How attitude and pacing impact success or failure

by Joe Domaleski | Apr 16, 2024 | Blog, Business, Columnists, Community, Front Page, News Center, Opinion, Top News

When I look back over my accomplishments and failures in life, two things seem to have made the most impact on determining success or failure: attitude and pace. Both of these factors are entirely manageable. Don’t get me wrong—external factors can impact how things turn out, but in many cases, external forces can be overcome with a positive attitude and a proper pace.

I’m writing this article the day after the 2024 Boston Marathon. I ran my first Boston Marathon back in 1998 and often consider the connections between running and life. A runner toeing the starting line of a race has to believe (attitude) they can reach their goal and they have to set a proper tempo to make it to the finish line without going too fast or too slow (pace). Let’s consider what this means in your business and personal life.

My first Boston Marathon on Patriot’s Day – April 20, 1998. Yes, I celebrated my completion of the race with a cigar! Photo/Joe Domaleski

You’ve probably heard it before, but attitude is everything. A good leader needs to believe success is possible and convey that hope and optimism to his/her team. I’ve written previously about being a leader of hope. Having a positive attitude doesn’t mean one should ignore risks, resource constraints, and reality. It does mean that oftentimes human beings have the ability to transcend limitations with the proper mindset. Like most entrepreneurs, I started my business with the expectation of success, despite the inherent risks.

Setting a proper pace ensures that forward progress is maintained without going too fast and burning out. Equally as important is to ensure that the pace is swift enough that things don’t drag out causing a loss of motivation. An effective leader, like an orchestra conductor, knows how to set the proper tempo to ensure that everyone maintains the right speed. Because people tend to naturally move at different paces, it’s not always easy to keep everyone together. Some people are like great sprinters who have raw speed, but they have a hard time maintaining consistency over a long haul. Others, myself included, tend to be distance runners who don’t move as fast as the sprinters but we can stay the course for a long time. Finding the balance between speed and endurance can be tricky at best.

You’ve probably seen the funny “Six Phases of a Project” list that’s been around since the late 70s. Although its origins are lost to time, I thought it might be fun to consider each of the phases in both a funny and practical way. Whether it’s a specific project, campaign, or task you’re trying to accomplish, I think this list is relevant.

1. Enthusiasm – as mentioned above, most endeavors start with enthusiasm and belief that success is possible, even if there’s not a clear path on how to do it. Although “pain avoidance” is sometimes a motivating factor to get something done (i.e. “choosing the lesser of two evils”), it’s generally better to aim for a more positive outcome fueled with enthusiasm.
2. Disillusionment – most worthwhile projects encounter one or more periods of disillusionment fueled by FUD – fear, uncertainty, and doubt. Sometimes FUD can lead to a failure to even get started. Rarely do things go according to plan and that’s when one’s resolve is tested. Change fatigue, missed details, and uncomfortable situations can contribute to disillusionment. The way to combat disillusionment is to “rally the troops” and recommit to the objective. Disillusionment is fixable.
3. Panic – sometimes disillusionment can lead to panic. Whereas disillusionment is usually temporary discomfort, panic is the genuine fear of failure. The key word is “fear” – whether it’s based on reality or just perception. At the panic stage, people tend to become less rational and make emotionally charged decisions. If it’s truly a panic situation, the leader needs to intervene and make changes. Changes may include slowing down the pace, changing the staff assignments, recalibrating the objectives, or adjusting the amount of resources. Equally important to the changes is the leader’s commitment and enthusiasm that success can be achieved. If the leader doesn’t believe in success, no one on the team will believe it. In rare cases, it may be time to “abandon ship” if everyone involved agrees the situation isn’t tenable. Very rarely have I seen this type of situation and, quite the contrary, I most often see people giving up when they’re on the cusp of victory.
4. Search for the guilty – when things begin to drift and stray from the plan, people tend to ascribe blame. A true leader accepts responsibility for a negative situation. A weak leader blames other people or circumstances. Unfortunately, this is all too common in today’s society. Everyone wants to have a scapegoat. If you are enthusiastic about the end goal and you’re running a proper pace towards a realistic objective, my advice is to stay the course and avoid the blame game. Make needed changes to overcome obstacles, but avoid the “blame game”.
5. Punishment of the innocent – this doesn’t always happen, but when it does it’s a real head scratcher. Unfortunately, there’s a natural human tendency to criticize and even blame the person (or team) who’s actually in the “battle” trying to do the right thing. This can happen when someone in an organization has enough clout or status that they can transfer blame from themselves to others in a “trickle down” effect. When this happens, it’s hard to maintain enthusiasm and pacing for a project – or any future endeavors with the same so-called leader.
6. Praise for those not involved – this is probably my biggest pet peeve – attention and glory “hogs”. Unfortunately, this happens all too often. I really enjoy hearing about people and teams that overcome adversity to achieve great things. They should receive the praise and attention. Unfortunately, oftentimes we just hear or see about the figureheads who show up when it’s picture time. You know what I’m talking bout, it happens all of the time. Someone will get the overall credit and praise, even if their only contribution to the effort was their “status” in the community. A true leader puts their team on the winner’s platform, not himself or herself. It’s hard to be enthusiastic or stay in the game when the accolades are awarded to non-participants.

