative play, themed parties, and much more. Kids can enjoy cupcake decorating, dodgeball matches, and other activities that often get them to learn something new as well. Many cruise ships have a variety of themes. Consider booking a vacation onboard one of Royal Carribean’s ships featuring a DreamWorks® experience. From Shrek and Fiona to the gang from Madagascar, family members of all ages will be delighted.
Disney Cruise Lines offer the magical of Walt Disney while at sea. Family cruises are often favorites among pre-teens and teenagers because they have their own activities, dance clubs, movie nights, and plenty of other opportunities to meet and socialize with people their own age. These features of themed cruises also afford their parents the chance to have fun on their vacation as well.
Whatever your family enjoys, whether making memories at sea or strolling down Main Street USA, we hope these ideas will help you plan your next family vacation!
The post IDEAS FOR A THEMED FAMILY VACATION appeared first on Coolstuff Studios.
I listen to a lot of business pitches and way too many of them try to make something out of the entrepreneur’s attitude. Commitment is great, but who isn’t committed? Passion is great but who isn’t passionate about their business. Saying that adds nothing. It’s assumed. So too, with optimism. Business pitch optimism is vastly overrated.
This comes up because I heard this the other day:
I love your optimism. What I don’t like is the complete lack of experience that’s causing it.
Ideally, a business pitch is exciting because the business potential is exciting. Optimism ought to be a combination of potential market, product-market fit, scalability, defensibility, and management experience. Better yet, early sales, initial growth rates, proof of concept in buyers or users or subscribers or signups or something equally concrete.
Frankly, in a business pitch, I mistrust shows of undue optimism, passion, commitment and resolve. I worry that early-stage entrepreneurs are working towards some mythological promise that they have the will to succeed, as if will alone can make a business successful. I don’t want to invest in passion unless it’s tempered by experience and based on a solid business plan.
You’ll find people talking about showmanship in business pitches. Absolutely. Tell your story well. Tell the story of the market, the need, the solution, the steps along the way, and the team that’s driving it. But it’s about your business, and you fit in as the manager who will drive it. Angel investors will frequently talk about betting on the jockey, not the horse. In that case, it’s betting on the jockey’s skill and experience, not just optimism or passion.
It’s a fine line. Sell your angel investors your business, not your optimism. Not your passion. Not your commitment.
The post Business Pitch: Don’t Confuse Optimism with Business Potential appeared first on Planning, Startups, Stories.
By AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWS People age 50 and younger have almost twice the risk of premature death after a heart attack — mainly due to heart disease and other smoking-related diseases, according to new research. The study is based on data from 21,693 heart attack survivors age 50 and […]
The post Younger heart attack survivors have higher risk of premature death appeared first on News on Heart.org.
By AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWS Amanda Thompson was happy and the picture of good health. Life was good. Then on March 14, 2015, she felt an “intense pain” at the back of her neck near the end of a body pump class at the gym. “I couldn’t finish,” Thompson said. […]
The post How one young woman eventually found out she’d had a mini-stroke appeared first on News on Heart.org.
Is the thought of sitting in a home office all day preventing you from taking the leap to become your own boss?
If you’re like me, even thinking of a week without social interaction is enough to give you cabin fever. And you know what? That’s completely normal. As humans, we are hardwired to connect—it’s even healthy to want to do as much.
So, how do you get the best of both worlds—your own home office, but also that all-important external stimulation?
The truth is, a home-based job doesn’t actually have to keep you at home, or turn you into an isolated, solitary worker. In this article, I list a number of businesses you can start from the comfort of your own home, and many of these businesses will also give you the opportunity to get out and about.
If you want to start an ecommerce business but live in an apartment, finding the space to store your hundreds (if not thousands) of products may be difficult. Beyond renting out warehouse space—an expensive endeavor—what are your options?
Amazon to the rescue!
When you join the Fulfillment by Amazon program, you no longer have to worry about having access to warehouse-like space to store all your stock. On top of that, Amazon will take care of all of the shipping and packaging when someone purchases one of your products.
