So..when have you heard that before?

I think it is lame.  When a small, socially ethical company sells out to the big monopolies…(whooops…I mean conglomerates, monopolies are illegal aren’t they?  ) and then says that it was so that the social mission can touch even more people…

..honestly it makes me gag. Honest Tea is selling out to Coca Cola for a reported 43 million.  Now, that 43 million only buys 40% of the company…..which is good and all…I mean  Seth Goldman, co founder of Honest tea says “Coca Cola’s vast distribution network and manufacturing prowess will help his company expand its social mission”(Baltimore Sun).

C’mon guys..it is about the money.  Let’s not play Hide and Seek in Never Never Land, o.k.?

Which is fine. I mean faced with 43 million I would probably sell my company, if I had one, too.  In fact…right now..$43,000.00 would get my attention in a big way. I admit it. I would so sell out to the establishment…And I would do it while listening to Joan Baez, too.  Without thinking twice.  But…and this is important..I would admit that the only mission that I was interested in was getting out of my current ‘hood.

I like supporting small companies.  I like promoting them here when I can. But you have to read the small print…an awful lot of the time small companies end up in the sack with big companies..and all of a sudden instead of supporting Burt’s Bees you are supporting Clorox.

So, does it mater to you? Will you, if you have bought Honest Tea in the past, stop buying it because Cocoa Cola is now Sugar Daddy?

Coca Cola has been in many lawsuits for various things, the most significant to me is the 2003 lawsuit filed by a Colombian Trade Union, Sinaltrainal, calling for a boycott of Coke   products because of intimidation, kidnapping and murder of workers in Coca Cola bottling plants.  The suit was filed with the help of the United Steelworkers of America, but was later dismissed because a significant amount of the evidence did not happen within US jurisdiction.

There is more than that that has happened, but you get the idea of what I am saying.  So, what do you think? Will you continue to buy from a small company that “sells out” to an unethical company? Does it matter?

Image:Morguefile 

Post from: Kettle and Cup

Leaving the office for a coffee meeting, good management skills or a waste of time?

Image:Morguefile 

O.k..you guys know that even though Starbucks is not my favorite coffee I do spend a lot of time there because I live in a coffee- shop wasteland, where there may be four Starbucks in a quarter mile radius…and nothing else.

So, if I want to get away to think, or to read, or to talk to Marc or my friend Juanita, I head for…Starbucks.

But the thing is so does everyone else around here and there-in lies the absolute wicked cool-ness of the Starbucks experience.  Listening in on other peoples chats.

What I have noticed is that there is a manager, or what seems to be a manager, that takes various employees to Starbucks for their reviews, meetings, and state of the store chats.  I have listened in on several of his meetings and I have come to the conclusion that this guy is brilliant.

You see, he doesn’t take them there to fire them.  Nope.  He builds them up, tells them what they are doing right, and gives them the opportunity to talk to him about what is going on in the company from their perspective.  Did I say this guy was brilliant?  In that meeting, that very companionable, relaxed meeting this man builds his company, creates strong employee relations, and probably saves himself a bit of headache.  All for 3.50 or so for a coffee.

I think it is the way to go.  Lingering over a cup of coffee is relaxing.  No one is getting drunk and asking the barista to sit on his lap, and being out of the office is non- threatening.

If you are a manager, or a business owner, you might think about it.

And hey, if you are all ready doing  this, or you are part of a company that is, comment and let me know what you think…Is it a great idea or a money waster?

Post from: Kettle and Cup