Editor’s Note: Retired pediatrician Alan Lake, M.D., writes that there’s ample proof that the government’s school lunch standards are helping America’s kids get the nutrition they need. There is myriad evidence that the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, signed into law by President Obama in December 2010, is working. And it’s not […]
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By AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWS Regular moderate to vigorous exercise such as swimming, biking or even brisk walks can lower the risk of high blood pressure in African-Americans, according to a new study. African-Americans are more likely to have high blood pressure than other racial groups in the United States. Among […]
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While the daily propaganda blasts from show organizers might have you believe otherwise, I’m here to tell you that the 2017 PGA Show was an absolute sloth. With noticeably light traffic in the aisles and plenty of open space (both on the show floor and the range at demo day), 2017’s easily qualifies as the most depressing PGA Show during my time in the industry.
Take it for whatever it’s worth, but several of my media colleagues (and others I’ve spoken with from inside the industry) are in complete agreement. Call it a worse show on the heels of a bad show on the heels of a not so good show.
Bottom line; whatever the actual state of the equipment industry and the game of golf itself, the PGA Show is broken. It’s trending downward, and without some serious intervention, I suspect that’s going to continue until we reach the point where there is no point.
A sample size of one, but inside MyGolfSpy we’re already discussing whether or not we should attend the 2018 show.
That said, the show wasn’t all bad. It still provides an opportunity to pulse-check the industry and gauge where the companies that power it are headed. So with all that buildup out of the way, here is my take on the show, the trends, and other things on which you should keep an eye.
Maybe that’s overstating it just a bit, but if you’re looking for the defining moment of the 2017 PGA Show, it was TaylorMade’s announcement that it had signed Tiger Woods to a long-term deal. Tiger will eventually play 13 TaylorMade clubs. For now, it’s just metalwoods in the bag, as the company willfully admits it’s going to take some time to develop irons and wedges that are suitable to the notoriously difficult Mr. Woods.
The announcement at 8:30 AM of Day 1 of the indoor session overshadowed absolutely everything else at the show. Lost in the Tiger news; Michelle Wie signed with Callaway, PING released its Sigma G line of putters, and Titleist formally announced a new generation of Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf balls.
All good stuff, but none of it escaped Tiger’s shadow.
A quick aside overheard inside the TaylorMade booth; Tiger tweeted his half of the announcement a bit early, which forced TM CEO David Abeles, who was in a meeting at the time, to step on the gas a bit in making the company’s official statement.
Tour players….amirite?
And speaking of TaylorMade…while the PGA Show booths were side by side, for the first time I can recall, you couldn’t walk directly from the adidas booth to the TaylorMade booth. We’re talking a firm or at least a semi-firm barrier between the two brands.
While future ownership of the TaylorMade brands remains unsettled, it appears to be operating as an adidias company in name only. I would describe the current relationship between the two brands as married, but sleeping in separate bedrooms.
Metaphorically speaking, both sides are holding it together for the sake of the children, but there is a clear division between the two brands. While the addition of Tiger Woods is inarguably good for the TaylorMade brand, it has also served to expand the growing internal rift.
Two Nike apparel staffers are now part of the TaylorMade staff, and that’s an issue. I can assure you that the prominent display of the Nike Swoosh inside the TaylorMade booth (and within the company’s marketing efforts) isn’t sitting well with some on the adidas Golf side of the business.
Call it something to keep an eye on, and it’s nothing I can quantify, but there was a decidedly different vibe coming from the Cleveland/Srixon booth. The fresh attitude likely stems from the significant amount of turnover within the company over the last year, but I’d be remiss not to point out the positive energy.
Granted, some of that probably comes from the free beer, but it’s perhaps noteworthy that Srixon threw the best booth party at the show...perhaps the best since TaylorMade was riding high.
The company is excited about it clubs – irons in particular – and its new ball. Whether or not any of that resonates with the consumer remains to be seen.
Is this real momentum, or unrealistic enthusiasm? As it often does, time will tell.
The consensus within the industry is that the USGA’s smackdown of the Wilson Triton driver was total bullshit. The thinking is it was petty, ill-tempered revenge for Wilson having the audacity to put a product on the shelf without the expressed consent of golf’s fun police. God forbid, right?
The same is largely true with respect to the flap over Bryson DeChambeau’s putter. Again…asserting power for no other reason than because it can. My sense is that a majority of companies have grown sick of the USGA’s authoritarian policing of the equipment space.
Don’t expect anything to change, however. Most appear afraid of going toe to toe with the USGA and, I believe, all would prefer a competitor be first to wrestle with the agency.
Most are pissed off, but none are willing to actually do anything about it.
It’s tough to get an absolute read on traffic through the Callaway booth given its strategic location in the epicenter of the PGA Show floor. Sooner or later, even if it’s by accident, everyone walks through the Callaway booth. It’s unavoidable.
That said, my sense was that Callaway had a most excellent show. Granted, the Michelle Wie announcement was overshadowed by Tiger. But traffic was steady, and no single product garnered more chatter than Epic.
