Today I was inspired by my good friend Corey sending me a text message related to the latest news that Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of facebook, had decided to become a part of “The Giving Pledge.” For those who are not aware of what the giving pledge is I will sum it up briefly for you: it’s a group of extremely wealthy people, formed by Warren Buffet and Bill Gates, in which everyone in the group agrees to give the majority of their wealth to charity by the end of their lives or at their death.

While the concept is noble, I’d like to look at the economics of a hypothetical question: What if each one of those billionaires, most of whom got their money by starting a business, used their money to start or fund other businesses; specifically a mission driven business?

Let’s say that one of these billionaires decided to not donate 15 billion dollars, but to start a privately held pharmaceutical company with the funds. I’m not talking about funding research, I’m talking about starting a for profit company built to compete with the likes of Novartis or Pfizer. By the company being privately held, it doesn’t have to appease shareholders but instead it can keep an altruistic mission, and that could be to reinvest ALL profits into curing cancer not just the vague “cancer research.” At the same time this new company stimulates the economy (and increases the tax base) by hiring an entirely new staff. By introducing a new competitor it helps push the cost of our every day drugs down, thereby reducing the amount the government needs to fund prescription assistance programs (allowing us to pay down the US deficit, or even continue our generous foreign aid program). Putting 15 billion dollars into funding something like this ensures greater than just a 15 billion dollar donation, it ensures employment, it ensures a vision is kept, and in the end it has the ability to have far more of a positive impact on the world through countless years of research, development, AND sales. (Note: I’m aware that this isn’t possible overnight, mainly due to strenuous FDA regulations, but what if?…)

What if instead of a pharmaceutical company, someone set up a $10 billion dollar venture fund with offices around the world for businesses aiming to make a change, with the stipulation that at least $100 million (or some arbitrary number) a year had to be invested in new companies trying to make a positive change? Encouraging investing in companies like TOMs shoes, where for every shoe you buy a pair gets donated to a child in a 3rd world country. Investing in a company like Adaptive Eyewear, the company that is creating glasses for 3rd world countries where the prescription of the lens can be changed by the person wearing it; they are LITERALLY giving sight to people who would otherwise not have it (watch this video on them). What if they took that fund and invested in small businesses throughout Africa? Spurring entrepreneurship and encouraging organic growth within the continent instead of constant reliance on foreign aid that is taken by corrupt politicians.

The bottom line is that the majority of people on the list have succeeded because of capitalism. They have the money they have because of capitalism, and they know the good that capitalism can bring to a country and to the world. They ARE the definitions of capitalists, and they know what it takes to fulfill a vision. They ought to also know that a business, set up with a good mission and vision, with hundreds or thousands of employees working towards the vision can do an immense amount of good for the world, probably more good than donations can…

What if?…

Have any other ideas? Share them below, I’d love to hear them.

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Truth be told, I was never really a huge sports fan, but I admit to being a bandwagon fan for most of the local sports teams. I “loved” the Cowboys growing up, but then again, I grew up in Dallas in the 90s; I’m pretty sure the Dallas Cowboys were part of my school district’s curriculum. The Mavericks continually sucked until Mark Cuban bought them while I was in high school, I got swept up with Stanley Cup fever in the late ’90s when the Stars had their runs, and the one team I always loved, the Texas Rangers, well…they were the Rangers and you really couldn’t count on them for anything (I do have very high hopes for the future of the franchise though).

When I went to college in California I moved away from all of my home teams, and I didn’t follow professional sports. I didn’t care. I had convinced myself that the people who watched sports continually were the people who didn’t have anything better to do with their time, and I certainly had better things to be doing with my time. I was continually creating, learning, being active, and working. I could never relate to the guys who talked sports all the time, but if they wanted to talk business, politics, or even pop culture I could relate. I made it all the way through college that way. Soon after graduation (and marriage) I got a job and was whacked in the face with a new reality: pro sports are important in the real world.

