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Good Mental Food – Get Motivated Seminar Sarasota

**UPDATE** The Get Motivated Seminar in Sarasota on May 14th, 2009 has moved to a new location. The event will be held at the Sarasota-Bradenton International Convention Center. Details here.

World-famous motivational speaker Zig Ziglar is coming to Sarasota on May 14th

No matter what your business or occupation, getting ahead and being successful requires a steady diet of good mental and emotional fuel. Having a great attitude — something so critical, especially in a tough economic environment — isn’t something most of us are going to be consistently good at without some outside input.

So… I’m looking forward to next week’s “Get Motivated” seminar. Formerly known as the Peter Lowe Success Seminar, this event has begun making the rounds to smaller venues in the last several years. And it’s great to see the whole crew coming to Robarts Arena the Sarasota-Bradenton International Convention Center in Sarasota on May 14th.

In particular, I’m excited to see one of our clients, Zig Ziglar. Zig will be focusing on “How To Stay Motivated,” which is one of his all-time most impactful messages. Since his head injury a couple of years ago, Zig’s short-term memory has been affected. So, expect him to be onstage with his daughter, Julie, for an interview-style presentation. This configuration has been extremely well-received by audiences all over the nation since they started doing it, and it should be the highlight of the day.

Also in the lineup:

  • Sarasota’s own Dick Vitale
  • Dr. Robert Schuller
  • Governor Rudy Giuliani
  • Dr. Earl Mindell,
  • and, Tamara Lowe (wife of Peter Lowe), who is speaking in support of her new book, Get Motivated, which she co-authored with Giuliani

Should be a great day. According to the literature that came in the mail, admission can be had for only $4.95 for an individual, or you can bring “the whole office” for $19. The registration number is (800) 248-7640. Tell ’em we sent you!

See you on Thursday, May 14th!

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Photos: Sarasota Tea Party April 15 2009

Arriving at the “Unconditional Surrender” statue today at 12:45pm, I was surprised to find that already people were leaving. Apparently, the first wave of lunch-breakers had done their protesting for today.

Of the hundreds that remained (no official word yet on numbers), many held signs, sported creative apparel, and generally demonstrated a remarkable level of passion about the spending habits of their elected officials. Protesters lined the roadway from One Sarasota Tower to Main Street, and a significant crowd gathered closely around the statue to hear various people sound off through a weak tailgate P.A. system.

It was an historic day, and it was a privilege to have participated. Here are some of the sights as seen through my camera’s lens

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Unfortunately, my schedule didn’t permit me to make it to the Lakewood Ranch Tea Party gathering. I welcome to the opportunity to hear from some of you who were there!

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Sarasota Tea Party – Tax Day 2009

Update: Photos and a report from the downtown tea party are posted here.

I have a question for you:

Is it “Taxation Without Representation” if your elected “representatives” vote on a $500 Billion tax bill without even reading it?

Some of the thousands of protestors gathered for the March 21st Tea Party in Orlando, FL

If you think so, then the time has come to throw another tea party. When in colonial America, the British “representative” government (Parliament did, after all, claim to represent all British citizens… including the colonists) tried to ramrod the monopolistic East India Company’s tea down the throats of the colonies against their wishes, without consulting them, and while outlawing “free market tea,” the colonists famously dumped the tea in Boston harbor.

There’s no practical way to dump what’s being shoved down our throats anywhere — it’s too freaking much!

So… in a symbolic act, you are invited to join us for the Sarasota Tea Party (or the Lakewood Ranch Tea Party, if you prefer) on a fabulously symbolic day: April 15th.

What better way to spend tax day?

Here’s the skinny:

Sarasota Tea Party

  • Wednesday, April 15th, 2009 at Noon
  • Marina Jack on Sarasota Bay near Downtown. (In fact, the group will gather at the Unconditional Surrender statue, which is either more symbolic or more ironic… I’m not sure which.)
  • You are encouraged to dress creatively (i.e. to appropriately attract attention).
  • Bring signs.
  • Bring tea bags. Lots of tea bags.
  • Prepare to be photographed and be interviewed. Do us a favor… read up on the current events, the history of the tea party, or anything else you may talk about on camera.
  • Do us another favor: spell-check your sign(s). We really don’t need to look stupid on TV or in the media.

Lakewood Ranch Tea Party

  • Wednesday, April 15th, 2009 from 3pm – 7pm. (Nice if you want to come hang out after work.)
  • Ed’s Tavern on Main Street in Lakewood Ranch.
  • You are encouraged to dress creatively (i.e. to appropriately attract attention).
  • Bring signs.
  • Bring tea bags. Lots of tea bags.
  • Prepare to be photographed and be interviewed. Do us a favor… read up on the current events, the history of the tea party, or anything else you may talk about on camera.
  • Do us another favor: spell-check your sign(s). We really don’t need to look stupid on TV or in the media.

