Web for Good is pleased to announce our first client. After significant thought and deliberation, the Web for Good board has chosen A Child’s Haven for a pro bono project. A Child’s Haven is a Greenville based therapeutic and prevention center for developmentally delayed, abused, and neglected young children and their families. Their goal is [...]]]>

Web for Good is pleased to announce our first client.

After significant thought and deliberation, the Web for Good board has chosen A Child’s Haven for a pro bono project. A Child’s Haven is a Greenville based therapeutic and prevention center for developmentally delayed, abused, and neglected young children and their families. Their goal is to transform the lives of the entire family unit, so that they can proceed into the future, living healthy and productive lives. Here’s how we plan to help.

It is the desire of Web for Good to transform A Child’s Haven’s current website into a more interactive tool that helps create conversation between the organization and those who are part of the supporting relationships. We are ready for the challenge of using the Web to provide a tool for telling the story of A Child’s Haven, as well as making that story happen.

We want to say thank you to the twenty-four organizations who submitted applications for the inaugural Web for Good project. We trust that they and other worthy groups will choose to participate in future years. It is our desire that in years to come we will be able to support more than one organization through the foundation.

Congratulations to A Child’s Haven! We look forward to working with you.

Look around you. Do you see anything that makes you smile? Is there something you experienced today that encouraged you or motivated you? Those things didn’t just happen. If you recall, there was an action that brought you to that moment. Here at Web for Good, we have enjoyed the opportunity to see a lot [...]]]>

Look around you. Do you see anything that makes you
smile? Is there something you experienced today that encouraged you or motivated you? Those things didn’t just happen. If you recall, there was an action that brought you to that moment.

Here at Web for Good, we have enjoyed the opportunity to see a lot of good being done by multiple organizations across the country. These groups have seen a need in their communities and have acted. Now the time is near for us to help one of them better utilize the Web to carry out their mission.

We have narrowed the choices down to the following organizations:

A Child’s Haven: Offers therapy and prevention counseling for developmentally delayed, abused, and neglected young children and their families.

Prevention and Protection of Abused Children, Inc.: Provides quality family programming as well as child maltreatment prevention services to families, fulfilling its mission to “assure that every family member be provided the opportunity to experience healthy, nurturing relationships and be treated with dignity and respect.”

Spanish Colonial Arts Society: Promotes and preserves the living heritage of the traditional Spanish arts through education and outreach, collection and exhibition, and the development of economic opportunity through a world-renowned Spanish Market.

Up Next

It was a hard choice to narrow our options down to these three. Some of the other organizations who applied had very similar missions. All of them were people seeing a need and seeking to do good. We want to see all of them succeed.

We will be taking a few more days to consider these finalists before we choose our first ever Web for Good project. We will announce that choice on May 4, 2011. The team is excited to get started doing our own bit of good.

Good things don’t just happen. It takes a labor of love to make changes for the better. At Web for Good, we’re ready to get started.

The Worthwhile Company is proud to be a supporting sponsor of the Greenville, South Carolina based Palmetto Orthopaedic Associates Cycling Team. Known in the Southeast simply as POA, the team has made a name for itself in two years and is poised for even greater success in 2010. Worthwhile captures this success by providing the team with a website that conveys the drive and teamwork with which POA races.]]>

The Worthwhile Company is proud to be a supporting sponsor of the Greenville, South Carolina based Palmetto Orthopaedic Associates Cycling Team. Known in the Southeast simply as POA, the team has made a name for itself in two years and is poised for even greater success in 2010. Worthwhile captures this success by providing the team with a website that conveys the drive and teamwork with which POA races.

The new site allows friends and fans to follow along with the team as they campaign in the 2010 cycling season. Users can learn more about the team members by visiting the roster page to read bios and see individual race results. The site also catalogs the team’s overall successes on the results page. 2010 promises to have a lot of data!

Team manager, Blair LaMarche, will be keeping everyone up-to-date with what is happening within the team at the site’s blog. The entire site is designed on the WordPress framework and this allows the team to easily keep not only the blog current, but the blogging process is used to maintain the entire website. Follow along with Blair (and other riders) as they record the events of the season.

