Reflections on Mother’s Day

With mother’s day around the corner, today I’m reflecting on some people in my life to whom I owe much.
 
First, my own mother, that industrious and creative Norwegian woman who lived life large and always let us know that family was first. She was what Martha Stewart would be without a staff. Her home, table and yard were her palette and she wove a lifetime of beauty and memories from everyday moments, recognizing that a pretty dish on a table wasn’t about pretentiousness but about caring. To this day she rarely serves from a kettle, because a pretty table is a welcoming table, and it’s worth the effort. Her garden is a reflection of her—colorful, immaculate, varied and magical. Mother loved creating a home but was also a beloved grade-school teacher who never met a kid she didn’t see promise in. As a teen I couldn’t share her perspective, but today it swells in me as well, inspiring me to love all kinds of kids in ways I never imagined. My mother worked ridiculously hard—sewing, canning, cooking, going to school, working full time—and our family was the richer for it. And today, in retirement, she redefines the word by her tireless devotion to the comforts and caring of her family and community.
 
Secondly, my sons who welcomed me to the world of motherhood. When I held my first born son I had the same doubts every mother has: how can I possibly live up to this thing called motherhood? And how on earth can I love someone I’ve only known for hours this much? My sons introduced me to the remarkable world of boys and men in ways I could never have known without them. I now stand in the shade of their 6-foot-plus frames and marvel at the men they’ve become—as my friend says, both because of me and in spite of me.
 
And so today we celebrate the gifts of motherhood that we receive from our mothers, sisters, aunts and girlfriends—and all of the women in our lives who have made our lives richer. We wish you a Mother’s Day weekend filled with all the things you love most.

New Year's Wishes

A New Year's Prayer from CMBell Company on Vimeo.

From all of us at CMBell Company—a prayer for the New Year. Wishing you peace, hope and health in 2013.

15 Year Anniversary: Reflections on Running a Small Business

I can’t think of a job I’d rather have. And so, on this 15^th anniversary, allow me to share why it is that we love what we do—and are energized as we look to the future and contemplate even better ways to do our work. 

1. We help other companies be successful. In partnership with their marketing and communication teams, we’re able to create communications that brings measurable successes.
2. We’re creating jobs. It’s ever so gratifying to know that you are able to help others sustain themselves and their families by offering them meaningful work. Especially during a time of global financial instability, we feel like creating jobs is a very real way we can make a difference.
3. Small is nimble. Having worked in national and international corporate settings (from which I learned much), I can say that I love the responsiveness that comes with being a small business owner. We can make decisions quickly—unhampered by long review and lead times or bureaucracies—changing course when needed in the blink of an eye.
4. We have skin in the game. As a business owner, I don’t look at work as a stepping stone to my next job. This company is our destination—so we’re fully immersed in making it successful. This lends a continuity to a company because of the consistency of steady leadership.
5. We are beholden to no stockholders. As a privately held company, we have the wonderful luxury of making decisions for the company that are in its long-term best interest—without being beholden to producing quarterly results that are sometimes produced at the cost of the future.
6. We get to pick the people we work with. Most of us spend as much or more time during the week with our co-workers as we do with our families, and so the task of selecting high quality, motivated individuals who share one’s views of work is indeed one of the great benefits. In our company there are certain things we just don’t tolerate—laziness, sloppy work, lack of resourcefulness or an unwillingness to tackle whatever it is that needs to be done. The result is a highly productive, satisfying and collegial environment that allows individuals to do their best work—without wasting energy on distractions.
7. It’s never boring. Not only do we work with all kinds of communication tools, but we work in different markets and in several industries—each of which teaches us something new.

The past 15 years of running this business have given us the chance to meet and learn from fascinating people doing interesting work. On any given day we might traverse the continent—talking with a client in LA in the morning and one in Denver in the afternoon. Each one brings energy, vision and their own unique approach to work that makes our lives interesting. We are always learning from and inspired by them.

Owning your own company isn’t for everyone. But for those of us who love to have a say in forging our futures, it’s the job of a lifetime—and not a day goes by but I am grateful to our team and our clients for being a part of this dream.

Showcase: Making the Case for Bread and Water

This week the entrepreneurial Wilkinson Baking Company launched the in-store testing phase of the world's first fully automated commercial Bread Bakery—a technology that mixes and bakes fresh, healthy bread from start to finish without any human involvement.

We worked with them to develop a series of electronic billboards (see below)—among other promotional elements—that deliver in-store key messages.

This one-of-a-kind technology has been in development for nearly four decades—and introduces a completely new way of thinking about bread. Using only the purest and best natural ingredients, Wilkinson bread is more affordable than other premium brands and has a smaller carbon footprint than national brands. They never sell any loaf older than 24-hours—and natural enzymes keep it fresh for at least seven days.

