The Small Blog

Wed, August 10, 2011 - 10:26:51

Linda Shares a SMALL Story

Thanks to this summer’s soaring temperatures, many of us have been sweating a whole lot more than “the small stuff.” And on one particularly warm day last weekend, I met a friendly passerby whose eye for the details made a small but powerful difference in my day.

Posted by Linda and Robin
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Thu, August 04, 2011 - 8:51:39

An Eye for Details Makes a Million-Dollar Find

There’s no question that having an eye for details can be a tremendous asset in the business world. From being able to spot a misplaced, yet costly, decimal point, to recognizing the potential fruitfulness of an idea when it’s just a tiny seed, sweating the small stuff can play a huge role in your success. But it doesn’t just pay to think small when you’re on the job. As a recent story that’s sweeping the nation shows, having an eye for the details can have unexpected rewards.

When Doug, an Oklahoma native and amateur art collector, headed into a Bath, England antique shop, during a vacation more than thirty years ago, an intricately carved little bowl caught his eye. Marveling at the detail and quality, he had no idea what the item was, but he knew he had to have it, and made a relatively inexpensive purchase. Over the years, he used his keen eye to scout out other similar items at antique shops and flea markets, paying very careful attention to the visual details, but still not knowing much about the history of the pieces he was buying. Then, decades later, he visited Antiques Roadshow as it made a stop in his hometown of Tulsa. And it turned out he had quite the eye, for this novice collector had amassed a small grouping of five bowls worth nearly $1.5 million, setting a record for the PBS program—and setting Doug up for life!

Posted by Linda and Robin
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Fri, July 29, 2011 - 11:38:54

Little Mistakes Can Cost You Big Bucks

We have a little saying here at the Kaplan Thaler Group: “Little mistakes spell disaster.” We’ve learned through our own experiences, as well as through the anecdotes of others, to sweat the small stuff because even the tiniest error—something as seemingly insignificant as a typo—can have an outsize negative impact.

Don’t believe us? Consider Paul’s story. A brilliant pre-med student in college, Paul had eagerly applied to a number of medical schools only to be rejected by all of them. Perplexed by the outcome—after all, Paul had been a straight-A student—he sought to get to the bottom of it. And, unfortunately, it was only then that he took the time to reread his personal statement. There, staring back at him from the page was his fatal error…

Posted by Linda and Robin
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Thu, July 21, 2011 - 12:41:58

A Little Think Time Can Net BIG Ideas

In today’s hectic work climate, many of us struggle with how to manage it all. We rush from one meeting to another, stop to answer emails, and hurry to tie up loose ends. Although you might think that’s a sign of your intense work ethic, all that doing can actually have a negative effect on your professional creativity. And that means no matter how productive you’re being you could actually be doing yourself a disservice. Fortunately, a recent Fortune Magazine interview with Todd Henry, author of The Accidental Creative, highlights a very simple way to recharge your creative juices each week: take a 60-minute time out.

Posted by Linda and Robin
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Mon, July 11, 2011 - 12:25:05

Cursive May Be “Archaic,” But Handwriting Still has Old-Fashioned Appeal

For those of you who earned low marks in your grade school school penmanship classes, recent headlines may have you wishing you’d been born a few decades later. As the Tribune-Star first reported in a story that’s made waves online, cursive is now being removed from the Indiana school system’s curriculum—the first official move of its kind in our increasingly digital society.

In their reasoning for cutting cursive from classrooms, school officials called the curlicue-d style of writing “archaic” and explained that the time devoted to teaching it could be better spent instructing students in keyboard skills.  While this move may make sense, it’s a powerful reminder of the increasing rarity of handwriting in our modern age—and its value as a both a personal and business tool.

Posted by Linda and Robin
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