On the events page you can see the races in which POA team members will be racing. However, POA Cycling is about more than just racing bicycles. The team also supports the cycling community by providing a series of races during the year including the St. Francis Sports Medicine Summer Series, the South Carolina Time Trial Championships, the South Carolina Road Racing Championship, and the Fall Extravaganza (now in it’s second year). Information about these events will be presented on the site in the Events section. Information about the team’s involvement in charity events will also be presented here.

The team knows all this takes support and that is why the sponsors receive exposure throughout the site — not only on each page, but in a unique sponsors’ section devoted to the various sponsors who help the team receive the very best equipment and support. Sponsors now get exposure on the website, as well as the team’s uniforms, printed materials, and through various social media outlets.

The visually appealing site also provides a glimpse at the action throughout the year as users are able to view photos from the various events. Once again Worthwhile makes it easy for the team to manage this section by integrating Facebook galleries into the WordPress framework. More social media integration will come as The Worthwhile Company team continues to enhance the POACycling.com experience.

Racing my bike has been a learning situation and I have been amazed at how often lessons learned on the bike translate to real life -- especially a competitive business environment. One such instance stood out to me in a recent race. It exposed for me a weakness on the bike that I also realized is something I need to overcome in my business life.]]>

It was exciting when two parts of my life came together. This year The Worthwhile Company is helping sponsor the Piedmont Orthopaedic Association Cycling Team — POA Cycling for short. The team has gotten off to a solid start and I’m glad to be both sponsor and racer.

For me it has been a learning situation and I have been amazed at how often lessons learned on the bike translate to real life — especially a competitive business environment. One such instance stood out to me in a recent race. It exposed for me a weakness on the bike that I also realized is something I need to overcome in my business life.

Cycling is a team sport. However, only one team member crosses the line as the winner. During a race each team member must make multiple decisions. Often, he must do so without collaboration with his mates. Those individual decisions affect the entire team.

This demands a level of trust and commitment. It allows the leader of the team for that day to focus on the one task — winning. He knows that his teammates are working to make sure he is kept in the best position. He knows they will be willing to turn themselves inside out in order to bring back a threat. There is an incredible bond in a team with the right chemistry.

Then the time comes for the rider for whom the team worked so hard to make his move. During a recent race, that was the position I found myself in with a kilometer to go. My team had me set up perfectly. I moved up with 500 meters to go and was in the fourth position. I was confident that I could take the win — there was really only one threat and he was somewhere behind me.

At 200 meters I made a mistake. I took my mind off of the goal in front of me and started thinking about the threat behind me. I knew he was strong and I reasoned that if I went too early, he would be able to ride in my draft to the final meters and then swing around me with the momentum to win.

I settled in on the front waiting. My thought was that as he came up to me, I would counter and we would race to the finish with the fastest man winning. Unfortunately, that is not what happened.

The known threat never appeared. He had gotten boxed in during the shuffle of the field sprint. What happened was two riders on the same team split me on the right and left. They came from several riders deep so by the time they got to me their speed put me in a deficit. I could not accelerate quickly enough to counter. They finished side-by-side with me in third place right behind them.

My team had put me in the perfect position to win. It was time for me to deliver. However, instead of focusing on the goal, I got side tracked trying to analyze the competition.

In a field sprint with 200 meters to go, it is not time to think. It is time to act! When you see the finish line, you don’t hesitate. You DO. When you make that move, you GO! You go with 150%. You leave nothing in the tank.

At Worthwhile, we have a great team. It is a team built on trust and competency. The decisions made each day by the individual team members set the team up to win. However, there are those times when the goal is in sight and it is time to DO. Then you GO with 150%. Pausing to over analyze leaves you playing catchup.

Put trust in your team. Put trust in your own training. Put threats out of your mind. Put the focus on the goal. Put the pedal down and give 150%. It works in cycling and it works in life. It will make both you and your team winners.

Read more of Jonathan’s cycling thoughts at LowCadence.com.

