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KEYSTROKE MONTHLY THE
MARCH 2021 THE MARCH MADNESS TOURNAMENT
That Changed My Life Forever
After the crazy cold and snowy weather we experienced last month, I’m sure we’re all ready to move on to the warm spring weather that starts this month. I don’t know that I’ve ever looked forward to March more than I have this year! Typically, though, in Kentucky and Indiana, March means more than just the start of spring — it also marks the beginning of March Madness. This year’s tournament is no doubt special, considering how everything had to be canceled on short notice last March. It will also be a significant year for March Madness because the entire tournament is taking place in Indiana. And like many sports this year, the teams will play with limited live audiences. Oh well, at least we’ll get to watch the games from home! Unfortunately for those of us in the Louisville and Lexington areas, it’s not yet apparent if the Louisville Cardinals or the Kentucky Wildcats will make the tournament. At least, it isn’t at the time I’m writing this. I certainly hope they do, though. As many of you know, I was the assistant coach for the Kentucky Wildcats for a few years back in the 1980s, and it was actually because of the Final Four that I even got that job — and moved to Lexington — in the first place. When I was coaching at the University of Arkansas at Monticello, I attended the National Association of Basketball Coaches clinics, which were held at the same time and in the same place as the Final Four. In 1985, it was in Lexington. The clinic was great; we got to tour Lexington, visit the arena, and see some of that beautiful Kentucky bluegrass countryside. It made me think I wouldn’t mind living there one day! Then, as I was driving back to Arkansas from the clinic, I heard something over the radio that changed the course of my life forever. On the sports channel, the announcer said that Eddie Sutton would be the new coach of the Kentucky Wildcats. I had gotten to know Coach Sutton during our time in Arkansas, so when I heard he had accepted the position at UK, I thought it could be an opportunity for me to work on his staff. So, within a week of hearing that announcement,
I contacted him and applied for the assistant coach position. Several months later, I was offered the job, and I accepted.
Being an assistant coach with Coach Sutton exposed me to one of the top college basketball programs in the country. Not many coaches get the experience of coaching at that level. However, as exciting as the job opportunity was, it was almost equally exciting to be moving to Lexington. When I had visited several months previously, it really left a lasting impression on me. After just two years as an assistant coach for the UK basketball team, I decided to move on to other opportunities. In the long run, though, it still worked out because I’ve been able to live in a place I love for the past 35 years, all because I made that initial move. So, whenever March Madness rolls around, I think back to the one that ultimately changed my life forever. I’m incredibly grateful for the time I’ve had to live and work in Lexington and in the state of Kentucky. So, to wrap up, here’s hoping that the Louisville Cardinals and the Kentucky Wildcats both end up in the tournament so all of us can enjoy March Madness that much more. The fact that it’s happening at all is a sign 2021 is already turning out better than 2020. Enjoy the games! -Doug Barnes
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IS BIG FACE COFFEE COMING TO YOU?
opening my coffee shop. Right now, I’m charging 20 bucks a cup. So, if you want some, come through.” It’s true — a cup coffee from Big Face costs $20, whether players ordered a size large or small, a pour-over, or a cafe au lait. As Food & Wine magazine put it, “His prices make Starbucks look like a little kid’s lemonade stand.” The story started out as a funny riff for the media, who asked questions like, “How on Earth is he making steamed milk with a French press?” But last September, things got serious. First, Butler filed more than $4,000 worth of trademark applications to protect the name “Big Face Coffee,” its slogan “No I.O.U.s,” and future Big Face apparel, including everything from hats to coffee beans. Then in December, rumors started flying that Butler had offered his teammate Bam Adebayo a stake in Big Face for a cool $2.5 million.
According to Heat Nation, Adebayo turned down the offer, but now that he’s gotten a significant pay raise (he’ll make more than $200 million over the next five years), that could change. “And who knows, if Adebayo comes on board, we could be talking multiple locations,” writes Zac Cadwalader of Sprudge. “A Big Face Coffee on the corner of every hotel floor in the 2021 playoff bubble. Just think, you could meet your special someone at a Big Face Coffee.” Big Face Coffee beans could soon be headed to a store or website near you. In the meantime, though, you’ll have to be content with making a $20 cup of coffee on your own French press, a la Butler’s Miami hotel room. Visit CoffeeHow.co/French- Press-Coffee for a guide to making the perfect cup.
Last year’s NBA bubble, formed to combat the threat of COVID-19 infection, brought the world a year’s worth of entertainment — and a new coffee shop. That’s right: When the bubble rose at Walt Disney World in July 2020, Miami Heat all-star forward Jimmy Butler saw its bad coffee as a business opportunity. He opened Big Face Coffee and started pedaling cups from his hotel room.
