We need more happiness. All ages, all races, all income levels. All of us, pretty much across the board. In our world of abundance, there’s an overwhelming sense of burden, distress, and anxiety. I have a bunch of statistics and information to back this up, but I’m going to spare bumming you out by sharing […]
Author: Jim Cota
Twenty years ago last week, walking through the door into Rare Bird would have been a decidedly different experience. First, there were only three of us to greet you (not 15 as there are today) and you’d have been entering a recently converted garage. (Yes, we were a classic garage start-up.) Back then, we spent […]
We’ve moved, and the word that comes to mind to best describe the event is “disruptive.” Not in the positive way that you might say “HomeAway has been disruptive to the hotel industry.” More like, “Holy $#*&, what else can go wrong?” I think you know what I mean. Regardless, the time had come to […]
Everyone knows that cancer sucks. All of us have been affected by its terrible reach, often very close to home. It seems even more tragic when kids get sick. Hardly a week goes by that doesn’t bring news of a child falling victim. The numbers are frightening: Worldwide, a child is diagnosed with cancer every […]
I’m sitting in Cafe Patachou’s flagship, the first location opened by local celebrity restaurateur Martha Hoover, when I see this notice posted in the middle of the menu: I think (and remark to my tablemates) that this simple message is a stroke of genius, from both a marketing perspective and simple, common sense. Too often […]
I confess: I am a fall junkie, and I’m guessing a lot of you are, too. For us football fans, when the college and NFL seasons start, it’s like we’ve been sitting in the dark since February and somebody finally turned the lights back on. For baseball fans, it’s the beginning of post-season play and, […]
Welcome to Friday, wherever you are. Here in Indianapolis, the sun is shining and it’s going to be a beautiful evening. As you know, it’s been an unbelievably unbelievable week. Three tragic incidents in Orlando, Florida. Our hearts, as do the world’s, go out to everyone affected. While we’ve all had our individual moments of […]
Unless you live under a rock (and who doesn’t want to sometimes?) you know this past Memorial Day weekend was the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500. I’m about to use a word that I use sparingly and judiciously, because when you use it, it should really imply something monumental: epic. This event, and weekend, […]
So this might seem a little esoteric, but bear with me. I think you’re going to find it interesting. Maybe even useful. Possibly even job-saving. You may have heard about the Panama Papers. If not, here’s a brief recap: A Panamanian law firm, Mossack Fonseca, recently had more than 11 million documents leaked to the […]
If you regularly read our emails or blog posts (first, thank you!), you know that we tend to look at the world in some unconventional ways. A slight tilt to the head, like a dog puzzling over whether or not it’s worth the risk to grab that filet off the counter. Much like the dog, […]
[Note: This guest post is authored by a certifiable “big brain” and friend of Rare Bird, Chip Neidigh. Chip is a graduate of the US Naval Academy, a former Marine Corps Officer, and a business owner specializing in helping leaders of organizations of all sizes become the best possible versions of themselves.] I run a […]
Around here, change is a constant companion. When your days (and evenings — and some nights —) are spent in the inner workings of the internet, when you live in Indiana where the weather changes from 60° to snow seemingly overnight, when your football team goes from 13-3 to 3-13 (and sort of back again…) […]