Enthusiastic branding project kick-off for the Women at the WELL ministry. (L-R) Zavion Green, Debbie Gronner, Janine Baggett (via Zoom on the laptop), Mia Scarbrough, and Marta Fewell. April 11, 2024 at Trilith. Photo/Joe Domaleski

In order to cross the finish line in a marathon or complete a project at work, it’s been my experience that a combination of enthusiasm and pacing can mean the difference between success or failure. Be the type of leader who sets worthwhile goals and enthusiastically leads the way. Ensure you and your team are keeping a realistic pace by not running too fast or too slowly. When things don’t go as planned, avoid placing blame on anyone but yourself. Make needed changes, but stay in the race if it’s winnable. Seek out opportunities to praise your team and spotlight their accomplishments, not your own. If you do these things, your team is more likely to help you tackle bigger and better things in the future. How’s your enthusiasm and pace holding up out there?

[Joe Domaleski, a Fayette County resident for 25 years, is the owner of Country Fried Creative – an award-winning digital marketing agency located in Peachtree City. His company was the Fayette Chamber’s 2021 Small Business of the Year.  Joe is a husband, father of three grown children, and proud Army veteran.  He has an MBA from Georgia State University and enjoys sharing his perspectives drawing from thirty years of business leadership experience. Sign up for the Country Fried Creative newsletter to get marketing and business articles directly in your inbox. ]

Despite the concern from our employees, we’re launching a new product

by Joe Domaleski | Apr 1, 2024 | Blog, Business, Columnists, Community, Front Page, News Center, Opinion, Top News

When you’ve done most of the things you want to do in life, sometimes it’s time to hit the reset button and try something new. Despite the concern from our employees, we’ve decided to launch a new hot sauce! Yes, you read that correctly.

The ad that’ll be running for our new hot sauce. Pictured are: Chef Joe Domaleski and Christina Colantonio. Photo/Abby Paver

I can’t think of a better way to spice things up than with homemade hot sauce. My digital marketing agency, Country Fried Creative, is often mistaken for being a restaurant or food services company, so why not lean into that natural assumption?

Newlyweds Joe and Mary Catherine Domaleski celebrate the creation of Joe’s Polish Inferno hot sauce in 1994. Photo/Joe Domaleski

This isn’t my first time making hot sauce. When Mary Catherine and I got married back in 1994, we didn’t have a lot of money, so we decided to make Christmas gifts that year. We spent some time in the kitchen and came up with “Joe’s Polish Inferno,” a homemade hot sauce infused with habanero peppers and fresh tomatoes. My new father-in-law, Bill, was quite impressed by the flavor and intensity. Fast forward to 2024.

So why launch a new hot sauce? Last summer, we celebrated our 20th year in business and had a big party at Line Creek Bus Barn in Fayetteville. During the party, a few of my clients asked me what’s next for the company. More than one suggested that I do something new and unexpected in 2024 to reinvigorate our brand. One colleague, who’ll remain anonymous, suggested that we do something related to food. Earlier in the year, we helped Peachtree City-based Chef Mark brand his Pelle’s pasta sauce. That inspired me and brought back memories from thirty years ago when I made hot sauce out of economic necessity.

Inspired by encouragement for the future and fond memories of the past, I made the business decision to spend some time in the kitchen last fall to see what we could come up with. All through the Christmas holidays and into the beginning of the new year, we’ve been perfecting the homemade recipe. I’d like to thank all of my friends in the local community as well as my family for helping me test out different recipes and combinations of ingredients. Whether you’re designing marketing campaigns or testing out food recipes, creativity is the key!

Chef Joe at a photo shoot to promote the new Country Fried Hot Sauce. Photo/Abby Paver

The decisions to develop and launch this new hot sauce weren’t without some sacrifices. Initially, our employees were not in favor of the hot sauce idea. They were concerned that we were spread too thin by doing too many things. In fact, a few of our employees did not agree with my decisions and left the firm earlier this year. Yeah, you may have heard about that. For the staff that stayed with us, I’d like to thank each of you for your support, loyalty, and belief in the future of our company.

It’s been a team effort ensuring our sauce is the right mix of heat, flavor, and freshness. Products like this are best experienced directly. Try it for yourself. We think you’ll love the Country Fried quality and flavor.

Here’s a link where you can sign up for more information, including a free sample. Let me know what you think of our new hot sauce 🔥🌶️

UPDATED 4/2/2024 – APRIL FOOLS!

