About David Greer

David Greer is the cultural architect and CEO of Tillman Allen Greer/Story Road Studios. He is an innovative thinker with 30 years of experience in marketing, communication and business development. He is the publisher of Gwinnett Magazine and Gwinnett Business Journal, and stays on the cutting edge of technology and creativity with successful ventures in social media, video production and songwriting. David is also the founder of The Heroes Project, an organization to raise awareness and funds for the fight on cancer.
David Greer

Recharge, refuel, revitalize yourself – and your business

Remember that great Corona beer commercial where the guy just throws his phone into the ocean?

Well, I was having that kind of moment – minus the ocean. I was feeling really bogged down with work, having that ‘I’ve-had-it-up-to here’ feeling and just needed an escape.

When you’re in business, and if you’re like me and own the business, then the stress levels can really skyrocket. From dealing with finances to production to sales issues, I’m involved in every aspect of what’s going on. But as an entrepreneur, that’s just part of the deal I signed up for.

I’d been thinking that I just needed a break, but couldn’t seem to find the time.

 
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David Greer

I believe I’ll use my mulligan

Sports analogies abound in the corporate world, right?

So what if in business we could have mulligans like we do in golf? Wouldn’t that be a handy tool in today’s business climate?

For those non-golfers out there, a mulligan refers to a ‘do-over’ – a freebie you sort of pull out anytime you hit a bad shot.

According to the holy rules of mulligan granters, you get to take another swing without counting the previous bad shot on your scorecard. It’s a chance to wipe the bad shot off the card and try again.

I’ve heard the word mulligan has been used in golf since the 1940s. The term was derived from the practice saloons had of placing a free bottle of booze at the bar for the customers to dip into. That freebie for the patrons was called a mulligan.

The mulligan terminology was adapted to the golf course (most likely by a bunch of drunk golfers fresh from the saloon) to denote a freebie golf shot you could use to keep that one bad shot from ruining your overall score.

As most golfers know, however, often times you need a couple of mulligans and sometimes a freebie can only go so far. The only sure way to win is to consistently hone your skills so you don’t bank on a mulligan to save you.

But, oh, wouldn’t it be nice sometimes to have another way of keeping that old business scorecard spotless? Make a mistake when you hired your last employee? Just use your mulligan and get a do-over. No harm done. Expenses shoot through the roof and yield a disappointing financial statement? No worries. Just use a mulligan and those year-end numbers will fall right in line. Lose an account because of poor service? No problem. Just call up that client, tell them you want to use your mulligan and let the good times roll. Simple as that.

Another great thing about mulligans is that you get new ones for every round you play. Sometimes you even get one for each nine holes, or a total of two for the round. Maybe in business you could have a couple mulligans per year. And at the end of the year, whatever mulligans you didn’t use could be carried over to the next and you’d be in great shape.

I figure all it takes to move this idea from the golf greens to the boardrooms is for our readers to agree on the concept, just like those saloon patrons did years ago. So it shall be said, so it shall be done.

The concept will work if we all agree…and especially you bankers out there. Think of yourself as the mulligan royalty. Without bankers on the program, it won’t work. Next time one of us out here wants to skip a payment, rewrite a loan, or get a do-over on our financial reports, you guys just lead the way and tell us to use our mulligans.

Fore!

DAG
dag@gbj.com

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David Greer

Nail your colors to the mast, matey

In the old days on the sea in the throes of nautical battle, colored flags were lowered as a mark of submission and defeat. At the onset of the battle, the ships’ colors were flown proudly at the top of the mast – the pinnacle of success. Only when forfeiting, giving up, admitting defeat were the flags lowered.

But then there were those driven, never-say-die sailors who didn’t view lowering the flags as an option. Fearless, determined sailors had a phrase, “Nail your colors to the mast,” meaning it’s not an option to accept any other outcome but a win. It’s not a matter of ‘can’ we win, but more a matter of ‘how’ we’ll win. Nailing the colors to the mast was an affirmation of victory and accomplishment. It was leadership that clarified the direction, expectations narrowed the options to ones that only meant winning.

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David Greer

I’m networking with an 8-year-old

I’m in the marketing business and run a couple of regional lifestyle and business publications. We’ve been front and center at networking functions, breakfast, meetings and symposiums of all kinds for years.

On the home front I’ve got kids spread across decades. My oldest, a SCAD graduate of 2011, has just taken a job in New York City. My middle son is in his second year at Clemson and then there’s princess Gracie who rules the roost in the second grade.