Callaway believes it has something special, and I’m on record with my belief that it will be the best-selling driver of 2017…and that makes it all the more odd that Callaway had but a single launch monitor on the downwind range during demo day.
How good is Epic? I still have absolutely no idea.
If you didn’t take the acquisition of Toulon Design as a sign that Callaway was serious about trying to own the putter market, the addition of David Mills and the T.P. Mills brand might change your mind.
The market gap between Callaway (Odyssey/Toulon) and Titleist (Scotty Cameron) is much narrower than many believe and Callaway has proven it can erase large deficits in relatively short time.
Between Odyssey, Toulon, and T.P. Mills, Callaway can offer quality everywhere from the entry-level to premium markets, and with demonstrated best-in-class marketing, coupled with a changing ball market that will require more of Titleist’s attention, Callaway has a legitimate shot of taking over #1 in the category.
Like Callaway, Foresight Sports had an outstanding show. The new GCQuad drew plenty of attention and made Foresight’s booth one of the most trafficked of the week. Sufficed to say word is spreading about the GCQuad and what it can offer instructors and fitters in terms of accuracy and consistency.
The company is going to be making a huge push into the market while putting significantly more effort into promoting what it sees as a clear technological advantage over radar-based units.
Big things are being promised.
We’re taking a wait and see approach, but with top instructors (“Trackman Guys” whose names you know) taking a long look at the technology, an industry-wide shift from radar to cameras is well within the realm of possibility.
Young Mr. Lamb spent his show in the Table Rock booth (formerly occupied by Scotty Cameron) where his putters sold briskly for upwards of $5000 each. If it wasn’t obvious already, there’s more than enough evidence to suggest that Tyson Lamb has arrived as the next big thing in the high-end putter market.
Collectors already know his name and his work, and several OEMs are taking notice too. Opportunities are beginning to present themselves, and if he’s inclined to do so, Tyson could jump to the mainstream at any time.
But is milling for the man really how Lamb wants to spend his time?
It was a slow year for digital tech at the PGA Show, and frankly, some of what was on display, wasn’t nearly ready for prime time, but Arccos was the clear exception.
With the announcement of its Course Analyzer product in partnership with Microsoft, Arccos established itself as a tier (maybe two) above anything else on the market right now. And with the kind of horsepower Microsoft brings to the table, it’s unlikely anyone else is going to be able to keep pace.
If you’re looking for a round/stat tracker, Arccos is clearly the technology leader right now, but guys, seriously, can we get the phone out of the pocket and maybe make it easier to mark the actual location of the flagstick?
Perhaps the oddest trend at the PGA Show was the number of Asian companies who told us they’re trying to figure out North America. Honma, Yamaha, Epon, and others all used exactly that phrase while describing their efforts to penetrate the US Market.
Frankly, I’m not sure what there is to figure out. The market is oversaturated, and without a targeted approach to advertising and something truly special in the lineup (and I didn’t see that from anyone), opportunities to kick the doors open are limited.
I wish everybody luck, but I don’t see anyone breaking through in any meaningful way.
KBS, Nippon, and Oban had booths. Graphite Design had a spot on the indoor range. Fujikura and Veylix had conference rooms. Others, like True Temper, Aldila, Matrix, MRC, UST, and upstart VA Shafts had no official presence inside the convention center.
Some pretty basic cost/benefit math has shown these guys that it makes much more sense to hold meetings in a hotel room, the lobby, or one of the remote and otherwise abandoned corners of the show floor than it does to overspend on a booth.
The hottest trend at the PGA Show over the last several years is companies abandoning the PGA Show. Many are struggling to find the proverbial R on their I. For a growing list of companies, attending the show is just bad business.
Take the previously mentioned shaft guys, toss in Nike (even the shoe guys), Bridgestone, SKLZ, Mizuno, and a growing list of small to mid-sized companies, and plenty of names you know are choosing to skip the show, while others like Wilson, Fujikura, and Yonex have traded floor space for conference rooms. Some even double or triple up in those rooms to further save.
Part of the blame can be placed on Reed Exhibitions. Costs continue to rise, and Reed is anything but accommodating when it comes to handling requests to downsize booths. When the choice is overpaying or being exiled to one of many poorly trafficked corners of the floor, many are choosing to bail entirely. Good for them.
Last year a representative of one company told me that it cost them $6000 just to have his merchandise moved from the loading dock to the show floor and back again. $30 a day trash can rentals, more for chairs…companies are being nickeled and dimed, and plenty have had enough.
For many inside the industry, there’s nearly nothing to lose by skipping the show. That’s evident by the dwindling number of fitness products, training aids, colleges, travel agencies, and even big name companies that take up space on the show floor each year.
It’s also worth noting that the timing of the show no longer works with the cadence of the industry. Come the end of January, nothing is new, orders have been placed, and there’s very little in actual business to be done.
My thinking is that the fall apparel show in Vegas should be expanded to include everything and the January show should be dropped entirely. It’s an idea that will likely be considered blasphemy for an industry that’s often overly content with doing things the way they’ve always been done (because that’s how they’ve always been done). Without an industry-wide resurgence (hold your breath for that), the current model isn’t sustainable.
