Tag Archives: vitamix

Abundance of FREE

Free stuff is easy to find.  In fact, many people make a living showing you FREE.

Currently, I pay the bills by showing you free.  Not this blog which I write for free.  But by showing you how to get a Vitamix shipped for FREE.  You get your Vitamix, I get credit for the sale.

For several years, FREE Credit Report dot com has built a business showing you free.  You get a credit report, they get an opportunity to sell you services.

For nearly a decade, Facebook has been “FREE and always will be”.  You get connected, they get to show you targeted ads.

This stuff wasn’t really free, right?  $500 for a Vitamix, $20 / mo for credit monitoring services, your privacy.  No wonder it was so easy to find.

What’s in your toolkit?

If you’re a homeowner, your toolkit probably has a hammer, screwdriver and maybe a power drill.  The rest is a bunch of other stuff you only use 20% of the time.  

If you’re a small business owner, your toolkit probably has MS Office, a printer and maybe an email marketing app.  The rest is a bunch of other stuff you only use 20% of the time.

If you’re an amateur chef, your toolkit probably has some knives, pans and maybe a Vitamix. The rest is a bunch of other stuff you only use 20% of the time.

So, since all theses toolkits probably take up lots of space, and 80% of it is hardly used, why not downsize?  Someone else probably has a toolkit to replace your “bunch of other stuff”. And that’s what that toolkit does 80% of the time.

Getting the fruit from the top

Tons of fruit to pick.  It was a massive undertaking.   But, by getting momentum with the low-hanging fruit and then next lowest we were 50% done.  Then, we brought the project to life by getting to 75% complete.  Finally, the top of the tree was all that remained.  And it needs to be picked.

The student’s paper is nothing without diction, voice and tone.  The traveler’s suitcase is worthless without her toiletries.   The weight-loss seeker’s Vitamix is just an expensive decoration if it sits idle.

It’s easy to forget the reason you started.  And it’s easy to be satisfied with simply having started.  Or being almost done.  That’s sort of reverse-low hanging fruit.  And now your brain is really messing with you.

Remember, it often takes the most strategy to finish the job.

And, the fruit at the top is high.  You really have to push.  But getting it all is the reason you started.

Low-hanging fruit and momentum

Everyone loves to pick low-hanging fruit.  The student who begin the page setup.  The traveler who begins with packing socks.  The weight loss seeker who begins by buying a Vitamix.

Fortunately, picking the low hanging fruit is valuable.  It gets you one step closer to writing that paper, packing that suitcase, or feeling more fit.

All the fruit needs to be picked at some point.  Might as well start with the easy stuff.

Dear airlines: This is why we love FedEx

What do you get from FedEx?  Is it a new shirt from JCrew?  Maybe.  Is it a pair of Bulls tickets?  Maybe.  A Vitamix 7500?  Maybe.

You can get a lot of different things from FedEx.  But, no matter what you get, you always get status.  A status update.  Your tracking number.  Every step along the way, you get a status update of where your stuff is.  No waiting.  No worrying.

You will have your shirt in time the wedding.  You will have your tickets in time for the big game.  You will have your Vitamix in time for your party.  Why?  Because you got five status updates saying so.

So why haven’t airlines figured this out?  Checking a bag isn’t painful because of the fees.  Or the line.  It’s because you leave your bag in exchange for hope.  A chance.  A big question mark at the carousel.

Seriously, what flier would say no to a tracking number for their bag?  A little status update.  You can keep the peanuts.

NOTE: There will be a race to implement this technology into the flying process.  My prediction is that Southwest is the first.  And if not, the first airline will charge a premium for the service.

What are you really buying?

What are you buying when you spend mega bucks?  When you buy an ipad, you’re not buying functionality.  Or retina display.  You’re buying the experience of facetime with friends and family.

When you buy a $600 ticket to see the Rolling Stones, you’re not buying tunes or great sound.  You’re buying living legends leading you and 60,000 other people in song.

When you shop Vitamix, you’re not shopping for smoothies.  Or fresh green juice.  You’re shopping for motivation delivered in a big box.

For large emotional purchases like these, you never buy the features.  Just the feelings.

Remember the toaster?

The thing that lived on your kitchen counter? That kitchen appliance that greeted you every morning? Back in the day, did you know anyone that didn’t have one? Anyone that didn’t use it to make the same thing nearly every day?

At that time, did you know anyone with a Vitamix?  Maybe, but mostly just early adopters. Getting the benefit of a nice blender meant going to brunch and ordering a drink.

Today, the kitchen appliance world is upside down. Pretty much everyone has a blender and many use it every day. And with so many people being (mostly) gluten free, the only time the toaster gets to work is when you’re out to brunch. And it’s because you chose toast instead of pancakes.