In the real world most people won’t talk politics with you for fear of offending you (or someone else), not many people want to talk business because that’s what they do all day, and pop culture conversations are so trivial that no one cares; but sports were the gateway into the groups that I found myself most wanting to be a part of. Sports provide the venue for every type of talk from the business of sports, to the trivial items like who Tony Romo is dating. Sports gives you the level playing field (pun intended) to hold your own in a conversation with anyone from the CEO to the UPS guy. (Side note: All of the sports leagues know this and charge ticket prices in accordance).

Talking sports is about relationships. The emotional connection that forms between you and “your” team, the relationship that forms with your coworker because his team is your teams rival, and the relationship of feeling that if you can have a good conversation with someone about sports, you can have a good conversation with them about anything. On the contrary, when meeting someone who doesn’t follow sports it’s extremely difficult to break the ice and find a common ground.

Up to date knowledge of sports is a key part of business in today’s world because businesses are about relationships, and sports can be the key to developing strong relationships. It’s taken some time for me to get back up to speed in my sporting knowledge, but it has served invaluable thanks to my improved ability to network and build relationships.

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Our sole purpose of the trip was to go to Lulu Lemon, a company known for their expensive, yet incredibly well designed workout clothes for women. For years (since she discovered them in Los Angeles) Mary has raved about how incredible the clothes are and how smart and creative they are in the design. For instance, the first piece of workout clothing I remember seeing with a built in iPod pocket it was a Lulu Lemon top that Mary got in 2005; and the first jacket I remember seeing with a thumbhole to keep the jacket sleeve from riding up was also a Lulu Lemon that Mary got. They are an extremely smart and innovative company, but I’m getting ahead of myself now.

During the 20 minutes we were there I did what I always do in retail establishments, look like the hopelessly lost husband and critique the finish out of the store. My critique was as follows:

First off, they claim to have the most comfortable couch in the Dallas Galleria, and having been a patron to many of those couches over the years, it lives up to the hype.

Second, the finish out of the store is incredible. It gives you the feel of open, earthy, and reclaimed materials (whether it is or isn’t reclaimed is a moot point, the feel of it is what sells) and all of the island displays and shelves in the store are on wheels so they can wheel them out for free group yoga classes (for which they are known). It is truly a beautiful store and comfortable store.

The final thing I critiqued is the purpose for this whole post. I wandered back to the dressing room area and found the chalk board pictured above. This is the place where they post consumer feedback and ideas on their design. As you can see they take their customer feedback very seriously. So seriously that they display it publicly for all to see.

You can tell that this company is working hard to stay on their toes and be foreword thinking to remain ahead of the competition. You can also see that they know the specific things they need in order to keep that edge: “Innovative, Specific, or Measurable” feedback. Maybe it was a customer that came up with the idea for an iPod Pocket? Maybe it was a customer that came up with the idea for a thumbhole in the sleeve of the jacket? Either way, what matters is that they are listening. They are listening because they know if they don’t stay on their toes, a more innovative and hungrier company is going to come around and knock them on their ass much like they did to everyone else in women’s sports apparel industry a few years back.

Why don’t more companies abide by this?

By posting this feedback publicly, other consumers can build on the ideas and help the company develop something even greater. If someone has a complaint, maybe another customer could help resolve that complaint? If a customer has a great idea, another customer can help validate the idea as someone who would purchase it. They are essentially crowd sourcing products and innovations!

I applaud you Lulu Lemon, and I accept the price of your clothing because I like the way you do business (this is a statement that I reserve for a very VERY select number of companies because accepting a price wouldn’t be too frugal of me).

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As a result we are all extensions of the brand wherever we go. After work when we all go out to happy hour we are walking advertisements and representatives for the brand, and the way that we carry ourselves reflects back on the companies brand; if we slip up, have a few too many, or are rude it reflects back on the brand. We know that this is the case, so we all go above and beyond to act gracious when we get complimented outside of work (very frequently) or attentive and helpful if a customer has a concern. It is clear my employer views us as a physical extension of the brand.