Not from around here? Here’s one good place to check for a location near you.

This information is subject to change. And, since I like a good discussion, do me a favor:

Leave a comment below with your biggest current hot-button that motivates you to join us for the Tea Party. Be sure to check the box that says “Notify me of followup comments via e-mail.” That way, you’ll hear from some of the other folks who might be joining us… and, I’ll be able to leave a comment if anything changes… which of course means that you’ll be notified.

Incidentally, I have no affiliation with this company (for the record), but here’s some great Tax Day Tea Party Apparel (think “Don’t Tread on Me”).

See you there!

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Now Revolution Conference with Gary Keesee

Gary Keesee at the Now Revolution Conference

Just flew back in yesterday from this weekend’s “Now Revolution Conference” in Columbus, Ohio, where it was my honor to have the opportunity meet with quite a few entrepreneurs, business owners, and future business owners to talk about marketing in the 21st Century.

My wife and I met Gary and Drenda Keesee last year when they were in town for the Sarasota Financial Revolution Conference. Since that time, they’ve completely revamped the conference, giving it a new name and a new focus. They’ve also completed construction on “The Now Center” in New Albany, Ohio — just outside of Columbus. This past weekend, they hosted the first major conference in that facility and it was absolutely stellar.

Gary’s message is targeted at helping individuals discover and pursue their God-given destiny and to unashamedly achieve financial freedom in the process. These are issues that I’m personally very passionate about, which is the reason that we created our Christian entrepreneurship and business excellence events.

I was honored this weekend to share the platform with not just Gary, but the others who had impactful things to share:

  • Drenda Keesee — powerhouse in her on right, having journeyed with, encouraged and motivated Gary in their journey from enslavement to financial freedom. Arguably some of the biggest testaments to her own giftings are their children, whom she home-schooled and developed into some significant young people.  After briefly meeting their daughter, Amy, and son, Tom, I can tell you first-hand that they and their siblings are showing signs of greatness.
  • Johnny Hocott — a key player in the Forward Financial Group who I met several months ago when he spent some time here in Sarasota. Johnny is focused on developing and training new leaders and I’ve seen firsthand some of the fruit of his labors in some of the people here in our city.
  • Mike Healy — a dynamic and compelling motivator and trainer who is clearly out to win! Mike enjoys cagefighting, which I must confess is something I don’t much about… but it sounds, shall we say… violent? Mike and his wife went from getting eviction notices to a 6-figure income in a 12-month time span and has plenty of important things to share with anyone looking to achieve success.

I couldn’t say enough good things about the event staff, from Jason Freudiger and Amy Taylor to the media staff all the way through to the volunteers. The event ran smoothly despite the inevitable last-minute changes and adjustments. Everyone made the experience a pleasant one.

Did We Meet?

If you’re one of the many people I met this past weekend, I have something for you. Leave a quick comment here and let me know who you are so I can e-mail it to you. Also, if you missed the chance to take advantage of the conference specials, I’ll give you a way to do that.

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Sarasota Brush Fire: The Day After

This morning I stopped to capture some snapshots of the area burned in yesterday’s brush fire. These shots were taken from the sidewalk along the North side of Palmer Blvd in Sarasota. I included my daughter in one of the shots just to help give some perspective.

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Obviously a lot of credit and gratitude are owed to the Sarasota County Fire Department for getting on the scene right away and containing the fire. I was immediately concerned about the Big Cat Habitat, where a number of tigers, some lions and even an elephant or two are kept just 1/10 of a mile east of the blazing area. Thankfully, the most the animals should have suffered was some minor smoke inhalation and perhaps some irritation associated with the ash in the air.

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Sarasota Brush Fire

Smoke billows skyward as flames crawl across low-lying areas near the “celery fields” in Sarasota County.

I just returned from taking a peek at what’s happening just off of Palmer Boulevard near Fruitville Road just East of I-75. Several units have responded from the Sarasota County Fire Department and at least one helicopter is on the scene attempting to douse the flames.

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Long Awaited: BarCamp Sarasota!

Though it’s still in the early stages of getting organized, I’m thrilled to announce the recent discovery of BarCamp Sarasota! Some old friends along with some friends I’ve not yet been introduced to are responsible for making this happen.