All you have to do is order your products, create listings for them on Amazon, prepare them for shipping to Amazon’s fulfillment warehouse and then ship them. Simple as that. Amazon even takes care of the customer support for your products. If you’re interested in this topic, we recently published an article on how to make your FBA products stand out.
If you’re a good writer and storyteller as well as a savvy researcher, you may want to consider becoming a full-time freelance grant proposal writer. Not only will you get a chance to write proposals for good causes (usually nonprofits), but based on statistics, you’re also likely to make a fairly tidy sum of money for each grant written (note: not funded!).
If you want to learn more about getting started as a grant proposal writer, read this article on getting your first assignment. It will also walk you through how to build your portfolio, and where you can go to determine what to charge for your services.
There are plenty of affordable online courses you can take to learn the ropes; consider this one from Fort Hayes State University.
If you’re looking to make a quick buck, this is not the business for you—it would be better as a side business, at least to start with. If, however, you’re good at building connections (and of course painting), you’re in luck—most of your business is likely to come from referrals and word of mouth.
To figure out how to price your services, be sure to research your competition and the market. You can find out if there are any face painting artists near you by checking the listings on the International Face Painting Association (FACE).
What could be better than getting paid to help others do the very things you’re good at doing—and all from the comfort of your own couch (that is, if you do prefer the stay-at-home aspect of a home-based business)? Services might include writing, transcription, researching and data entry, counseling, tutoring, consulting, project management, and just about anything else.
Once you’ve figured out an hourly rate (this is usually how people charge), your next call of duty will be to get yourself set up with a website where you can list the services you offer and showcase a portfolio of your work. You’ll also want to get involved in social media, as relationships in this line of work are key and this is typically how you will find your new clients, and of course, how they will find you.
If you’d rather not look for your own clients, why not try working for a VA service? Companies you can look into include Virtual Assistant USA, YourDailyTasks, TaskBullet, UAssist.me, Time etc, 24/7 Virtual Assistants, eaHelp, Priority VA, Worldwide 101, or Fancy Hands.
To learn more about what matters in the world of virtual assistants, be sure to check out The VA Handbook, owned and operated by veteran virtual assistant Joanne Munroe. This is a no-nonsense blog and a perfect way to get to know this growing internet niche.
Yes, that’s a thing. Ever heard of the Konmari Method? Invented by a Japanese tidying expert, Marie Kondo’s approach to decluttering your life was all anyone could talk about after she published her best-selling book, “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing.”
She’s created a thriving business out of the whole thing with regular clients who rely on her advice and expertise to keep their life simple. If you’ve got a knack for keeping spaces clean and tidy (and perhaps a name for your method) you may want to give this career a try. There’s a bit of a cultural obsession right now surrounding “tidying up,” so your job won’t sound as peculiar as you might think.
To become a mural artist, you need to be an artist, of course! However, if that’s you, hands-on experience from a professional mural painter is going to be your best bet. A professional painter can teach you more about painting murals on different surfaces, costs of materials, what prices to charge, and how to network to find new business.
The Penny Hoarder has a great article on becoming a muralist, including advice on learning to paint murals, pricing your murals, and where to find business. If pricing is your major concern, you’ll definitely want to read this article by Maria Brophy on how to price a wall mural—no details are spared and in fact, Brophy’s site is a great resource for artists looking to make money in general.
If painting a mural isn’t your thing, perhaps removing one is?
Jokes aside, depending on where you live, graffiti removal could be an in-demand business, and you might even be able to contract with government bodies to win more consistent work.
The great thing about starting a graffiti removal business, beyond being able to operate it out of your own home, is that you don’t need much experience or professional training. Learning the different removal techniques and chemicals won’t take you too long, and with a little trial and error (ideally not on the job), you’ll figure out which products work best on which surfaces.
To get started all you need are the cleaning supplies, a pressure washer, and a truck or trailer.