This concept isn’t new, it’s proven, and works, but now is the time for companies to take it a step further.

It seems like everyday I read in the blogosphere about a personal brand and why you need to have a solid online identity which includes, but is definitely not limited to Facebook, Twitter, and Linked In. I always read pretty basic reasonings on why we all need a personal brand, mainly so companies can find you, you can control and own your online image, and so you can market yourself. I agree with all of these things, and I’m not here to offer any new advice on creating a personal brand; for that I recommend going to the master, Dan Schwabel.

What I am here to do is ask a question. Why don’t companies view their employees online personal brands as extensions of the companies brand?

Think about where you represent your company on the internet. Do you have your employer listed on Facebook or Linked In? Do you have a website that contains your resume?

These are primary places where we as individuals represent our employers in todays world. If you have an inappropriate photo on Facebook and your employer is listed, like it or not that photo reflects back on the company and the next time you are in a meeting with someone who has researched you, they might know about that picture of you doing body shots from your last vacation to Mexico. Yes, that is a poor example, but now let’s look at the other side; say you have a strong personal brand, you protect your online image, you blog, you tweet, you are active on Facebook and on great websites like Brazen Careerist; that online presence and your following is a fantastic venue for you to be a steward for the company, instantly adding more value to the company should you choose, or be allowed, to promote your employer.

“That sounds great! Promote us,” your employer might say, but wait…it’s a two way street.

Think of the way large conglomerates advertise their brands. Ziploc, Pledge, and OFF! are all S.C. Johnson Brands. When you look at each of those brands you know they are something different and individual, yet part of something bigger. Every time something good happens to the smaller brand, something good is happening to the bigger brand. If Ziploc has great sales, then that helps S.C. Johnson’s bottom line. On a box of Ziploc there is an S.C. Johnson logo, and on the S.C. Johnson website they feature Ziploc, even at the end of every commercial you hear “S.C. Johnson, a family company.”

Much like the conglomerates there is a mutually beneficial relationship online between an employee with a strong personal brand and their employer’s brand. If I put up on an “About Me” page laying out where I work and what I do in my day job with a logo and a link to the company, I can instantly help give credibility to my employer if you’ve never heard of them, and you might be more inclined to go visit the company. On the other side of the coin, if my employer has a link to me on a company page, it can instantly help give credibility to me as someone who is employed by a great company.

Zappos has a great start at just this, twitter.zappos.com provides realtime streaming of their employees on twitter, but I think it should go a step further. Why not promote employees with good personal brands? Photo, website link, and twitter feed, all on the companies website. Make employees comfortable being online ambassadors for the company by encouraging it and giving them the ability to reach out on the companies behalf even if it’s not their job. It’s even in the companies interest to help employees develop a personal brand online.

The best way to increase brand awareness online is being represented, and if you have a good relationship, what better people to represent you and give you presence than your employee or employer?

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For this $40 Date Night Challenge we will put 4 couples from the city of angels up against each other. The rules are very similar to last time. I challenged them with the set of rules below, they did a write-up, and now you vote on the winner to win CASH!

I’m actually surprised to see that in a city as large and diverse as LA, two couples ended up visiting the same place. I’d say that’s a good sign that the restaurant/bar is pretty good!

I’m also surprised to see that one person blatantly broke 2 of the rules…but I’m not in the business of disqualifying, and the writeup was done well. I will let you all determine that via votes.

