Inside the Envelope

Sujan Patel likes to do things unconventionally. Patel founded Single Grain, a California based digital marketing company, in 2005. With a background in SEO marketing, Patel gave himself a one-year window to gain as many clients as possible. Though he describes himself as motivated and driven, Patel says a tendency toward laziness was a key that opened the door for his marketing success: "As soon as I started making money with Single Grain, one of the first things I did was to go out and get some T-shirts made. Not because I thought it'd be some genius marketing move, but because I knew I'd be able to wear them every day and never have to go clothes shopping again. I started out with an order of 25-30 shirts and . . .  I decided to give [several] away to friends. I posted to Facebook to see who wanted a few shirts and was surprised when I ran out just a few hours after the message." Patel quickly realized he was onto something bigger than a simple me...

"The most dangerous kind of waste is the waste we do not recognize."  – Shigeo Shingo When you think of "running lean," what comes to mind? For many entrepreneurs, running lean means producing great results on a shoestring budget. Traditionally, being "lean" has meant doing more with less. Lean business models are all the rage, especially for start-ups or for small regional firms. But recently, the concept has expanded. Today, a lean business model is a strategy that uses continuous planning and streamlined processes to address customer needs rapidly. Here is one working definition: A lean business model is a business strategy that strives to eliminate waste in products and processes while satisfying customer wants. In doing so, the business will receive more positive customer returns (like increased sales and goodwill) while expanding profit margins. Lean businesses are those that recognize inefficiencies, adapt quickly, and co...

"Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago." (Warren Buffet) Dr. Julie Silver is a giant among medical practitioners. As an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, Silver has published several award-winning books and is the Chief Editor of Books at Harvard Health Publications, the consumer health publishing brand of Harvard Medical School. But Silver is known for more than her accomplishments, she's known as an overcomer . At age 30, Silver found herself on the other side of medicine – as a patient instead of a physician – when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her story from surgery through radiation, chemo, and rehab is now the backbone of her identity. Through cancer recovery, Silver found herself exhausted and depleted, with few resources for getting back on her feet: "Returning to work and caring for my young children was very difficult," Silver says of that time. "I wa...

Feeling blue? Maybe it's the color of the room you're sitting in. Color psychology is something that has fascinated people for decades. Artists and interior designers have long believed that colors can dramatically affect moods and emotions, and color marketing has become a hot topic in marketing, art, design, and print. As Pablo Picasso once remarked, "Colors, like features, follow the changes of the emotions." Color is a powerful communication tool, so understanding it can help you signal action, sway the mood, and even influence psychological reactions. Want to give it a try? Here is a quick snapshot of color harmonies, including color combinations to try in your next poster, banner, or custom label. The Best Ways to Create Balance The color wheel consists of three primary colors (red, yellow, blue), three secondary colors (colors created when primary colors are mixed: green, orange, purple), and six tertiary colors (colors made ...

For more than a decade, Dr. Daniel Simons and his colleagues studied a form of invisibility known as inattentional blindness. In the best-known demonstration, Simons showed a video and asked people to count how many times basketball players in white shirts passed a ball. After 30 seconds, a woman in a gorilla suit sauntered into the scene, faced the camera, thumped her chest and walked away. Half the viewers missed her. In fact, some people looked right at the gorilla and did not see it. That video was a sensation, so a 2010 sequel again featured the gorilla (as expected). This time, viewers were so focused on watching for the gorilla that they overlooked other unexpected events like the changing background color. How could they miss something right before their eyes? Inattentional blindness. Humans consciously see only a small subset of our visual world, and when we focus on one thing, we overlook others. The Statistics on Multi-Tasking Most people are unaware...

Airbnb is one of the most iconic names for startup success in our generation, quickly becoming one of the world's fastest-growing companies with over 80 million reservations booked per year through their service. A considerable part of Airbnb's marketing strategy includes its responsiveness to both customers and hosts. The company regularly surveys hosts and guests and makes this a priority in their business. Why? Here's what Airbnb says : "At the center of everything we do is community. Our community of hosts is what delivers magical travel to our community of guests. For more than ten years, we have worked to build this community, which now includes hosts in nearly 100,000 cities." A typical Airbnb survey invite looks something like this: Hi ____, Thanks for using Airbnb. We really appreciate you choosing Airbnb for your travel plans. To help us improve, we'd like to ask you a few questions about your experience so far. It only ...

Looking for a few hacks to sharpen your designs? By adding a few extra resources, the force of your talent can expand exponentially! And with new design tools being released regularly, the possibilities are limitless. Everyone needs a few handy helps in their bag of trips. Check out these four modern design resources and up your game today! Quick Design Want to learn design? Quick Design is a platform that lists free design courses available online. From 3D and animation to things like cryptocurrency and "ethical hacking," you can select free courses for design based on your skill as either a beginner or an expert. Step-by-step practical resources are available to a wide range of 3D, CAD software, and other industry-oriented specialists. As an additional benefit, you can follow other designers of your interest, which can help in networking or creative brainstorming. unDraw For quality illustrations that you can embed in your design on a mome...

If people can age with class, Harlene Goodrich should be considered a maestro of maturity. Goodrich, age 81, is a former schoolteacher who lives in Seal Beach, CA. Goodrich returned to school at age 50 to get her master's degree and has since published a children's book and won several playwriting contests. Despite serious back and knee surgery in the past decade, Goodrich didn't shrink back from traveling to Washington, D.C., at age 79 to participate in a national protest march. Goodrich says that aging well means proactively beginning the process while you're still young by engaging with stimulating people and activities. This includes a healthy dose of humor. Recently, Goodrich gathered friends ages 65 to 83 and heard them complaining about aches and pains. She stopped the discussion and suggested they go around the table to give each woman five minutes to complain. That's when everyone broke out laughing. A Healthful Approach No one can st...