Things have gotten underway with a new home on the web and a Ning group which is all accessible at the BarCamp Sarasota website. Already there’s been an organizational meeting and another one is on the calendar.

So… calling all techies, bloggers, social media types, programmers, eggheads, geeks, propellerheads, etc.

Get over there and check out what’s going on… then get involved!

Then perhaps if there are enough WordPress users around the Sarasota area, we can manage to put together a WordCamp too!

(With apologies to all of my Geek friends for the photo… I’d hate to be accused of trafficking in stereotypes! Especially when we’re planning the takeover of the world! Oh… and… for the record, that is NOT a picture of me… from any point in my life!)

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Fondue in Sarasota: The Melting Pot vs. Dylan’s Fondue Fusion

*Update* It looks like Dylan’s has closed. They were a great addition to the Sarasota restaurant scene. We’re sorry to see them go… (Thank you to Sharon, one of our readers, for tipping us off.)

The Melting Pot’s reservation line is (941) 365-2628. Always a great experience!

My gorgeous wife, Jill, and I really enjoy going out for fondue. For whatever reason, it really rings our bell. I think perhaps the slower-paced, more intimate dinner experience is a big part of it. But of course the chocolate finish is guaranteed to be a big part of it.

But for us a long evening out isn’t very commonly an option, so we were quite delighted when the opportunity came up to celebrate Valentine’s together without being concerned about time constraints and babysitters (thank God for grandparents who live nearby!). And, of course, fondue was at the top of the list.

We’d heard about Dylan’s Fondue Fusion — the upstart contender here in Sarasota — from some friends who said they had a good experience. And, when a coupon arrived in the mail on the front of one of those “clipper” magazines, that iced it for us… we decided to give it a try.

Now we’re not really gamblers where food and restaurants are concerned. Me? I’ll try anything… but you know keeping “Momma” happy is more important than anything else on evenings like this… and she likes what she knows. So, I was thrilled she wanted to try it, given that we are both huge fans of The Melting Pot in Sarasota.

The Melting Pot has been a regular haunt of ours on special occasions for years. In fact, just a few months ago we ate there on our 10th Anniversary.  We love the food — the beer-based cheese fondue with cheddar and Emmenthaler,  the Coq Au Vin cooking style, and most definitely the chocolate at the end (we haven’t tried one we weren’t absolutely thrilled with) — and the atmosphere. When they moved to their new home downtown a few years ago, we made the move with them — the new place has great ambience and is even reasonably easy to get in and out of with parking in the building.

The New Kid on the Block: Dylan’s Fondue Fusion

What about Dylan’s Fondue Fusion? Well… we didn’t know much other than the report from friends, and since the budget is important this year, the coupon helped. It’s located in a storefront on US 41 just a little stretch south of Bee Ridge Road. Not the most elegant location — at least on the exterior. So… all things considered, it was a gamble.

We made our reservation almost a week in advance — a good move, given that we wanted to go on Friday night before Valentine’s Day (which was, of course, on Saturday).  We opted for an early time slot to give us plenty of time to enjoy the entire evening. So… we pulled up at 5:30, almost on the nose.  We were greeted by someone who was clearly a hardworking young man. Later we learned his name is Dylan, but he didn’t let on that he was the owner when he greeted us.  His was somewhat casual attire, with a black t-shirt and apron… I took him for a staff member.

We were seated right away in the already busy restaurant, and learned from our conversation that they were completely booked with reservations and would be turning people away until very late in the evening.  The ambience and decor turned out to be quite nice — low lighting and darkish colors on the walls gave it a fairly elegant feel. The reservation was clearly a good idea, since waiting wouldn’t have been overly welcome to us.

Given that the restaurant has been open for only about 6 months, everything was new — the seating and the in-table burner and so forth.  We were treated excellently by our server, a highly professional yet warm and friendly young lady named Ashley.  She anticipated our every need, was proactive with the drink refills (something I tend to notice), and neither rushed us nor left us waiting between courses.

The food?  Excellent. Not only was it on par with The Melting Pot, but Dylan’s Fondue Fusion may have even come out on top in this category.  The cheese course was tasty — we went for a beer-based cheddar & Emmenthaler combo, which we were delighted to spot on the menu.  The veggies and breads that were served with it were fresh, tasty, and well-prepared.  The salad course gave us plenty of choices, and though both of our salads were a little heavy on the dressing, it was nothing to complain about.The options for the entree were plentiful and diverse, including a “we can’t decide” option they call “Everything But the Kitchen Sink.”  That was the one we chose, because we were able to select from a list of favorites rather than choosing one of the main sets of entrees.