Rahm Emanuel, President Obama’s Chief of Staff, caught a bit of grief earlier this year when he made the statement, “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. And what I mean by that is an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before.” Of course, the reaction to that statement varies according to your political leanings. One thing we can all agree on is that we are facing an economic crisis. When it comes to your business, what are you doing about it?]]>

Rahm Emanuel, President Obama’s Chief of Staff, caught a bit of grief earlier this year when he made the statement, “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. And what I mean by that is an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before.” Of course, the reaction to that statement varies according to your political leanings. One thing we can all agree on is that we are facing an economic crisis. When it comes to your business, what are you doing about it?

Thinking about this question brought to mind an interview I read earlier this year in Fortune.  It was a question and answer session in a profile section on Jim Collins, author of Built to Last and Good to Great.  The title of the article was, “How Great Companies Turn Crisis Into Opportunity.”  It got me to thinking about how The Worthwhile Company is fairing during this time of economic upheaval.

During the time when I was reading that article, the year was fresh and the forecast for the general economy was dire.  I’ll admit a little fear as I tried to see past the chaos forming in the future.  Now, as I once again consider the primary points of his advice, I’m more confident than ever that The Worthwhile Company has what it takes to avoid wasting a perfectly good crisis.

“Number 1, in times of great duress, tumult, and uncertainty, you have to have moorings.”

For us, these moorings come in the form of our core values and our history of turning those values into actions.  There are certain things that do not change regardless of the environment around you.  Our ethics, views of finances, and the treatment of our employees are all part of our company DNA.  They have proven to be a trustworthy foundation over the past decade and continue unchanged during these trying times.

Living out these values — in good times and in bad — gives a level of comfort and confidence to our clients as well as our company family.  Our employees know that the owners will take the hit before they do.  Our clients have a history of knowing we deal honorably and consistently with them.  It is this trust that gives us all confidence to work together during the hard times.  We’re all rewarded as we all rise together.

“If you go back in history, a few companies used difficult times to bolster their legions of talent.”

The Worthwhile Company works to provide great service for our clients.  It is one of the primary ways we increase your Internet worth.  Great service requires great people – and a few of them!  This leads to that primary expense called payroll.

It is easy to think that you can help sock away some cash for a rainy day by cutting back on that portion of your expense budget.  However, Collin’s point was that during these hard times, it is important to at least hold on to what you’ve got – and if you can, grab the talent that others have let go.

We entered the year declaring a hiring freeze.  I’m glad we didn’t stick to that!  Now as we near the end of the year and some of the haze of that uncertain future has cleared, I’m thankful we were not that shortsighted.  True, our payroll may be a bit larger in relation to the revenue generated, but that investment is already beginning to pay off and will increase exponentially when our economy begins to normalize.

“What can we do not just to survive but to turn this into a defining point in [our] history?”

When considering the hard times that have fallen on many small companies, the fact that we are still here and growing is in itself a defining point in our history as a company.  There is a confidence you gain when being pressed and you rise above it not only to survive but to expand more during that time of stress than you did during any other annual period before.

We’re chomping at the bit!  We’ve invested in our place, our people, and focused in on our purpose.  We’ve used these times to discipline ourselves to excel even in a down economy.  If the recovery takes time, we’re ready.  If it comes soon, we’re already there to meet the needs of the market.

The fears of February begin to fade into memory in the opportunities of October.  The Worthwhile Company team has shown it has the character to succeed in the turbulence.  The lessons we have learned as we have disciplined ourselves to successfully meet the challenges of a down economy will prepare us for an incredible finish to 2009.  I’m looking forward to it… and a new year in 2010.

