Business before January

It's the week after Christmas, sadly many businesses after this year are already forecasting a struggle in the year ahead. It may not be that bad, however. With some doors already closed, that means a quick cash flow for businesses still open, getting them off to a possible good start. Don't give up on fashion, don't give up on making money. It's still out there.

A Letter to the President

Mr President,

               My qualifications are only that I am an American citizen, that i pay my taxes, and that I like to pay attention to the news. Since being elected to office, you have shown that you are not a man of few words, and you have made decisions in order to influence not only this country, but the entire world. Since you have worked tirelessly to do so, I applaud your efforts. There are so many things in this world that cannot be controlled, and we are all human. I understand that life is a struggle, but it is also a dance, beautiful to participate, though ugly at times. You have made many contributions to this planet that will shape our future.
              Criticism is something you receive everyday, Mr. President, taking the good with the bad. I do not believe that the following items are your fault at all, I'm simply stating what you are faced with at this time.

1. The Economy of the U.S. is struggling, without manufacturing as a backbone like we had during and after WWII, we cannot produce our own goods, and have given some of our power away to other countries so that we do not have to.

2. Corporate and Private sectors are shrinking, and with them our wealth and image as a strong Capitalist nation will disappear.

3. Families are struggling, the adults uncertain, the children scared that something bad will happen.

4. There is no world peace right now, our soldiers are moving from one country to another, still fighting, still dying to protect us.

5. You have very little time until the end of your term Mr. President, and much of your attention will go to focus on getting a second term in office.

              I am aware that there is so much to face as the leader of a country, that politicians and constituents are pulling you in every direction. I am aware that the political body of this country does not want or believe in heroes. Heroes lose things in the end, they may save the worlds but they lose their friends in the process, they lose their families. People turn their backs on heroes, never thanking them for what they have done to save people, but instead judging them and walking away.

I don't want you to be a hero, Mr. President.

             I would like to ask you to be a guardian instead, one that finds away to create simple yet effective answers to our struggles as a people and a country. If you do not wish to be that guardian, then let someone else take over, and maybe they will make those changes. You still have plenty of time though, so make the best of it.

The country is a beaten soldier on its knees, pull it to its feet if you can.


Sincerely,
The People

Business Ethics

Business 101.

Nothing is more upsetting than finding out that your supervisor or your employees are not taking care of the basics. We are here to generate money, and you can't generate money without taking care of the small things. Remember, the Government of the United States of America does not generate wealth. It's your private and your corporate sectors that generate the wealth of the economy. When the government is the largest hiring employer, the economy is going to take a nose dive, which it currently is trying to come back from.

So, to business.

All of your basic functions, those procedures that you know you should do or that your employees should do, are important, especially through the peak times of your year. Work smarter, not harder. We're not trying to reinvent the wheel, we're trying to make it turn from wood to rubber.

My current job has some struggles that i'd like to share. My boss happens to be a genius with so many things, but she's been forgetting the basics, and that's where things are starting to break apart. My specific job focuses on trying to keep the procedures going. She's not following the procedures, so I look bad. It's also hard to tell your boss when they're screwing up.

I could look at the situation and assume that she's trying to get me fired, or that maybe she's just mad at me. I recommend that if you're in a similar situation, don't choose either one of those options. Instead, focus on the idea that maybe she's feeling a little overwhelmed. Again, paranoia is not ideal for a stressful work environment. Play to your strengths, have your employees play to their strengths, and you'll be more likely to survive the rush.

Business is about caring for the people you work with, because they'll take care of you in the long run by making the money that keeps this world spinning round.

Pictures in Cities

It's been a while. Last week i had the opportunity to have a small photo shoot in Baltimore, Maryland, in the U.S.A. The city is beautiful at night. The shoot was for a possible front cover for my new album, The Drive. Just wanted to share a few shots of the city.

Humor and Business

I get it. It's not really funny sometimes. You're working. Business is a serious thing, and if you don't make money, you can't afford to work. So you keep your head in the right place, work hard, and try to grow your business. It's all about keeping that balance. What you may not know is that you need to balance your temperament just to continue to grow.

Every manager is different. Every owner has their own strengths and weaknesses. The question is what type of employer does an employee want to follow if they're working.

No one wants a clown. You're the boss. Insert a stern demeanor when handling business issues. It's all about making sure you're in charge. So where do you sprinkle in that sense of humor that makes people want to follow you? No employee enjoys a supervisor that can't laugh at something funny. You can be alienated from other workers, as well as seen as not being able to lead very well by your own supervisors.

So here are a few tips for being able to handle humor in the work place:

1. Remember to laugh at your employee's jokes. Not every time, but during moments when it's acceptable.
2. It's okay to make a joke yourself. Make sure that it's not out of taste or offensive, but orient the comedy towards the job itself.
3. Laughter encourages people to work more rather than distract them from the work place.
4. it is more important to create a work environment that is not focused on sex jokes or anything to do with racist humor.
5. Success is always measured by the better the team rather than the better one person can be.

Check my less intellectual thoughts on Twitter- @kadesound or listen to my music on myspace.com/nicholas.kade I'm also on Youtube under Nicholas Kade. Thanks!

Business Sense

Business is all about keeping yourself organized so you can handle the unexpected. Busy times are the times when you shouldn't focus on changing something, but instead run with what you have. Your moments in business that are light are the moments where you need to attack your objectives, not take a breath and relax. If there is a mess, clean it, but don't throw that mess to the back of things. Focus on how to utilize what resources you have to implement fixing the problems and moving on. Don't get upset and don't dwell on issues. Push past the problems and focus on the business itself.

Good luck and happy hunting. Money makes this country strong, just as peace and love are supposed to make it strong. Generate wealth and you generate the capability to provide core values to those who care for them.

The Drive

             I have been working on music now for years, singing since I was four years old, piano since I was thirteen, guitar since i was seventeen. I've played in four different bands, each with amazing musicians that i've learned so much from. The life of a musician is hard. Getting into the business is tough. You need either a lot of money, or a lot of talent. My own experiences make me want talent over money.

             It's a hard road. I didn't have a lot of money at the end of college, I worked three jobs just to put myself through. My first guitar i bought from a New York sweatshop online for $40, and my fingers bled for two weeks while i learned my first chords and songs. After my third band, I started a solo project, ONX, where I managed to get my hands on professional recording software, and I started teaching myself how to professionally record. the first album had music that sounded wonderful, and music that i had no idea how to record correctly. So i released it among my friends and among a few fans and went back to work.

           It's that long road ahead that i've been facing, it's the drive that i've kept pushing through. It was a car that i first had the next inspiration for my music, and a car that I talked to one of my closest friends about another solo project. "Be yourself," she said. "why try to be anything else?" I applied that same idea to my music, and started writing again. Now i'm getting to the end of that album, and it's my friends and fans that have encouraged me to be the best.

           That same drive has been applied to a new band, with more music, more sound. Both albums are going to be released soon, the first for the band, the first for my brother Paul, who has taught me so much and agreed to play music with me. It's been a lot of work and a lot of time spent perfecting this art, making something out of nothing.

           The ability to create is one of the hardest things humans have to do. Where there is Peace, so War will follow. It's the conflict within ourselves that we fight to succeed, the question of whether we will be good enough to handle all of the problems we face. So no matter what you are doing in life, find the drive to push though what you are doing, and get to that peace. It's not the scoring that counts all the time, but the game itself.