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When you see my "JB" logo, are you able to recognize it's me? I am constantly thinking about branding and brand identity because I realize how important to a company it is. After all, if you don't know who I am do I really even exist? I have a running engine of a a creative mind that just thinks constantly. I like to think about J. Benjamin a lot. While I took a few months off to try to rebuild the brand I tried to think of a way to be more visible. Believe it or not, being invisible after being on the scenes for a while, made people know about me more. Whether or not people like what I am doing or not, they were wondering if I was still working on my brand. I told them I had a few things in store but time is what I need at the moment.
While I was rebuilding, I wanted to figure out ways to enhance the customer experience. I wanted people to really enjoy everything about J. Benjamin Clothing Co. I thought and wrote about so many ideas. One idea that I was previously hesitant on was stickers. It seems like every indie clothing company has stickers so I was thinking why would I want to do what everyone else has already done? While away, I realized how influential a simple sticker can be. I was perusing the internet one day and came across a person sitting down with their laptop and on the backside of the screen was a sticker of another company. I am sure they put it on their computer because it was cool looking and they probably received it free of charge but for the company who gave it away it was a simple advertising technique. This person was sitting in some Wi-fi'd area where many customers pass by. Now if there was someone else in this same establishment on a computer, without even asking the person about the sticker, they could themselves look up the name and surely be brought to a website of the company.
So why in the world would I not want to use stickers? I began to look on the internet for stickers and came across an awesome company that makes extremely fantastic, vibrant looking stickers. Standout Stickers (www.standoutstickers.com), just by the name itself, lets me know that these are the people I want to give a try and get some stickers from. Who wouldn't want to stand out and be noticed when identifying your brand? Well, here's to a simple way to standing out and creating a lasting brand identity. Maybe next time you're in your local coffee shop you will see my logo on someone's computer.
Hey friends of J. Benjamin Clothing. I am writing you today to ask for your help in giving to those in need in Haiti. I have already offered that any purchase made at www.jbenjaminclothing.com, 50% of all purchases will go towards helping those in Haiti. I also want to extend a new offer that I feel will be very effective in getting more money to the Haiti.
My friend, Mike "Ambassador" Bruny is an employee at Intel Corporation in Massachusetts. Last week, he made a video and a website (click here to watch and view) that explains his connection to Haiti and how his company will match dollar for dollar any donation made by an employee. His goal is to reach $2,000 ($4,000 after company matches) by February 5th.
How can you help? Well, most recently, Mike and I connected with his book, Move the Crowd, and a tee designed by me. I will donate 100% of all Move the Crowd tee purchases to Mike's fund. If you are not interested in the tee, you can also just click the donate button on his site. Mike is also offering to donate 100% of all his audiobook sales, 50% of his paperback book sales, and 100% of his 1-hour coaching sessions to the fund.
Please visit his site and check out what his has going on. Any donation will help and I hope that you can help reach out and help those in need.
Thank you from your future favorite clothing company,
John for J. Benjamin Clothing Co.
I love holiday time! I like when the family gets together to celebrate. I like the cooking and big feasts. I like cooler weather and the sweaters that you could wear. I like the seasonal lattes offered at Starbucks. I like the decorations and time that retail stores and cities put up. It really is the "most wonderful time of the year"!Last year I saw some really cool tee's that I didn't pick up but wish I did. I decided to compile a list of a few tee's that I find cool this year. Maybe Santa will bring me one or two.
You're invited to the party! So come on in! Well, not a real party. Sorry if I got your hopes up. I am referring to the party of goals. In this case the party is the ultimate goal and the person hosting the party is the goal-getter. Still confused? Allow me to explain.
I do a lot of things in the kitchen. I cook, bake, clean, sweep, wash dishes, etc. You know, all the things one does in a kitchen. I came to the realization today that I do a lot of my thinking while in the kitchen. I especially do it a lot while washing dishes. Usually no one is talking to me so as the water is running my mind begins to wander and I start to think about things. Anyways, today one of my friends mentioned how he felt as if he was in a rut. I didn't comment on the situation at the time but I suppose this is my comment to his dilemma. I too, recently stressed to a couple of people that I talk to on a regular basis that I felt as if I was stuck or in a rut. Why was I feeling stuck though? What was I stuck on? Well in this particular situation I felt that I was just "spinning my wheels" when it came to my clothing company. After talking it out with these two people, I came to the realization that I wasn't really stuck. I actually had the answers right inside of me but my problem was taking action. So what does this have to do with a party? I'll tell you.
