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I strive toward becoming a better communicator, I guess that means I like being heard. None the less, the more I learn about communication the better I am able to produce both personally and professionally. Further more, the creation of conversation and content is not always as serindipidous as one usually assumes.

Would you believe me if I told you that companies like GE have products that are ready to be rolled out for the next 10 years? Call me a conspiracy theorist, but due to natural human reactionary behavior the bigger, brighter and more well thought your planning for tomorrow becomes the better off you will be today. Which is why businesses, products and services like the iphone, self-checkout stands, netflix, travel booking websites, facebook and many more have taken the world by storm. What makes the aforementioned exceptionally strong is their disruptive behavior. Anything that breaks the normal trend of how to get things done in a newer more efficient and highly adopted way can be descriped as disruptive behavior. Yes, this includes the snuggie!

Guys like me had been waiting for a touch screen mobile computing device SEVEN to TEN years prior to the release of the iphone. James Cameron had the vision of Avatar nearly a decade before techonology actually allowed him to fullfill his vision. Pump Reboks,... well I won't go there. There are tons of disruptive behavior examples some of which most of us including myself may not even recognize, but I digress.

Don't get me wrong, I myself am a man of the moment, but if you think for one moment that my recently founded company Peninsula Shops was a spur of the moment desicion, you'd be wrong. Not only has my entire early career help me build the savvy and skills necessary to communicate in a digitally efficient manner, but I spent years working for the right people almost always in the related field of commercial communication.

Here's to planning, building, enjoying and finding your niche. Kudos!

Hi, My name is Mara, I have been a seamstress for over 20yrs. I love to sew. I have my March promotion going on now! For the entire month I'm giving 20% off On all suits/dresses to be styled or altered I am located at 1458 El Camino Real Menlo Park 650-393-0322. PLEASE call for best time and day. I do emergency service on select bases. Thank-you, Mara ( owner)

Many of us juggle so much today between long hours at work, taking our children to school, soccer practice, ballet, and that is just the beginning. Trying to fit in an auto repair appointment after dropping off the kids and getting to work can be just a little bit hectic. At A+ Japanese Auto Repair, we understand.

Our complimentary Busy Professional Pick-up & Delivery Service was designed with your busy schedule in mind. Get your kids to school safely and make it to that meeting on time. We will pick-up your car, complete the auto service and deliver your car back to your home or office. This is our way of showing your our commitment to making your life just a little bit easier.

We also just introduced our complimentary New & Expecting Moms Pick-up & Delivery Service. At A+ Japanese Auto Repair, we want you to enjoy your new baby experience and rest assured knowing that your car is safe and maintained without lifting a finger. We will pick-up your car, complete the auto service and deliver it back to your home. With soft communication via email, we won't interrupt those precious moments (or naptime) with a phone call.

We are very excited to offer these two new complimentary services. At this time, we can accommodate two cars per day for these services. Schedule your appointment today online or give us a call and experience auto repair at your convenience.

A+ Japanese Auto Repair

W www.650595CARS.com

T 650.595.2277

E APlusCarCare@yahoo.com

We proudly serve the cities of San Carlos, Belmont, Redwood Shores, Foster City, San Mateo, Redwood City and more.

Our ASE Certified Master Technicians specialize on Honda auto repair, Acura auto repair, Toyota auto repair, Lexus auto repair, Nissan auto repair, Infiniti auto repair, Subaru auto repair, Mazda auto repair, Mitsubishi auto repair, Scion auto repair, Hybrid auto repair and more.

When you consider what it takes to make or break yourself in today’s world how far will you take yourself to get to that point? Through the constant barrage of information and insight that we receive and share with one another one can only wonder what makes sense and how we separate ourselves to make oneself the best that we can be!

The truth of the matter is one doesn’t have to go very far to get where they want to go.  If we were all to take a short moment to focus and reflect on our core values most of us would quickly realize that what we want is already right in front of us.

This doesn’t mean to take life’s opportunity for granted.  This doesn’t mean that life is easy.  This doesn’t mean that what we have in front of us is a mirage or an illusion, but what it does mean is that being resourceful, patient, insightful, open minded and humble about the choices we make can lead all of us to a more comfortable place. 