If you’ve got an eye for detail and like to keep a flexible schedule, getting into the world of legal or medical transcription might be right up your alley. To really excel in this industry, experience is key, as is an excellent knowledge of the technical terminology associated with these industries.
The best way to get into this field is to enroll in an accredited transcription school. Not only will this fast-track your learning, but that certificate will be a good selling point in your early days when you don’t have a huge portfolio attached to your name.
A couple of schools that provide affordable online training include the Penn Foster Career School for the medical transcription course and the same school for the legal transcription course; Ashworth College for medical transcription; and 360training for legal transcription.
Beyond the technical training that will give you a better understanding of the medical and legal arenas, it’s important to have a solid grasp of the English language, including an excellent handle on spelling, punctuation, and grammar—if these are not skills you consider well within your wheelhouse, this probably isn’t the job for you. You should also be fast at typing, and as we said earlier, have a keen eye for detail.
If you’ve got an imagination and a sense of humor, you’re qualified for this job! You’re not going to get rich writing greeting cards, but if you’re full of quirky ideas, you will have an outlet for all those creative energies—and the stream of checks won’t hurt either. Most companies have guidelines you can follow; for example, take a look at this one from Blue Mountain Arts.
The great thing about this industry is that there are so many different niches within it. So, if writing “Thank You” greeting cards is the only road you want to go down, well there are probably a number of companies who will be a-okay with that. Here are 15 greeting card markets you can explore and 15 companies who are accepting submissions!
No, this is not a joke, there is even a Wikipedia page for this profession. Also called “professional line sitters,” these people make their money waiting in long lines for other people who don’t want to do it themselves.
There should be plenty of opportunities for you to run this sort of business if you live in a bigger city—say San Francisco or New York City—where there are likely to be far too many people waiting to pick up the latest iPhone before or to get in first on a huge Black Friday sale. You can learn more about this profession here and here and then when you’re ready, head over to a site like TaskRabbit or Craigslist to list your services.
If you’ve ever been a teacher, you’re probably already familiar with the host of websites that sell lesson plans. In fact, you may currently be a teacher and you might already have years worth of lesson plans under your belt. Why not sell them to make a little money?
Teachers Pay Teachers is a great site where teachers can go to buy and sell lesson plans. You could sell lessons for $1 or an entire curriculum for hundreds of dollars. It’s up to you! Just be careful about getting into a sticky legal situation and know what you can and can’t sell.
There’s a lot more to being a voiceover artist than having the Morgan Freeman timbre. According Sara Krieger, a commercial voiceover artist with years of experience, “You need to be able to get a point across, relate a feeling, and nail it the first time. It’s being able to act on a mic. It used to be about vocal type. Now it’s about how you read.”
If you think you have these qualities, check out this article on Backstage as it will walk you through launching a career in this industry, including finding an agent. Once you’ve got some great samples, you can list your services on sites like Voices.com, VoiceBunny, and Upwork. Not sure this career is right for you? Give some of these fun exercises a try first.
A personal image consultant helps clients project a specific, desired image. They do this by training their clients on etiquette and self-presentation, and via grooming and clothing selection as well as a number of other skills.
If this career interests you, it’s worth noting that travel is likely to be a big part of this business. You may have to accompany clients on shopping excursions to guide their purchases, or visit their homes for personal coaching lessons. The annual salary for this job is around $51,000, though naturally, it will depend on the clients you work with.
If you feel you’d be more competitive (or more marketable) with a bit of training, there are a few programs that can certify you, even online—like this one by Studio for Image Professionals or this one by the IAP Career College. Fortunately getting certified to be an image consultant isn’t a very costly endeavor.
In a similar vein to image consulting, a manners or etiquette coach will teach people how to succeed in business and life by presenting the best-mannered version of themselves to the world. Etiquette coaches are hired by individuals, parents, corporations and everyone in between.
If you think etiquette is reserved solely for meals (like which fork to use), think again. Etiquette coaches are often able to teach a wide variety of topics, including children’s etiquette, social etiquette, communication etiquette, international etiquette, business etiquette, and yes, even dining etiquette!