[Joe Domaleski, a Fayette County resident for 25 years, is the owner of Country Fried Creative – an award-winning digital marketing agency located in Peachtree City. His company was the Fayette Chamber’s 2021 Small Business of the Year.  Joe is a husband, father of three grown children, and proud Army veteran.  He has an MBA from Georgia State University and enjoys sharing his perspectives drawing from thirty years of business leadership experience. Sign up for the Country Fried Creative newsletter to get marketing and business articles directly in your inbox. ]

What is creativity and why is it important?

by Joe Domaleski | Mar 18, 2024 | Blog, Business, Columnists, Community, Front Page, News Center, Opinion, Top News

Have you ever looked at a piece of art, read a great story, listened to inspiring music, or looked at a funny advertisement and thought, “That’s really creative”? Have you ever looked at a clever piece of “redneck engineering,” smiled, and thought, “That’s a creative way to solve that problem”? In many fields, except perhaps accounting, creativity is thought of as being something good. So, what is creativity, and why does it matter?

I asked some of my staff for their definitions of creativity:

“I think of creativity as a combination of imagination and knowledge.” – Hollie

“I like to think of creativity as using our minds to make something new out of what already exists.” – Erica

“I think creativity is being able to express your thoughts, ideas, and emotions be it in the way we dress, work, speak, and live our lives in a way that represents who we are and how our minds interpret those thoughts, ideas, and emotions.” – Christina

“I would define creativity as the ability to piece together aspects of different experiences to make something new and innovative.” – Zavion

“I think creativity is the ability to use your imagination to create something new and then the ability to express that thought in different mediums and formats.” – Janine (our Creative Director)

CFC graphic design intern Zavion Green working on creative logo designs for a local nonprofit. Photo/Joe Domaleski

Some common themes expressed in these definitions are:

• Imagination
• New
• Ideas
• Knowledge
• Innovation
• Assembly
• Expression
• Emotion
• Thoughts
• Artistry
• Ingenuity

One of my favorite quotes about creativity comes from the late Steve Jobs, Founder and CEO of Apple:

“Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That’s because they were able to connect experiences they’ve had and synthesize new things. And the reason they were able to do that was that they’ve had more experiences or they have thought more about their experiences than other people. Unfortunately, that’s too rare a commodity. A lot of people in our industry haven’t had very diverse experiences. So they don’t have enough dots to connect, and they end up with very linear solutions without a broad perspective on the problem. The broader one’s understanding of the human experience, the better design we will have.” – Steve Jobs, Make Something Wonderful

In most of the definitions and themes above, creativity was associated with taking existing knowledge and applying it in new or novel ways. So, why is that important?

Creativity is not just about art, but also business. Creativity fosters progress and change. It helps us break out of ruts and sticking points to move in new directions. Creativity is often the spark that helps launch new businesses and power entrepreneurial dreams. Without creativity, we would stagnate. Here’s some specific benefits and applications of creativity.

• Personal style – Creativity allows people (and organizations) to express identity and personality through various forms, such as fashion, art, music, and communication. Creative personal expression helps people stand out in a cluttered world of sameness.
• Cultural expression – Groups of people form communities that have shared culture, beliefs, values, and heritage. Cultural expression can show up in many forms, including dress, cuisine, traditions, communication, and other things that reflect different facets of the human experience.
• Problem solving – Creative problem solving is one of my personal favorites. It allows for the consideration of unconventional means to overcome challenges and barriers.
• Learning – Creative learning helps fuel curiosity, exploration, and consideration of ideas in new ways. We all tend to learn in different ways. Applying creativity to education improves learning to help create those “a-ha moments.”
• Economic growth – Innovation leads to economic growth, and creativity leads to innovation. Building a better widget, reducing costs, solving problems, and making life easier are all hallmarks of the importance of creativity in the business world.
• Social improvement – Most social change begins with creativity. Creativity assumes there may be a better way by considering different perspectives, amplifying stifled voices, and imagining better futures.
• Resilience – Creativity helps people and societies become more adaptable to change. Overcoming adversities and challenges requires flexible thinking and looking at old things in a new light.

Creativity is what makes us human. So, what about the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on creativity? There’s no doubt that AI is a powerful tool that can be used to foster creativity. I wrote about how I use AI last fall. In fact, I am currently conducting research regarding AI as it pertains to marketing management. But for all of its strengths, it has some glaring weaknesses. AI does not have our sense of perspective and experiences. AI does not have intuition or empathy. It hasn’t lived and, therefore, it can’t experience things as a human can. It doesn’t know right from wrong.

The author uses Artificial Intelligence (AI), statistics, R programming, and creativity to solve a marketing problem. Photo/Joe Domaleski

Underneath the hood, most AI is based on different types of algorithms (such as regression, decision trees, support vector machines, clustering, and neural nets) and mathematical representations of knowledge (mostly probability, statistics, linear algebra, and calculus). Is AI creative? Yes, if you accept the definitions of AI at the top of this article – AI is creative. It does have the ability to consider existing knowledge and identify new patterns to create things. Does that bother me? No. While it’s true that we live in a world defined by math and science, we have something AI does not. AI does not have a soul, and we do.

Expression, creation, and innovation based on soulful creativity is the wave of the future. It’s literally what helped us get this far as a species, and I believe it’ll serve us well as we head into an uncertain future with or without AI. Creativity is so important to me that I made that part of our company name (Country Fried Creative) years ago. Creativity is literally what keeps the world moving in a forward direction.