This means asking your friends and colleagues for insight and advice into helping you achieve the goals in which you plan to succeed.  There is no better way to achieve any set goal than by sticking to it (within reason), planning action steps into achieving that goal and asking for a little help along the way.

I am blessed to have a solid group of family, friends and colleagues that trust and believe in my knowledge and insight into creating a more connected livelihood in our community. The shared passion, interest, trust and geography make room for a spectacular combination that not only empowers me, but also for those who surround me.

I recently saw a post on Facebook from a friend who has one of the most angelic voices (and is a professional singer and voice coach) wondering if it is "too late" in her late forties to take her career to the next level.

I also have a friend who is a very talented jewelry designer and I should know as I am frequently buying and wearing her creations.  She took the past year overcoming hurdles to buy a domain name and get herself ready to take her business to the Internet.  The hurdles were -- I don't have enough time, there are so many other people making jewelry out there etc.

I have several businesses - I am a professional domestic infant adoption coach, author finishing a book about my 6 year journey to motherhood, I am a nature photographer and most importantly I am the mom to my precious five year old daughter Ariel Faith.  We were blessed at the end of our journey with Ariel by an open adoption.

This looks on the surface just to be a busy life.  But I too had to overcome many internal gremlins to get to where I am today. 

To become a Mom, I had to let go of my fantasies of how I would get there.  I had to accept I would not be the one to carry my child despite my courage to get through 6 In Vitro cycles.

To become a professional Adoption Coach, I had to get past that I did not have a Ph.D. in adoption (not that there is one anyway!).  I do what I do because I am someone in life that believes you learn from your challenges and know I want to help others.  I spent a lot of time before opening my coaching business talking to and working with several notable adoption professionals for two years to learn all I could.

Lastly to be able to write a book I had to get past the inner voices that said "who are YOU to think you have something to say".  Well I do have a very unique story and I know my book will touch others and give them hope and inspiration.

So if you think you are too old, don't have enough education or experience to soar - I am one walking example that maybe it is time to write down those thoughts and question them.

By the way, last July I turned 50 and my Ariel turned 5 so I obviously got over the notion I was too old to parent as the years went by!

Think, are we really doing all we can to sustain our local community?  I mean really? Sure, we are buying seasonal locally grown produce at the farmers markets, and “yah!” That’s a start. Some are even purchasing the local handmade soaps, artisan breads, cheeses and roasted nuts. All offered at the local Farmers Market.

How about when we go into a local Retail Shop? Are we simply satisfied that we are purchasing from a local business owner? Here is where the “local” ends. I challenge you, and yes I have done this, go into these “local” business’s and request “locally made” items. Ever see a “deer in the headlights” look? That is it. Our responsibility to sustain local commerce does not end by just walking thru that door.

I know I am stepping on toes here, but anyone else see the hypocrisy?  I see the “Shop Local” signs on the doors, yet most of the inventory is mass produced from all over the world, then shipped long distances which is detrimental to the environment & local commerce. This has been bothering me for some time now, does it bother you?

Then I took a trip to New Zealand and saw how it is suppose to be. Every Retail Store there has a “local section”, which they proudly display and steer customers to. Sure they have the mass made trinkets, clothing & gift items that have to be shipped long distances to fill the store up while meeting some needs, but they are proud of what is produced locally above all else. Why do we not do this? We should.

In this community you can find a wide range of goods. There are Food Items, Pottery, Jewelry, Clothing Items, Skincare, Art, Photography and Gift Items from local artisans. If you take the time to investigate, you will find that you can find just about everything you need in life, locally.

Yes, I do it. I eat locally produced foods. I will not buy any gift item that is not made locally. From the gift to the card that goes along with it. All can be found if you look enough and utilize the local resources for searching.

Even in my business, I buy as many supplies as I can locally. If I do not grow my own herbs, I purchase locally grown. I even utilize local potters for my candle containers.