If you think you could do with some formal training, check out this course on becoming an etiquette coach.
Did you know that every year in the U.S. alone, about 300 million golf balls are lost? When you consider that golf courses will pay between seven and 10 cents per ball found, you could make a pretty tidy sum, pretty fast.
Of course if you’re looking to get into this business because you love diving the tropics, think twice. You’ll probably be diving lakes in zero visibility conditions using a rake to comb through what might even be unsanitary water.
That said, professional golf ball diver Paul Harrison estimates he can earn around $150,000 a year doing this job. Not too bad, all things considered.
If you enjoy riding horses and have the experience to back it up, you might just love a career that keeps you in the saddle. Whether you’re into horse racing, jumping, or dressage, there are plenty of riders in need of someone who can keep their horse in good shape when they can’t.
Even the pay isn’t bad, with Salary.com estimating it to be around $53,327 a year. Naturally, you’ll have to live in the right area for this—a horsey one, ideally.
If you ever saw the movie “Cleaner,” you’ll know quite a bit about this industry already—of course, you won’t be participating in murder clean ups called in by anyone but the authorities. This profession is what is sounds like: Crime scene cleaners decontaminate crime scenes whilst protecting themselves and any evidence they find during their work.
This isn’t a high-paying career (median salary is about $39,690) but it’s also not that difficult to break into. To get into this industry, you don’t need a formal education, but you do need to go through a professional training program. Take a look at the American Bio-Recovery Association (ABRA) for more information on earning your biorecovery certification.
To succeed as a crime scene cleaner, you will need to be exceptionally detail-oriented and thorough. You’ll also need good emotional coping methods and will need to be able to handle stressful situations well. Should you want to further your education, you may also be able to break into the private or commercial sector by learning how to offer hazardous waste clean-up.
Do you know of any home-based eclectic businesses? I’d love to hear more! Let me know on Twitter or in the comments below.
I’ve seen this in surveys several times: Americans dream of owning their own business. We’re a culture of startups. But don’t just dream your startup. Do it. Make it happen.
I really like this from Pam Slim, author of Body of Work, in Who says following your dreams shouldn’t be hard? She says:
I have come to the realization that we cause ourselves a lot of stress by believing that if we just choose the right business, or quit our loathsome job, or find the perfect Internet marketing system, or get that book deal that things will become easy.
She goes on to point out that most of what we get in life, most of the good things, are also hard. There are lots of clichés on that point. Pam suggests that there is good hard — such as “Meeting unexpected life challenges with both pragmatism and optimism” — and bad hard — like “Spending twelve hours on an administrative task that is complex, boring and not your strength when someone smart could do it in 30 minutes for fifty bucks.”
There was a scene in one of those old black-and-white movies in which the fabulously rich guy is asked the secret of success and he answers: “Choose rich parents.”
For the rest of us, it has to do with work. As in another old saying I like: “The harder I work, the luckier I get.”
Which brings me to one of the basic fundamentals of building a new business, or running an existing business: it’s a lot of work. You have to build it around a need that other people have, or something that other people want. It has to be not just what you want to do, but what somebody else will pay money for. You develop strategy, tactics, and of course the business offering. You gather a team and necessary resources. You make decisions. You take risks. You spend a lot of time. You do a lot of work. You make a lot of mistakes along the way
Be your own boss? Well, maybe, but the toughest bosses are their own bosses. The buck stops with you. You make the decisions. Even the work you don’t do is still your responsibility, so you have to develop tasks and measurements and accountability. You plan constantly, because you do a simple plan and revise it frequently.
Somewhere embedded in all this is that you work on what you love, because to be successful you’re going to work on it a whole lot, so you’d better love it.
And, also, that the opposite of hard is boring.
Which brings me to my title above. Following dreams isn’t enough. You have to build dreams.
The post Don’t Just Dream Your Startup. Do the Work. appeared first on Planning, Startups, Stories.
Callaway puts the emphasis on control by using next generation multi-material construction and aggressive shaping to create its most forgiving driver ever.
