Blog Post for The Pool People:
Who can forget Goldilocks, the original drama queen? She broke into the Bears’ house and complained, “It’s too hot or too cold and it’s too big or too small.” She spoiled or broke everything looking for “just right.”
Yellow or mustard algae—which is technically a spore—is a lot like Goldilocks. It doesn’t like water too hot or too cold. It likes it “just right,” which is when your pool water is in the 65-75 degree range. Look for it especially in the spring and fall when water is warming up or cooling down.
Something else this picky spore doesn’t like is direct sunlight. UV rays from the sun are “too bright.” Look for it in the shady areas of your pool. Because it’s a spore it doesn’t mix in the water like true algaes, and because the color of your water remains blue many are tricked into believing yellow algae is not that serious of a problem.
Ignore this pesky algae and it will work its way out of the shade and onto the the floor of your pool. When that happens your small problem becomes a big one. You too will feel like the three bears, only instead of growling at a little girl, you’ll growl at your algae. Unlike Goldilocks, yellow algae will not go away with a growl. When you brush it, it looks like its gone but unless you kill it, it floats in the water and makes its way back to the shady sides of your pool in a day or two.
A little extra chlorine looks like it takes care of it, but chlorine alone isn’t very effective. It’s not strong enough to completely eliminate it. Just like it was when you brushed, in a day or two it’s back. By now you may be feeling like Goldilocks. “Chlorine and brushing are too weak…”
There are several products available to fight yellow algae. And just like most other products, there are some that work and some that don’t. Two products are effective. “Yellow-Out” type products are popular because they are sold as an inexpensive solution. “Yellow-Out” is really your most expensive solution because it works as a “chlorine accelerator.” This means it depletes the chlorine in your pool as it kills the yellow algae. For every Yellow-Out algae application, count on buying an additional 3-4 times more chlorine to get rid of the yellow algae in your pool.
You don’t have to wonder, trying one product and then another like Goldilocks. I recommend using an ammonia based algaecide. I like “Kill-It” best and you can get this at my retail store. It works independently of your pool’s chlorine, and you don’t need extra chlorine for it to work. It’s the obvious choice. It’s “just right.”
The owner tied this to a sale of the product it promoted.
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This is a flier I wrote for Handyman Ralph. I added two stories to make it more like a case study. Letter style gave it a personal feel.
After advising Ralph where to place these fliers, I told him I should have called this “The $2000 Flier” because I thought he could expect at least that much in sales from it.
A month later he ordered more fliers. He said I should have called it “The $6000 Flier” because that’s how much business it generated. He looked forward to quitting his part-time job at Home Depot.
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I wrote and mailed out a 4-page bi-monthly newsletter for my business for 20 years. I liked including stories that were informative and interesting. I tied these articles to an ad promoting one of my products/services. Here is an article from an issue.
What is Phillumeny?
When I attended McKemy Junior High School in Tempe, I had a huge matchbook collection. I collected new and used matchbooks. Little did I know then, there is a term for collectors of matches: phillumenists.
The term was created in 1943 by Marjorie Evans, a British collector of matchbooks and boxes. It’s two Greek words put together: philo (lover) and lumen (light).
I cared little for the light or fire they made. I loved the artwork on the covers. No matter how plain they represented just about every business imaginable: bars, bowling alleys, garages, restaurants, casinos, and more.
My dad, a smoker, knew he could always ask me for a light. I always had plenty of extra “Draw Me” art school matchbooks to give him.
Who invented the match?
The match was invented in China in the 900s, though some historians speculate it may have been 300 years earlier. Someone discovered that when tinder (small sticks) were immersed in sulfer, they would instantly ignite when exposed to the slightest fire (such as a lamp or coal). They were first called “fire inch-sticks.”
Matches were improved upon in the early 1800s and put into match boxes. They no longer needed a fire source; fire could now be combusted by striking the small sulpher stick on a thick paper coated with phosphorus. They soon became popular.
But phosphorous is very toxic. A single box of matches contained enough phosphorous to commit suicide or murder. Both became a problem of the era.
Plus, handling them could cause “phossy jaw,” a necrosis of bones of the face causing deformity, especially in the lower jaw.
The search was on for a “safety match,” a term you see labeled on match containers even today.