Recently, a friend with whom I had not spoken in some time happened upon me while I was shopping. We caught up a bit and I mentioned something happening in my family. A sad expression came across his face and then he informed me that he had just filed for divorce. It made me all the more thankful for the relationship I have with my beautiful redhead. Oh, we don't have a perfect relationship, but we have one that works and gets better with age. Part of what makes it work is we have determined that divorce is not an option. I know, I know, that sounds trite. I'm reminded of the old joke, "I don't believe in divorce. Murder? Yes. Divorce? No." Still, it is true. I have committed not to ever seek separation. So has my wife. There is some great freedom there -- no need to hide things and you can feel free to express what you need or desire. Whatever friction is there, it must be resolved because there is no other option. What has this got to do with The Worthwhile Company?]]>

Recently, a friend with whom I had not spoken in some time happened upon me while I was shopping. We caught up a bit and I mentioned something happening in my family. A sad expression came across his face and then he informed me that he had just filed for divorce.

It made me all the more thankful for the relationship I have with my beautiful redhead. Oh, we don’t have a perfect relationship, but we have one that works and gets better with age. Part of what makes it work is we have determined that divorce is not an option.

I know, I know, that sounds trite. I’m reminded of the old joke, “I don’t believe in divorce. Murder? Yes. Divorce? No.” Still, it is true. I have committed not to ever seek separation. So has my wife. There is some great freedom there — no need to hide things and you can feel free to express what you need or desire. Whatever friction is there, it must be resolved because there is no other option.

What has this got to do with The Worthwhile Company? Well, we take a similar approach with the way we work with our partners in business — our clients. We are committed to our clients to not only seek what is good for us. We are committed to seek what is good for our clients even if it means we might lose that client.

It all starts with our Web Strategists. It is our goal to commit to a client that the person who brought them to the dance will show them the steps and take them safely home. For this reason, the person out there seeking to bring in new relationships will also be the one who guides the client through the creation process and beyond.

This is an investment on our part because it means that our “sales force” is not devoted solely to selling. That is why we created the Web Strategist position. They don’t love you and leave you and run off with the commission. They realize their ultimate success at Worthwhile goes beyond bringing in new clients. It comes from maintaining happy relationships.

You can only control one side of a relationship — yours. Like every good marriage, our client relationships require a level of trust. That trust comes from honesty and sincerely seeking the best for our partners.

A mentor of mine told me a story from the “last recession” when he was VP of Sales at a large, juvenile equipment maker. At that time most of the equipment was made overseas because of the high cost of assembly here in the US. All the competitors were in the same boat. However, this company noticed a disturbing trend for their industry.

Because of the work being brought to that country, the cost of living in that location began to rise and so did the quality of life. It was actually growing at such a fast clip that the company realized it could not offer guaranteed pricing to its retail customers over the customary period. Breaking the news did not set well with those customers because the competition wasn’t giving the same dire news.

This company stuck to its estimates and saw their orders shrink. However, as the cost of production continued to rise the competitors had to begin raising their prices to the retail stores. It wasn’t long before those customers were coming back to my mentor’s business and rebuilding the relationship. Why? Because they trusted them to tell them even the bad news. The pain that came from honesty became the turning point for that company which ultimately rose to be the leader in its market.

Those are the kinds of stories we are looking for as we build our history. We never want to have a love ‘em and leave ‘em attitude toward the people who have trusted us to bring true worth to their Internet experience. We also don’t wish to string along a client offering fluff. We will advise against a course of action that might bring us profit in the short term, but bring long term damage to our partners.

I’m happy to say that the vast majority of our “marriages” have been a success. Might our methods for maintaining these relationships change? Certainly, if it is best for the customer. However, the commitment never will.

One of the things we created when we moved into our new location was a little "nook" with a comfortable chair and a book case for holding reading material. It also gives a place for members of the team to get a change of scenery. It does my heart good to walk through the office and find someone utilizing this little escape area. That book case also contains some relics from the early days of Worthwhile. I guess you could call it our museum. Looking back on our history, I wish we would have kept a "virtual" museum -- copies of software and websites we have created. Looking back always makes you appreciate where you are!]]>

One of the things we created when we moved into our new location was a little “nook” with a comfortable chair and a book case for holding reading material. It also gives a place for members of the team to get a change of scenery. It does my heart good to walk through the office and find someone utilizing this little escape area.

