Did You Know - Blue Exit Signs Edition

Here's How Much Businesses Pay To Get On Those Big Blue Exit Signs

Who’s Eligible To Be On The Signs?

If you own a business that falls into one of these groups—attraction, pharmacy, camping, lodging, food and gas—and your business is located near a controlled-access state highway, then you’re eligible to get your company on the big blue sign. This could be a great opportunity to bring in more customers.

But not everyone is eligible to display their firm’s logo; that’s because the state’s requirements are rather strict, specifying things like distance from the highway, operating hours, required amenities, and number of parking spots available.

Cost To Businesses 

The cost of getting on a specific service sign varies by state, but in general, it spans between about $500 and a couple grand per year. For some states, the annual fee depends solely upon which kind of sign a business is renting, though other states base the annual fee on how much traffic that particular road sees (a more crowded road costs more).

(Jalopnik.com)

Well Done Sir, Well Done

(BroBible.com)

Hell Yah!

(BroBible.com)

A Well Executed Creation

(BroBible.com)

A Well Executed Meal

(BroBible.com)

Did You Know - Wall Street Blue Chips Edition

The Electric General 

The century-old electricity company and only remaining blue chip from the original Dow Jones lineup[.]

(BroBible.com)

That's A Good One

(Bits&Pieces.us)

Did You Know - Doughnut Boxes Edition

Why are doughnut boxes pink? The answer could only come out of Southern California

The pink box is a distinctly regional tradition, one so ingrained it often requires an outsider to notice. The Northeast has Dunkin’ Donuts and its neon orange and pink box. The South has Krispy Kreme and its polka dot box. But come to Los Angeles and it’s the no-frills pink box, with signature grease marks, that commands counter space in our offices, waiting rooms and police stations.

“Any time you see a movie or sitcom set in New York and a pink doughnut box appears, you know it obviously took place in L.A.,” says Peter Yen of Santa Ana Packaging, a local manufacturer of the carnation-pink containers that cost about a dime each.

According to company lore, a Cambodian doughnut shop owner asked Westco some four decades ago if there were any cheaper boxes available other than the standard white cardboard. So Westco found leftover pink cardboard stock and formed a 9-by-9-by-4-inch container with four semicircle flaps to fold together. To this day, people in the business refer to the box as the “9-9-4.”

“It’s the perfect fit for a dozen doughnuts,” said Jim Parker, BakeMark’s president and chief executive.

More importantly to the thrifty refugees, it cost a few cents less than the standard white. That’s a big deal for shops that go through hundreds, if not thousands, of boxes a week. It didn’t hurt either that pink was a few shades short of red, a lucky color for the refugees, many of whom are ethnic Chinese. White, on the other hand, is the color of mourning.

How the pink box has persevered so long may be about more than just dollars and cents. Experts say the color triggers an emotional connection to sweetness that makes doughnuts more irresistible than they already are.

(LATimes.com)

Life, Very Well Illustrated

Artist Perfectly Captures The Flaws Of Our Society In A Series Of Illustrations

Employment

Healthcare

Job Security

Complete list (CavemanCircus.com)

I'm Always Working On These Skills

11 everyday skills that will make you more successful over time

2. Construct a positive environment for yourself

So much of success depends on our environment. Rarely do we give this enough credit. Where you work and where you spend the majority of your time has a huge impact on what you accomplish and how you feel about it. The right environment will help you feel more engaged in and enthusiastic about your work. A negative environment will suck the joy and inspiration out of you.

The same goes for your home, and perhaps even more so because home is where you go to recharge your batteries at the end of the day. Find ways of making your home feel like the retreat it should be. For example, get a little feng shui in your life by clearing the clutter and creating an environment in which you can truly relax and feel comfortable.

6. Practice more than you preach

Anyone can talk about success. What's hard is putting your nose to the grindstone day after day. In order to become successful, you'll need to master skills worthy of that title in the first place. And you also need to fundamentally believe in what you're doing.

You need to know your purpose and follow through on your core beliefs and values. After all, nothing will destroy your credibility like a lack of connection between what you say and what you do.

So say what you're going to do, follow through with it and, above all, believe it. Keep walking the walk and you'll achieve your goals while inspiring others to do the same.

7. Communicate effectively

Soft skills are often the biggest differentiators between those perennially aspiring to be successful and those who achieve success.

Effective communication is a skill. It's something that takes practice, and requires that you invest heavily in not only understanding others, but also yourself. You have to be the master of your own ship before you can instruct others on how they should be sailing.

Recognize when you get frustrated, and know how to manage your negative emotions. At the same time, it's important to understand when it's appropriate to give constructive feedback and when it's best to save words for later. Communication is an art, and it takes time to learn how to perform well.

9. Never stop optimizing

Part of the “success process” is continuing to optimize and learning to make the best use of your resources over time. As soon as you stop trying to improve, you're no longer working toward success. At best, you will remain stagnant.

The process of developing, constructing and reconstructing is part of a journey that never ends. It's a skill to be able to constantly look for ways to improve. But just like anything else, the more you practice it, the better you'll get. Keep testing new strategies and collaborating on different methodologies. Pioneers are those who push the boundaries and carve their own path in life.

10. Ask questions, constantly

You should never stop learning. Ever.

We learn by asking questions, not telling people the answers we think we know. Therefore, the more we question, the better answers we get.

Part of becoming successful is taking the time to ask others for guidance. Those people are usually those older than you who have already achieved what you're looking to accomplish. There is so much value in asking questions. For starters, asking questions makes your brain more open to forming new patterns and considering different possibilities.

The deeper your questions, the wiser you will become. And in the process, you will learn to understand yourself better. That self-knowledge will ultimately give you a sense of peace and happiness.

Complete list (BusinessInsider.com)