Who invented matchbooks?
Matchbooks have been around for over 100 years. They were, and still are used for advertising. It was popular to write notes and phone numbers inside the cover, as evidenced in vintage movies.
Joshua Pusey invented matchbooks because he didn’t like how a box of matches bulged out from under his suit. In his patent, filed in 1889 or 1892 (historians don’t seem too sure), he named it the “Flexible Match.” He sold his patent in 1894 to Diamond Match Company.
A few years later Charles Bowman filed a patent that put the striking area outside the matchbook. Eventually Bowman sold his patent to Diamond Match Company as well. This is the design used today.
How matchbooks became advertising.
At first Diamond Match expected the public to buy their own matchbooks. Sales “lit up” when companies realized it was an inexpensive means of advertising by printing ads on the outside cover. Besides, who would buy them after companies started giving them away?
Their first big sale came from Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer. They ordered ten million. Not much later, tobacco company Bull Durham, ordered thirty million! Matchbook sales peaked in the 1970s. In spite of the popularity of butane lighters, over 500 billion matches are still used every year!
My collection of matchbooks had no monetary value. Today, the most valuable is one from Diamond’s first big sale: 200 matchbooks to an opera company. Artwork was drawn by hand on each cover. One remains and to a collector this is the most prized of all historic matchbooks. It is valued at $25,000!
You can still order matchbooks to advertise your business. See our ad below to order. Who knows? Perhaps years from now matchbooks advertising your company will one day be a phillumnist treasure!
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Landing page for a book ad.
3 Reasons Gamers Maker Terrific Entrepreneurs
Have you ever seen a Gary Larson cartoon? They are soooo funny. There is one with parents standing behind their child sitting in front of a TV playing a video game. The child is smiling with his controller in his hands. His parents are smiling too. Their “thought bubble” shows help wanted ads with lots of well-paying jobs for a “skilled computer games operator.” You can see it if you Google “Gary Larson video games.”
That was then (about 30 years ago). This is now. Gamers can make good money playing video games. Video game companies hire people to test their newly developed games. And there are websites where people pay by the hour to watch gamers play. Even high schools now have E-Sports teams (gamers). Gary Larson wasn’t just funny, he was a prophet!
Like sports, music, and theater, not all gamers make it to the pros.
Do not despair, gamer. You might be better suited than any other group to be an entrepreneur. Here are three reasons why.
Gamers are superb strategists.
Always learning and experimenting, they work to beat their enemies and overcome obstacles. They are flexible too, as they seek best practices to achieve their goals.
Entrepreneurs are superb strategists.
It’s not just learning and experimenting, it’s meeting challenges and troubles head-on. They love the victory of creating strategies to improve products, services, and markets. They are like knights doing combat with a dragon.
Gamers are problem solvers.
And they solve a variety of problems. Many of the problems are solved by discovery. Others are solved by deduction. Team players share information and plot together how to become victorious.
Entrepreneurs are problem solvers.
As the Saturday Night Live character, Roseanna Roseanna Danna, used to said, “If it’s not something, it’s something else.” They know each day brings a new problem to solve. And entrepreneurs love solving not just their own problems but their customers’ problems.
Gamers have a strong desire to win.
When their character is killed they are excited to get right back into the game. Each challenge is met with a can-do attitude. They realize that winning won’t be easy but they wouldn’t want it any other way. If they wanted an easy win they would still be playing Pac-Man.
Entrepreneurs have a strong desire to win.
The great football coach, Vince Lombari, once said, “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.” This sort of desire is instilled in the entrepreneur who staked everything on their success: their money, time, effort, reputation, and character. Their desire to win outweighs every risk they have taken to start and run their business.
Gaming doesn’t teach all the elements of running a business. But it might be the perfect training for the character and tenacity an entrepreneur needs. If anyone is mentally prepared to be an entrepreneur, it’s the gamer.
Are you a gamer? Click here to pre-order the new book, “Why Gamers Make the Best Entrepreneurs.”
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Fund-Raising Letter for the AZ Justice Center:
Dear Glendale Business Owner/Leader,
What if you could make a donation to a feel-good, non-profit organization… and it didn’t cost you a dime?
Well, you can—absolutely! But first, who is the Arizona Justice Center and why should you even consider donating to us?