Available Lofts: 9.5°, 10.5°, 13.5°
Adjustability: Opti-Fit
Stock Shafts: UST Recoil Driver, Mitsubishi Diamana Red
Stock Length: 44.5” or 45.5”
Retail Price: $399
Availability: Pre-Sale beginning 9/9. Full retail 9/30
It’s been a while since I quoted myself, but, hey, that was absolutely my first thought when I laid eyes on Callaway’s new Big Bertha Fusion Driver. And not for anything, I’m pretty damn sure I’m right.
We’ll get to why that is (beyond the obvious it looks like the FT-iZ) in a moment, but first let’s talk about what Big Bertha Fusion isn’t.
Big Bertha Fusion is not a replacement for the Great Big Bertha. Yeah, it’s true, we’re about 1 year into GBB, but this isn’t that. If you take me at my word, that leaves XR16 and Fusion as the current models in the Callaway lineup. That leaves an obvious hole where Great Big Bertha used to be, and while I don’t know exactly how Callaway will fill it, if you want/like/need a highly adjustable driver, my recommendation is patience.
What makes me so sure? While you were grumbling about accelerated product cycles, Callaway has quietly increased the shelf life of its products. 18-24 months… that’s the new normal.
For the last few years, Callaway has been on a run of nostalgia with its product names. It’s a win-win. Consumers flock to the familiar while the marketing guys don’t have to worry about dreaming up the next iconic identity maker.
It’s worked exceptionally well for Callaway thus far, but between us, when RAZR and JAWS make their comebacks, I’ll know it’s time to walk away.
The whole Bertha’s Back thing was about rebirth; both for the franchise and the company.
The recent trend is more evolutionary. It’s about using the lessons of the past to create modern, and hopefully better products, with elements that remain true to the original designs.
The new steelhead irons… they actually resemble the original steelheads.
Fusion?
Bertha Fusion represents Callaway’s most significant breakthrough in multi-material construction since Callaway’s original multi-material driver, the 2004 ERC Fusion. And that pretty much makes this the ideal time to revive the franchise, while giving a not-so-subtle nod to the FT-iZ.
To understand what that actually means, we need to take a closer look at the technologies baked into Callaway’s newest offering.
EXO-CAGE is Callaway speak for the titanium skeleton - more accurately the Exo skeleton - that supports the various bits of the Big Bertha Fusion. It’s the structure that makes the rest of the cool stuff baked into Big Bertha Fusion possible.
The real story here is Callaway’s new Triaxial carbon. It’s what provides the justification for bringing the Fusion name back. Callaway has previously used what it called Forged Composite in its multi-material designs. It sounds really impressive, and it’s definitely better than the alternative layers of chopped graphite fibers glued together. Forged Composite was once described as the particle board of carbon fibers. That’s not particularly kind, but it paints a vivid, and not wholly inaccurate picture of what Forged Composite is.
Triaxial is different. Instead of layering carbon fibers together, in the new material the fibers are woven or braided together. Similar structures are already in use in many high-end shaft lines. The benefit of weaving the material is that it preserves the strength of the material, while reducing overall thickness (by 35%), and with it, the total weight.
Callaway’s claim is that Fusion’s 15.1 gram Triaxial carbon crown is 65% lighter than titanium (XR16). That part is true, but it’s an intentionally large number that makes the savings appear more substantial than they actually are.
Let’s look at this in context. We put the actual weight of Callaway’s previous Bertha composite driver crown at approximately 16 grams, so really we’re talking about ~1 gram over the most recent member of the Big Bertha family.
However, with consideration for Fusion’s elongated design (greater crown surface area), the apples to apples savings are almost certainly greater… just not 65%.
We should also mention that the Triaxial Carbon crown features Callaway’s aerodynamic-enhancing Speed Step ribs, which I’m practically obligated to remind you was developed in partnership with Boeing.
Speed Step helps reduce drag during the downswing, which in theory, helps boost head speed.