If nothing else, Vegas, by virtue of the fact that it’s Vegas (baby), would likely draw bigger crowds.
None of this should suggest I don’t find value in the show. 2017 was a down year for products (and floor traffic), but the value in the show remains in the opportunity it creates to build and maintain relationships. It provides an annual opportunity to catch up with old friends, and with Harry Arnett. As travel budgets decline and the number of media events dwindle, this aspect of the show is becoming increasing more important.
The companies we cover get their chances to hold me accountable and make me answer for every rock that I’ve thrown over the last 12 months. It gives me the opportunity to clear up any misunderstandings and set the record straight on the rocks I didn’t throw.
The problem is that, for many – us included – while you can’t always put a value on relationships, airfare, hotel, rental cars and other associated costs are easily quantifiable, and as the costs begin to pile up, the PGA Show, in its current form, makes less and less sense.
The show needs fixing, but golf loves its status quo, so I suspect nothing will change anytime soon.
By AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWS Eve Walker was 12 when her 16-year-old sister Louise collapsed at a party and died on the dance floor. Sixteen years later, in 2002, Walker had a heart attack. She’d been having shortness of breath and dull chest pains for several days. But it wasn’t […]
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Content marketing has all but replaced traditional marketing, making branded blogs a necessary element of any business strategy.
Whether you’re about to launch your first post, or you’ve been publishing articles online for years, you should be up-to-date with best practices to ensure that your content serves its purpose.
With that in mind, here are the WordPress plugins you can use to fully optimize your blog for user experience and lead generation.
When a visitor lands on your site, they almost immediately know if they want to stay in touch with you.
But, the only way you will know is if you are able to capture their contact information—and you likely have less than a minute to do this. So, use plugins that will help you stay in touch with the people who want to hear from you.
This is the most popular contact form plugin available in the WordPress market. It displays an interactive form that your visitors can use to reach out to you without ever leaving the page.
The Contact Form 7 plugin is easy to install and set up, and it outdoes competing plugins with its built-in spam filter and high consistency. If you’d like to learn more about adding contact forms to your site, check out “How to Add a Contact Form to Your WordPress Website.”
Leverage powerful visitor tracking with this plugin. Where Google Analytics leaves off, WordPress Leads allows you to track every activity that a visitor takes on your site, before converting to a web form.
It’s a fantastic way to monitor the actions your site visitors take at every step of their journey. Use insights about visitor page views, geographic location, search history, demographic information, and referrals to analyze and strategize.
WordPress Leads allows you to access all of your customer information from one dashboard.
The UserNoise plugin allows you to capture visitor feedback using popups. This plugin will enable you to ask visitors to let you know what they think of certain advice, invite questions, and more.
The responsive design and optional feedback buttons make this the perfect choice for finding out what visitors think of your content and customer service.
Eventually, your leads will turn into customers—but only if you make it easy for them. Using tools that make the transaction process as easy as possible creates an opportunity to increase your sales. So, try these tools when you’re ready to monetize.
There are several free WordPress ad management plugins to choose from. Some integrate with Google AdSense and display self-hosted ads.
Advertisement managers allow you to see detailed analytics from inside the WordPress dashboard, so you don’t have to move around from one screen to the next to see what’s going on inside your site. If you have other advertisement management needs, find one for your specific website by testing to find a plugin that works with your theme and version of WordPress.
This plugin is for ad layout optimization, for you to see common areas for “banner blindness”—when page visitors subconsciously ignore banner-like information—and adapt your layout accordingly. Use Adpushup to make your ads visible without harming your design.
You can even segment and personalize the visual ads you show. This provides each visitor with a customized experience on your website. Make sure to keep an eye on analytics to see how your ads are doing so you can adjust campaigns accordingly.
An ideal way to convert more of your passive website visitors into active leads or email list subscribers is by using landing pages. The WordPress Landing Pages plugin from Inbound Now is one of the easiest ways to do this.
Yes, you can leverage landing pages from your marketing platform, but this plugin is free to try, and all of your set up will be handled from inside the WordPress dashboard. You can even run A/B tests on these pages without extra software.
WordPress Landing Pages provides easy A/B testing and analytics.
What if you want to run tests on your regular pages, posts, or specific elements within your site? AB Press Optimizer integrates A/B testing directly into your WordPress site.
It allows you to test a variety of text elements within your page and embed experiments with an easy-to-use shortcode interface. Upgrade to the Pro version for additional features like CSV exports, page and post title experiments, and more.
Calls-to-Action is another plugin from Inbound Now that provides you with the ability to monitor and track conversion rates, run A/B or multivariate split tests on calls to action (CTAs), and increase lead flow through buttons, forms, and more.
Because of its targeted CTAs, this free plugin is crucial for any website that isn’t configured through HubSpot or another inbound marketing platform (which can be expensive).
Although this plugin is commonly used to keep menus at the top of your page, it ultimately allows you to make any element sticky, so that it stays at the top of your web page.