When the boys were younger, we juggled business and work best we could. We got in the soccer games and field trips like families across the country do every week. And then in a flash, one day I woke up and the boys were driving, self sufficient and well on their way to becoming responsible young men.

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David Greer

The Beat Goes On

Like driving down a road you travel every day, your subconscious takes over when you stand up, put your right hand over your heart and start reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. But when was the last time you really looked at the words and connected with their meaning?

The year 2012 is a leap year, will see America’s finest athletes compete in the Summer Olympics, and during this time, Americans will seat a new U.S. Congress and choose a President to lead the country the next four years. The 11th season of American Idol begins in January, the Super Bowl will consume everyone’s thoughts in February, then March Madness arrives, followed by tax season and the beat goes on.

Amidst the distractions, will you carve out time to consider what the Pledge of Allegiance means to you – your interpretation of the values inherent to America? Patriotism blazes the most fiercely when our personal safety, livelihood and way of life are in peril. I am of the opinion that individually and collectively, we, the every day citizens of this great land are poised to forge a new dimension of American exceptionalism.

Perhaps the first step is to revisit 31 words that have the power to renew our patriotic spirit: “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

Dag
dag@gbj.com

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David Greer

Be Still

“He leadeth me beside the still waters.” “Be still, and know that I am God.” “Still waters run deep.” Just…be still.

I love the thought, the concept, the art of being still.

There are so many times in my life I’ve been faced with tough decisions. I’ve always owned my business and faced the trials and tribulations of the entrepreneurial life for many years. Countless times I’ve had competing priorities and decisions that just felt overwhelming and bordered on impossible.

I remember an employee coming to me at a challenging time pressuring me to make a decision. I had to make a tough choice and I weighed carefully the next best step. He was frustrated with me…said I was procrastinating and avoiding the issue and that I needed to get off the fence. I told him none of that was true and I would sit straddling that proverbial fence ‘til I had burrs on my fanny if that’s what it took for me to decide my next step.

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David Greer

The kid will eat the middle of the Oreo first

Innovation, ingenuity and vision are often the cornerstones of entrepreneurial businesses. Countless hours spent in pursuit of the better mousetrap. If only we could think of one of those million dollar ideas. If only we could come out with some product or service that took off like wildfire and made us rich. If only we, too, could come up with that one great idea, we’d be set for life. Right?

I’d argue that the world is full of great ideas. Opportunities lie on every corner – more ideas than you can comprehend. I also think for every great idea you see in the market, there are thousands and thousands that never made it out of the minds of creators. They just never got traction, never made it to fruition.

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David Greer

Is it just me or do all men avoid the doc?

Well in case you didn’t know – you’re not invincible and as you age, the old body is going to show some signs of aging. Apparently when ya hit that half century mark things can start breaking down or at least require a little more maintenance than in your younger years. Go figure.

I’ve never liked going to the doctor and I’m not sure why. I don’t get sick that often and when I do I think it’ll pass. I figure by the time I get to the doc it’ll run its course anyway so just press on and tough it out. My wife will insist I go, but I’m typically stubborn and resist, defying all sense of logic. My prerogative as a man, I guess. Same part of my brain that tells me I don’t need a map and I don’t need to read the instructions.

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David Greer

Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures

Tough times do call for extraordinary measures. It’s the time to fortify your will and determination. It’s the time to dig deep and double up your efforts. Are these mind-boggling times? Yes. Intense, worrisome times? Certainly. Exhausting? Of course. Desperation, however, doesn’t mean compromising your character and values.

Running a business in great economic times can be very forgiving. The momentum of success can mask a lot of problems running just underneath the surface and if you’re not careful you fall victim to a false sense of security. Sometimes the entire business model can be flawed, yet in flourishing times you get by and think things are rosier than they are.

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David Greer

Do you do too much?

I’m kind of a do it yourselfer. I’ve come up in the ranks as a small business owner and never really experienced the good ole days of having a secretary or a maintenance staff at my beckon call. In a small business, if you see something that needs to be done, you just get up and do it.

A couple years ago a new employee came to my office and asked where the “Maintenance Requisition Forms” were. He had a light bulb out in his office and needed it replaced. I took him down the hall and pointed him to the closet and said “they’re in there.” In the closet was the ladder and the light bulbs. I told him to be careful on the ladder and be sure to close out the ticket when he was done.

 
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