That book case also contains some relics from the early days of Worthwhile. I guess you could call it our museum. Looking back on our history, I wish we would have kept a “virtual” museum — copies of software and websites we have created. Looking back always makes you appreciate where you are!

The Linked Word Project

Well, I recently happened across a very important relic of our past. It was the website that brought Dan Wooster and myself together a decade ago. I found mirrored on a website in Ukraine the original HTML of the site. I had Jared suck it down and we now have it archived on our site.

I still remember sitting at a computer in my office located in the basement of Bob Jones University. I was taking the book of I John from the Bible (one of the shortest) and linking each word to the lexicon meaning of the word. I ran into a problem with the verbs because I couldn’t “double-link” to the parsing. I solved that problem by inserting an * after each verb and linking to the parsing.

Of course, you can imagine how time intensive this was. Imagine doing the whole Bible! I had only gotten through a few verses when I realized that this was going to be impossible.

That is when Dan Wooster walked in. He heard that I had been tasked to bring the BJU website online and he had great interest in that. He came by to offer his help. When he stopped by, he saw what I was doing and I’m sure he laughed inside! “You don’t need to be doing that!” he said. “I can have a student write a program that will do that for you.”

It was Robert Martincic who ended up writing the code to make the project a reality. He is now employed by the university and continues to help make things easier for the people ministering there. It would be cool to find the program that actually made the conversion.

Needless to say, I realized at that point that there were greater possibilities with the Internet than just web pages. I might have some interesting ideas and some basic HTML design knowledge, but the “future” of the web was going to be a lot more than just cute graphics with hyperlinks.

I grin now when I see the design. Those little red dot buttons were all the rage back in the day. I would say I am embarrassed by it, but really at that time this was about like most everything else out there. Now, we’ll just keep it in the virtual museum.

Like I said, “Looking back always makes you appreciate where you are!”

There’s a new bird in town. Perhaps you’ve seen the little blue bird on some of the websites you frequent. Facebook, say hello to Twitter. Twitter is the new Blogger in a sound byte world.]]>

There’s a new bird in town. Perhaps you’ve seen the little blue bird on some of the websites you frequent. Facebook, say hello to Twitter.

Twitter is the new Blogger in a sound byte world. Back in my days in media relations I knew that if my message couldn’t be communicated in 15 seconds I might as well keep my mouth shut. Okay, I’m exaggerating about the 15 seconds. Now you only get 140 characters.

Like most new social media applications I approached this new one with a little skepticism. I kind of got it because it was very similar to Facebook status updates. As a matter of fact, that is what first got me using Twitter. It allows me to update my Facebook status using texting from my cell phone.

As an avid cyclist, I started looking around on Twitter to see if I could find some of the professional riders. The first I came upon was Lance Armstrong (@lancearmstrong) and then Dave Zabristkie (@dzabriskie). It wasn’t long before George Hincapie was on board as well (@ghincapie).

One thing is for certain, when Lance Armstrong gets into something, he gets in with both feet! As of the time of this writing, he is up to 24,488 followers of his tweets. Of course, that is just a drop in the bucket to accounts like the Obama campaign with over 165,000 followers.

You know that Twitter is starting to have an impact when it starts shaping the mainstream. Take for instance a recent event with Lance Armstrong. It would appear that Lance was trying to make an under cover entrance into the land down under for the Australia’s Tour Down Under. His cover got blown… not by giving information, but from the lack of it.

Armstrong is such a prodigious Twitter user that people noticed when his tweets went silent. Before you knew it, the word was that he on his way to Australia. As Lance says in his first tweet on location, “So much for sneaking into Australia…my old journo buddy Rupert Guiness says since I didn’t twitter for 10 hours, it tipped them off. Haha.”

Yes, Twitter is the new Blogger in a sound byte world. It is easy to use which makes it seem less cumbersome to people busy and on the go. It is also easy to deal with on the follower’s side because the information comes in very short bursts so it is easy to digest.