How do you use creativity in your personal and professional life?

[Joe Domaleski, a Fayette County resident for 25 years, is the owner of Country Fried Creative – an award-winning digital marketing agency located in Peachtree City. His company was the Fayette Chamber’s 2021 Small Business of the Year.  Joe is a husband, father of three grown children, and proud Army veteran.  He has an MBA from Georgia State University and enjoys sharing his perspectives drawing from thirty years of business leadership experience. Sign up for the Country Fried Creative newsletter to get marketing and business articles directly in your inbox. ]

How to handle mistakes as a leader

by Joe Domaleski | Mar 4, 2024 | Blog, Business, Columnists, Community, Front Page, News Center, Opinion, Top News

So you’ve made a mistake, now what? You’re not alone, although you may feel that way. I’ve made many mistakes and blunders over the years. No one is perfect. Leaders are often criticized by “armchair quarterbacks” who are not privy to the complete details of a situation. Entrepreneurs are especially vulnerable to mistakes because they’re usually “all in” financially, which makes mistakes extra painful. Unlike a large organization where one may be spending someone else’s money, the small business owner or nonprofit executive is totally at risk when making decisions. Here are some common mistakes that leaders, including myself, have made:

• Failure to communicate effectively: This is probably the source of more mistakes than anything else. Whether you’re communicating with your team or with a client, it’s essential to have clear communications. Although verbal communication is often the most effective way to collaborate with people, if you’re running a business, it really needs to be followed up with written documentation to ensure clarity. Memories tend to be selective, especially when dealing with complex issues.
• Avoiding tough decisions: I’m guilty of this, and it’s something I work on constantly. I tend to be optimistic and hold on to things longer than I should. A leader doesn’t need to be reckless, but they do need to be decisive. Doing so inspires confidence and clarity. Not doing so can lead to problems down the line. Once you have all the facts you need, make the decision. I’m not alone in this regard. I know a lot of leaders struggle with procrastination.
• Inflexibility and lack of adaptability: Most leaders tend to be older and have experiences which helped them to get where they are, but may not be enough to get to where they need to be. The world is a rapidly changing place, and what worked yesterday may not work tomorrow. A lack of adaptability can hinder company growth, stifle emerging leadership within an organization, and cause problems with clients who need newer solutions.
• Delegating too much or too little: I’ve written previously about delegation, and it’s one of the hardest things to get right. If you delegate too much, your team may not have enough guidance to go in the direction you want. On the other hand, too little delegation will run the leader ragged and stunt the growth of a high-powered team. Improper delegation can lead to all kinds of errors and mistakes internally and externally.
• Moving too quickly or too slowly: Pacing is an important concept when working with other people. Moving too fast on something may leave people behind or expend resources wastefully on a market opportunity that’s not quite ready. Moving too slowly can cause an organization to “miss the boat” on profitable and beneficial opportunities. When working with a team or a client, it’s important to make sure everyone is “on board.”
• Failing to give and receive feedback: When something isn’t quite right, it’s important to speak up so that a situation doesn’t get worse. Most people don’t try to make mistakes, but if one is being made, it’s important to say something in the spirit of improvement. This helps people improve non-optimal circumstances. Maybe more importantly for the leader is to have the ability to receive proper feedback. A wise leader seeks counsel from trusted advisors and input from people at all levels of an organization. When giving or receiving feedback, it’s important not to get into a “blame game”. We all know people who are never wrong, like to spread rumors, and are very quick to point fingers at others. Avoid those people.
• Misallocating resources: Doing the right things, at the right times, for the right reasons, with the right resources is not easy. Just about everything a business does involves time, money, and people. Knowing how much time to spend on things, how much money to invest in projects, and knowing which people to assign to tasks is both an art and a science. For a small business or nonprofit, cash flow management in particular is extremely tough (this is true in many households as well). Usually, no one but the accountant and the business owner knows the big picture. Even with good intentions, sometimes a leader doesn’t get it quite right with resourcing.

The author Joe Domaleski leading a recent company meeting where challenges from the prior year were acknowledged with a plan for making things better in the new year. Photo/Mary Catherine Domaleski

I won’t go into details, but last year, I made some mistakes with my business. Lessons have been learned, changes have been made, and we’re moving forward in this new year. What follows are suggestions that I try to follow on how to fix mistakes and move on:

1. Accept responsibility for the mistake: A true leader acknowledges and takes responsibility for mistakes they or their team make. Accepting responsibility should be done clearly and without deflecting blame. Unfortunately, many so-called leaders in society do the opposite and blame everyone but themselves. That’s not leadership. Although it’s rare, there is one exception to this rule – if you’ve been advised by an attorney not to admit fault because a legal issue is at stake. That should be the only exception.
2. Understand the impact of the mistake: Most mistakes have consequences. Quickly and completely assess how the mistake has impacted your team, your customers, and your organization. Doing this will help you determine what needs to be done to fix the situation.
3. Apologize for the mistake: Mistakes often impact other people. If that’s the case, an apology shows respect to those affected as well as a commitment that amends will be made. Not everyone will accept your apology. If that happens, it’s on them – not you.
4. Fix the mistake: Taking appropriate corrective action demonstrates that you are willing to “right the wrong.” This may involve a refund or discount to an affected customer, a proper allocation of company resources to a project, or a reassignment of team members to better maximize everyone’s strengths. It could also mean that company policies and procedures need to be adjusted to avoid a recurrence of the problem.
5. Learn from the mistake: Non-lethal mistakes are learning experiences. People rarely learn from wins, in fact quite the opposite often happens. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great to win, but there’s a downside. Constant winning can lead to complacency and stagnation. Nothing lasts forever, especially not in the business world. Think of all the failed businesses who thought they were immune from losing. Most learning and improvements come from mistakes. Determine the root cause of the mistake and gain insights from it to make you and your organization more resilient in the future.
6. Forgive yourself for the mistake: This is the hardest thing to do. No one likes to make mistakes, but we all do. Yes, because you’re the leader, there will be some who are quick to criticize your mistakes, and that makes it hurt even more. Forgive them, but especially forgive yourself. Once you’ve accepted responsibility, apologized, and fixed the mistake, it’s time to move on with new knowledge and a clear conscience. Don’t let the past weigh you down; allow it to fortify your list of experiences to better prepare you for what’s ahead.

Making mistakes is no fun, but it’s part of the journey. Over the years, I’ve made many mistakes, and I’ll probably make more in the years ahead. Handling mistakes as a leader requires maturity, accountability, and commitment. When everything is going right, it’s easy for people to take credit. When things go wrong, most people like to point fingers and ascribe blame. Unlike what we often see in today’s “me first” society, a true leader gives credit to their team for the wins but accepts responsibility for the mistakes and losses. Once a leader accepts responsibility and apologizes, it’s time to fix the problem and move on. I think the hardest part of righting a wrong is forgiving yourself. Don’t carry the baggage of guilt into the future; it’ll only hold you back from improvement. Let mistakes toughen you up and prepare you for what’s ahead. We need more accountable leaders who lead with head, hands, and heart. Will you join me in being that type of leader?

[Joe Domaleski, a Fayette County resident for 25 years, is the owner of Country Fried Creative – an award-winning digital marketing agency located in Peachtree City. His company was the Fayette Chamber’s 2021 Small Business of the Year.  Joe is a husband, father of three grown children, and proud Army veteran.  He has an MBA from Georgia State University and enjoys sharing his perspectives drawing from thirty years of business leadership experience. Sign up for the Country Fried Creative newsletter to get marketing and business articles directly in your inbox. ]

My recommendations on top news sources for staying informed

by Joe Domaleski | Feb 26, 2024 | Blog, Business, Columnists, Community, Front Page, News Center, Opinion, Top News

Every Friday morning, a group of our friends gets together at 7am to have breakfast and chat at a local restaurant. We talk about a lot of different things, but last Friday (2/23/24), many of us decided to talk about the massive AT&T cellular network failure that occurred the previous day. We noted that it was hard to get news about what was going on. Indeed, AT&T wouldn’t even acknowledge the issue until it was almost resolved six hours later. What little news that was being reported was inaccurate and incomplete. That discussion led to a more general discussion about how and where each of us reads the news. The discussion we had inspired this article.

Some of my friends gathered for breakfast and conversation at Thumbs Up Diner – Trilith/Fayetteville. Photo/Joe Domaleski

Before getting into specific news sources, it’s important to put my recommendations into context by addressing the topic of bias. News reporting always has some kind of inherent bias, even if it’s unintentional (which is rarely the case). Reporters and editors are people who are influenced by their own experiences, perspectives, culture, beliefs, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Besides the people reporting the news, the organizations that publish or broadcast the news also have to cater to their target audience and advertisers.

Be on the lookout for specific types of fake news and bias, including:

• Clickbait – designed to grab attention and get clicks. Most social media news falls in this category.
• Propaganda – created to mislead audiences. This is increasingly becoming a problem with the influence of foreign agents.
• Satire/Parody – unfortunately, I think modern society has a hard time distinguishing between parody and truth. Satire is a dying art.
• Sloppy journalism – in which incomplete stories are published without fact-checking. Be advised that most generative AI models don’t know how to fact-check and many reporters don’t either.
• Misleading headlines – there’s a fine line between a proper headline that brings attention to something and one designed to mislead people.
• Biased/Slanted News – people are often drawn to stories that confirm their own beliefs or biases (called confirmation bias), and fake news can prey on that predisposition.
• Unreliable/False Sources – stories that rely on questionable sources, rumor, or hearsay. ALWAYS check cited sources when reading a news story.