In addition to the crown, Callaway has replaced a portion of what would otherwise be titanium in the sole with two chunks of additional Triaxial material. Design credit where it’s due, this is similar to the Carbon Zones Cobra introduced with the FLY-Z+. For what it’s worth, Callaway appears to be using even more carbon fiber in Fusion’s sole.
Replacing areas of titanium where they’re not explicitly needed also frees up mass.
Saving as much weight as possible is especially critical when the goal is the push the center of gravity down and back, which is exactly what Callaway says it has done with the Bertha Fusion.
This is where things start to get interesting.
Why would Callaway move away from adjustable weights and towards a non-traditional shape reminiscent of the FT-IZ? Two words: Forgiveness and Control.
I’ve been told that the Callaway Bertha Fusion is the most forgiving driver the company has ever made (the company is claiming a 17% increase in total MOI compared with XR16), and while we don’t have a heel/toe MOI number we can use to put that into context, everything about the design – the weight saving chassis, the lighter crown material, and the elongated FT-IZ shape - suggests all the elements are there for a legitimate low/back CG driver.
Refactoring some of the data provided by Callaway, I believe we’re talking about a center of gravity location that’s roughly 1.25mm lower than the XR16, and lower than what we’d typically find in a high MOI design.
That information along with an educated guess about an actual heel/toe MOI number, along with Callaway’s assertion that Fusion’s sweet zone* is the largest of any Callaway driver ever, suggests a driver that should hold its own alongside the PING G30/G and Cobra FLY-Z/F6.
*The area of the face where impact produces no less than 3 MPH of the peak ball speed.
Distance is king, so within the confines of that reality we’ve often joked that anyone trying to market accuracy would find themselves out of business quickly.
I suppose we can consider the Bertha Fusion a well-hedged test case.
When FT-iZ launched it was billed as the “straightest driver Callaway has ever developed”. One would hope that Callaway would seek to carry on that tradition with Bertha Fusion.
How do you do that? All of that forgiveness and MOI stuff notwithstanding, Callaway did it the easy way.
It shortened the shaft.
Seriously.
With the Big Bertha Fusion, Callaway is actively marketing a 44.5” shaft. Think of this as your control option.
Sure, you could choose the alternative (45.5”) distance option, but we think most of you will find that shorter is better. In Callaway tests, 30% of golfers actually hit the shorter shaft farther. We believe that out in the wild, across the whole of the golfing population, that percentage will prove to be higher, and that’s before accuracy becomes part of the discussion.
Control over distance isn’t the sort of thing you hear with a new driver release, but Callaway’s position is that, in the grand scheme of things, straighter is longer.
Whether you choose distance or control, the Big Bertha Fusion driver offers to stock shaft options. Not a whole lot is known about the first ever UST Recoil driver shaft. Callaway says it’s “designed to load energy on the downswing and unload with an extraordinary combination of power and precision through impact.”
The second option is Mitsubishi’s Diamana Red. Generally, the Red generally works well for golfers looking for a little extra help getting the ball airborne.
To refresh the important point: both shafts are available in stock lengths of either 44.5” or 45.5”.
I suspect that Callaway’s competitors will be watching closely to see how the Big Bertha Fusion performs with actual golfers. Manufacturers moved away from so-called radical geometry (squares and triangles) years ago because the consumer never embraced the non-traditional designs in any meaningful numbers.
With currently available materials, unconventional is the only way to raise MOI to the USGA Limit. We don’t yet know how far (if at all) Callaway has pushed the boundaries, but it will be interesting to see if consumers are more willing to embrace non-traditional designs than they’ve been in the past.
Finally, we should all be watching closely to see if the distance obsessed golfer is ready to get on-board with this shorter shaft thing. If that happens it might start the sort of trend that actually leads to better golf.
The Callaway Big Bertha Fusion driver will be available in lofts of 9°, 10.5°, and 13.5° (HT). Presales begin September 9th, with full retail availability starting 9/30. Retail price for the Callaway Big Bertha Fusion is $399.