The service is also a great way to build your brand. If what you tweet is useful and interesting, you can gain a following that can lead to more traffic to your “traditional” means of communicating on the web. Over at my cycling blog, LowCadence.com, tweets of my own and others that link to my articles generate more traffic than any other source. Once, when George Hincapie, linked to my site in a tweet, I had my largest spike ever. I still get some traffic from that entry several weeks old.

Some companies are using it as a means to provide better customer support. At LowCadence.com I mentioned in an earlier post about Twenty20’s VHoldR. I commented on a problem I was having with their camera in a tweet — remember under 140 characters — and they found it by a word search. They made contact with me and that proactive action helped build a more loyal customer.

Some things I have learned? Don’t over do it. I still believe there is such a thing as “share fatigue.” It happens for both the “follower” and the “followed”. For some people, it is possible to share so much of yourself that you reach a point where you want to escape!

More likely, it is possible to share so much that people tune you out. Thirty 15-second sound bytes in a row equal seven minutes plus. Unless I am REALLY interested in what someone has to say, I skim right over some tweets simply because of the number of them.

Use your links judiciously. Another tweet I will overlook is the one that doesn’t give much information in the tweet but simply links to a URL. Granted, you may have found this article because you clicked on the link that my software automatically sends out when I post. However, I make it a point to use that sparingly.

Again, you want to avoid the Boy Who Cried Wolf syndrome. A few judicious posts opens the door for your links. Of course, it never hurts to make sure you are linking to information people really want to see! We all know that person who forwards every “funny” email that comes into their box.

Twitter isn’t a gimmick. In this relationship driven culture we live in, it is a growing phenomenon. Who knows what the next thing will be. For now, the blue bird seems to be on the rise. Join in the fun and be sure you give @jpait and @Worthwhile a follow .

Has something ever come to you and then it seems that everywhere you turn you see the idea repeated? Normally this is a bad thing. Like the guy who came in one day to my dad’s hardware store with this really cool idea of covering gutters with screen to keep out leaves. One look at the Granger catalog showed he was a little behind. However, sometimes it is a good thing… almost like a sign that you are on the right track. Well, I’ve been having one of those experiences.]]>

Has something ever come to you and then it seems that everywhere you turn you see the idea repeated? Normally this is a bad thing. Like the guy who came in one day to my dad’s hardware store with this really cool idea of covering gutters with screen to keep out leaves. One look at the Granger catalog showed he was a little behind.

However, sometimes it is a good thing… almost like a sign that you are on the right track. Well, I’ve been having one of those experiences.

2009 has everyone holding tight to their seats. Many of the meetings I find myself in for the various organizations I am associated with have people looking ahead with trepidation. Certainly, there are plenty of reasons to have these feelings, but I don’t want our 2009 here at The Worthwhile Company to be controlled by what “might be.”

2008 was a banner year for the company. We have assembled an incredible team. Not only are they hard workers, they are great people. It is easy to say I love every one of them. This team has led to the most successful year ever for the company – both financially and in the building of our brand.

I can remember back when I started the company in the mid-nineties. At that time I was just looking for a way to bring in a little supplemental income. I’m ashamed to say that while I had some ideas of where I would like to see the company go, they weren’t that grandiose.

Along came Dan Wooster and he was unsatisfied with just making a go of it. I remember sitting in his car in the parking lot of my apartment complex. “We need to get to where we are bringing in $10,000 a month,” he was telling me. My mind leaped with the negatives. He had to be kidding! How could we ever get there?

Looking back, we both laugh at the moment. However, as we face 2009 and all the uncertainty around us, it is easy for my mind to fill with negatives. At the same time, The Worthwhile Company family has every reason to be stoked about the coming opportunities. Yet, how do I express that in a short statement to motivate us into the months ahead?

Come forward to Monday when I was sitting in Dan Rundle’s office at Worthwhile. We were waiting for a meeting where we would discuss one of those “step out and do something” opportunities for the year. The discussion turned to my concerns and Dan said he had been thinking along the same lines. “I don’t want us to just survive,” he said. Then he continued, “I want us to do big things.”