Traditionally, news outlets selected what stories to publish and how to frame them, as is done with this website you’re reading right now. With the advent of AI, algorithms largely determine what we see in most online news outlets. Algorithms are designed to promote popularity. These computer-generated publishing agents assume that if something is popular and fits your profile, then you want to see more of it. Doing so reinforces echo chambers, confirmation bias, and causes a general lack of perspective. That’s not universally true, and just the opposite situation occurred last week. Google’s new Gemini AI ran into problems by doing the opposite and pushed false diversity narratives with a black George Washington and other historical falsehoods.

Recognizing and understanding bias is important. Here’s my own bias when it comes to the news:

I believe it’s important to use discernment and consult a variety of news sources to get a broader perspective, even those sources that don’t line up with my worldview.

Okay, with that out of the way, here’s my recommendations on top news sources for staying informed.

1. WSB Radio morning news show – Broadcasting on FM 95.5 / AM 750, this excellent news program has it all – news, weather, traffic, and short interviews. It’s very convenient for Mary Catherine and me to get caught up on the news while we’re drinking coffee and getting ready for the day. Later in the day, WSB Radio has politically opinionated radio shows, but the morning news program is excellent and non-political. Highly recommended investment of five minutes of your time daily.
2. BBC World News – with a variety of free digital and broadcast formats, the BBC is a great source of world news. It’s so good that many US-based NPR radio stations license their content and rebroadcast it for a US audience. I don’t always have time to review the world news, but when I do, I start with the BBC.
3. USA Today – with its easy-to-read graphics, short articles, and emphasis on news over opinion, this is about as centrist as it gets when it comes to news (unless you consult a newswire like Reuters). When I skim USA Today, I feel like I get a good overview of what’s going on in our nation.
4. New York Times – Yes, it’s very well known that the New York Times tends to display a left-leaning, liberal bias. Yet, it’s also well known that the “old gray lady” of news still has some of the best writing, features, and content. They also have cool puzzles like Wordle and the famous New York Times Crossword (any fellow cruciverbalists out there?). I pay for a subscription to this so I can read it on my iPad. Reading the Sunday edition is a tradition I’ve kept for many decades.
   

   Starting my day by reading the online edition of the New York Times on my iPad. Photo/Joe Domaleski

5. Wall Street Journal (WSJ) – The absolute best source of business news and features is the WSJ. The stock market data isn’t as useful as it once was because there are so many other sources for that, but everything else is relevant and useful. The opinion pieces definitely lean to the right, with well-reasoned conservative viewpoints. The technology column is especially good. If you’re a business leader like me, then the features about leadership and management are also excellent.
6. Local government / School system – All of our local municipalities, including the school system, have excellent websites, newsletters, and social media channels. The Sheriff’s Office has an excellent app for your smartphone to alert you to situations, like the shutdown of Hwy 314, which occurred on Saturday. They also echo NWS weather alerts. Sign up for your free, tax-dollar-supported news. With the exception of the Sheriff’s Office, most of the other entities tend to report on events and updates, not necessarily controversial or breaking news. Honestly, that’s not really their job, and they leave that to the next recommended news source.
7. TheCitizen.com online – yes, this newspaper website right here is one of your best sources of local news. Totally owned, operated, and funded by people in Fayette County, this is truly an institution not beholden to any particular special interest. The paper makes a clear distinction between news and opinion columns. Because the publisher of this paper believes in free speech, the opinion section can get a little heated at times. Truth is, anyone can write in, and it remains the most popular section. I don’t agree with many of the things published in the opinion section, nor am I required to do so. My own weekly columns are purposely non-political, and I appreciate everyone who takes the time to read them. There’s also the Fayette News, which is owned and operated from Thomaston.

Sometimes breaking news will show up in a questionable location, which inspires me to consult one of the trusted news sources above. I wouldn’t totally rely on the following sources, but they may alert you to something that may warrant further research.

• Twitter / X – probably the best source of breaking or emerging news on the national or international level. When the AT&T network went down last week, this was the first place that reported on it. There’s a lot of misinformation, parody, satire, and bias on Twitter / X – so use with caution.
• Facebook – not my favorite social media platform and definitely not my primary source of news, but often times the source of local, breaking news. Many people in our community hang out in one of the popular county and city Facebook groups. When folks aren’t griping about something, you’ll occasionally hear about something newsworthy pending confirmation from a trusted source. Our local government organizations, school system, and public safety all put out news on their Facebook groups. Besides keeping up with your friends and neighbors, it’s also a decent place to find out about community events.
• Traditional TV / Cable media – Before the rise of Internet news, many of us middle-aged people (and older) watched the news on local TV stations and larger cable networks such as CNN, CNBC, and Fox News. The cable news outlets are well-known for bias, but that’s not the reason I don’t watch them anymore – it’s just not convenient. Being able to pull out my iPhone and skim the news – or – have it read to me using a text-to-audio app just makes it more convenient.
• NPR / GPB News – I really want to like NPR and will listen from time to time. Because they’re trying so hard to be diverse in their programming, it often means that the news they’re reporting on isn’t relevant to me. Market Watch is pretty good for business news. GPB news has excellent state-level news coverage, and I should probably listen to that more often.
• RSS Feeds – I also periodically use an RSS news feed reader called Feedly. It aggregates and pulls news from different online sources via RSS feeds or web scraping. There are other systems out there like Reeder, Apple News, Flipboard, and Readwise who work similarly. Systems like these are very useful, but can be overwhelming. The main advantage is that they can list the headlines in a very useful way so that you can click on them to explore further.