Use it with your CTAs, logos, and more. Place your elements wherever you want them to appear on a screen, and deactivate for certain browsers at will. This plugin is highly rated, and after you try it, you’ll see why.
To keep your website and your visitors safe, you have to take action beyond what is provided through your domain registrar’s security packages. There are a several WordPress plugins that make this task a breeze.
UpdraftPlus is a WordPress backup plugin. Using it, you can save and store the contents of your website so that in case of a crash, you still have everything on file.
With this plugin, you’ll never have to rebuild an entire website from the ground up. If you’ve ever had to do this, you already know it is quite a chore.
UndraftPlus helps you save and restore important website information.
Login LockDown limits the number of login attempts from a given IP range within a certain time period.
This protects the security of those registered on your site by disabling the ability for someone to get into their account without the right password. An unprotected site isn’t safe for any system that stores personal information.
Without being fully optimized for search engines (termed “search engine optimization,” or SEO), your website will never get the traction it needs to be a success. You don’t have to be a search engine professional to make the most of your web content—there are plugins for that.
This plugin makes your website upload speed faster, which improves your bounce rate and increases the amount of return visitors to your pages.
This is something you want to implement to improve your on-page optimization. Simply install, activate, and run this plugin.
Yoast SEO has a number of built-in optimizations, analytics tools, and suggestions on how to make your WordPress blog more search engine friendly.
You won’t forget to add alt tags to your images or to use your keyword within your text if you follow the instructions from the Yoast plugin from the back end of each post and page. You will also be able to optimize each post for social media by fully customizing the settings of the plugin.
Yoast provides a color-coded analysis of your on-page search engine optimization.
Social networks are now an important channel to distribute website content. Without content distribution, the search engines won’t take your pages seriously.
Floating Social Bar allows you to add a handful of social networks that users can click-to-share on, without slowing down your website. The social share buttons can be pinned to the top of the screen as a user scrolls down while viewing on mobile or PC.
There are tons of plugins to choose from, each serving a unique purpose, taking the guesswork out of customized website functionality.
Using these tools will help you optimize your business blog, and improve overall user experience and SEO.
By AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWS Lea en español What times someone eats during the day and how frequently may play a role in having a healthy weight and heart. According to an American Heart Association scientific statement published Wednesday, eating breakfast, avoiding late-night eating and mindful meal-planning are associated with […]
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Por AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWS Read in English La hora del día en que se come y la frecuencia de las comidas pueden ayudar a tener un peso y un corazón saludables. Según un informe científico de la American Heart Association publicado el miércoles, desayunar, evitar comer tarde por la noche […]
The post A qué hora del día se come y con qué frecuencia pueden beneficiar la salud del corazón appeared first on News on Heart.org.
In our last article, we talked about all of the factors involved in a well-executed clubfitting process. But that's just one-half of the battle.
Once a proper fitting is performed, it's up to the build team to assemble and achieve the desired specs the golfer performed best with. This is no easy task.
It takes a well trained and experienced technician to build up what I call "A Balanced Set of Clubs". I'm not talking about balance in the traditional sense - what I mean is that every club is built to an exact specification with extremely tight tolerances that produce a consistency in the set makeup.
There are a number of factors that a club builder must address to create a balanced set of clubs, as follows:
As you can probably guess, no one factor is more important than another if you are serious about building a balanced set of clubs.
An experienced builder looks for consistency for an installed grip size as well as sorting the grips so that all of the grips are the same weight. This helps contribute to a consistent swingweight when the build is complete. Grip sizing is extremely important, and unfortunately, this is typically the most overlooked spec.
The majority of golfers do not realize what size grips they are playing throughout their set. Terms I hear out there: “standard”, “midsize”, or I love this one, “just add two wraps”. Grips are no different than a lie angle or CPM; they are a measurement, a number. There is a very specific way a builder measures a grip. The figure to the right shows grips sizings for both men and women.
A shaft’s O.D. (outside diameter) plays a huge part in determining what size grip will be installed. The way we accommodate different butt OD’s in a set is sometimes adding more or less tape under the grip. In some cases, we may not use any tape or stretch the grip down the shaft a certain amount to achieve the desired size. In a lot of cases, we will use different ID’s, Inside Diameter grips to achieve the desired size. Some grips come with different ID’s in the same model.
A good builder recognizes this and knows how to match up the sizing throughout the golfers set.
Not every shaft is perfectly round or the same in diameter size. The tolerances in shaft diameters or butt O.D.’s usually differ +- .002” to .004”. I have seen some shafts differ as much as .007” to .008”. Weight sorting shafts is also a must in achieving a consistent swing weight as well as getting very good outcomes in frequency once the build is finished. The builder has more control dictating the final CPM of a shaft using a parallel tip shaft, which requires tip trimming and butt trimming.
Taper tip shafts do not require tip trimming, only butt trimming, so weight sorting each shaft is especially important for this type of shaft.
A great builder looks for a consistency in weight to help assist in creating a progression in the slope and gradient for the CPM's (Cycles Per Minute) of the iron set as well as wedges. As far as woods and hybrids, a builder knows how to manipulate the flex or CPM's of a shaft, so the golfer receives a club that is identical to what they tested during the fitting.