“I’m working on my coffee skills,” Butler told ESPN at the time. “After my career, I’m
Trading Fast Fashion for Thrifted Threads How Poshmark and thredUP Captured Fashion-Minded Millennials
There might have been a time when buying secondhand clothes was a sign of poverty. Today, however, more and more shoppers are buying used clothes because they’re cheaper and it’s an eco-friendlier way to get the best brands. Several retailers, both brick and mortar and online, have capitalized on this trend — though maybe none as well as thredUP and Poshmark. The world’s largest online consignment and thrift store is now thredUP. Since it was founded in 2009, millions of people have mailed in their clothes to thredUP’s distribution centers, and the company has found new homes for over 65 million pieces of clothing. Poshmark captures the same fashion zeitgeist as thredUP but in a different way. On Poshmark, people can sell their used clothes to buyers directly. Sellers, sometimes called “Poshers,” pay a small fee for every item they sell out of their “closet.” To date, 60 million Poshers actively sell their used threads on the site. Both sites offer the convenience of online shopping for used and recycled clothing, but that’s not the only reason they’ve become more popular. According to Newsweek, 73% of millennials said that climate
change was personally important to them. Every item bought is an item kept out of landfills (notorious for producing methane, a noxious greenhouse gas), which makes buying thrifted items more appealing to young people. With its slogan “Have More, Waste Less,” thredUP has taken advantage of this trend. It also doesn’t hurt that both sites are great places to find name-brand clothing at deep discounts. Both Poshmark and thredUP also benefit from empowering their customers to use their sites to connect with others from wherever they are. Because it allows people to connect directly, Poshmark works as a social network and can be just as addicting as Facebook or Twitter. And, just like a lot of online businesses, both sites have enjoyed tremendous growth because they are accessible from home, where most people have spent a majority of their time during the pandemic. Nevertheless, with everything else they have going for them, the success of these online retailers is sure to continue.
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WILL THE WORLD GO KEYLESS AS TIME GOES ON?
Anyone who’s owned a key to anything, whether a home, a car, or a business, can attest that they’re just as pesky as they are useful. They sometimes break and they always seem to get lost right when you need them. Nevertheless, traditional keys have been a standard tool in our society for centuries. Could that change soon? The advent of new, keyless electronic locks that require a keypad code, authentication via smartphone, or biometric scans have, in some cases, eliminated the need for traditional, pesky pin-and- tumbler keys. However, the convenience of electronic locks doesn’t necessarily make them the best option for your residence. Let’s take a look at some of their advantages and disadvantages. Pros: As previously stated, electronic locks are convenient. They mean one less key to carry around and worry about losing or breaking. They also make entry easier on a day-to-day basis, since you only need one free hand to unlock them. You can even unlock some of them remotely! On top of that, they are also nearly pick-proof, since the internal motors necessitate the right electronic impulse. Would-be criminals can’t just manipulate the tumblers or find the spare key. Cons: However, electronic locks are not without drawbacks. If you forget your key code, lose your phone, or have a weak internet connection, all of these things could keep you out of your residence
as easily as losing or breaking a key would. Power outages can also create unique problems for residences with electronic locks. And while electronic locks can’t be picked in the traditional sense, if someone steals your phone or finds your access code, they can get in just as easily as if they had the spare key. Electronic locks haven’t been around for nearly as long as traditional pin-and-tumbler locks, so it remains to be seen just how advantageous electronic locks could be for places of residence. For now, though, if you want electronic locks installed at your home or business, call Pop-A-Lock today at 1-800-POP-A-LOCK.
TAKE A BREAK
MEET GRACIE
A Golden Doodle With a Golden Heart
Princess Gracie Arensman (just known as Gracie to her friends) is a pure golden doodle who loves swimming (or just floating on some pool noodles) in Paula’s backyard pool, playing fetch with her grandson Keegan, and doing tricks for Beggin’ Strips. She’ll be 2 years old this year, so she’s still a puppy, but she’s a very good girl for her age! Gracie was a birthday present for Paula from her husband in November 2019, but since living with them, she’s become really attached to Paula’s husband! Every time he comes home from work, she’s just so excited! That said, Gracie has a lot of love for her whole family, including Keegan. Gracie and Keegan are best friends, and they love to tire each other out while playing in the backyard.
If you’re looking for a dog that’s good natured, good with kids, and doesn’t shed, find yourself a golden doodle like Gracie!
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE HOW ONE MARCH MADNESS TOURNAMENT CHANGED MY LIFE PAGE 1 THE COFFEE SHOP BORN IN THE NBA BUBBLE TRADING FAST FASHION FOR THRIFTED THREADS PAGE 2 WILL THE WORLD GO KEYLESS AS TIME GOES ON? MEETING THE PUPS OF POP-A-LOCK: GRACIE PAGE 3 NETFLIX’S CEO ON PURSUING YOUR IDEAS PAGE 4
WHAT CAN A NETFLIX CEO TEACH YOU ABOUT BUSINESS?
If you ask Marc Randolph about his favorite place, he’ll mention an office building in Dallas, where Blockbuster had its corporate headquarters on the 27th floor. Randolph, one
If you’re looking for more salacious details, he spends much of the first chapter debunking
the stories about who had the idea for Netflix and whether or not it was an epiphany. “That story is beautiful,” Randolph writes. “It’s useful. It is, as we say in marketing, emotionally true. But as you’ll see in this book,
of the founders of Netflix and its first CEO, has no illusions about what happened to the former retail giant. In his new book, “That Will Never Work: The Birth of Netflix and the Amazing Life of an Idea,” Randolph shares how Netflix disrupted an industry and took the world by storm, an example every business leader can learn from.
that’s not the whole story.” The whole story is one we’ll let you read for yourself, and there is plenty more where that came from.
Randolph himself is fascinated by the nuts and bolts of business and entrepreneurship: “How does your business test new ideas? Can it happen faster? What’s the cost of having sloppy content hit the internet if it gets you out there sooner?” He examines how quickly you can put an idea in front of a customer where “you will learn more than you could in five months of R&D.” Randolph addresses these issues and more in “That Will Never Work,” all the while explaining their relevance to entrepreneurs.
Anybody can research Netflix online, but “That Will Never Work” is a rare glimpse into the inner workings of one of the 21st century’s most lucrative and secretive companies. Juicy stories pair well with marketing lessons, and the writing style is
easy to get lost in — it really is a page-turner.
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