On the subject of news, I’d also encourage everyone to sign up for free NWS weather alerts. Whenever there’s a bad storm, I normally get three alerts at a minimum – a text message, audible siren outside, and my weather radio will signal an alert. Staying informed about the weather could save your life. You can get more information about weather alerts from the NWS Peachtree City / Atlanta website.

It’s more important than ever to stay informed about what’s going on in our local community and beyond. I’d encourage you not to rely solely on algorithms to serve up what they think is important or trendy. Take charge of what you see, read, or hear. Seek out reputable information and news by using a wide variety of sources and formats. For me, that means starting the day with good, old-fashioned radio news. Reading online news and information sites from different sources (and perspectives) helps me gather information to make better decisions. I like to form my own opinions about what’s going on in the world around me. An informed society contributes to a healthier democracy.

What are some of your favorite sources of news and information?

[Joe Domaleski, a Fayette County resident for 25 years, is the owner of Country Fried Creative – an award-winning digital marketing agency located in Peachtree City. His company was the Fayette Chamber’s 2021 Small Business of the Year.  Joe is a husband, father of three grown children, and proud Army veteran.  He has an MBA from Georgia State University and enjoys sharing his perspectives drawing from thirty years of business leadership experience. Sign up for the Country Fried Creative newsletter to get marketing and business articles directly in your inbox. ]

Ten common marketing mistakes made by local, small business owners

by Joe Domaleski | Feb 19, 2024 | Blog, Business, Columnists, Community, Front Page, News Center, Opinion, Top News

Recently, my company had the pleasure of speaking about marketing at the third annual Coweta County Nonprofit Summit. After the presentation, one of the attendees approached me to ask some questions. She was a volunteer board member attending the conference to get information for her nonprofit but told me that her “real job” was operating a small business in Newnan. She had been struggling with marketing her business to get new customers and wondered what could be done. Instead of answering the question outright, our dialogue just kind of naturally developed into a chat about marketing mistakes that I had seen people (including myself) make over the years. I thought the dialogue we had might make for a good article.

What is marketing? Here’s the most straightforward definition I have:

Marketing = Promotion.

Typically, marketing is directed at promoting activities that lead to the exchange of money, such as the sales of products or services. If you’re a nonprofit, then marketing might be used to solicit donors and sponsors. I used the word “typically” on purpose because marketing doesn’t always involve a sale or donation. Marketing may be used to promote free community events, foster general awareness of an idea, or recruit volunteers. When I was in graduate school 30 years ago, I learned there was a Marketing Mix called the “Five P’s of Marketing” – Product (or Service), Place, Price, Promotion, and People. Some experts have expanded it to “Seven P’s,” including Packaging and Positioning. I’ve heard others refer to only “Four P’s.” Regardless of how many P’s are added to the mix, let’s just stick with “Promotion” for simplicity.

The author Joe Domaleski (on the right) with Southern Conservation Trust Community Relations Coordinator Josie Saunders at the 2024 Coweta Nonprofit Summit. Photo/Joe Domaleski

As a society, we need good marketing. It’s what allows us to find things of interest like household goods, restaurants, service providers, Churches, community activities, volunteer opportunities, entertainment options, and even community news. If you are a business owner or nonprofit leader, then you need marketing to create awareness so that people can find you. One of the reasons I started a marketing agency twenty years ago is so that I could help foster better community dialogue between businesses, nonprofits, and residents. This became especially important during COVID. As people were hunkered down at home in front of their computers, online marketing became a lifeline for both businesses and consumers so that people could see what was open.

The best forms of marketing are natural and relevant. No one likes creepy marketing that stalks you online. You can overdo marketing. It’s also true that most all businesses are marketing even when they think they aren’t. My all-time favorite phrase I sometimes hear from fellow business owners is, “I don’t believe in marketing. We’ve got more than enough business.” That’s wrong on so many levels. Do you have a sign outside your business? Do you have a logo, business cards, and letterhead? If so, then you’re marketing – but probably not enough.

The author promoting his business Country Fried Creative with signage at the 2024 Coweta Nonprofit Summit. Photo/Joe Domaleski

Now that we know what marketing is and why we need it, let’s examine ten of the most common marketing mistakes made by local, small business owners (and nonprofits). As a local business owner, I have made most of these mistakes myself.