Being experienced fonduers (is that a word?), we appreciated the presentation of the foods and the clear instructions. You always need a bit of a reminder on things, it seems, no matter how many times you’ve done fondue. And, of course, in a new restaurant, you want to make sure that even what is familiar will still apply. Ashley took great care of us in this department and presented us with a stunning array of sauces.  Again, very much on par with our expectations.

The chocolate course was fabulous, with cheesecake, lots of gorgeous fruits like strawberries and pineapple, and some brownies and other tasty morsels.

All in all, with pricing that is strategically less than that of The Melting Pot, Dylan’s Fondue Fusion has won us over. We’ll definitely go back.  I highly recommend the entire experience, and since you can have an experience that is just as good (if not better) than its cross-town established competition for a little less money, why wouldn’t you?

As we were on our way out, I heard someone refer to Dylan by name. Of course, being lightning-fast in my brain I put 2 and 2 together. I had to shake his hand and let him know how much we enjoyed it and how much we’d been fans of The Melting Pot.  He was glad to know he’d won us over.

Definitely give Dylan’s a shot if you’re looking for a nice, slow-paced, intimate evening out with some great food and great service.  And let him know I sent ya.

Here are the important details in case you need ’em:

Dylan’s Fondue Fusion
4141 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL, 34231
Take my advice, make a reservation: (941) 926-1289

They’re on the east side of 41 in the brick plaza behind Chili’s.  There’s a Sprint store closest to the road… and plenty of well-lit parking close by. Enjoy your fondue!

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Ready for a Strong 2009… Regardless of the Economy?

I recently learned that I’d made a bit of a faux pas. I used the word “recession” in an article I was asked to write for the newsletter that Zig Ziglar sends out every week.

It was an honest mistake. I wasn’t aware of his personal — and consequently, their corporate — policy to simply not use that word. It really got me thinking. After all, Zig has been responsible for mentoring and coaching thousands (tens of thousands? more?) of successful people to the top of their game.

So… from here on out, I’m dropping the word. It might seem like a silly or symbolic move, but I had already decided months ago that we — that is me (David Johnson) and my company (Epiphany Marketing) — weren’t participating in it.

So… we officially renamed the event that I’m privileged to be a part of next week with my good friend, Tom Ziglar. It’s new title is:

How to Attract Customers at Low Cost in this Tough Economy

Ziglar Webinar: How to Attract Customers at Low Cost in this Tough Economy

And perhaps a better title would be, “in any economy.” The fact of the matter is that we’ve systemized some processes that any business can use — after all, it’s the very process we’ve used an honed for years in our consulting work — to bring in a steady stream of new prospects, clients and customers.

Sound good? You can do it.

In fact, the Ziglar organization has been kind enough to permit me to invite you to next week’s event.

Go watch the video clip of Zig Ziglar, Tom Ziglar and yours truly, then register. But do it quickly — the space won’t last long!

I’ll see you there next week!

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It’s A New Day

Photo Credit: Jayme Leita - BigStockPhoto

Setting political viewpoints and economics aside, today I am rejoicing.

Why?

In the last couple of weeks, I’ve thought long and hard about the issues faced by African-Americans in our culture. As a Caucasian male, I won’t pretend to have any real comprehension of what this is truly like. I spent most of my early childhood years in a suburb of Houston where racism was completely unknown — at least to me.

However, I’ll never forget the year I spent in Montgomery, Alabama. Many of my friends were African-Americans, and while I was completely bewildered by the culture shock I experienced, I did my best to try to develop an understanding for why — even as recently as the 1980s — racial tensions were unbelievably high.

That year changed my perspective forever. The bigotry that existed left an indelible impression on me. And it seemed clear to me that a lot of healing needed to occur — for all races involved — in order for there to be real progress.

And that’s why, today, as I sit and watch the pre-inaugural proceedings, something in me wells up with joy. I feel it in the air… I am thrilled for what the election and now the inauguration of Barack Obama  means to my African-American brethren.

A couple of weeks ago, my wife mentioned how much she enjoyed the song “It’s a New Day” by will.i.am. You must admit — it’s got a great hook. I downloaded the song from iTunes and we’ve enjoyed it ever since. The song seems to capture the feeling of victory that we should feel in this nation as an African-American reaches the highest office in the land.

Writing a post like this one may stir up feelings that I don’t intend in any who read it. Perhaps, if you’re an African-American, all I’ve done is reveal my real ignorance. If you’re not, you may feel as though I’m making too much of this event.

I don’t think we can make too much of it, but I’m also not ignorant enough to believe that there isn’t more healing needed. But I’m hoping that this goes a long way.