Who we are and what we do.
Simply put, the Arizona Justice Center provides FREE legal assistance. It’s justice for those who cannot afford it. We have been doing this solely with volunteers since February, 2013—that’s almost four years!
But you might be thinking, “Don’t the courts appoint legal counsel?” Yes they do, but that is done only for criminal cases that may result in imprisonment.
One thing we learned from the two trials of O.J. Simpson is that there are two kinds of law: criminal and civil. He won his criminal case, but lost his civil case. Criminal law pertains to cases prosecuted by the government, whether felony or misdemeanor. Civil law is non-governmental. Like one citizen or corporation taking another citizen or corporation to court.
As you can imagine, expensive legal fees make it very difficult for the poor to get the justice they deserve. Unable to afford an attorney, most are left to defend themselves. They are inexperienced about what to do or even what can be done in their defense. Companies, on the other hand, hire lawyers with years of experience. It’s not even a fair fight.
You would think that there are many other non-profit legal organizations like ours, but there are not. We are one of three non-profit justice groups like this in the whole country!
Who are the people we help?
Primarily it’s veterans, the elderly, the homeless and working poor, and those with addictions. Their problems are typically (but not limited to) landlord, contracts, divorce, and child custody. Some of them receive addictions counseling and treatment through our agency. We refer many of them to other service agencies they didn’t know were available.
Bruce, for example:
He is homeless but has a full-time job as a painter. The poor guy, he became homeless thinking he might more quickly catch up on fines if he didn’t have to pay rent. His troubles started several years ago. Among other things: a ticket for driving with a cracked windshield, a suspended license, arrest, jail time, and an impounded truck (with his painting equipment). He was in a financial hole that kept getting deeper. His offenses took place in three neighboring cities.
While in jail Bruce discovered that he did not qualify for a public defender. Of course not, because his offenses were not going to land him in prison. They would, however, put him further in debt. He became depressed as he sat in his cell and wondered, “Will I lose my truck and equipment? How much more will this cost? Add it to my bill? What if I lose my job?”
What a mess! A friend of his asked us to rescue him. The very next day we got him out of jail and clearance to get his truck and equipment back. Not only that, we were able get some of his charges dismissed and helped him get on a new payment plan for his fines. Bruce still has legal troubles, but he is out of jail and back to work.
Alex’s story:
Have you heard how slow the VA is to help vets? Of course you have. Too many vets “fall through the cracks” of the VA. We assist veterans mostly with divorce, child-custody, and housing cases.
Alex proudly served our country as an Army Ranger for twenty-three years. He was discharged with PTSD, a permanent disability. Making matters worse, after his last deployment his wife served him with an order of protection and a divorce decree. He was allowed to visit his children but under the supervision of a chaperone at a park. How humiliating!
It gets worse. The boyfriend of his soon-to-be ex-wife made matters worse by filming all of Alex’s contact with his children. He filed an order of harassment against the boyfriend but the judge ruled against Alex. That’s heart-wrenching. Bad enough for Alex, what were his children to think?
A family member heard of us. Could we help, they wondered?
YES!!! We filed an appeal on Alex’s behalf. This time the judge recognized Alex’s legitimate emotional issues and upheld the order of harassment.
These are two of our many success stories about real people in Glendale and surrounding cities. Bruce and Alex are not blaming others. They are not looking for some loop-hole to get out of their responsibilities. They just want what is fair, the same as anyone.
It makes us feel good to help these people. I bet you feel good to hear they are getting a chance at the justice every American deserves but can’t always get.
We want to give them the hand they need. These are people who are not looking for a hand out, but a “hand up.” We don’t, and you don’t want them to get shoved around. Let’s help them to repair their lives and move on.
Charles Dickens once said, “Charity begins at home, and justice begins next door.” His most famous book, A Christmas Carol, epitomizes that quote. In that book, Ebenezer Scrooge refused to help others until, with the help of the three ghosts, he saw what his help meant in the lives of others. It softened his heart and he did something for his neighbors.
I want you to stand with us. To do something really good for the poor and helpless in our community.
Let me tell you about our one specific need.