1. Marketing without a plan. This is the most common problem I see, and it’s still amazing to me that many organizations sort of stumble around with an outdated website, sporadic advertising, inconsistent branding, and no plan whatsoever. This wastes time and money. At a minimum, an organization needs to have a written plan to define their marketing target, goals, activities, budget, and performance measures. I’ve seen great one-page marketing plans, although most tend to have a little more detail. What I hear a lot of the time is, “We don’t want to be bothered with a plan. Just make us #1 on Google and get us leads.” You can’t do it without a plan.
2. Getting sales confused with marketing. Marketing is not the same thing as sales. You can fight me on that one. We’ve established that marketing is promotion and it helps create the conditions for a sale. The sale happens when someone actually buys something, which could be in person or online. Many companies mistake the two terms and over rely on marketing to make up for bad sales practices. You need both marketing and sales. Great marketing helps create conditions for a sale, but it’s not the sale itself. In a previous article, I said that sales is the most important function of a business, and I stand by that statement, but sales is not marketing.
3. Putting too much reliance on referrals. Make no mistake, referrals are often the best source of marketing for a small, local business. Even as a marketing agency, about 80% of our prospects come from referrals. However, referrals aren’t enough to sustain a business. Good marketing helps convert referrals into potential customers. Almost all referrals will look at a website to gain insight into a company’s quality, authenticity, and relevance. What happens when the referrals stop coming in? Businesses should promote themselves using a wide range of marketing channels such as social media, newsletters, advertisements, and signage to name a few. Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket.
4. Underestimating the importance of quality. Your target market will form an immediate impression about your organization based on the quality of what they see. Avoid the temptation to scrimp with AI-generated written content, poor quality images, pixelated logos, and outdated information. When I see things like “Free website by Wix” in a website footer or “Get your free 50 business cards by Vistaprint” printed on the back of business cards, then that tells me that the business is not serious enough to invest in themselves. You only get one first impression. Strive for quality so that you stand out in a noisy world.
5. Failing to keep online information accurate. I know this is a pet peeve for anyone trying to find information online. It’s essential to keep your contact information, hours of operation, location, and company information consistent on your website, social media, business directory listings, and signage. People won’t come to your restaurant if the website says you’re open at 7am for breakfast, but your Facebook page says 8am. Make it a regular habit to audit your online “points of presence” to make sure they’re consistent.
6. Missing out on opportunities for free marketing. Yes, there really are ways to market inexpensively and sometimes free. Asking people to refer your business, claiming your Google business listing, volunteering in the community, and creating ways for people to find you are all great ways for marketing on a shoestring budget. Marketing doesn’t have to be expensive, but it does have to be consistent. Networking in the community is one of the best free ways to market your business, and it’s how I built my company.
7. Over relying on free/cheap marketing. Free is good, but it’s not enough. There’s no getting around investing money and resources to make sure your business has customers. Set a monthly budget and invest a fixed amount each month to promote your business. From time to time, you may want to spend a little more for special events and promotions, but consistently spend and see what works best for you. You’ll be invisible if you don’t spend something on marketing because your competitors will.
8. Avoiding advertising and paid promotions. One of the most effective ways to get your message out to your target market is to invest in advertising, especially digital advertising. With digital advertising, you can be very specific about who sees your message and how much you want to spend on it. Better yet, you can actually track how many people take action, so you can measure the return on your investment. That’s harder to do with traditional print advertising. The key to advertising is consistency and relevance. Advertising in this online newspaper is a great way to reach a local audience.
9. Neglecting brand consistency. Don’t be that business or nonprofit that has different versions of your logo on your signs, shirts, website, and print material. Quality is important, but don’t fall into the trap of merely “elevating your brand” by prioritizing style over substance. Yes, style is important, but make sure it’s sustainable with consistency. Inconsistent branding will confuse your target market. Consistency in high-quality visuals, tone, and messaging reinforces brand recognition and loyalty.
10. Ignoring analytics and attribution. It’s still amazing to me that many business leaders have no idea how many visitors they have on their website or what their marketing return on investment is. You can’t manage what you can’t measure. “Well, they said they heard about me online” is not analytics. Use analytics to track the effectiveness of your marketing activities so that you can focus on what works and eliminate those activities that aren’t working.

Intern Zavion Green, a senior at Sandy Creek HS, works on a promotional video for the Fayette Schools Work-based Learning program and Country Fried Creative. Photo/Joe Domaleski

We all need marketing! If you’re a business owner, you need marketing to help promote your products and services to the right target audience. If you’re a nonprofit leader, you need marketing to solicit donations and garner support for your cause. If you’re a consumer, you need marketing to help find what you’re looking for efficiently and effectively—and occasionally discover things you didn’t know you needed. Marketing is both an art and a science that promotes your organization in a creative and methodical manner. Be deliberate with your marketing activities, ensuring high-quality and consistent messaging that is both measurable and adjustable for optimal impact.

I look forward to seeing how your marketing efforts make an impact in our community.

[Joe Domaleski, a Fayette County resident for 25 years, is the owner of Country Fried Creative – an award-winning digital marketing agency located in Peachtree City. His company was the Fayette Chamber’s 2021 Small Business of the Year.  Joe is a husband, father of three grown children, and proud Army veteran.  He has an MBA from Georgia State University and enjoys sharing his perspectives drawing from thirty years of business leadership experience. Sign up for the Country Fried Creative newsletter to get marketing and business articles directly in your inbox. ]