Try this, next time you need an item, made sure it is actually locally produced, not simply bought at a local retailer. Also seek local services from local professionals.

Do your part to help the environment, save shipping and fuel, buy Local! And shop owners, check your inventory. Find local manufacturers, find locally made stock. Your sales will only benefit from this practice. And I bet you will discover a flexibility in custom made products that suit your theme, from local artisans.

In my Marketing Consulting work I regularly suggest to my clients that they use some methods of social networking to build up their internet presence. Of course, after Penisula Shops, Facebook and LinkedIn, Twitter often comes up as one of the platforms a person could use to socially network. After pondering what platforms to use if Twitter is a choice, I'll get the question, "OK, I can tweet, but how do I get people to follow me."

Here are six ways I can suggest right now that aren't too difficult:

1.       Add your Twitter profile link to your email signature. People you email who use Twitter will pick up on that and start following you.

2.       Find people (you don’t know) to follow by doing Twitter searches under certain topics, e.g., banking. Zero in on some people and look at their tweet stream. Follow the interesting people. When you follow people they often follow you back.

3.       Find people (you do know) to follow by asking friends, co-workers, associates, partners, etc. if they tweet. If so, follow them. As in item 2, they’ll probably follow you back.

4.       Add your Twitter profile link to your LinkedIn profile, blog, and other social networking profiles. This is now a given if you're doing social networking. On some sites you can even get a live stream of your tweets to show up on that page. I have this on my blog, which I think is very cool.  

5.       Start tweeting every day. You’ll find that people will just start following you naturally. I get anywhere from 2 - 6 new followers each day this way. Some of them are using automated programs to simply grab people to follow and those people you may or may not want to follow back (subject for another blog). Others are searching on certain terms, e.g., business coaching and will follow anyone interesting who comes up - like you.

6.       If you want to really get serious, you could start commenting vigorously on other peoples’ blogs and instead of linking your name (as the commenter) to your website, link it to your Twitter profile. If Twitter was your #1 means of communicating with others on the net you would do this. Or, if you don’t have a website, blog or Facebook fan page.

Note that I am not recommending you use an automated software program to start following gobs of people each day in the hopes of getting gobs of followers back. I disagree with this approach to Twitter and don't advocate it for any of my marketing consulting clients.

In case you're wondering how to connect with me on Twitter, you can find me at @Michael_N

2010 has arrived with a flurry of anticipation for Location Based Services and prospects for millions if not billions of dollars to be spent on mobile advertising. So how does a local merchant jump in on the ride and take advantage of this next wave of media before it begins to be really expensive. Simple... Google Maps.

As google begins to slowly take over the world, I want local merchants to take full advantage of the free services readily available to them. Googe Maps will be become the most prodominant search friendly mobile data application and GPS tool around. If you have a smart phone look at google mobile apps TODAY. Find out how easily your business comes up in the search of a smart phone, if you dont exsist within that search, you may just miss the wave.

If you are a small business reading this and you havent already do so, you need to look up your business and its address on http://maps.google.com and make sure you exist. Not only that you exist, but that you have rightfully claimed what is yours as a profressional. Peninsula Shop started to customize map data in relation to the Peninsula, but we have now started the development of social media listening tools that will begin to respond to user input based on the location and relevance to Peninsula Shops Business Members.

Look what Peninsula Shops is doing with google maps at this very moment. Hand Entered Map Data for Peninsula Business Members vs Dynamically created Map Data of Peninsula Shops Business Members.

What's even more exciting as the growth rate of Location Based Services increases the more able we are to know who is where and what they are searching for, inturn leads us a small merchants to better understand an dcommunicate to our communities needs and desires in practical real-time. YES REAL-TIME.

If this all doesn't make sense to you, let me put it this way. The next generation of data will be available to anyone who requests it from wherever they are and not only will it come quickly, it will be based on your whereabouts.

Do yourself and the digital consumers of the world a favor and get on http://maps.google.com and search for your business name and if that doesnt come up, then serch for you business address and rightfully claim it yours. This way you can make sure the right people are finding you at the right time and the right place.