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Mark Nugent from Traverse City sent this photo in from a recent trip to South America. How cool is this? Penguins chillin’ on a South Atlantic beach. Mark will receive a Snoloha t-shirt as the May Snapshots & Scenery winner.

Check out out mark’s company, Manitou Boatworks & Engineering, if you are in the market for marine surveying and consulting.

And remember, if you want a chance to win Snoloha gear, visit the Snapshots & Scenery gallery and upload your pics…easy as that!

“Human beings were not meant to sit in little cubicles staring at computer screens all day, filling out useless forms and listening to eight different bosses drone on about about mission statements.”
~ Peter Gibbons – Office Space

The joys of owning a business: A regular paycheck…nope. A set schedule…not quite. Guaranteed customers willing to buy your product…that would be too easy.

How about working wherever you feel like it for the day? I’m currently working on the Fall / Winter product line and catalog. It requires a lot of “office time”, which I don’t particularly care for. Office time can drive me crazy, and as Buffettt says, if “we weren’t all crazy we would go insane”. So as I stared out the window today I realized I don’t have to stay in this office and work all day. After all, there is no over-bearing, micro-managing boss to get in the way.

So I packed up my messenger bag, hopped on the bike, and peddled down to Clinch Marina, where I set up my “temporary office space” on an empty and inviting picnic table, and spent a few hours working on the catalog and product line.

This is what I call “office atmoshpere”. Not a bad way to spend the workday.

If I may, I’d like to ask for some feedback. Make it as short or as long as you’d like.

“When you think about my business (Snoloha), what do you think about?”

Go ahead and email me at rod@snoloha.com

I traveled down to Ann Arbor yesterday to see and hear Seth Godin speak about business, marketing, and his new book, “The Dip”.

If you are at a point in your career or with your business where “frustration” is a word that you use on a regular basis, or perhaps you’ve found yourself listening to The Boat Drunks “Callin’ in Gone” over and over again,

“No jacket and tie
No morning commute
I’m waving good-bye
One finger salute
Gonna find me a beach
Gonna lay in the sun
The only boss I’ll hear
Is singing ‘born to run’“

then I’d recommend checking out Seth’s latest book. It really gets you thinking outside the box about business today and what it takes to be “the best in the world”.

Thanks to the staff at Boyne Country Sports in Novi for the great Snoloha presentation, and for the support.

Listen to Episode #13 on The TropiCast Radio Network,“Brand New Brent Burns, Joey Parrotoni and The Tropical Trivia Challenge” for a chance to win a Snoloha T-Shirt along with the Pirate Dreams CD that I mention below.

Good luck, and enjoy!

Check out Pirate Dreams and their first CD, “Memento”. I particularly enjoy “Palm Tree in Buffalo” and “Cool Clean Water”.

You can also hear them on this TropiCast Spotlight Episode.

The host of TropiCast, JimmyPirate, is actually a member of Pirate Dreams. Give it a listen. Close your eyes. And pretend you’re not sitting at work for a few minutes. It’s good music.

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Catch the Allman Brothers on August 25th at Boyne Mountain.

“Well, Ive got to run to keep from hiding,
And Im bound to keep on riding.
And Ive got one more silver dollar,
But Im not gonna let them catch me, no,
Not gonna let em catch the midnight rider.”

“And I dont own the clothes Im wearing,
And the road goes on forever,
And Ive got one more silver dollar,
But Im not gonna let them catch me, no
Not gonna let em catch the midnight rider.”

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The Beer Launching Refrigerator. Check out the video from The Late Show with David Letterman, and also learn more about the inventor John Cornwell at www.beerlauncher.com.

It’s been awhile since I’ve updated everyone with Snoloha’s progress.

Those that have been with us since the beginning know that Snoloha.com launched in November of 2006. Our official retail launch was this past February at Boyne Country Sports in Novi, Michigan.

We are now at 16 retailers (possibly 17 anyday now) ranging from Novi, east to Grand Rapids, then north along the Lake Michigan coast to Petoskey. Our goal is to continue growth here in Michigan and beyond, including the Great Lakes basin, New England on down the Atlantic Coast, then we want to “head west young man” to Texas, Colorado, and of course California.

We are learning our “voice” and our place in the market. I am learning patience and how to find “moments of escape”, which usually consists of walks to the downtown coffee shop, or getting lost in the woods with the Customer Service Manager / Shipping & Recieving Supervisor, Bailey, which happens to be my Lab. She’s not very good at either of her jobs. I think it’s because she can’t speak in English and she lack opposable thumbs.

We are continuing the Snapshots & Scenery contest on a monthly basis (upload your photos) and gathering Chronicles & Commentary entries. We are also working on new designs for the Fall / Winter, the Snoloha Sabattical, and partnerships with like-minded businesses and organizations focused on supporting and promoting this lifestyle, along with a variety of other elements that will be unveield as they are ready, so stay tuned!

With the continued support of you, our customers and retailers, the road ahead looks promising, but far from smooth. I knew coming into this that starting a business would not be a smooth ride. It’s more like a “dangerous curves ahead” ride, with steep cliffs on either side, limited visibility, and no power steering. However, it is also very, very exciting, motivating, and fulfilling.

So a big “THANKS” to everyone for your feedback, your business, and for supporting the Snoloha lifestyle thus far!

Gotta go now, there are retail orders to fulfill and Bailey seems to think that laying in the sun and barking at pedestrians walking by is more important…I really need to have that performance review with her!