Here are the rules as presented to those who accepted:

1. The date night must include dinner, drinking, and entertainment
2. Dinner cannot be at a national restaurant chain, local chains are OK. Don’t eat at home.
3. Entertainment cannot be bowling or a movie
4. Drinks (yes alcohol) must be purchased, not brought, and not shared
5. Transportation costs (gas, parking, train, etc…) do not need to be included in the $40.00
6. Yes, a date is 2 people
7. If you use a gift card the amount spent still counts towards the $40
8. Take pictures
9. This isn’t a “who you know” night, so while we all love free stuff and “hook-ups” if you use them, account for what the normal cost would be out of your $40
10. Taxes don’t count in the $40
11. Coupons are allowed and encouraged if you have them

The links for the write ups and voting are below. The voting will be open for 10 days from today.

Be sure to read all of the Los Angeles $40 Date Night Challenges before voting, so check them out below!

• Chris’ Date Night
• Greg and Anna’s Date Night
• Natalie and Damien’s Date Night
• Randy and Ashley’s Date Night

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It’s Wednesday at 730pm and the first stop of the night was at Yamato a cool nuvo sushi restaurant in the Westwood area on Westwood Blvd. This restaurant not only one that offers great ambiance and great food, but it’s all at a great price. They have a happy hour that starts at 5pm and goes until close. So my girlfriend ordered a pink roll and crab and avocado salad and I ordered 2 rolls.  With each roll and the salad 50% off, like most of the menu during happy hour, we had a superb meal with glasses of water for $19.

After dinner ended we headed to Culver City, to my favorite dive bar Backstage, this is a bar that is great for karaoke Thursday through Saturday. The average beer is $4 the well drinks are no more then $6 and if you really want to experience the good life you can get any top shelf liquor for $8, which in Los Angeles where drinks average well over $10 is equivalent to finding Atlantis.

Every Wednesday at Backstage you can experience the house band.  They go by the name of King Chris and the Groove Thangs and they bring so much personality to the bar it is hard to stay

away.  King Chris is Ragin Cajun from Louisiana with an eclectic band to match.  The band is a great cover band that plays anything from Marvin Gaye to Steely Dan.  After sitting down and listening to King Chris for an hour an each having three beers between us (bringing our total to $33.)

We headed to yogurtland, which is a better version of Pinkberry offering wonderfully flavored yogurts and eclectic toppings.  We shared a cup of peanut butter yogurt covered in captain crunch and called it a night.  Our total for the night was right at $38.  It was a great night filled with new experiences that most of LA seems to never know about.

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Dinner and Drinks:  We started at McCormick and Schmicks. When deciding on dinner, a cheap dinner with poor food won’t cut it. Happy hour must be utilized. Thus, I searched for the best happy hour in LA. I found a great one from Mccormick and Schmicks. Now for those of you that have never experienced the greatness that is Mccormick and Schmicks’ famous happy hour menu lets go through it: The hours are from 4pm-7pm and they have a nice but smaller selection of everything you could want for a  pricey dinner, except for the fact that everything is under $5.00! This includes a Half-Pound Gourmet Cheeseburger for $2.95. The most expensive item is Beer Battered Fish and Chips or Mussels for $4.95. On Wednesdays they have $1 Oysters and Thursdays is $1 Fish Tacos.  Now there is a catch, but you’ll like it. There is a $3.50 beverage purchase requirement per person. However, like the food, the drinks are a great deal, with Coors Light 10z Draft for $2.95 and some great choices for $5.00 or under.  All in all, their happy hour deserves to be famous.

What did we order on our date you ask? I had a grand ½ lbs Gourmet Burger for $2.95 and my date had a blackened Chicken Quesadilla for $3.95. We each had a 10oz Coors Light for $2.95 a peace. So, we made it out of a great dinner and drinks and spent $12.80. Not too shabby.