Once the builder is ready to address the loft and lie angles of the irons, they can find challenges in adjusting these specs. Cast clubs, in a lot of cases, can be difficult to adjust and the builder has to be very careful in the technique to ensure there is no damage to the clubhead. It’s been said over the years that cast clubs are not bendable. This is 100% not the case. All cast clubs can be bent, some more than others.
Forged clubs are generally much easier to adjust, but the builder also needs to be careful not to create marks on the club head with their bending technique. Forged clubs are usually a much softer metal, and a good builder knows how to accommodate these types of clubs. What we typically look for is a consistent progression in lie angle and loft angle of the set, based on what the fitter prescribed for the golfer. A very specific machine is used for this adjustment called an Angle Machine or Loft and Lie Machine.
The length of a club or set of clubs should also fall in a progression, generally differing a ½” between each iron and a ¼” in the wedges. However, this may not always be the case for every golfer we fit. Sometimes a fitter will recommend the golfer’s wedges be the same length or that they follow the progression of a ½” all the way down to the lob wedge.
When it comes time to build to these specs, a good builder knows how to properly weigh out the club heads so that the swing weights are consistent to what was prescribed. Length plays a huge part in determining what a swing weight will be as well as what the final CPM is for the shaft. If this is not addressed properly, the result will be a very inconsistent set of clubs. This can really hurt a golfer in achieving a consistent ball flight.
Swing weights should also be consistent throughout the set, whether the fitter or builder want the same swing weight for every club or they want to have a MOI matched set. Depending on the golfer's swing, a fitter may prescribe a typical swing weight for their clubs, but in a lot of cases, the fitter knows to introduce a heavier or lighter swing weight in order to get a better result in ball flight.
A trained eye knows when it is best to introduce swing weights that differ from what we as humans and golfers have felt for a very long time. This is where the fitter and builder work closely together to ensure that the customer is testing a set of clubs that can be duplicated for the final build.
I firmly believe that if a golfer has a balanced set of golf clubs to match up to a repeatable swing, the golfer will be much more consistent with better misses and a tighter dispersion, ultimately resulting in lower scores.
Here at Palo Alto Software, I interview a lot of successful entrepreneurs.
Sometimes, I learn how they hit upon a great business idea. Other times, I learn about their experiences with startup culture, or how they conquered a challenging new industry. Sometimes they’re a LivePlan customer, and I get to hear how LivePlan helped them start and grow their business.
All the entrepreneurs I encounter have had different trajectories, different struggles, and different stories to share.
But there’s one thing I always want to know: What do they consider to be the secret to their success?
What is that one thing, that particular aspect of their personality and unique makeup, that has helped them succeed?
I like this question because it brings to light the ideologically-rooted beliefs that entrepreneurs bring to their businesses. It highlights what successful entrepreneurs value—whether that be perseverance, or flexibility, or a keen ability to fix a problem.
The reality is that the secret to success is different for everyone. It was Steve Jobs that said, “I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.” It was in his nature to push, and keep pushing; for Jobs, this was his secret to success. For others, the secret is something a little different.
I had the opportunity to ask the entrepreneurs from the Young Entrepreneur Council what their keys to success have been, and they’ve shared with me what they believe to be the top traits that have contributed to their success.
Similar to Steve Jobs’ focus on perseverance, Justin Lefkovitch of Mirrored Media values the ability to never give up.
“I have a relentless attitude that once I set my sights on a goal, I won’t stop until I’ve done everything to attain it,” he says. “This quality is what helps me to laser in on one goal and not stop working until it is mine.”
He acknowledges that this quality can potentially require tempering in other areas of one’s life; after all, a single-mindedness when it comes to business focus can sometimes result in your personal life taking a hit. “This can be a blessing and a curse as it’s not always the most fun quality in your personal life,” says Lefkovitch. “But, I have found it to be one of the keys to success in my business life.”
“I have a relentless attitude once I set my sights on a goal.”
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“Independence made me a self-starter; it helps me on my road to success,” says Daisy Jing of Banish. “I didn’t allow any negative comment to ruin my confidence because I depend on myself.”
Jing notes that her self-reliance enabled her to navigate the unexpected successfully as well. “I wasn’t ready for a lot of surprises in my business,” she explains. “However, I trust myself and know that I’m smart enough to figure them out as they come. My parents taught me how to be scrappy and, with that mindset, it became easier for me to run my business.”
When it comes to entrepreneurship (or at the very least, in terms of the qualities that make a successful entrepreneur), there can be a tendency toward prioritizing the needs of yourself and your business above all else.
However, Doug Bend of Bend Law Group, PC flips this on its head, as he believes his success is attributable to his ability to think of others first.
“I do my best to proactively think of ways to help others. Instead of asking for this or that, I first ask, ‘How can I help you?’” he says. “I have been amazed at how much I have helped myself by constantly thinking of ways to help others first.”
There is something to be said for setting lofty, high-reaching goals, but to ultimately be successful, it’s important to be able to bring yourself down to earth.
