Buddhist Marketer

Health Insurance In New York State

From Janet Bodnar’s editor’s letter in the October issue of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance:

Even though the U.S. health-care system has been described as “terminally ill,” there really is quite a healthy market for insurance in most states (except in places such as New York and New Jersey, where wrongheaded legislation keeps insurance costs high).

Never mind that the illness of the system has nothing to do with the health of the market.  My beef has to do with her unsupported generality regarding insurance costs in New York state.  My comment on her article which may never be approved by their editors:

It’s unfortunate that space constraints prevented Ms. Bodnar from supporting her inflammatory claim that in New York “wrongheaded legislation keeps insurance costs high.” My experience as a small business owner has been that New York state’s progressive private-public partnership, Healthy New York, lets entrepreneurs like myself offer health insurance at a very reasonable cost. How reasonable? I’m paying less than $270 a month per individual to insure my team through Atlantis Health. Legislation may still be “wrongheaded” in some regards, but in terms of empowering small business owners to offer health insurance to their people, New York state has hit this one outta the park.

It makes me crabby when people posing as experts expose themselves as thoughtless agenda-pushers.  And yes, I’m talking to you, Ms. Bodnar.

Back Of The Bus

I will never forget the obvious facial expression of annoyance that someone representing 315 Fifth Avenue displayed when I asked, “Is this elevator large enough to accommodate a wheelchair?”  (It was hardly big enough for four people.)

Once he was able to arrange his face back into something feigning “Not A Douchebag”, he replied, “Well, I’m sure that the freight elevator would be big enough.  But if you send me wheelchair measurements I can get back to you.”

The problems with his reply are so deeply encrusted that I’m not sure where to begin.  But frankly, I don’t like the idea of relegating anyone who happens to be in a wheelchair to have to take the stanky, stinky, stuffy freight elevator up to my office.

As Virginia Woods writes in “let’s talk. (about ableism)“, it all comes down to:

Do I make a space where other people with disabilities can feel welcome?

It’s funny, I was just thinking about whether or not to recommend the full-on captioning for client website videos.  ”Do I really need subtitles and narration of the video activity for the visually impaired?” I can imagine them asking.  ”Is it worth the extra expense?”  

I suppose that depends on the currency you value most. 

Get A Headshot, You Hippie

Or, Why You Need To Get Your Butt Onto LinkedIn

Referrals are incredibly important to any business owner, but the number of referrals you can get is limited by:

• The size of your personal network (”Adam”)
• The size of “Adam”’s personal network (”Eve”)
• The ease with which “Adam” can refer you to “Eve”

It’s much easier to make referral-network-bunnies if you:

• Make sure your Facebook profile contains at least a smidgen of information regarding your professional life. A link to your company website will suffice, as will a link to your LinkedIn profile (where you’re allowed to be un-apologetically schmoozy). Your friends can’t refer you if they don’t know what it is that you do and/or what service you provide.
• Make sure that you have a LinkedIn profile. It’s the place where you (or the person who manages your profile) can be unabashedly self-promotional. Look at me! Look at my trophies! Look how deftly I utilize complex grammatical constructions!
• Put your mug on your LinkedIn profile. We are humans which means we have inner cave-people that mostly want to look at eyeballs. Get a good professional-looking headshot and put that thing up there. And make sure it’s brand-consistent; if your clients need someone trustworthy and serious, then leave the clown nose and thong-undies-on-your-head off the profile.

Collectively, these steps remind the friends — who know you as the guy who can shotgun a beer in record time — that you’re also a recommended and competent accountant. This way, when any of your friends gets asked the question, “Hey, do you know an accountant?”, you’ll be top-of-mind — and it’ll be easy for “Adam” to give “Eve” a link to your website and/or your LinkedIn profile.

Sure, maybe you’re not a social network nerd, but at least one your friends (*ahem*) is — and with your good-lookin’ mug smilin’ out from a well-considered LinkedIn profile, you’ve made the ability to drive referral traffic your way that much easier.

How To Start A Bidness

This weekend I moderated an entrepreneurship panel at my reunion:

Thinking of starting your own business? Ever wonder what it takes? Panelists JAMES GUTIERREZ, CEO and Co-Founder of Progreso Financiero, and DAVID FISCHER, Principal at both DreamStaffing and Avity, will share their experiences from the front lines of the business battlefield. The discussion will include additional perspectives and advice from the audience regarding navigating today’s unique business environment. Moderated by ANITTAH PATRICK, Founder of CATEGORY:OTHER.

The panel discussed the impact of today’s financial environment on their businesses, shared encouraging words for those who are thinking of starting their own company, and commented on matters ranging from how to identify bad apples on your team and what to do with them as well as the role of the cult of personality in starting a company.

Much thanks to both David and James for participating, as well as Angel Falcon for organizing.

Today Smells Like The Future

From Obama’s concert in Strasbourg, France earlier today:

But the point is that what I found at a very young age was that if you only think about yourself — how much money can I make, what can I buy, how nice is my house, what kind of fancy car do I have — that over the long term I think you get bored. (Applause.) I think your life becomes — I think if you’re only thinking about yourself, your life becomes diminished; and that the way to live a full life is to think about, what can I do for others? How can I be a part of this larger project of making a better world?

From a thank-you card that greeted me upon my arrival at my office this morning:

Dear Anittah,

I just wanted to take the time to tell you how grateful I am that you gave me this opportunity.  I am so glad that you gave me responsibilities and trusted me to take on those responsibilities.  I am thankful that you gave me the opportunity to work alongside you on the [pro-bono NFP marketing engagement] and allowing me to attend the last meeting with [pro-bono NFP].  Also, thank you for exposing me to the wonders of WordPress!  I’m very grateful for the externship and I can’t say thank you enough …  Thank you x infinity!

I hope that we’ll be able to keep in touch in the future and I wish you all the best with your current and future projects.

Sincerely,

[Awesome Extern #2]

What is the ethos that undergirds the manner in which I’m building my company?  Think ‘community service’ intersection ‘capitalism’, sprinkle on the occasional profanity and muttered condescension, add a hefty dose of noodle …