The dishwasher at Matrix Group died yesterday. If you’ve spent any time with me and my staff, you know that we like to eat and the dishwasher gets a lot of use. So no dishwasher is a big deal. We called a local plumber and he arrived this afternoon. Mr. Plumber came in, checked out […]
Just as our moms and Miss Manners tell us to never to break up with someone via email or Facebook, I tell my Project Managers to never, ever deliver bad news to clients or staff via e-mail or instant messenger (IM). Delivering bad news via email or IM is just plain bad business so why […]
I was on the phone with a company receptionist the other day, trying desperately to reach someone in sales or customer service. Trouble is, the person I was speaking with could not have cared less about me or my needs. She kept repeating that she had no idea where anybody was, she could not leave […]
A few months ago, I went to Lowe’s to pick out new carpet for my basement. First, I had to check out some carpet samples so I could try to match the carpet on my stairs. Turns out the carpet I picked (even though they gave me a sample) was no longer available. So back […]
In honor of May 4, a sacred day among Star Wars fans (because George Lucas released all of the Star War movies on May 4th), I’m blogging about my Rule #1: Do or do not. There is no try. Clearly, I did not make up this rule. It’s Yoda’s rule. But it’s a damn good rule, […]
The Matrix Group running team wanted t-shirts for a couple of races this Spring and Summer. We ordered black running shirt with our logo printed using a sublimation process, meaning that instead of being an applique, the ink is fused into the shirt fibers. This ensures the shirt remains breathable and the logo will be […]
Whenever Matrix Group flies Creative Director Alex Pineda to the DC area (from San Francisco, where he is based), he asks to fly Virgin America. Alex says the Virgin flying experience is “superior to other airlines.” Last week, I got to experience why Alex likes Virgin so much. For my son’s Spring Break, my family spent […]
Last week, I blogged about how a social media site like YouTube represent the future of advertising. But social media can also represent the anti-advertisement: bad reviews from unhappy customers who are eager to spread the word about a company’s failings. Witness the following: My friend Tanya runs a blog called NitpickyConsumer.com. Tanya blogs about […]
I was arranging lunch with a vendor and suggested Kora, the hip, new Italian restaurant in Crystal City. I wanted to e-mail my contact Kora’s address, phone number and a link to a Google map. Alas, the entire Kora site is in Flash, which is beautiful, but it’s not very user-friendly. The biggest problem? I […]
I went for my annual physical yesterday. I love the practice I go to, but I hate feeling like I’m a nameless, faceless patient, even though I’ve been a patient for a decade. I also hate that I have to fill out the same infernal forms over and over again and write my name, address […]