“I had always dreamt of becoming a tech entrepreneur, and was able to accomplish this by working hard and smart to figure out practical steps on making my dream a reality,” says Piyush Jain of SIMpalm, who values looking at entrepreneurship through a practical lens.
“You might desire to be a billionaire, for example, but you need to find a path to achieve that,” he says. “I still use this approach for growth: Find a dream, and connect it to the real world.”
“Find a dream, and connect it to the real world.”
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“My ability to adapt plays a key role in my success,” says Alfredo Atanacio of Uassist.ME. “There have been times where I had a plan laid out perfectly and something would happen and change the whole scenario.”
It’s these “make or break” moments that often define success, and Atanacio discusses how the ability to adapt has served him well. “In moments like that, you either adapt or you let things end,” he says. “I’ve had to adjust, reconfigure, and change, but that has given me the opportunity to succeed.
Think of it like walking a tightrope: On the one side, you have only the smaller details, and on the other, just the broad strokes.
To be successful, you have to walk this tightrope effectively, marrying these two extremes. Focus too much on one, and you risk falling.
John Hall of Influence & Co. attributes his success to his ability to focus on the big picture, without getting drawn too much into the smaller details. At the same time, he makes sure that the micro elements of running a business are accounted for.
“People are often reactionary and used to pushing things through; having the ability to see the big picture of something means so much more,” he says. “That means challenging traditional processes that appease an immediate need, especially if they won’t yield the most strategic result. To encourage this, I ask my team questions behind their direction, which keeps everyone focused on strategy.”
Are you the type of person to throw in the towel at the first sign that something isn’t going exactly as you planned? If so, you may want to focus your attention on changing your relationship with failure.
To Jeff Jahn of DynamiX, failure offers not only the often-discussed opportunity for growth, but also functions as a natural, inherent part of the business process. Moreover, he is able to decouple the idea that business failure equals failure on a personal level.
“The key to continued growth for me has come in understanding that failing to execute an idea or vision doesn’t make me a failure,” he says. “We are people, and we’ll get things wrong. Even when we get them right, external factors can come into play to prevent success.”
Failure, to Jahn, should be seen not as a seismic, catastrophic event to be avoided at all costs, but as “just part of life.”
“The failure should be seen as a stepping stone on the way to success, rather than a reason to stop pushing forward,” he says.
“Failure should be seen as a stepping stone on the way to success.”
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We’ve talked a lot about being flexible and adaptive, and an important aspect of flexibility involves continually opening yourself up to new ways of doing things—whether that be new best practices, changes in your industry, or fresh prospects that you hadn’t initially planned to seek out.
“I stay open to possibilities and take the initiative to understand all aspects of business and how I can best use my skill set to help my business grow and excel,” says Nicole Munoz of Start Ranking Now. “If a new avenue opens up for marketing my business, I study how the experts achieve it and model my own strategies based on best practices.”
Munoz adds that continually opening yourself up to learning is not only a valuable skill to have, but one that will enable you to stay on top of your industry and remain successful. “If you stay in a constant state of learning, you’ll never be left behind,” she says.
If you got into business seeking power or prestige, you might want to reevaluate your motivations. Blair Thomas of First American Merchant argues that, when it comes to business success, a sense of humility is essential.
“You should build and exude confidence in your professional endeavors, certainly,” he says. “But what’s more important is you should remain humble and be willing to learn from mentors and partners.”
Ultimately, when it comes to remaining humble within your business endeavors, Thomas puts it simply: “Always take accountability for your mistakes.”
In the same vein as humility, a solid desire to learn from those around you and willingness to hear the advice and feedback of others is a very important quality of successful entrepreneurs.
“Like many startup business owners, I did not have any formal business training or much experience,” John Rood of Next Step Test Preparation explains. “We wouldn’t have gotten traction if I didn’t ask for advice on every element of the product and the business.”
Rood also adds that this doesn’t just mean seeking the input of experienced mentors and advisors—it also means listening to your staff. “This also goes for once you hire employees,” he says. “Learn to solicit—and then strongly consider—the feedback from your early employees.”
“As an adolescent, I listened to Tony Robbins’ ‘Personal Power’ tapes and learned an invaluable lesson: We each have control over our ultimate destiny,” says Kristopher Jones of LSEO.com.
To Jones, this imbued him with a sense of personal responsibility, and a desire to take control over his own business trajectory.
“Our destiny isn’t something inherited, but earned,” he says. “Much of my success has come from taking personal responsibility for my ultimate destiny. I don’t make excuses for why I don’t have something, but instead take massive action and get it.”
“Much of my success has come from taking personal responsibility for my ultimate destiny.”
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It’s no surprise that thorough organization and a well laid out plan is a top trait that successful entrepreneurs value. Here at Palo Alto Software, we are huge fans of the staying organized via the planning process as a success route—from the concept of Lean Planning and LivePlan, to our emphasis on holding monthly plan review meetings.