I wanted to start a clothing line since forever. I knew that I needed to JUST DO IT but back then, before I started anything, I felt like I was stuck. Once I got the ball rolling my momentum began to build. I was now "invited" to the party. I was given an invitation but I still had to decide whether to go or not. As momentum began to build, I began planning and executing what I would do to start a clothing line. I decided the best way for me to start was to design one t-shirt and market it to people I think would find it interesting. The only way to get one of the shirts was to pre-order it. So in a sense, I was now in the car and on my way to the party. I set a deadline and orders came in until the deadline. I made a connection with a printer and ordered some tee's and away we went. Over the next couple of months this is how I orchestrated my business. I offered a shirt and people had to pre-order it and it was then shipped to them when it was finished. Now if I was at the party I would be considered just a spectator. I'm not socializing much. Basically just being a wallflower.
Now in my mind my ultimate goal is to be the hostess of the party. I want to be the one who invites others to come over. I want to be the one who organizes the event. At the moment though, I just feel like one of the people mingling. I am socializing a bit but I am just part of the crowd. Now how do I go from just being part of the party to being the party? That's is where planning comes in as well as executing. I planned, although not the best, but was able to execute my moves in order to get the ball rolling. If there are steps to take then I should never really feel stuck. If at anytime I feel stuck I think it's because I am failing to execute plans or I have no plans to be directed by. Opportunity occurs when you take the necessary steps to set up the chance of embracing what you are after. I believe people only feel stuck because they want to achieve something. Whether they know it or not the feeling of "wheels spinning" happens because you want to achieve something more. Isn't that what a part of living life is about? Setting goals and reaching them only to strive to want more. Life would be pretty boring if we weren't looking for better, don't you think?
Many people that I am inspired by would be the hosts of the parties I want to attend. I am enjoying the company at their party but I want to be more than just the socializer. I'm really trying to have them at my party and inviting new people to my party. While being at others parties I take notes. I take notes on how to have a successful party. I take notes on what kind of work goes into putting on a well put together gathering. This is my planning. This is where I learn while I patiently execute my brand to be one of better known, sought-after companies.
So where are you at the party? Have you been invited yet? Are you still wishing you were invited to the party? Where do you fit in at the party? Are you the life of the party? Are you blending in with the crowd?
As Will Smith said in the movie Pursuit of Happyness, "If you got a dream, you gotta protect it. When people can't do something themselves, they wanna tell you that you can't do it. If you want something, GO GET IT! Period!"
First and foremost I want to thank everyone who has supported J. Benjamin Clothing Co. thus far whether it was purchasing a t-shirt, giving advice, supporting my Facebook fan page, retweets on Twitter, and countless other ways you may have motivated me to continue to follow my dream. Since the start of 2009, I decided to finally give it a go at starting my pathway towards my own clothing line. I have great ultimate goals I want to achieve but I felt one way to get there was to design t-shirts. I certainly have come a long way since my first design and I am still working towards my ultimate goal.
As you can see with the picture next to this post it says "under construction". Technically I am not going anywhere but what that means is that I am working on making the brand better. As stated before I decided to just give it a go when starting this so I could at least generate the momentum to continue towards what I want. Well now that I have generated some momentum, I now feel it is time to make the brand more personal and customized. During this time I will be adding more personal touches to the tee's as well as to other aspects of the whole brand. When you see the product in the future it will be so much more "J. Benjamin".
Unfortunately, for you and me, being under construction also means there will be no new product. My store will still be open as long as product is available. I've been considering putting out a teaser piece but if I do it will look more like the future J. Benjamin Clothing than the way it is now. My target date to relaunch will be in the Spring of 2010. I have an actually date in mind but I will announce that at a later time. Meanwhile, I will be raising the necessary funds and working on other aspects of J. Benjamin Clothing Co. so that the "new" J. Benjamin becomes more of a success.
I have some designs ready but again that will take some time to do. My question to you is, what types of suggestions do you have that I can do now to build the J. Benjamin brand that doesn't cost anything? I have a small list of things that I want to do but I am looking to really create a buzz about the "new" J. Benjamin brand. Now, I am not necessarily talking about just marketing here, I am looking for suggestions also in all areas of business that do not require capital. Please feel free to either leave comments below or contact me at my email: jbsiii3@jbenjaminclothing.com. I would love to connect with you and talk about how to grow. As Rev Run said, "Surround yourself with smart people! Half of being smart is knowing what you're dumb about!"