Entertainment: There is always interesting, fun and inexpensive activity to do in a city on a given night. On this night, we decided to see the Groundlings. For those that are not familiar, the Groundlings is a theatre just off of Melrose that is famous for its sketch comedy. Many familiar faces perform their regularly to keep up on their comedic craft. The Wednesday night we were there, two cast members from Reno 911 were performing with the main stage cast, which includes many recognizable faces from comedy central and other comedy sources of which you have most surely seen but cannot name. The show we saw was called The Crazy Uncle Joe Show, and it was hilarious, as the Groundlings always are. The show lasts about 2 hours and the atmosphere is amazing, with live music and an intimate stage. Now for the price. The first time I had taken a date here, I had convinced her I had spent a bunch on these tickets to get into this exclusive, hip, underground comedy club that not many people knew about. She completely bought it. This time I did not hide how much the tickets cost.  The price of the tickets for the night was $13 a person! If you go after 10pm on a Friday they are $9, and can be as much as $20. So entertainment for the evening was $26 total.

Conclusion: All in all we managed a great dinner, decent drinks, and great entertainment for a grand total of $38.80. That leaves a $1.20 for some breath mints on the way home.

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Enjoying LA’s scenery

Since we live two blocks from the beach in Santa Monica, Damien and I decided that the first part of the Challenge would be spent riding our bikes along the strand that runs parallel to the beautiful Pacific coast. If you ride South, you will pass the famous Santa Monica pier and Ferris wheel, and eventually hit the Venice boardwalk—an amazing spot to people watch. You’ll find drum circles, muscle builders, an array of carnival food (kettle corn is my favorite!) and plenty of spots to buy cheap t-shirts and accessories. If you head North along the strand, you’ll have a more peaceful ride and be able to marvel at the scenic mountains and coast of Malibu.

This particular Saturday, we chose the more peaceful route and rode our beach cruisers through NorthernSanta Monica. We stopped at some rocks that jut out to the water and carefully navigated our way to the end to feel the spray of the water and enjoy the sounds of the seagulls and waves. When you live in the busy city of LA, it’s nice to flee the sounds of traffic and find a spot like this where you can enjoy nature, especially with someone you love.

Eating and Drinking

Eventually, we had enough beach and sun and headed home to clean up and change clothes before hitting up one of our favorite places to get quality food and beer without the usual inflated LA prices—Back Stage Bar and Grill, located at 10400 Culver Blvd. in Culver City. During the week, Back Stage features a quality house

band, and on the weekend, the spot offers karaoke with a large array of popular songs. But we didn’t come to this spot for the entertainment—to us, the main attraction was the restaurant’s famous sliders and selection of beers on tap.

Damien and I each ordered a plate of 2 Back Stage sliders ($7 each), shared a basket of garlic fries ($4) and ordered two Blue Moons on tap ($4 each). And then, much to the crowd’s entertainment, Damien took the stage and appropriately sang his rendition of “Cheeseburger and Paradise.”

Entertainment

After our bellies were full, we had $14 left to spend and were ready to change clothes once again before hitting up our favorite dance club in Los Angeles—Bootie LA, held once a month at the Echoplex in EchoPark. The club features a handful of DJs each Saturday who mash up popular songs together so two to three songs are playing on top of each other at the same time. The result is a killer beat and an amazing time for the dancers on the floor.

For the frugal folk like us, make sure to arrive before 10 p.m., because then cover is only $5, as opposed to $10 each after 10 p.m. And also make sure to stay until midnight, because that’s when the Bootie dancers come out—sometimes they’re throwing out freebies, sometimes they’re dressed up in gold lycra suits, and occasionally they’ll

feature a Lady GaGa lookalike. With its mixes of multiple genres of music, quirky dancers and a group of chill people, Bootie LA is a gem for people looking to let loose and have a good time, for a nominal cover price.

By the end of the challenge, Damien and I were exhausted from our active date and still had $4 left in our pockets. We hope our challenge inspires others in LA to enjoy the amazing weather and scenic views that our wonderful city has to offer, seek out the dive bars and avoid overpriced cover charges at dance clubs!

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With the focus of making the date night enjoyable and inexpensive Annie and I set off to make a plan to meet the challenge. First the food and booze then the entertainment.