Angela Ruth of Due credits her success largely to her organizational skills. “I am highly organized and have been that way since school,” she says. “I regularly check that I have everything prioritized and am moving ahead. I also set goals and objectives and check them off as I go.”
Ruth argues that her organizational skills have helped her become more successful by expanding her output. “The more organized I am, the more I’ve been able to get done, which creates greater success,” she says. “It enabled me to get two degrees in the time others take to get one, and it has helped me move up the career ladder.”
“Undoubtedly the single most important characteristic I have benefited from in my role as an entrepreneur has been the ability to see through a decade of rejection, hard work, and sacrifice—never getting ahead of myself or giving up,” says Diego Orjuela of Cables & Sensors, LLC.
This is a skill that is slightly different from the unrelenting perseverance referenced by Jobs. An entrepreneur with patience can not only push through and never give up, but can do so in a measured, balanced way. This means not being afraid to take things slowly; set your eyes on the end goal, and don’t get overwhelmed by the distance it takes to get there.
“An entrepreneur needs to be able to patiently see things through to the end and not give in to stress or pressure, as there will be a lot of that,” says Orjuela.
Problem-solving skills are inherent in starting a business; arguably, being able to solve a problem is why you went into business in the first place.
“Every entrepreneur has a business problem that needs solving,” says Tyler Hanway of Consumer Brands, LLC. “I genuinely enjoy fixing things no matter how small or insignificant they may be.
Tyler believes that the ability to solve important problems is an important skill to cultivate, both from an entrepreneurship standpoint as well as on a personal level. “Identifying these issues and proactively working to mend them has helped me succeed in my business and personal life.”
What do you think the secret to entrepreneurial success is? Reach out to me on Twitter—I’d love to hear your thoughts.
By AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWS Writer Joe Konrath’s mother had five strokes, two heart attacks and numerous other health problems, but she still didn’t stop smoking. In fact, she kept smoking as long as she could before she died. Laura Konrath’s obituary in the Chicago Tribune drew widespread attention because […]
The post Death by cigarette: Author reflects on mom’s addiction appeared first on News on Heart.org.
By AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWS Despite longstanding calls by health experts to put down the soda, Americans continue to enjoy their sugar-sweetened drinks. Nearly two-thirds of children in the United States reported consuming at least one soda or other sugary drink on any given day, according to new federal statistics […]
The post New reports find kids and adults love their soda and sugary drinks appeared first on News on Heart.org.
By AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWS The number of people diagnosed with heart failure is increasing and projected to rise by 46 percent by 2030, resulting in more than 8 million people with heart failure, according to the American Heart Association’s 2017 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics Update published Wednesday. There are […]
The post Heart failure projected to increase dramatically, according to new statistics appeared first on News on Heart.org.
By AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION NEWS A cardiac arrest nearly killed Anali Diaz, but it was the news that she was going to become a grandmother that spurred her to get serious about her health. For years, Diaz, who lives in Clearwater, Florida, constantly felt exhausted, but figured that was just […]
The post Birth of grandchild spurs heart disease survivor to get fit appeared first on News on Heart.org.
It's PGA Show week, and PING has rolled out a huge new putter release: the PING Sigma G line! I love the names companies come up with for new products. Sigma G sounds cool when you first hear it, but after that initial aural impact, what does that name really tell you?
Sigma is the eighteenth letter in the Greek alphabet. Does that mean that there are eighteen new putters? Nope, there are only sixteen new models, so that can't be the sigma source. It's not for the year either. That would make these the Rho G putters.
Well what about the G then? Best guess is that PING's use of the G ties the putters into the other G products in the PING family. That G in Sigma G is a big G though, so maybe someone at PING is letting us know they are no longer lower-case g's and that this is how we do it.
Let's come back to the name thing later. The important thing is that we have a bunch of putters to check out, and that with the Sigma G line, PING is making a huge effort to offer you a putter that will fit your stroke and help you make more putts through improved putter technology.
Man, I wish that PING had given us more putter choices with the Sigma G line. Seriously, only sixteen models? Or is that nineteen if we take into account the two different colors of Ansers, and the two shaft options on the Kushin and the Darby.
Did I just say Kushin and Darby?
Yep, PING has rolled out a bunch of not recently seen favorites with the Sigma G line. Sure, the old Anser standby is there, but it's been years since we have had a new Tess, Darby, or Kushin.
You may see some names in that graphic that you don't recognize. Don't feel Ping-norant, those are actually new models. You've got a trio of Kinlochs, Tyne and Doon mallets, and a new Ketsch B, minding its own business on the side of the graphic.
No, PING is not just trying to fill up your whole shop with PING putters. If you look a little deeper into that graphic, you'll see that what they have done with the Sigma G line is create a line with an amazingly broad fitting spectrum. The Sigma G line allows you to select a putter that matches your swing arc, tempo, shape preference, and weight preference. The vast majority of golfers will likely find something on that chart that fits. Remember too that PING can customize the length and lie dot color to fit you. Lots and lots of options.
