Don’t let your business become the next Amy’s Baking Company. We here at the Engine have been watching the events of this last week, so many cringe worthy moments, and feel it’s our duty to remind you that there are options out there.  Most agencies, ours included, offer social media management services, just saying.

Sometimes it’s just not worth the risk of having a staff run Facebook page, all it takes is one misworded post and the Internet can turn on you in an instant. While we think there was a little something extra going on over at Amy’s, it’s still a good reminder of how quickly the power of public speaking can bring your company down.

So, keep your fits, panic attacks, and vent sessions to yourself and let the social media experts take care of your online presence. Give us a call today… unless you’re a company that is run by people who post IN ALL CAPS!!

http://www.buzzfeed.com/ryanhatesthis/this-is-the-most-epic-brand-meltdown-on-facebook-ever

It’s a poorly kept secret that I am complete geek and spend entirely too much time consuming content. From blogs, the news, books, Reddit, and RSS feeds, I probably consume upwards of 50 pages a day. I enjoy everything from crude frat-boy humor to political satire, and everything in-between, but tend to gravitate to learning about all things start-up, business, and leadership. So in that vein here are my two most recent favorites:

The No Asshole Rule
Robert I. Sutton, PhD

Sutton digs into personal experience, decades of statistics and research, and the stories of others to uncover the real cost of working with jerks. I, for one, was surprised, but at the same time related to many of the stories. Plus, the facts don’t lie. Putting up with a bully can not only ruin your day, but also damage your team, and severely limit your company’s productivity.

While the message is great, the writing itself was a little slow/wordy for me. All in all, I’d recommend it to anyone building a team, or anyone who may be stuck working with an asshole already.

Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders Seminar
Stanford University MS&E 472

While not a book, but rather a series of lectures, the Thought Leaders Series out of Stanford’s Management Science and Engineering program is by far my latest addiction. For the past eight years or so, they have been bringing in some of the best minds from the technology, venture capital, and start-up worlds to tell their story. Whether you are a founder or not, their insights, experiences, and lessons are both educational and inspiring.

So next time you have a long drive or go for a run, I highly recommend you fill up your phone with their podcasts.

-chris

Aldan was a lonely man. He lived a simple life; making simple choices with simple consequences. Aldan very rarely expressed any sort of exuberance. He kept a monotonous diet of eggs and toast, sans butter – as well as the occasional hamburger from the local diner. His apartment décor consisted of a framed photo of his late mother, Anna. Every day, for up to 28 minutes, the sun would illuminate the photo perfectly. It was these 28 minutes of each day that Aldan looked forward to the most. To sustain the cost of eggs and bread, Aldan worked at a hardware store just a block from his apartment. Any trial or tribulation the world could present was addressed almost immediately, as Aldan gave the world little opportunity to do so.

Then, one Summer day, Aldan took the bus to the city and bought a TV and an Xbox.