Taking inspiration from the creator of Tom’s shoes, WBC took the bread concept one step further and has committed a portion of every loaf’s sale to drilling and maintaining wells in Africa. Each loaf provides 77 cups of fresh, pure water to people whose only source of water is often filthy and several hours’ walk by foot.

This is a company to watch, so if you’re in eastern Washington, stop by Super 1 and follow your nose.

15 Year Anniversary: A Time to Be Thankful

Celebrating a milestone like our 15^th year in business immediately brings to mind the clients whom we have been fortunate to serve over the years. Many of them have been with us since our earliest days, and have helped our business grow primarily by word of mouth.

The creative work we produce with them is a direct result of how they manage, inspire and work with our creative team. Today we want to say thank you to those of you who have trusted us with your company’s image—and sent us other clients because of your referrals. 

15 Year Anniversary: New Ways of Helping You Succeed

In response to this changing landscape, we’ve been thinking about what will make you more successful. Out of this has grown the addition of several new services—and enhancements of existing services.

Video

We now have regional videographers in several major markets where we conduct a lot of work, so are able to compete even more competitively on the price of developing video productions. Consider us if you need:

• Simple, affordable mini-documentaries that feature high quality interviews and b-roll. Video is now a medium of choice if you ask many consumers how they want information, and a must have for any progressive organization’s Web site. See examples. 
• Creative, emotive pieces that reinforce messages, mission and culture or inspire people to buy, give, support, join or advocate for your product or service. See examples. 
• Fun, entertaining, or reality-type videos that convey a message in unconventional ways. Remember that consumers are now looking for entertainment in advertising messages.  

Motion Graphics

These are perfect for stimulating Web traffic and delivering a message with words, photos, music and animation—without the cost of video footage. They can be produced quickly and affordably, and amp up the effectiveness of your message—making it more likely to be shared via social media. See examples.

Web Messaging

With Web moving to the center of all of our lives as a primary repository of communication, we can bring together all the tools needed to create a powerful presence for you—either by creating your Web site or by providing messaging and images for a particular product or service on your existing site. We can help you determine what your site should say—as well as do the writing, design and development. See examples.

Proprietary Marketing for Physician Practices

With decades of combined experience helping hospitals and patients launch new services and practices, our proprietary marketing for physicians can jump start your physician practice. If you’re paying a physician’s salary and he or she isn’t seeing many patients, this becomes a very smart business move that should easily justify its costs.

We continue to offer the services we have in the past—but with these new and enhanced services, we now offer more ways to help you tell your story, drive business, and drive revenues to your bottom line.

15 Year Anniversary: It’s a New Year, and a New Us

This year marks the 15th anniversary of CMBell Company—a milestone in our dream to create a workplace that allows us to do work we care about with people we respect—for companies and causes that matter to us.

We’ll be reflecting on this from time to time right here on our blog, starting with today, where we officially roll out our own new corporate identity—and the second logo in our company’s history. It’s an act that signals new directions for our future—while acknowledging the many who have made the journey possible.

At the center of our logo is the fleur-de-lis, one of the most recognized symbols in the world and one that is rich in history and legend. Although used by monarchs throughout history and used to represent perfection, light and life, its own origins are unknown. Besides loving its visual beauty, we think it represents the pursuit of perfection and excellence that has characterized our firm from the beginning. Paired with typography that is both strong and stately, the logo suggests the unique trio of discipline, purpose and creativity required to run a firm like ours.

New Year's Wishes

From all of us at CMBell Company—a prayer for the New Year. Wishing you peace, hope and health in 2012.

Happy Thanksgiving!

During this time of Thanksgiving we send each of you warm wishes. We count our readers and clients among our blessings during this holiday and always.

Eight Reasons to Celebrate Your Company’s Anniversaries

CMBell Company was in Los Angeles at White Memorial Medical Center last week to begin work on the planning for their Centennial

A company anniversary provides an opportunity to breathe new life into your organization—to offer a kind of oasis in the press of daily work. A strategically planned anniversary celebration can:

1. Recognize the people who make your success possible
2. Deepen bonds with your community, customers and staff
3. Inspire deeper engagement
4. Infuse the workplace with meaning
5. Shift internal focus from problems to achievements
6. Reinforce your culture, mission and values
7. Attract positive press
8. Provide a foundation for casting vision for the future

There’s no rule about which anniversaries you should celebrate. Whether it’s f a 15th (ours, next year), a 20th, or a 100th, these occasions provide valuable time for reflection and celebration—both of which yield subtle but important fruits in the work place.