We need to expand. We cannot do this without outside financial assistance. We are happy to say that word has been getting out about what we do over the last four years. In those four years we have operated with an all-volunteer staff. We are proud of that, but if we are to meet the increasing demands of our services we must hire a full-time lawyer. Here’s why:
• We have contacted local law schools. They would love to provide legal-assistants and law interns (at no charge to us). But without a full-time attorney to supervise them, it ain’t happening.
• With our all-volunteer staff, half-days is all we can offer. A full-time attorney would make it possible for us to be open all day, five days a week.
• We want to expand our cases that need an attorney in court. It’s hard to find pro-bono attorneys.
• He/she will be the stepping stone to opening offices in other parts of the Valley and state.
• We have looked for grants, but benevolent institutions—both private and governmental—demand at least a full-time attorney on staff and community participation… your participation.
As you can see, we are at a critical time of growth and opportunity. With your help we can take the necessary steps to expand our services here in Glendale.
As I mentioned at the start of this letter, you might be able to donate without spending any money out of your pocket. Here’s how:
In Arizona you can now donate up to $800 without any cost to you.
It’s true! Arizona has a program where individuals and companies can deduct money owed on their state income taxes. It works something like this: if you owe $1000 to the State, pay up to $800 to a qualified non-profit (the Arizona Justice Center) and the remaining $200 you owe goes to the State. You have probably heard of this. It’s been offered by the state for years, but last year they raised the amount you can donate from $400 to $800. Arizona Justice Center is a qualified non-profit for this kind of donation. If you have been already donating through this program ($400) please continue to donate where you have been giving, but why not make the other $400 a donation to us?
Even if you are not able to use the Arizona Tax Credit, I hope you can see that we are still a very worthy organization to donate to.
You would be making a huge difference in the lives of your neighbors. Only the Arizona Justice Center can help with this kind of need.
Whether or not you donate to us, we at the Arizona Justice Center want you to have the following free gifts. We want you to know us and the great work we do.
• The enclosed calendar is small but useful, like us. It will remind you for the whole year the services we offer. Even if you don’t donate, perhaps you know of someone or will meet someone who needs our services. This calendar will remind you to make that referral.
• Sign up for our free monthly newsletter. We email it. It has legal information and opinions about current events that impact your business and employees. Each issue containes a video by one of our attorneys so you can get a sense of the quality volunteer lawyers who are involved in our group. There is also Human Resource article by noted HR consultant Dave Mitchell and legal insights and stories by retired judge Quentin Tolby from when he served on the bench. I especially want you to read the feel-good success stories about our clients. The generosity of people like you will make more of those success stories. I know you will be proud of the work we do and how proud you will be to be a part of what we do.
• The AJC Legal Services Discount Card. When you sign up for our newsletter we will also will mail you a card with our 24-hour emergency number for your company and your employees. This card gets you up to 25% off of the following services: Family Law, Wills, Trusts, Grandparent Services, and Personal Injury matters. You could enroll in a paid legal service like this for your company that will cost you over $1000 a year, but does not include your employees. Hopefully you never have to use it, but if you do, you or an employee will save hundreds or thousands!
Please, we need your financial support. Don’t put this off. Your donation of $400 or more truly helps those in need in our community. If $400 is more than your company has budgeted for benevolence, then by all means, please send what you are able! The gifts I mentioned are for your company, your employees, and your community.
Two ways to donate:
1. Get out your credit card then go online to azjusticecenter.org. Hit the donation button on your left. Fill out the form, enter your card info, and you are done in less than four minutes.
2. Want to write a check instead? Send it in the enclosed envelope with the form. Yeah, that’s about four minutes too.
If you do not donate we still want you to have our free gifts.
Your calendar is enclosed. For the newsletter and cards, use the enclosed form and envelope or enroll online at azjusticecenter.org. Hit the follow-us button next to he donate button.
In no time, you will receive our monthly newsletter and Legal Services Discount Card. You’re going to love it! This is something you will be proud to do for your company, your staff, and your community!
Thank you, and God bless,
Mike Shepherd
President
P.S. Please donate now. You have absolutely nothing to lose (when you use the tax credit) and so much to gain. The gifts are yours even if you don’t donate. Many people right here in Glendale are counting on your help. Don’t miss this opportunity for your company and staff as you help us. It takes about four minutes to make a huge difference in the lives of others.
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