Today we’ll talk about incontinence and how to deal with it when you are a Baby Boomer. Yes, it can happen to all of us. We tried Google Glass for the first time too. Check a cool product for diabetics called FootMate. With host Shahar Boyayan.
Real Life is cool again! The reality of Digital Isolation
I’m a baby boomer, so no, I did not grow up in front of a computer but as any baby boomer I’m an eager adopter. So yes, I do spend an enormous amount of time in my computer, or should I say on my phone just to sound cooler and younger?
If you are a Millennial, you know your phone is becoming an addiction. If only you could set it aside and think about it, it would be scary.
We did embrace technology in a big way and when social media came along we jumped into it without a care. That is how now we keep connected with people like us, with family, with friends and with a lot of strangers. Communication took a whole new format after social media and texting.
There is gratification when you feel connected, when you feel you are aware of things happening ( that is why fake news became a trend and a money making opportunity for some). Many measure their success by number of followers, likes or klout. But what really happens inside? There is that nagging feeling that you are still isolated. It may be cliché but you know that if you get sick almost no one in this digital network of yours would actually visit with you at a hospital. So, it is there, but it is not.
Being connected all the time made us disconnect from face to face conversations and confrontations. We are becoming beings that avoid any conflict which does not help any of us navigate life.
The younger the person the less he/she wants to get a “no” as an answer. To the extent that Millennials avoid phone conversations. Most young people associate phone conversations with high pressure situations. The phone used as a phone becomes a fear inducing device. Because the answer is not known. – You might have to leave a message, then you need to know what you will say if the person is not there. Talking to another human is really becoming an issue.
No matter if it is because you just plain and simple feel isolated or you interaction skills are in crisis mode, Real Life is cool again!
We are going out and looking for opportunities to connect with real people and create new experiences.
Look at Meetup.com. A place where you look for think alike groups to meet people. Currently has 39 million members with no sign of slowing down.
Check companies like Painting with a twist, Plant Nite and others where you go to a place or restaurant to meet people and make something. (two trends here- Real life is cool again and Me and my peeps)
Tea with strangers- Their motto is: Actually talk to people. For two hours you have tea and talk about anything.
Look at apps and you will find Hey Vina- where you can meet other women for fun, for work or for life.
Hello Mamas connect other moms to meet and talk.
We are finding new ways to re-connect and have meaningful conversations, but we are going out looking for real interaction. Finding relevant interaction will fight our digital isolation.
This trend can be a real opportunity for your business. Creating better and richer experiences for your customers in real life.
Tours like sriracha hot sauce does, retreats, meetups in your place, demo day. These are all opportunities for you to use this trend in your business.
About Shahar
Shahar is a neuromarketer fascinated with trends and how brands can benefit from them. With her daughter Nashlah they run BuzzBooster marketing that provides consulting for small businesses. They also run Curious Mondo that provides an innovative way in adult learning
How to Become Irresistible to Your clients [Awaken Brilliance]
Want to become irresistible to your market, attract and keep clients. Here is one thing you must do as soon as possible Get the full audio on How to Become Irresistible to Your Market free, just opt-in
What Happens When You Divorce After 50?
What happens when you divorce after 50? Interesting stories. We review the Assist-a-Tray, We talk about the Greatest generation. Dr Kara Clapp is back talking about exercise for baby boomers. Finally we go back to memory lane and talk about the View Masters.
Small is the new great!
When we hear the phrase “Let’s make America Great Again”, some of us feel pumped with optimism of what is about to come while others, like me, shiver in the face of what it will become.
No matter where you stand in this picture, if we agree or not, we must all agree that the phrase in itself is extremely appealing. Brings a sense of nostalgia when we want the comfort from the past. We all do because we all live in a moment where there are too many options of everything, change is scary to the brain and although we want change, we still don’t like it. When we go back to the past, we feel safe because we know how to navigate it, we find comfort.
I wrote another post just about this nostalgia trend but in this post I’d like to show you another layer, yet a bigger trend that’s happening.
Small is the new great!
We all want small now. As people we are shrinking our networks, we are shrinking our channels. Think about how you get your news today, how many TV channels do you watch – if you still do it at all ( I watch the news, other than that, it is Netflix most of the time). How many people do you talk to in one day? How many sites other than Facebook and Amazon have you visited in the last week?
Now, I could write a whole article about the dark side of having a small funnel of information that will cause more divisiveness, cultural ignorance, me vs you mentality, and less acceptance of diversity, but I’ll focus on the bigger trend and its impact in your business.
We don’t trust big anymore. Since the great recession we have learned that big does not mean better and that it cannot be trusted.
How does this translate to your business? Look at companies like Coke struggling to stay relevant while artisanal beverages of all types rise to the top. We want real, local, small. We find comfort in real, local, small.
There is a huge revival of handmade, driven by Millennials. Their love for unique and hand-crafted. Because the noise is too big in digital, because we all become just an avatar, because taking 10 minutes to get the perfect selfie is still meaningless at the end and it is digital, and intangible. We value what hands can make. Look at all the maker spaces and creator spaces popping everywhere. Look at businesses like my other business Curious Mondo. When classes are about making us reach 27 countries and a lot of engagement. Look at businesses like Painting With a Twist, Plantnite, etc where the core is to make something while interacting with strangers. Real people in front of you (topic of my next article).
When you look at companies like Etsy – where global artisans sell their goods – they went from $175,000 in sales in 2006 to $2.4 billion in 2015
20% of all Kickstarter campaigns are in the artisanal category that have raised over $100 million in funding.
When you look at restaurants, what is working? Local, farm to table, small-batch.
How can you benefit from this trend? In order to gain consumers trust, brands need to seem smaller. Their story, about us page, customer service, the things they do to promote themselves need to have SMALL in mind.
Need to be relevant to smaller, more specific groups. Do you participate in Facebook groups? You will see that the ones focusing on very specific topics have tremendous engagement. Do you have a group on Facebook? Can you highlight local? Can you get people together to make something?
About Shahar
Shahar is a neuromarketer fascinated with trends and how brands can benefit from them. With her daughter Nashlah they run BuzzBooster marketing that provides consulting for small businesses. They also run Curious Mondo that provides an innovative way in adult learning.
Decorating Cookies at CookieCon
This week we visit a cookie conference and learn how to decorate cookies. CookieCon 2014 was a lot of fun! But we also talk about boomer women, Great Grips, menopause and music bands from the 60’s with animal names. We are very eclectic around here!.
Some of our guests on this episode are:
Karen and Mike Summers organizers of Cookie Con
Julia Usher the cookie queen
Susan Schimidt
Carrie Wilson with http://www.twirledup.com/
Tasha with operation Cookie Takeover
Terri Simmons
Connie Davis and
Dr Kara Clapp.
Send business ships everyday [Awaken Brilliance]
This is a simple strategy to make sure you are bringing sales to your business everyday.
Disney Secrets For Baby Boomers
This week we talk to John Kenney from Disney Cast Member Secrets podcast. He shares what are the best things for baby boomers to do at Disney. We also talk about how food affects your brain, review a travel bed cane, a trip down memory lane and a lot more!
Why Are Millennials So Unhappy?
Why are millennials so unhappy? Where is the pot of gold for Millennials? Stress levels are declining, see why and how to manage stress. How to deal with incontinence problems. How to find new friends, and a lot more on this show for baby boomers!
What are you really about? [Awaken Brilliance]
Do you ever really question what are you really about in business? Difficult questions can do wonders for entrepreneurs, but we need to be willing to ask.
