Hey , 

 

In my twenties, I liked to imagine myself as a "skeptical optimist." Yeah, it was some sort of clever description that was at odds with itself, but I think there's some truth to it. I hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.

 

Which brings me to the pandemic, which we're still not out of. Here in Marion County, Oregon, COVID cases are ticking back up after lows in February and March, and the governor is telling the state to be prepared to go back to winter-type lockdowns: no indoor restaurant dining, limited indoor gatherings...you know the drill. And in spite of the positivity of Las Vegas and other cities slowly reopening, which is good to see, and the EU getting ready to welcome vaccinated US citizens, the pandemic is not done with us yet. Have you seen what's happening in India?

 

Here's a snapshot of the trend line here in Marion County:

On the blog in the past couple of weeks, two new videos - standing out from the tradeshow crowd, and the importance of booth staff - and new articles on the slow return of tradeshows, and the why showing up at shows may, or may not, be enough.

 

Soundtrack for this week's issue: For the past couple of days I've been diving into the 5-disc version of John Lennon's Plastic Ono Band. Yup, five discs. And two Blu-Rays which I don't even know why they include because I don't have the ability to play them. Are Blu-Ray players still a thing? But I'm listening on Apple Music anyway, so I suppose it doesn't matter. Critics have called Lennon's first solo album after the Beatles split one his most personal and revealing works. From the angst of "Well Well Well" to the fear of "Isolation" to the desperation of "Mother" to the simplicity of "Working Class Hero," the album is indeed personal and powerful. Fifty years later, it hasn't lost any of its punch. Stream it on Spotify here. 

 

Should your small business ever take a political stance? It’s a complicated question--but for Horace Williams, the answer is simple.

"People's emotions and passions and loyalties lie with people who take sides,” Williams, the founder and CEO of Atlanta-based social impact startup Empowrd. That theory is being tested in Empowrd’s backyard right now: Georgia’s new voting law, signed by Republican Governor Brian Kemp in March, has inspired vehement reactions from both supporters and detractors across the state and country.

The new law set Williams on a mission to try to raise local awareness about the changes to the state’s voting rules. He has conducted countless phone calls, Zooms, and Microsoft Teams meetings in the past month. Roughly 25 percent of those conversations, he estimates, have been with other small-business owners. "Anybody who takes on the task of running a business in a community has inherently taken on the task of being a leader in the community, whether they acknowledge that or not," he says.

That’s easier said than done, especially as the Covid-19 pandemic remains at large. Read our story to learn how Williams’s startup--in lieu of financial heft or political influence--is working to make an impact.

 

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At a confab for tech and media moguls in Sun Valley, Idaho, in July 2019, Timothy D. Cook of Apple and Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook sat down to repair their fraying relationship.

For years, the chief executives had met annually at the conference, which was held by the investment bank Allen & Company, to catch up. But this time, Facebook was grappling with a data privacy scandal. Mr. Zuckerberg had been blasted by lawmakers, regulators and executives — including Mr. Cook — for letting the information of more than 50 million Facebook users be harvested by a voter-profiling firm, Cambridge Analytica, without their consent.

At the meeting, Mr. Zuckerberg asked Mr. Cook how he would handle the fallout from the controversy, people with knowledge of the conversation said. Mr. Cook responded acidly that Facebook should delete any information that it had collected about people outside of its core apps.

 

Cold-Calling Blues: The ups and downs of bugging people on the phone.

 

Using a Webinar to Promote Your Tradeshow Appearance: It seems like a good way to let people know what to expect at your upcoming show appearance.