Though I know nothing of PING's plans in the electronic fitting future, imagine how great all of these options would play into the PING putting app. When it launched, the iPING app did a pretty good job of fitting you into one of the five Anser Milled putters. How cool would it be if an updated version could now put you into the correct one of these based upon your swing data? Fingers crossed that something is coming.
Here are the quick hits about the Sigma G insert:
The Sigma G features the same face milling pattern that we saw with the fully milled Vault line, but this time around we are looking at a multi-material polymer and metal face. PEBAX may sound like an antibiotic, but with it, PING is trying to help you get the ball to the hole. The TR grooves allow you to hit it wherever on the face you want, and the distance will be the same. The new polymer has allowed PING to nearly max out their feel scores during internal testing.
True Roll milling patterns look very similar to those found on the Vault line from last summer. Vault Anser 2 on top.
The different models definitely roll the ball a little differently. I've had the chance to roll three models, and without a doubt, the new insert has a different tone and feel depending upon the shape of the head. The balls make different sounds at impact, and the rolls were of varying vigor.
Of course, the head weight of the putter will also impact the characteristics of the roll, and this is again where the Sigma G line shines. You have light heads in the 340g range, and the weights increase from there up to the 400g counterbalanced behemoths.
Pick the head weight that rolls the ball the right distance for you, and the True Roll Face Tech will help you to roll the ball that right distance regardless of face wandering. If you are still missing putts, that's probably on you.
I've got a couple of the Sigma G models in hand, including the iconic PING Anser. When I talked about the Vault line last year, I made the bold statement that the Vault Anser 2 was my favorite Anser 2 ever. I still hold that putter up as my favorite Anser ever, but the Sigma G is quite pleasing to roll as well.
If you get the chance in your local shop, roll the Vault Anser 2 side by side with the Sigma G Anser and you'll get an idea of the difference in feel between the fully milled Vault and the metal/polymer Sigma G. I feel a little more thunk with the Vault. The Sigma G, more soft pop. Overall, the multi-material Sigma G provides a softer impact experience.
If you are an Anser player, you are likely already planning on rolling balls with this one. I'll bet that you will not be disappointed at all.
When I first saw the list of available models, the Kushin was the one that immediately grabbed my interest, even more than the Ketsch B, and that's saying something based on Ketsch Most Wanted dominance.
I was pushin for the Kushin for a couple of reasons. First, I had an older version, so the nostalgia bug got me a bit. That Kushin had toe-up hang before toe-up hang and torque balance was cool! (Assuming it is now actually cool.)
This Kushin actually is face-balanced, but PING can build it for you with a straight or slight arc shaft, so the hang does not totally dictate fit. I've been rolling the slight arc version and it fits my swing as expected.
The second reason that I was excited to roll the Kushin was its compact and wide blade shape. I'm definitely a member of the wide blade cult. I love the look of the head and thick top line at address. The problem is that other companies who currently make such a head, cough-Odyssey-cough, are making very visually busy versions of the shape. The Kushin is visually clean.
It's also a cannon. The impact with the Kushin rings far more than the Anser or Doon, and the ball just launches. Maybe it's the 20 grams that it has on the Anser, tough to know for sure, but the Kushin brings the hammer. Distance is by no means erratic, just consistently longer.
The Doon sits up in the upper corner of the PING Sigma G fitting chart, and I thought it would be a solid pick to round out the sampling of models. It's a heavy tyke at 400g, but the weight is countered nicely by the extra mass of the 38" shaft.
Though I'm not a counterbalance guy, I can see the attraction. The Doon is so stable as it swings. It takes some getting used to, but once you do it really puts a smooth roll on the ball.
PING came so close to nerd-gasm awesome with the name of this one. Tweak the spelling to Dune and you have all kinds of giant worm references as well as hundreds of others from that desert fantasy universe.
Change the "n" to an "m" and you are now rolling the new Doom, PING's version of the BFG.
Though companies like SuperStroke garner most of the grip fanfare these days, PING has made some grips in recent years that really should be getting more attention. The PP60, one of the stock grip options for the Sigma G line, shares some geometry with the SuperStroke Flatso, but the overall shape and the texture give the grip a unique feel. Should you want something a bit larger, the PP62 is also available.
Even if you are not looking at a new putter, you should put PING grips on your radar. If you are planning on regripping your putter this year, check out the PING grips when you are shopping around. They are really good. That PP62 looks a little dirty because I have been using it a bunch. It's on the Vault Anser 2, and it adds to the awesome.
The U.S. MSRPs for the Sigma G putters are: Blade-style: $195; Mallet-style: $215; Counter-balanced: $235. Based upon build quality alone, I think that this is right on for the line. If you really want to add options to your putter, an adjustable length shaft can be added for an upcharge of U.S. MSRP: $35. They are available for preorder today, and you can find the Sigma G putter in your local golf shop on February 16th.
As for the Sigma G name, that's really a nod to the fact that these putters represent the sum of PING's putter technologies being present in these putters. You get the new multi-material insert, the TR grooves, and both classic and new head shapes to fit player stroke and weight preferences.
The Sigma G line represents the sum of all of the putter knowledge that PING has amassed, and that's no small volume of putter engineering information.