Hello again friends. Thanks again for visiting and if this is your first time, welcome to the J. Benjamin Clothing blog. If you are a first time visitor or if you are just wondering why am I posting recipes on a clothing blog then the answer is because cooking inspires me and I like sharing my gifts and talents with all of you.The weather has slightly dropped in Texas very recently (although today I consider it pretty warm) the cooler weather makes me want to do cold weather things like; bake my yearly apple and pumpkins pies (I will be posting these recipes with pics soon too), apple picking (there isn't any of that in Texas though), carving pumpkins, drinking Gingerbread or Pumpkin Spice lattes, and cooking warm, hearty meals.The recipe I am sharing with you today is courtesy of Rachael Ray. I first saw it in her magazine and made it immediately about a year ago. EVERYONE loved it! I have been wanting to make it again and I thought what a good time to do it. So you can follow along with my pics and try it yourself or just check out the mouth watering pics I have posted.Cheeseburger Meatloaf
What you'll need:
2 tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus more for greasing
1 red onion, finely chopped2/3 c. of ketchup
2/3 c. of bread crumbs
2 large eggs
1/2 c. dill pickle chips, chopped
1-1/2 lbs. of ground beef
8 oz. of cheddar cheese, cut into 1/3" cubes
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease the edges of a loaf pan and set aside.
On a cutting board finely chop the onion. Then in a skillet, heat 2 tbsp. of the Olive Oil over medium heat and cook the onions until soft. This should take about 3 minutes.
Now, in a large bowl, combine the bread crumbs, eggs, ketchup, and chopped dill pickle chips (chopping has to be done prior to combining or you can cheat like I did and use pickle relish). Mix the ingredients together.
Once those are mixed together, stir in the onions.
On the cutting board, cut the Cheddar Cheese into small cubes (you could cheat here and buy the prepared cheese cubes also).
In the bowl, mix the cheese and the ground beef with the the other ingredients.
Place meat mixture into loaf pan. Set it in the oven for 30-35 minutes. Thermometer should read 160 degrees when finished. Let the loaf sit for about 5 minutes before serving.
I served mine with mashed potatoes. You can serve yours with whatever side dish you most enjoy. The pickles, onions, and cheese make this meatloaf so good. I hope you enjoy it and please comment on the recipe if you do end up trying it. ENJOY!
Hello again friends! I am going to offer a simple and quick spaghetti and meatballs dish that I made last weekend. It is really quick and easy to make so if you are really busy and have some hunger people waiting this definitely won't take long. People make think you slaved all day over a hot stove but you will know the truth.Spaghetti & Meatballs
1/2 lb lean ground beef1/2 lb ground turkeySalt & pepper for seasoning
2 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves of garlic
1/3 c of parsley
1/4 c shredded Parmesan cheese1/2 c of bread crumbs1 eggSpaghetti noodles
1 jar of pasta sauce
Pour water into pot according to amount set by the box. Add 1 tsp. of salt to the water while boiling. Boil until al dente according to box directions. Drain when done and set aside.
Meanwhile, pour jar of sauce in saucepan and set it on low. Let it simmer while you prepare your meatball. Makes sure to stir the sauce occasionally so that it won't burn.
In a skillet, add 1 tbsp. of Olive Oil and saute the chopped garlic cloves until just brown. This will go into the large bowl of meat.
Now in a large bowl, put your ground meats into the bowl along with a gently whisked egg, salt and pepper, bread crumbs, shredded Parmesan cheese, sauted garlic, and parsley. Now lightly mix all the ingredients with your hands until all the ingredients are combined. Don't over mix. 
Form 1" balls with the meat. They should look like this:
Put 1 tbsp. of Olive Oil in the skillet again and place meatballs inside with enough room to cook comfortably. Don't overcrowd. You should cook the meatballs for about 1 to 1 1/2 where each side is brown and the meatball is cooked fully through. 
Once the meatballs are fully cooked place them on a baking sheet that are covered with paper towels. 
Once complete, place noodles on a plate, then meatballs, and top with sauce. Then ENJOY!
