Yesterday, on Andrea Mitchell Reports on MSNBC, Rick Santorum’s main supporter, Foster Friess, had this to say about Bayer aspirin:

(if you don’t feel like watching the video, Friess said, “This contraceptive thing, my gosh, it’s so inexpensive. Back in my days, they used Bayer aspirin for contraceptives. The gals put it between their knees, and it wasn’t that costly.”)

Regardless of where you stand politically, one can imagine that Bayer Aspirin can’t be too thrilled with these comments (unless you think “gals” are going to run out to buy Bayer now). Just last May, Time Magazine reported that Bayer is really only well-known among a particular demographic- older Americans with heart conditions. The reason? Due to some pretty outstanding marketing strategies in the late ’80s, Bayer aspirin became known as the go-to preventative for heart attacks and strokes in older adults, and people pretty much forgot that originally, Bayer was intended to be a pain medication.

That article inTime Magazine pointed to a new marketing strategy by Bayer to expand their 14.6% market share with faster-acting aspirin and brightly-colored packaging that might appear to a younger demographic in their 40s. But now, a 71 year-old man has made what even Rick Santorum is calling a “bad joke” and tied Bayer to archaic notions of contraception and angry mobs. What would you do if you were Bayer? Well, Bayer is an old company formed in the 1800s in Germany, and they’ve certainly weathered worse storms in their lifetime as a company. So they might be tempted to ride this one out.

But if I was in charge of handling this problem at Bayer, I’d have a few suggestions as to what Bayer could do to turn the tide of this one:

• Put out an entertaining, “old school style” educational video on YouTube, featuring the President or CEO of Bayer, or at least a high-ranking executive, preferably a woman, talking about responsible birth control and emphasizing that there are many, more effective options than holding a Bayer aspirin between your knees.
• Create a marketing campaign around the fact that Bayer actually helps create a need for effectively responsible birth control options, as with Bayer, the “Honey, I have a headache,” excuse won’t work anymore, because Bayer relieves headaches so darned well.
• Start partnering with groups like the National Organization for Women and Planned Parenthood to develop programs to educate young women and men about birth control options.

Those are just three of the ways that Bayer could take this potentially damaging and awkward connection to an inappropriate (at the least) remark by Foster Friess and turn it into an opportunity.

The question is…will Bayer ignore Friess’ comments and hide their collective heads under their pillows or take their own medicine, as it were, man up, and leverage this moment?

What would you recommend Bayer do?

I was recently reading Entrepreneur Magazine’s article on hot trends for 2009. Now, I don’t always like Entrepreneur and other small biz magazines because I think sometimes these publications focus on businesses that require substantial startup capital. While there’s an obvious need for brick and mortar businesses, they’re not the first thing on my mind when someone comes to me to start a business, especially in this economy.

That said, I do like the current issue, primarily because of the “hot trends” article. The top trends aren’t exactly big news, if you’ve been paying attention to the world around you lately. I think we all know that alternative fuels, environmental services, and “green” businesses are the wave of the new future. And health care is always big, but there’s definitely a trend away from plastic surgery, as we move in a more “natural” direction, so the beauty industry is growing. Interestingly, Entrepreneur points to both ends of the spectrum where retail is concerned: discount retailers and luxury products are of interest these days. Predictably, credit and debt management services and tools provide a rapidly-growing area. And it’s no secret that with the current economy, technology, social networking and business coaching are predicted to be huge in the coming year.

So what should you do with this information? Well, it depends on where you are in your entrepreneurial adventure. If you’re already in business, take a look at the top trends and see if you can make some slight adjustments to take advantage of what’s coming. If you’re in the remodeling business, for example, do what’s needed to get certified and trained so you can be the number one green remodeler in your market. If you’re in the beauty industry, transition into being an organic spa, or become your area’s spa answer to plastic surgery.

If you’re not in business yet, take these areas into account when you’re planning your business and branding. Make sure you take into account which of these areas will grow, not just in 2009, but in the years to come.

Of course, these are predictions, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that they’re fairly solid ones.  Now’s the time to ask yourself how you can use this information to your advantage!

Another big company is in trouble. Warner Brothers is cutting 800 jobs, over 10% of its global workforce. Disney is expected to follow suit in the very near future. People, Warner Brothers is ranked first in the domestic movie industry.

So why am I telling you this? To scare you? No. I’m telling you because I really want you to think. Think about your future. Think about your destiny. Are you really, truly safer working for a big corporation? Do you know where you stand?

I’ve heard from a few folks who read my recent “Now really IS the time” post and have said they know people who have decided to put their entrepreneurial plans on hiatus. I’ve heard from others who are those people.

I know this is a scary time. I know it’s stressful, I know you’re afraid, I know the risk seems greater right now.

And I’m not telling you that you should start just any business. I wouldn’t recommend certain kinds of high-investment, high-overhead or high-risk ventures right now.

But I am recommending that you consider a style of business you may not have considered before- a business with low overhead, low risk, and frankly, low fear. In this economy, it’s not about halting your plans- it’s about adjusting them so they make sense and aren’t so intimidating.

I know, I know, you’re asking, “But what kind of business is that?!” It’s a Business in Blue Jeans. And if I told you everything in my blog, I’d be out of business. But what I will tell you is that there are ways to take your business idea and your business model and transition it into a Business in Blue Jeans. There’s nothing saying you can’t still pursue the rest of your idea down the road when the economy improves and things are a little safer to take the leap. In fact, I encourage many of my clients to start a low-risk venture first, to provide the funding for the higher-rise, higher-investment ventures they dream of. I call this a “leapfrogging business plan” and I’ve seen it work for several people (myself included, actually).

So if you’re thinking that now is not the time to start a business, that it’s too risky, too scary, or too expensive, think again. Shift your perspective, shift your business model, and ultimately, start funding your bank account for a time when you feel safe enough to start that bigger venture.

I’ve just learned about the World Laughter Tour and I’m totally grinning from ear to ear, just from reading about it. This is the coolest business EVER!!!  The World Laughter Tour is the brainchild of Steve Wilson, who calls himself…are you ready?…Cheerman of the Board. The history of how this company got started is fascinating and if you want to read about it, check out their web site.

The things that really touch me about this company are:

• It’s a passionate business- the people who run this company are deeply passionate about laughter and changing the world, really making a difference, through laughter.
• The path the company took is inspirational in and of itself. That in their history, they refer to one of my personal favorite stories, Acres of Diamonds, is pretty telling, in my opinion (not because it’s one of my favorites, but because of the message of that story, which, if you don’t know the story, check it out, I’ve Googled it for you and everything).
• People, their business is laughter. That is just so cool that it makes my heart squeeze a little.

I love laughing. Love it. How can you not? Don’t you love those moments when you’re laughing so hard that you can’t speak, can’t breathe, your stomach cramps up a little and you’re not even making any sound, just little squeaks and trying desperately to say, “I….can’t….breathe!!!”???  I mean, those are the moments I cherish in life. It’s one of the reasons I married my husband, actually…because he makes me laugh like nobody else in the world.

And also, laughing is an excellent workout for your abs, and super-healthy as well, in case you didn’t know it. Check out this great (and brief) article on the medical benefits of laughter.

Bill Cosby said, “You can turn painful situations around through laughter.”
Victor Borge said, “Laughter is the closest distance between two people.”

And whoever said, “Laughter is the spark of the soul” was right on the money.