I stopped him. “That’s it! ‘Do Big Things.’ That is the phrase that encapsulates my thoughts of 2009.” In everything we do, we need to do it bigger than before. Every team member needs to set bigger goals, have bigger ideas, and give bigger contributions.

Dan reminded me of the Tim O’Reilly challenge for tech companies, “Work on stuff that matters.” Then I got home and remembered the book my daughter got for Christmas from her uncle David, “Do Hard Things” – a book challenging teens to not waste their youth, but get out there and exceed everyone’s expectations. Later I was watching a football game and the commercial for one of the schools came on. The slogan on the screen at the conclusion of the promotional piece read, “Do Something Great.”

That is the goal for The Worthwhile Company this year. When that negative thought pops up, I plan to squash it with, “We’re bigger than that. We can do bigger things.” Come on, team…

“Do Big Things.”

Tis the season for Christmas parties in the office. On my way to work this morning, I picked up both some coffee for a party and a lesson in how kindness can win back a customer -- even when the kindness isn't directed his way. Kindness can rescue the Christmas spirit and your business.]]>

Tis the season for Christmas parties in the office. On my way to work this morning, I picked up both some coffee for a party and a lesson in how kindness can win back a customer — even when the kindness isn’t directed his way. Kindness can rescue the Christmas spirit and your business.

I’ve been a fan of Dunkin Donuts coffee for years. I know the Worthwhile coffee connoisseurs are more the Starbucks specialty types, but I lean more toward the plain old Dunkin Donut blends or (my favorite) the Ethiopia blend at Liquid Highway. So, when it came time to get some coffee for the party, I planned on bringing in a Box O’ Joe.

I knew I had to call ahead if I wanted it on time, so I started calling around 7:30 AM to arrange for a box to be prepared. The DD Web site was very helpful and I found a map of all the locations including their telephone numbers. This wouldn’t be hard.

The first location had a busy signal. I tried it a couple of times. Then I attempted to call the next closest location. The associate who answered the phone told me that they were out of the Box O’ Joes and wouldn’t get more in until 5 PM “when the truck comes.”

Now don’t get me started on the “truck” at DD. I still remember the “Time to make the donuts” man. No more. Now we get our donuts shipped to us from a central distribution center. But I digress…

Once again I look up another location and call. Ring, ring, ring, ring, ring… Ah! the phone is picked up! “We’re sorry, there is no one available to take you call right now…” Okay, I’m now starting to have a bad customer experience! Does Liquid Highway have a Box O’ Ethiopia?

I then call the original location and a cheerful voice answers. Finally, I have the coffee ordered (though I am now running late). While I still have a bad taste in my mouth about the experience, I’m feeling much better.

Upon arriving at the store, I go in and am greeted by the pleasant associate that I talked with on the phone. I don’t even have to mention my name as she prepares to hand me the box, creamers, and sugar. I’m slowly getting over my miffed state.

At this time a man walks in with a glum look on his face. There are two cute kids with him about 6 and 4 years of age. He says to the associate, “I won’t be able to get them. I walked out of the house without my wallet.” The looks on the faces of the kids gets longer. They turn and shuffle out.

As I walked out I turned to go to my car, but the looks on the faces of those kids really pulled at me. Plus, I felt for that dad who was going to have some pretty unhappy kids on his hands! I came back to them. “Hey, would you like some cash?” I told the father. “I’d hate for them not to get their donuts.”

He didn’t want to inconvenience me, but I kept insisting. Of course, in the back of my mind, I was thinking. “Shoot, if I ran this place, I would give the kids some donuts. What would that cost to earn some good will?” I kept reaching for my wallet as this thought was going through my mind.

About that time the door opened to the store and the manager (complete with elf hat) came outside. “Come on in and get some donuts,” she said. The man responded, “Can I do that and just bring the money later?” The manager shook her head, “Don’t worry about it. Just come in and get some donuts.”

As I turned to walk to my car. All those bad feelings of the morning went away. That act of kindness on the manager’s part most likely won some loyal customers with that dad and his two kids. That manager doesn’t know it, but I know her act of kindness helped saved the good will of one long time customer.