With a few clicks on Yelp we came across Cisco’s Mexican restaurant which is only 2 blocks from our apartment and we decided it would be a great place to start The Challenge. When looking at the restaurants website two words caught our eye: Happy Hour, well actually to be more precise $2 Margaritas. Cisco’s in Westlake Village on Westlake Blvd, has a great Happy Hour from 4-7 everyday. $2 Margaritas, $3 shots, $3 Well drinks, $3 drafts, $6 24oz Coronas and Pacificos and $6 Jagger-bombs (an old college favorite) and of course 1/2 off appetizers. Now with dinner and drinks planned for the night the next step was to find some entertainment.

We decided to check the Thousand Oaks City website for an inside look into the upcoming events, concerts and show in our area. When looking for something fun and unique to do remember to check out the calendar on your town’s website. You’ll find a slew of fun stuff to do and great deals in the process.

Thousand Oaks has a lot of art shows, plays at the Civic Arts Plaza and special performances at places like the Thousand Oaks Library. Annie and I decided to check out one of the Bodie House Concert Series at the Thousand Oaks Library. The most important thing to remember when checking out the events in your town is to RSVP in time to get a spot. What’s great about event’s like this is that if you are running short on funds the admittance is free but donations are appreciated.

So after all this planning Annie and I were very excited to hit the town. We sat down at Cisco’s around 6:00PM on Friday evening. The place was already filling up with a bunch of people ready to start the weekend off right, inexpensive drinks, good food, loud music and fun people. We both started with a $2 Margarita, Annie had the chicken flautas ($4) and I had the Cisco’s Nacho’s con carne (that’s about the extent of my Spanish) ($4.50). Going along with the vibe of Cisco’s we decided to get a 2nd round Annie a Margarita($2) and I had Jack and coke ($3). At the end of dinner our bill came to $17.50.

We signed our check, hopped in the car for a short drive to the library for the concert. The library is a great venue, small, intimate and very welcoming. We were happy to donate $20 to the library for the concert. At thi

s concert, like most of the Bodie House Concert Series, they had appetizers and dessert available for all in attendance. We had an opportunity to see Jimmy LaFave, an extremely talented guitarist and singer whose laid back and comical nature really brings you in to his performance. The concert was great and something we both will be doing again together in the future.

So after all was said and done the evening came to a grand total of $37.50. It’s always fun when you have a chance to break your usual routine and try something new. So remember always check out your local resources for fun events and keep your eyes peeled for those two magical words: Happy Hour.

Be sure to read all of the Los Angeles $40 Date Night Challenges before voting, so check them out below!

• Chris’ Date Night
• Greg and Anna’s Date Night
• Natalie and Damien’s Date Night
• Randy and Ashley’s Date Night
• Vote (in footer or on the summary page)

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For this $40 Date Night Challenge we will put 4 couples from the Dallas area up against each other. The rules are very similar to last time. I challenged them with the set of rules below, they did a write-up, and now you vote on the winner to win CASH!

Here are the rules as presented to those who accepted:

1. The date night must include dinner, drinking, and entertainment
2. Dinner cannot be at a national restaurant chain, local chains are OK. Don’t eat at home.
3. Entertainment cannot be bowling or a movie
4. Drinks (yes alcohol) must be purchased, not brought, and not shared
5. Transportation costs (gas, parking, train, etc…) do not need to be included in the $40.00
6. Yes, a date is 2 people
7. If you use a gift card the amount spent still counts towards the $40
8. Take pictures
9. This isn’t a “who you know” night, so while we all love free stuff and “hook-ups” if you use them, account for what the normal cost would be out of your $40
10. Taxes don’t count in the $40
11. Coupons are allowed and encouraged if you have them

The links for the write ups and voting are below. The voting will be open for 10 days from today.

Be sure to read all of the DFW $40 Date Night Challenges before voting, so check them out!

• Blaine’s Date Night
• Matt and Emily’s Date Night
• Mayra and John’s Date Night
• Stuart and Jessica’s Date Night

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